39+ Year-Old Commodore 64 Easter Eggs Found!

[@bodoelsel]

Completely forgot Dragonsden which I’ve loved back in the days. What a flashback watching this game for the first time since nearly 40 years. Thank you.

[@sheldonkerr]

Andy Finkel was a very productive and hard working bloke. Smart as a fox.

[@rosiefay7283]

Music in the programs: 3:25 J. S. Bach, "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" from Cantata BWV 147 8:07 Beethoven, Symphony 9 in d minor, mvt. 4. The timing's off at the start but becomes correct later. 8:34 Rossini. William Tell overture, final section 15:25 Dvorák, Symphony 4 in G, mvt. 4 15:37 Grieg, Peer Gynt suite, In the Hall of the Mountain King 16:01 Schubert, Marche militaire

[@rafaelgadret]

Probably they used classic music because is public domain and royalty free, but are recognisable tunes.

[@merman1974]

Really enjoyed this part, the scrolling messages are particularly interesting for the time.

[@andrewgillham1907]

Great video Robin. I enjoy seeing the Easter eggs. Though now I’m wondering who Steve Finkel was.

[@mikegarland4500]

It is hard to comprehend that companies wouldn't allow programmers due credit. Different times, I suppose. Glad to know that they were sneaking these Easter Eggs in, but sadly it seems, not a lot of people probably knew about them. I really love that you're bringing these to light. I can only hope some more of these programmers stumble upon these vids and know that they haven't been forgotten.

[@sepgorut2492]

Where is Andy Finkel now?

[@DavidYoud]

5:27 Whoa, mind blown!

[@WilliamPorygon]

I'm laughing so hard at that "Press a key to start" Easter egg, I'm totally the sort of person who would've literally pressed the A key just to be a smart-ass 😅

[@--Lam]

Wasn't it Compaq keyboards that had the text "Any" printed on the space bar, just to make smartasses like you shut up ;) (I seriously don't believe anyone actually had trouble passing a "press any key to continue" prompt. Yes, I know, all the control keys weren't counted as "any" under DOS, but come on! ;))

[@giuseppe74921]

Great 8bitshowandtell! I watched also part of the vcf ex C= employees panel video that another commenter pointed out, and Andy Finkel seems to be a very nice person, what a trip! PS: i had both Lazarian and Dragon's Den on a tape on the c64, i liked very much Dragon's Den one of the early games i enjoyed, never knew of international tennis, i knew international soccer (endless and endless matches in the afternoons with friends), and i played from time to time a similar basketball game by commodore (but basket it s not very famous here in italy), i have to check that early tennis game by commodore btw, I like those international sport games branded by c=

[@cdrugly]

I played Blueprint a bunch in the arcade. Some keys to the game: The button is only used to run. Useful when being chased by a monster or when you find a bomb. The amount you can run is indicated by the stamina bar marked RUN in the top middle. The beeping noise means you have found a bomb. Run and drop it in the bomb pit in the lower right corner of the screen. To place an item in the blueprint, just walk over it's spot and it will drop into place

[@panthermodern64]

I had completely forgotten about Lazarian. Seeing you play it reminded me I had this cart when I was about 10 years old. I also had Blueprint but remember it quite well but never noticed the high score table actually spelled something out!

[@c128stuff]

The credits in the tennis game are also somewhat representing a trend towards more 'tv realism' in sports games. Like you, I've always been somewhat impressed by this game due to when it got released, and how detailed it is for that time.

[@cairsahrstjoseph996]

I had several original cartridges. Music Composer was one; and Wizard of Wor, Solar Fox, Blue Print, and... and... well if I see the titles I will remember them. There were at least two more. But not Lazarian! My Dad knew a guy who worked at Commodore in Ontario (maybe they met in Milton ?) so I go some free stuff like that, including the Zork Trilogy and more Infocoms and a couple of Commodore joysticks. This was in 1993; near the end...

