Petscii Robots Mega Update - Arcade, Genesis, MS-DOS and more!

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I will post the GeekPub video of the cabinet build here once that video is finished. Or you can just subscribe so you'll see it when it goes live: / thegeekpub
Montezuma's Revenge Kickstarter:
kck.st/3LiIC5b
Gameplay Tutorial Video:
• Petscii Robots Gamepla...
00:00-Arcade Build
06:54-Sony Playstation Portable
07:39-PET updates
08:01-Apple II updates
08:31-C64 updates
09:47-Sinclair ZX Spectrum
10:15-Sega Genesis release
11:33-Nintendo NES update
15:48-Atari 7800 update
16:25-Super Nintendo Update
16:40-MS-DOS update
17:46-Soundtrack cassettes and vinyl

[@Allen.Christian]

Never understood the complaints. How can someone be into retro computing and not enjoy learning about the little eccentricities of these machines by having an overview of the porting process. I always felt like the videos were more about the machines and their capabilities and challenges than the game itself.

[@belzebub16]

#2 - I'd love to see some in-depth technical videos regarding the different ports. It's always exciting to see for me what developers had to deal with on older machines, when you didn't have fancy APIs for everything making the hardware bascially interchangable.

[@andrewsprojectsinnovations6352]

@@belzebub16 I'll second that. A single game like Petscii Robots, ported to an increasing number of popular systems, is a great way to explore the technical constraints and capabilities of each system and how their design priorities differed. It's one thing to just hear about color palettes and sound chips, and compare Super Mario World to Sonic the Hedgehog, for example. It's another to see how that affects the games in a direct, apples-to-apples comparison. Sure there were ports back in the day, but there's nothing wrong with David showing off his own game either. A new game is always a great way to explain why a technique used on a Commodore machine wouldn't work on an Atari or an IBM, rather than try interpret someone else's code from some 40-odd years ago.

[@letthetunesflow]

I love practically all of the updates David does about his games, they are all fascinating and entertainment ! I person have no idea how people wouldn’t enjoy the vast majority of the uploads on this channel! I get that the odd video may not be about someone’s favourite topic, but I know for me at least, that is a very very rare occurrence.

[@fabian6514.cr3]

absolutely! i think its just a loud minority

[@calvinthedestroyer]

I'm excited to see more of all the little things that it takes to make these games!

[@FCV0511]

02:30 Seeing a new old stock CRT just puts a smile on my face - those scanlines are magnificent. And the Sega Genesis version of the soundtrack sounds rad as all hell!

[@zackschilling4376]

Its the only way to go with retro gaming. Im super happy with the one I found that my neighbor threw out. Its a late model (for CRT) Sharp with component hook-ups and S-video w/ composite. I bought a cheap 4 In / 1 Out S-Video/Composite switcher for SNES-N64-GameCube with S-Video cables (no s-video cables for the NES) and I hooked up the PS2 thru the component and it looks amazing. The best part is no screen drop out when the game changes resolution (the PS2 often had the intro screen and game in different resolution, or even the pause menus) and no "Video Mode Not Supported" when playing PS1 games on the PS2 thru a component cable. Another big plus is I can play my PS1/2 light gun games. Sorry for rambling TL;DR CRTs are awesome.

[@douro20]

@Nat Barela🇺🇦 I forgot how bright the CRT was on my PS/2 Model 25.

[@moomah5929]

We need someone to start making new high quality CRTs for retro gaming again at reasonable prices of cause. I got 3 CRT TVs plus 1 CRT VGA monitor but you never know when they will kick the bucket without being repairable. Also would love smaller CRT TV with stereo sound as both of my smaller ones are mono.

[@douro20]

@@moomah5929 There was a thriving CRT industry in India up until fairly recently.

[@moomah5929]

@@douro20 That's interesting even if it would be a bit expensive to ship CRTs from India to Europe nowadays when not talking about huge quantities in freight containers.

[@AndersEngerJensen]

Looking good! It’s really taking off, you gotta be close to Tetris/Doom port numbers soon. ;). I guess I have to design some decals for the arcade panels soon then. ;)

[@letthetunesflow]

Omg an arcade version sounds just amazing! I’d love seeing you end up making those decals!

[@TheMikirog]

Can't wait for someone to make a PC port. That will really open the flood gates for modding.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

Except all ports are controlled by the original developer so should be more consistent.

[@tarstarkusz]

No, it's dumb. To begin with, it's NOT an arcade game or even an arcade style game.It is TOTALLY inappropriate for an arcade machine Second, why would anyone create an Amiga arcade machine to run a port of a PET game in arcade? Why not find an arcade machine and write a port of the software for the existing arcade platform? That way, all you have to do is burn the ROM and then install the ROM in the appropriate arcade machine. The only real flaw is the requirement that you get a hold of a development system for the arcade machine. But targeting a neo geo might be an easy way to do it and you get the advantage of the Neo Geo MVS system where the game is simply a rom cartridge in a multi-game arcade machine.

