Retro Game Dev: C64 Edition

by Derek Morris

[Color version] Learn to develop your own games for the biggest selling home computer of all the Commodore 64. Using modern tools, this introductory book guides you through all the elements required to make two mini a space shooter and a platformer, and run them on an emulator or real C64 hardware.

Whether you're a retro enthusiast after a nostalgia fix, or a newcomer hoping to break into the games industry, this will unleash your creativity!

Learn Downloads and discussion forum available at www.retrogamedev.com.

Genres: Programming, Games, Computers

130 pages, Paperback

Published November 29, 2017

Reviews

[Doug Wheeler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having programmed other 8-bit computers in the 1980s, I was expecting something with a bit more detail. This book is more of a "follow along" and use the "CBM .prg Studio" IDE to create an some example apps. There is very little detail about the hardware registers and how to get the most out of the custom chips.

[John Mc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting though too much macro use

It would have been better to not use macros so extensively in the code. Sure it’s better for advanced users but while learning seeing the actual code is more conducive to learning.

[Diogo Muller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fine book on C64 Development. It starts easy and simple, with the basics on 6502 and some specifics of the platforms, and guides you through the creation of two games - one simple space shooter, and a platformer.

The tutorials are very easy to follow, up to a certain point midway through the Shooter, where you have to start using the given examples to do anything. It's still easy to do, but if you are trying to do the projects on your own, there's a bit more work to do.

Still, it's a great intro to the C64. It doesn't enter more advanced topics, but that fine, since it's a book about the basics, and it does that really well.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short tutorial in using CBM Prog Studio (http://www.ajordison.co.uk/) to create C64 games. Morris gives a high-level code walkthrough of two demonstration games: a space shooter, and a side-scrolling platformer (game assets available here: https://www.retrogamedev.com/).
Morris did a great job, and I hope he has more books like this coming soon. 4.5 stars.

[Daniel Cloutier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schöne Einführung in die C64 Spieleentwicklung, die die generellen Konzepte kommuniziert. Anfangs ein perfektes Tempo mit angenehmer Detailtiefe, später arg kurz gehalten, man benötigt parallel definitiv noch tiefergehende Literatur zu Assembler.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Foundation

An excellent walk through developing two games which covers all of the key phases not just code but code, assets, modular design, and more.

[Stuart Combellack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun!

Quite short but high quality and easy to follow. Fab introduction to the world of c64 games programming. Must read if you're a frustrated games designer!