[@retrozmachine1189]

Those Scott Adams aventures are fairly easy to port to different hardware using the same CPU. I did this in the Z80 world. From memory there are 2 or 3 print subs. They can be fairly easily modified (or outright replaced if the entire program is disassembled) to include a look-a-head to check for words spilling across lines and insert a newline sequence when that happens. A custom pager (press something for more) completes it to prevent text scrolling on these low line width machines.

[@greendryerlint]

I remember Blueprint from the arcade when I was a kid. It was near the end of the arcade boom and was never a popular game. The ROMs can be found to run in MAME if you so desire. I've never played the C64 port. Sounds and looks like a perfect port of the game. You said "Not the greatest music." You're not wrong, but it does perfectly match the arcade game.

[@necronom]

A total coincidence, but I'd never heard of this game until a few hours ago. I played it in MAME, then I see this video and it's shown on the C64! It does seem like a very good port.

[@merman1974]

@@necronom Blueprint was designed by John Lathbury, Chris Stamper and Tim Stamper for Centuri and then distributed in the USA by Bally. They would go on to found Ultimate Play The Game, and the Stampers then founded Rare.

[@joneggelton]

@@merman1974 Weird! I knew the Stampers started in the arcade, but I don't think I've ever seen a C64 conversion of any of their games. You can actually spot a little bit of trademark Utimate game design in Blueprint - it revolves around collecting pieces of an artefact, for example

[@Darkk6969]

I remember playing Blueprint both in the arcades and on my C64. Fun game!!

[@scality4309]

Never heard about the MAX model. Amazing.

[@RyanSmith-pf7ci]

I remember Blue Print, I was so so bad at that one. So bad. But I definitely thought the way the parts "locked" into place was cool.

[@MrMegaManFan]

Love you finding and documenting these old easter eggs. Thanks Robin! PS: Had to edit it when you said Lazarian was kind of obscure. I played this game for HOURS on end as a kid! I think I appreciated the variety of stages. It was a very "NES-like" Commodore game! PPS: I have Blueprint as well. Still have the manual too!

[@8_Bit]

Yes, Lazarian is a very interesting game. Even though it was obscure, I was glad I chose it as my first game, even though it was pretty much at random from the choices at the store!

[@gregpettigrew7908]

So is Andy Finkel still alive? Why not reach out?

[@MrKiwiKelly]

end game music spot on again...

[@Mr_ToR]

Lazarian is awesome. It was one of the first C64 games I played. My downstairs neighbor had the cartridge. I believe he also had the moon lander cartridge.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

My understanding about why the Scott Adams games work on both machines without modifications is that a) it uses pretty basic features of the computer (print and getting user input) but mainly because it uses indirect jumps to the kernal routines that handle those things instead of the direct addresses. The vector addresses in the two computers are at the same locations on both machines even though the actual direct addresses are in different places.

[@c128stuff]

In concept this is indeed what happens, however, the roms don't provide a vector table, but a jump table. So it is not an indirect jump like jmp ($ffd2). The first reason for this is that you'd want to use jsr so the called function can also return, but there is no indirect jsr instruction on a 65xx cpu. So instead, jsr $ffd2 is used to output a character, and at $ffd2 you'll find a jmp instruction followed by the real address of the chout function. Sorry to nitpick your comment, but 'indirect jump' has a very specific meaning, and while the effect would be the same if an indirect jsr existed, and a vector table was used, this is not how it really works.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

@@c128stuff No worries. I haven't done an iota of 65xx programming in over 30 years so the refresher is welcome. It's a useful process but it didn't see much use from what I can tell. That is, writing programs using this method so that they can run on both systems. I imagine there's at least a tiny performance hit and what can be accomplished (because of the many other differences between the two machines) is limited as well.