[@TheGershon]

@@tarstarkusz He's not making a rom intended to be widely distributed along arcade owners, he's making a single arcade cabinet for that one arcade. I think it'll work just fine in that context game design-wise since it's not actually going to take quarters. Why be so mad?

[@Standbackforscience]

People complaining about Petscii robots will complain about literally anything, just ignore them. You're one of the few people out there making new content for old consoles, that's so much better than the people who sit around endlessly reminiscing about a game that came out 30 years ago.

[@Sheevlord]

I don't know why people would complain about "too many" petscii robots videos. If a channel I am subscribed to uploads a video I don't care about I just skip it without complaining about it. Nothing stops them from doing the same. Also, it actually would be interesting to see more in-depth videos about each of the ports and unique challenges associated with them. I'm sure that many of your viewers would find this sort of information fascinating.

[@NeilRoy]

Agreed. I love what he has done with his game. I'm amazed at how many ports he has done; I like your video idea.

[@StormsparkPegasus]

Same...even though I'm not particularly interested in playing this game, I find the development of it on the various platforms very interesting to watch. A lot of work went into this game, and I can definitely say it's a great game even though it's not my thing.

[@martinlebl631]

People are spoiled. Content should just be about them. I don't mind having a choice, and exploring the differences between these various systems is what makes retro interesting, just to see how to arrive at the same/similar enough result given different set of limitations.

[@the_kombinator]

The majority of non-creator KZbinrs seem to want to take more time bitching about a "problem" instead of taking the 0 seconds of time to not watch content they don't want to see. Gen Z, ladies and gentlemen!

[@Tahngarthor]

I mean, this is a big project for Dave and he's clearly proud of it, so i dun get why anyone would complain about him documenting all the details of that project.

[@green-lean-espeon]

This channel has basically turned into a video game development channel. I like it.

[@mfaizsyahmi]

The 8-Bit Guy lowkey inadvertantly turning into a game studio. As far as retro games go, once you're on an arcade machine, you're legit! Can't wait for that one! About the RTFM, we're sadly living in a post-manual world. People just google everything. As for games, people just watch walkthroughs. So definitely that video is needed to meet the reality of 2020s' gamers.

[@HIDHIFDB]

i noticed the same too, 8-Bit Guy is by 80`s standars a game studio a small one but still a legit one, only need to produce more games.

[@daserfomalhaut9809]

I want to see him look into EXA Arcadia.

[@Keavon]

Honestly, I'd really recommend releasing it on Steam eventually. The retro hardware aspect is awesome, but some people may just want to buy it like they buy all their other games if they don't have retro hardware.

[@kalandepandesal]

@@HIDHIFDB laallqqppp@@

[@blakegriplingph]

@@Keavon Either as an emulated DOS release or a native Windows conversion. Not everyone has a retro machine for them to enjoy this anyway.

[@glauco_rocha]

incredible how this whole thing turned out, Dave. From a hobby to a full blown business, with a main line and side products to top it up. you're doing a great job, no doubt about it

[@peterdevreter]

Give the man a break. He created something from scratch and ported it to a lot of platforms. I would be proud of it and tell it to the world. In this case he is entitled to self promotion. Its not some lame ass merch he is "promoting".

[@ahmetrefikeryilmaz4432]

At this point I'd wear a t-shirt with his logo on it and go to work.

[@adamsfusion]

You should go look at this older Petscii videos and count how many people ask him to stop. He's overblowing it... a lot... _a lot a lot_

[@TheGreatAtario]

I thought each port had its own developer…?

[@killerbee2562]

@@TheGreatAtario Yes, but he's working closely with them

[@allluckyseven]

I will NOT give him a break! I demand more Petscii Robots videos!! And gamedev videos in general, of course, of course.

[@kurtg5405]

I love the way those Genesis/Megadrive carts and labels look. Great work David (and EVERYONE involved with having this become a thing!)

[@ill_bred_demon9059]

Screw the haters. I love the Petscii Robots videos. Not only is it just interesting to see the game and learn about its development, but the comparisons of developing all the ports has been fascinating. In this episode I especially loved the explanation of how the NES structure creates problem with porting it to the system. Also, it's just awesome to see the organic growth of the game from a small project to create a game for the PET to a massive retro community endeavor to cover nearly every 80's gaming platform. Lastly, that's awesome to create an arcade version! I'd love to see this become a viable option for retro game designers to create and promote new games as well as breath some new life back into arcades.

