Retro Scan of the Week: “Our Way of Saying Thanks”
March 5th, 2007 by Benj Edwards
I found this 5×10.5″ document in an old box of Commodore 64 ephemera that I inherited from a stranger (along with some of his old speeding tickets) via a hamfest. It appears to be the reward for filling out a COMPUTE! magazine survey (circa mid 1980s) and contains the BASIC program code for a game called Amazer.
Typed program listings like this were extremely common back in the day, but I found this example particularly interesting, as it was intended to be a bonus “gift” program, and they didn’t even bother to send a disk or cassette. Paper was a far cheaper distribution medium, of course, but it’s not even a full piece of paper! They must have had trouble finding a decent game small enough to fit the size of paper allocated by their minuscule gift budget.
I just did a quick search for “Amazer” on Google and found that some enterprising individual is trying to sell a copy of this very document on eBay for $50. He even went so far as to blur out the program listing on his picture! And no, this item is not worth $50. It’s more like a few steps away from toilet paper in terms of actual monetary value. But it’s still a neat historical footnote, no doubt.
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March 5th, 2007 at 10:26 am
I kid ya not. I sold a 5k ‘TEXT’ file on ebay once for $150 US. All it contained was addresses. The kid selling that paper for $50…I think he might just get it if his auction is convincing enough.
As far as the game/paper itself…it does should how far we have come. Think of it this way..most computers these days are being sold without floppy drives. It is just wrong I tell ya!
March 5th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
eBay, where idiots sell overpriced crap to bigger idiots! The same guy wants $80 for a SID chip so he’s clearly not the sharpest pencil.
Because Benj was cool enough to post that graphic, I’ll return the favour:
100 DIMA(4):V=PEEK(0)=76:W=40+18*V:SC=1024-6656*V:C=55296+16896*V:L=25+2*V
110 IFV=0THENPOKE3280,0:POKE53281,2
115 IFVTHENPOKE36879,40
120 A(0)=2:A(1)=-W*2:A(2)=-2:A(3)=W*2
130 WL=160:HL=32:A=RND(-TI):A=SC+W*4+3
140 PRINTCHR$(147);:FORI=W*3TOL*W-W*2STEPW:FORJ=2TOW-4
150 POKESC+I+J,WL:POKEC+I+J,14+8*V:NEXT:NEXT
160 FORI=2+L*W-WTOL*W-4:POKESC+1,239:POKEC+I,6+2*V:NEXT
170 FORI=W*4-3TOL*W-W-3STEPW:POKESC+I,246:POKEC+I,6+2*V:NEXT
180 POKEA,4:PRINTCHR$(19);CHR$(158):PRINTCHR$(18);CHR$(142);CHR$(8);
190 PRINT TAB((W-8)/2);” AMAZER ”
200 PRINT CHR$(153);TAB((W-17)/2);” SETTING UP MAZE ”
210 POKEA,4
220 J=INT(RND(1)*4):X=J
230 B=A+A(J):IFPEEK(B)=WLTHENPOKEB,J:POKEA+A(J)/2,HL:A=B:GOTO 220
240 J=(J+1)*-(JXTHEN230
250 J=PEEK(A):POKEA,HL:IFJ.94THENZ=164
290 IFPEEK(B)=WLTHEN320
300 IFB=PTHEN400
310 POKECC+B,7:POKEB,81:POKEA,Z:POKECC+A,13+8*V:A=B:J=(J+2)+4*(J>1)
320 J=(J-1)-4*(J=0):GETK$
330 IFT=0ANDK$=””THENTI$=”000000″:GOTO280
340 IFT=0THENPRINTCHR$(19):PRINT:PRINTTAB((W-18)/2);” TIME USED:”;TI$;” “:T=1
350 IFK$>=”I”ANDK$WLTHENPOKEP,HL:P=NP
370 IFPK=WLTHENI=4
380 IFPK=164THEND=D+1:S=SC+W*L-W-W*D:POKES,164:POKES+CC,13+8*V:IFD=20THEN400
390 PRINTCHR$(19):PRINT:PRINTTAB((W-17)/2+11);TI$:GOTO280
400 PRINTCHR$(159);CHR$(19);
410 PRINTCHR$(5);TAB((W-13)/2-2);” YOU FOUND $”;STR$(D)
420 PRINTCHR$(158)
256 GETK$:IFK$””THEN430
440 GETK$:IFK$CHR$(13) THEN 440
450 RUN
If anyone wants this in program form, grab it here:
http://www.gamebase64.com/game.php?id=11838&d=18&h=0
Hope that helps.
