![]() My dream was to make games and I had a lot of fun writing assembly code snippets, experimenting with graphics and sound. But in the end the C64 prevailed, owing to its outstanding graphics and sound and its emerging popularity.Īt that time, computers were simple enough for anyone to master in depth and the C64 was a perfect tutor. My heart beat for the Z80 processor found in competitors such as the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. The C64 was not an obvious choice, so you can't say it was love at first sight. It was my first own computer, which I had to fight hard to afford through extra work after school hours. "In my teens, during a few intense years, I learned the basics of computer technology on a C64. THE C64 40 YEAR CELEBRATION with Mr.Z/Triad (29/31) I have fond memories of the C64, even the Compunet years and the massive phone bills." Phobia was the last C64 title I worked on and I transitioned to the Amiga by doing the conversion. I would have remained on the C64 but I wanted an Amiga 1000 after seeing one and playing on one in Jeff Minter’s home. I would play with the sounds, and try and make it even more special. He would get the notes and the timings and enter them into a data table that would instantly play back. We teamed up many times to make a quick buck. I have to rely on sheet music – and lots of time – where Ben could do it in seconds. My skills at composing music were minuscule compared to the talents of Ben. He was with me from the very beginning when we first started learning to code back at school, writing educational software. Intertwined with all this games writing, I used to team up with a good friend, Ben Daglish. ![]() I also did the Atari version of William, but I have no idea if that got released. I wrote the C64 version of Monty Mole and Black Thunder, then left for Wizard Development where I wrote William Wobbler and Gryphon. I moved on from Alligata to yet another shop software house, this time it was Gremlin Graphics, where I wrote Potty Pigeon towards starting the company. Each game I wrote was an attempt beat the last. I felt like I would never move on from the C64 because it felt like there was so much more to give. I ended up writing more than six games as I went on to write Killer Watt, Loco and Blagger as well. The owner of Alligata Software offered me a C64 and in return I wrote six games. I guess I was lucky as I didn’t have to pay for my C64, not in money anyway. The buzz I got from showing off on this machine got me addicted to wanting more! Luckily it was something I was able to make a living from. "The C64 was the machine that moulded my future. ![]() THE C64 40 YEAR CELEBRATION with Antony 'Ratt' Crowther (30/31)
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