[@c128stuff]

@@JustWasted3HoursHere It does get used by many modern tools to make it easy to build them for any 8 bit Commodore machine, tho not often for making one single binary running on all of them, just to minimize the amount of system specific code.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

@@c128stuff 👍

[@GadgetUK164]

Excellent video again! I love Lazarian - was my first C64 game too! I have an original cart, no box =/ Those other early cart games look cool! Dragons Den I will definitely be playing =D

[@RudysRetroIntel]

Thanks for sharing! Btw, I use the BackBit cartridge on my C64 and VIC20. You can read and write diskettes. Maybe something took at. Again, thanks for sharing all the neat Easter eggs!

[@ProBloggerWorld]

International Tennis was magic!

[@spacemonkey59]

I remember when Music Maker came out on the C64, was amazing for the time lol, the best cartridge was International Soccer looked like the real thing if you looked at it from a distance ie through a window when outside while squinting your eyes. I did find a cheat for Gridrunner on my own that would take you to the next level if you pressed all 4 keys on the left hand side of the keyboard, I discovered it during a keyboard bashing hissy fit while having a bad game.

[@NeilRoy]

Blue Print was the first cartridge I ever owned for my C64. I do seem to recall seeing that game at the arcade once... I could be wrong. DragonsDen reminds me a lot of Joust (a game I spent too many quarters on). Much respect for the man anyhow. WB2.0 + MagicWB was my favourite for the Amiga. I miss those days.

[@bluehatguy4279]

It's been so many years since I played Dragons Den, I forgot it existed.

[@JoedeLange]

I'm really enjoying this series, thanks

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

I had Blueprint, excellent game. That "International Tennis" looks pretty good.

[@windsaw151]

Wow. I actually played Blueprint and Dragon's Den. I found Dragon's Den lackluster, but I really liked Blueprint once I figured out what to do.

[@flatfingertuning727]

Back in the day, I fixed the Scott Adams screen formatting by adjusting one byte. I think I looked for all of the bytes holding $16 (22 decimal) and changed one of them to $28 (40 decimal).

[@merykjenkins3274]

6:35 - was Duke Nukem 3D nodding to the Count?

[@merykjenkins3274]

Looking at the Duke Nukem fandom page of quotes, it looks as if a lot of DN's phrases are pop culture references. Could "ah - much better " be one be the oldest and most obscure, paying homage to a text game from the 70's that no doubt the programmers played as kids or younger adults?

[@kilwala2242]

Commodore Max... With only 2k of RAM they should have called it the Commodore Min.

[@duodream]

Looked like the default high-score initials in Lazarian are ASF (Andy S Finkel?), CBM, etc

[@robertlock5501]

Dragon's Den is pretty cool... I had to check it out after this showcase :)

[@geehaf]

I really enjoyed this - thank you!

[@LucaMiolla]

Hello, sorry if this sounds weird or (hopefully not) offensive but wow...I have no interest in retrogaming, retro hardware or anything related to it. But the way you explain things, even the most complicated ones, is just amazing, I'd sit down and listen to you talk about ANYTHING for hours. Thanks, you made me interested in these things!

[@manicminer4573]

The 1st initials on the high score table of Lazarian and Dragons Den are... ASF. Is this Andy Finkel?

[@csbruce]

0:48 The 8-Bit Guy just made a video where he finally received a VIC-20 with a PET-style keyboard.

[@ShinSeikiEvan]

Hi Robin. I was wondering if you knew more about the cartridge games developed by HAL Labs in Japan. I previously had assumed that all the games made for the VIC 1001 and the MAX Machine were done by HAL, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

[@8_Bit]

I think all those first-gen games were either made by HAL Labs or by in-house Commodore programmers in the USA. I did make a video about Star Battle / Galaxian a couple years ago and briefly discuss HAL there, in case you haven't seen it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3umqKafa7Rorrc

[@ShinSeikiEvan]

@@8_Bit Thanks, I'll check it out!

[@Fuzy2K]

22:12 -- That song reminds me of the prog rock band Camel :P

[@evileyeball]

Ye find ye self in yon dungeon, ye se a scroll a flask..

[@DavidWonn]

Channel 95? How do you get to a channel above 83?

[@8_Bit]

The tuner in my JVC VCR allows up channel 125.