[@mydogslikeboiledeggs7094]

I'm very interested in the process, but this game is hard to look at. I thought programming on vintage systems was about pushing the limits. Even something like Zombies Ate My Neighbors is visually better. Hell, I'd rather watch Vectrex game play.

[@asasnat342]

@@mydogslikeboiledeggs7094 it's because the game was originally designed for the Commodore PET, a computer that is so bad it can only do monochrome text with no way of redefining characters for custom graphics. As such, gameplay was vastly prioritised over presentation, and this philosophy was carried over to ports to other platforms

[@brandong.1857]

Thanks 8 Bit Guy! Love all the videos. You have a great narrating voice

[@ultraswank]

Ignore the naysayers, learning about the development process is really fascinating!

[@wolftracker]

what like two people are complaining?

[@GORF_EMPIRE]

@@wolftracker not that this matters.... point being it's Dave's channel Let him enjoy it as he see fit.

[@wolftracker]

@@GORF_EMPIRE I'm just like who would complain about this? It's awesome!

[@BRCIce]

Totally.

[@TonHet1]

@@wolftracker Like those people who voted ''no'' on his Patreon, if he should make a video of restoring an AMIGA 1000. How do these people sleep?

[@baddestmofoalive]

Seeing all the “nuts and bolts” behind this is super interesting!! Also, send TechMoan the vinyls!!

[@R3TR0R4V3]

*vinyl

[@TheSulross]

the videos on game development for vintage computers are some of the most interesting ones of all - please keep them coming

[@Kyle7K]

I remember when you started talking about this. What an impressive feat it has grown into. Chalk me up for a couple NES copies for sure.

[@magicalhats]

It would be so cool for the arcade to be dual monitor. Maybe even having just a smaller sized monitor for the map so it doesn't take up too much space.

[@Light-DelaBlue]

like a cctv monitor?

[@JoePCool14]

Needs more Punch-Out!! vibes

[@TyroneDeise]

@@Light-DelaBlue A 5 inch black & white CRT (maybe with a green gel over it) mounted in the control panel would be pretty sweet.

[@xPLAYnOfficial]

Personally I was actually looking for *more* Petscii Robots content, as I am absolutely in love with it! Do whatever videos you want to do. It's your channel after all. I've seen some people complain about it being "not a real arcade game" but I think the point was made very clear that: *It's in an arcade where people can basically play as long as they want for a single entrance fee *Games back in the day were already done on machines like this before *Modern "arcade" games are often-times the exact same kinds of games you would get on-console *Everyone involved is in agreement, it's your life, and it's your game. I see nothing wrong with this, and I am looking forward to it!

[@wallypop86]

Do videos on whatever you like, David. These ports look awesome, and I love seeing the work that goes into making it happen. Really excited to see the arcade cabinet video, that should be awesome!

[@1MadJack1]

ayo, 1 hour ago comment on a 36-minute old video

[@ericgoldman7533]

While I do fundamentally agree with this sentiment, it is at odds with the reality for creators who make a living from their videos- if your content only appeals to a niche audience, your revenue (and thus livable income) is likely not going to be sustainable. That said, I don't remember if The 8-Bit Guy is actually making a living off of KZbin or not.

[@bigpopparand1]

@@1MadJack1 Patreon early view

[@danieltobey]

I don't think you're making too many Petscii videos! The folks who are complaining... can just not watch the video! This is exactly the sort of stuff I come to your channel for, keep it up! Much love

[@DanielMReck]

"GENESIS?!" "I don't think you want to be discussing this subject in public." Unless the folks complaining are from Federation Security, they don't deserve too much attention. What makes this channel so interesting is the variety of content. Sometimes you're fixing up a piece of retro hardware, sometimes you're explaining how historic software works, and sometimes you're showing us something entirely new that's being created. I've always eaten up your game dev videos, all the way back to Planet X2. Even though my brother is a modern gave developer and I love his work, it is fascinating to see how you navigate the challenges imposed by retro platforms. Your storytelling is enhanced because you know and appreciate both the software and the hardware, and you show how they interact. As long as you're covering interesting topics in an interesting way, you'll get my eyeballs. I can't wait for your next game project, and I wouldn't mind further videos exploring your previous titles with more detail. Mix it in with the rest of the retro hardware refurb and documentaries you do so well, and your channel will thrive with a bit of something for everyone.

[@ExtremeWreck]

Why are people scared of the Sega Genesis lol.

