At last! A workbook for creating sprites, custom characters, and screens on the Commodore 64!The C64 is one of the best things to come out of the 1980's. For the first time, we could create our own games and utilities. And those sprites! Screen objects we could move and manipulate however we wanted! How many of you remember counting squares on a sheet of graph paper, marking the lines to show the proper sprite shape, before you could even start designing the sprite itself?The handy templates in this book make designing elements for your programs easier. Sprites, custom characters, even screen layouts--the templates eliminate the need to mark and measure graph paper, which means you can dive right in to designing.Includes templates for 100 sprites, 450 custom characters, and 50 screens.

Offers three computer games which make use of strategy, shows how each one was programmed, and gives practical advice on creating one's own games

How did the Commodore 64 conquer the hearts of millions and become a platform people still actively develop for even today? What made it so special? This book will appeal to both those who like tinkering with old technology as a hobby and nostalgic readers who simply want to enjoy a trip down memory lane. It discusses in a concise but rigorous format the different areas of home gaming and personal computing where the C64 managed to innovate and push forward existing boundaries. Starting from Jack Tramiel's vision of designing computers "for the masses, not the classes," the book introduces the 6510, VIC-II and SID chips that made the C64 unique. It briefly discusses its Basic programming language and then proceeds to illustrate not only many of the games that are still so fondly remembered but also the first generation of game engines that made game development more approachable − among other topics that are often neglected but are necessary to provide a comprehensive overview of how far reaching theC64 influence was. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, readers will relive the dawn of modern technology and gain a better understanding of the legacy that was built, bit by bit, in those pioneering days by computers that had only a tiny fraction of the power modern machines have and, yet, were used to create the technological world we are now living in. With a foreword by Michael Tomczyk

Enables Readers to Transfer Their Own Hi-Res Graphics Directly onto the Monitor Screen Using Programs Written in BASIC. Includes of Easy-to-Follow Instructions & 25 Prepared Programs for Direct Input