[@boogieknee3781]

Commodore mac sounds like a hybrid, commodore made other hybrids commodore16,and the commodore+4 As far as programming was concerned they were the same as a vic20 with a built in" superexpander rom"(c16) and the +4 just had a lot more memory. One of the little projects I did as a kid was to write games that,would run on ANY commodore computer after it loaded from disc. The program itself simply looked at Fre(x) to judge which computer it was sitting in and from that value it knew where the poke adresses were for screen,colour,sound,graphics. What I liked about these computers was that they were simple,and would only do what they had been told to. Naturally,my own version of lazarian was in basic,so slower. The games I wrote were merely for my friends to pass around.I sent one or two to be published by magazines The prize money was nice,but the thankyou letter to show the parents/teachers was cooler.Sadly I lost them when moving house.

[@mikegarland4500]

I have actually played DragonsDen. I hated it, but I did play it. And not very long either, since I never got past about 5 "levels" before just giving up on it. I also think this was one of the ones I got from a friend who gave me tons of pirated stuff. I just didn't have access to a lot of games on the C64, so I relied a lot on copies, sadly. The games I really liked and actually spent a lot of time in were ones that I bought with my own money and "researched" ahead of time to see if I would like them. Rarely did I spend money on ones that I disliked. I know it doesn't justify the piracy thing, but that was soon behind me once I became gainfully and regularly employed.

[@CallousCoder]

And I always thought my copy was broken! I kept pressing the A and the program never started 😉😜

[@greatkingrat]

I’m guessing that high score by ASF stands for Andy “S” Finkle in Lazarian…

[@daddlertl3]

Nice easter egg discoveries ! It seems they did not allow programmers to put their names on the screen but also did not check the source code for hidden messages. What is the name of the song at the end ? Can it be downloaded somewhere ? As a Commodore 64 user I would like to have it in my collection.

[@8_Bit]

The end credits song is "53280"; there's a full video here but isn't available anywhere else currently: kzbin.info/www/bejne/onmyqaCOeLikd9U Eventually I'll release an album of these songs!

[@daddlertl3]

@@8_Bit Thanks :)

[@TheSudsy]

8:02 High score table Lazarion, ASF? Andy s Finkel ?

[@8_Bit]

Yes, I think that's his initials there.

[@johneymute]

You know what would’ve be really exciting? If game developers just sneakibgly did all their wanted elements in the game such as blood on a nintendo system wich nintendo had forbidden,by requiring the user to use certain button combinations on the title screen,so if snes mortal kombat & wolf3D still had it’s blood and gore symbols etc,,, by accessing them with cheats, that would,ve been cool,

[@londongaz2]

I live for the end songs

[@davecool42]

Feeling those #retroregrets.

[@sandmanxo]

I had a pirated version of Lazarian on disk for the 64 when I was a kid. I had no idea that it was an arcade game, seems like a rather easy Gorf style multi level game. I'm guessing it wasn't much of a hit since I'm an arcade enthusiast and had never run across it in the wild. I'll have to boot up my version soon though as I'm curious if the easter egg works there too. I don't remember Commodore in the title screen anywhere though but the gameplay is identical so it's probably a re-release or a hack of the original.

[@Video-Games-Are-Fun]

not a single modern game (as expected) looks like these games. it is either entirely 3D/movie cgi graphics or artifically enhanced 2d graphics, but we can't see newer stuff with these types of graphics which have their own charm. i would have written my name (today) as the big bad bionic boy from jukt micronics aka ian restil ;)

[@charleshines1553]

Though the max only had 2Kb of RAM (not a lot even back then), did some of the game cartridges used with it have some RAM? I know that other systems like the NES had cartridges that sometimes have additional RAM and other stuff other than just a ROM chip. Really it was a surprise that anything useful fit in 64 Kb of RAM. Just one random file chosen from a modern PC would probably be more than that quite easily.

[@williamsquires3070]

The Commodore Max looks more like a TRS-80 Model 1.