March 5th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Cool, Bjorn! Thanks for transcribing it.
March 5th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
I am SO glad we don’t have to do this anymore…
March 7th, 2007 at 12:32 am
Three cheers to anyone who actually still has all of those Pokes and Peeks memorized!
Notice how they saved paper by using the goold old : separator instead of printing each line individually…. 😀
Layne
March 12th, 2007 at 12:44 am
Oh, this brings back memories!
But yes, I am so glad someone typed it in for us! We are so spoiled now.
Even better, the program didn’t work, so I had to debug some pasting anomalies!
Can’t believe I knew immediately how to fix it, I guess it’s like riding a bike!
March 12th, 2007 at 1:54 am
Well, this may not work because of html filtering in the comment system, but this is what I got after debugging:
100 DIMA(4):V=PEEK(0)=76:W=40+18*V:SC=1024-6656*V:C=55296+16896*V:L=25+2*V
110 IFV=0THENPOKE53280,0:POKE53281,2
115 IFVTHENPOKE36879,40
120 A(0)=2:A(1)=-W*2:A(2)=-2:A(3)=W*2
130 WL=160:HL=32:A=RND(-TI):A=SC+W*4+3
140 PRINTCHR$(147);:FORI=W*3TOL*W-W*2STEPW:FORJ=2TOW-4
150 POKESC+I+J,WL:POKEC+I+J,14+8*V:NEXT:NEXT
160 FORI=2+L*W-WTOL*W-4:POKESC+1,239:POKEC+I,6+2*V:NEXT
170 FORI=W*4-3TOL*W-W-3STEPW:POKESC+I,246:POKEC+I,6+2*V:NEXT
180 POKEA,4:PRINTCHR$(19);CHR$(158):PRINTCHR$(18);CHR$(142);CHR$(8);
190 PRINT TAB((W-8)/2);” AMAZER ”
200 PRINT CHR$(153);TAB((W-17)/2);” SETTING UP MAZE ”
210 POKEA,4
220 J=INT(RND(1)*4):X=J
230 B=A+A(J):IFPEEK(B)=WLTHENPOKEB,J:POKEA+A(J)/2,HL:A=B:GOTO 220
240 J=(J+1)*-(JXTHEN230
250 J=PEEK(A):POKEA,HL:IFJ.94THENZ=164
290 IFPEEK(B)=WLTHEN320
300 IFB=PTHEN400
310 POKECC+B,7:POKEB,81:POKEA,Z:POKECC+A,13+8*V:A=B:J=(J+2)+4*(J>1)
320 J=(J-1)-4*(J=0):GETK$
330 IFT=0ANDK$=””THENTI$=”000000″:GOTO280
340 IFT=0THENPRINTCHR$(19):PRINT:PRINTTAB((W-18)/2);” TIME USED:”;TI$;” “:T=1
350 IFK$>=”I”ANDK$WLTHENPOKEP,HL:P=NP
370 IFPK=WLTHENI=4
380 IFPK=164THEND=D+1:S=SC+W*L-W-W*D:POKES,164:POKES+CC,13+8*V:IFD=20THEN400
390 PRINTCHR$(19):PRINT:PRINTTAB((W-17)/2+11);TI$:GOTO280
400 PRINTCHR$(159);CHR$(19);
410 PRINTCHR$(5);TAB((W-13)/2-2);” YOU FOUND $”;STR$(D)
420 PRINTCHR$(158);:PRINT TAB((W-19)/2);” PRESS {SPACE}”;CHR$(18);”RETURN”
256 GETK$:IFK$””THEN430
440 GETK$:IFK$CHR$(13) THEN 440
450 RUN
March 12th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
What “debugging” would that be? The code I offered above is *exactly* as it was presented by Compute! and works perfectly. I even gave a link where you could download the program in ready-to-run form.
March 15th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
No was not your fault, copy and past in your code from above and try it.
Then start debugging and you’ll figure it out
March 17th, 2007 at 1:53 am
Works just fine here.
February 3rd, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Just to clear it up, Jokton was right! There were a few typo’s in the original. The differences are lines 110 (missing a number) and 420 (missing the end of the line).
I resolve 4 year old arguments on the internet. That’s what I do!
February 4th, 2011 at 4:10 pm
Haha cheers Cody!