[@Papierzeit]

Very nice found \o/

[@--Lam]

I need lyrics for the chorus. The reverb lady voice triggers something and melts my insides, but I can't understand what she's singing :( I mean, this is not "Musette & Drums" where it's intentional... or is it? :)

[@8_Bit]

The song is called "53280" and can be heard here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/onmyqaCOeLikd9U The words she's singing at the end are just the 16 colours of the Commodore 64 :)

[@--Lam]

@@8_Bit black white red cyan, now I hear it! Thank you! Also, the song is brilliant. And also, the channel had Comic Bakery on an actual organ (second only to the boysband video of Press Play On Tape)! I'm a long time subscriber and only now learn about your amazing band? I honestly thought you're recording these for this channel. I'm ashamed :(

[@CB3ROB-CyberBunker]

not the same vic-II chip. it has sram and as such no ram refresh.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

I too have never seen nor heard of the arcade game "Lazarians" but a quick search on KZbin shows some actual play of the arcade game: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWmXnnytrdijnM0

[@2112dorf]

Does anyone remember the name of a C64 game that was a tournament Karate game, but it was turn based. It had few graphics, and your coaches were wordplay on real people, like Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee. You can build your fighter’s attributes up (RPG style), and you can suffer injuries. Please help me remember the title of this game. Thanks!

[@8_Bit]

Competition Karate by Motivated Software?

[@2112dorf]

@@8_Bit I’ll jump on the emulator here in a few days and check it out. Thanks a lot!

[@2112dorf]

That’s it! I’m looking for the ROM…

[@8_Bit]

There's a .d64 of it on CSDb and also in GameBase64.

[@2112dorf]

@@8_Bit I’ll definitely check it out. Can’t wait to revisit this game from my childhood.

[@yorgle]

Dragon's Den reminds me a lot of the arcade game Satan's Hollow

[@8_Bit]

Have you seen the C64 port of Satan's Hollow? It's surprisingly good, and was actually programmed in-house by a Commodore employee, but only saw a limited disk release so it ended up being obscure. The really interesting thing is that I've just learned that the programmer of it grew up here in my hometown and I've been in touch with him recently.

[@yorgle]

@@8_Bit Just found a video of it... wow. that's impressive...especially since it can't be a port, since the real SH sports two Z80s + custom sprite hardware, and the C64 is an entirely different beast. Awesome!

[@GreenAppelPie]

2:10 What’s with that unholy cover art.

[@ShinSeikiEvan]

That's only part of the image. Music Composer and Music Machine each use part of the full image for their covers. I've been looking around for the full image, but have yet to find it anywhere.

[@JB.zero.zero.1]

Atari 8 bit computer version of Blueprint was fantastic, the 64 version was poor by comparison.

[@dr.ignacioglez.9677]

I LOVE C64 👍🥂🎩

[@DonnyHooterHoot]

Hidden? I seem to remember it QUITE well from THE day! LOL

[@cosmefulanito5933]

The poor quality of Commodore games compared to MSX games never ceases to amaze me. How sad that USA people had to play with such slop in their childhood.

[@TrollingAround]

Hiya, I knocked this up, run it before loading the vic 20 adventures, if they use the standard CHROUT routines, then this wedge will force a RETURN after 22 chars have been printed. Please let me know if it works. ; SCR22.prg : limit print to 22 chars per line, for VIC 20 compatibility ; by Kenn - 31/07/2022 *=$801 !basic ;creates a basic "10 SYS 2061" to call the code below this line. Your assembler may work differently! Just sys to the following code to run manually. ;save old chrout vector lda $0326 sta oldvec+1 lda $0327 sta oldvec+2 ;wedge new vector lda #wedge sta $0327 ;done rts wedge pha ;save char lda $D3 ;get cursor X cmp #22 ;are we at position 22 or more? bcc notEOL ;nope, skip print return lda #13 jsr oldvec ;print RETURN notEOL pla ;get char back and call original chrout oldvec jmp $FFFF