[@Slane583]

@@ExtremeWreck People are afraid of things they don't understand. Obviously the SEGA Genesis is one of them. :P

[@D2Kprime]

@@ExtremeWreck The Sega Genesis is the bang that can rearrange the universe. 😄

[@HaakonAnderson]

Do you think 8bitguy has the skills to make a giant Gameboy advance SP?

[@GeoNeilUK]

I do think the montage of people saying Genesis (yes, I know it's a Star Trek reference) should have included a clip from Bad Influence of someone saying Mega Drive.

[@f1tz81]

Please do more of these videos, I love hearing about the development process and all of the challenges with each platform. These videos have inspired me to dive into retro development myself.

[@soldierofjudgement0477]

I'm surprised nobody has tried to port Attack of the Petscii Robots to the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine yet, since it uses a 6502 derivative for its CPU and most of the other well-known 6502 based systems have a version of their own.

[@Ninnuam999]

A Super CD-Rom port would be nice too, with digital audio/music.

[@VK2FVAX]

Be still my beating heart..

[@anon_y_mousse]

I'm surprised no one tried to port it to Ben Eater's 6502 computer. He did make a graphics card for it.

[@killerbee2562]

@@Ninnuam999 It'd be easier to make a physical release since all you need to do is burn a CD.

[@mrkitty777]

Ported petscii robots to my Abacus, very difficult to play but fast port.

[@The9BitGuy]

Do you know about the mmc5 mapper? You should use that for the NES version!

[@lukemakessoftware7128]

DEEZ NUTS

[@santi308]

N O T H I N G

[@marksmorphs]

I came here for this comment!!!

[@CrobinHood8BitGuy]

I agree, I think he should lmao

[@thejunkman]

He came up with that idea while "pooping"

[@lis6502]

18:23 complainers gonna complain, i think that you are proud of your little retro child and you definetely have reasons to be so :) I am impressed of scale of this project, when you first presented an idea i thought "yeah, that will be fun title for c64", today you have every major retro platform covered (correct me if i am wrong), along with physical cartriges for 30 years old consoles and fricking vinyl records :D. Sure it would be fun to visit some obsolete formats or take another tour around your new studio, but progress you are doing, this amount of being successful 8bit guy is really something that should be spread and shared. At the end of the day best motivation is to look as one is chasing it's dream and finally achieveing this. So yeah - i will be glad even on you selling port of PR running on Nokia's S60 phones (n-gage, remember? :D) or as PSX black disk :D

[@tarstarkusz]

This is a nice easy way to write off ANY criticism. This whole thing has turned into one big shitshow of grift. WHY in God's good name would anyone create a custom arcade machine to run the Amiga version of this game? It's NOT an arcade style game and is completely unsuitable for the arcade format. But even if it was a good fit and converting it was a good idea, he SHOULD have ported the game to an arcade machine, not built a custom arcade machine around an A500. It could have been an MVS release.

[@tianlanderas]

@@tarstarkusz It's his game, and is succesful, he can do whatever he wants with it, if he wants to port it to a microwave, create a tiger electronics portable style game just for it, he can.

[@tarstarkusz]

@@tianlanderas Funny, but I don't recall saying he's not allowed to do it.

[@tianlanderas]

@@tarstarkusz you were wondering why he would create a custom machine to run the Amiga version, being not an arcade style game, and the answer is that, because he can.

[@The8BitGuy]

You seriously think I would spend a year of my life porting it to a whole new platform for a single one-off arcade machine that is made as a novelty? When the Amiga port will work just fine and nobody will be any the wiser? And who cares if it is an "arcade style" game? All of the games in the venue are free-play. He even has Nintendos and Sega Genesis in there for people to play games on, among other things. It's all about people paying $10 and getting to play whatever they want.

[@CxR2262]

I cant speak for anyone else, but I'm specifically subscribed for this type of content.

[@amaiorano]

An easier way to play that NES PCB is to insert it into a Game Genie, which doesn't need you to push down, and sticks out far enough for a bare PCB to be inserted.

[@TheCongressman1]

I didn't have a problem with petscii videos, but I will say I enjoyed this compiled format. It's awesome that you're making an arcade cabinet. Having your own game in an arcade would be a childhood dream come true.

[@jwdickieson]

I'm especially looking forward to the manual, too many people have never experienced or have forgotten the joy of an awesome manual.

[@Gannett2011]

Ooh look, it's the Petscii Robots Channel!

[@Ffinity]

Feel free to watch something else.

[@MrLihnSparrow]

Kudos to you. It ist sincerely amazing how the scale of the Project developed over time. To be quite honest, i can't wrap my head around the fact that it would get an arcade-port even though i am not surprised that you and your brother built the cabinet yourself.

[@spikereynolds8615]

I love the fact that you're keeping this retro media alive and current.

[@ClassicGameSessions]

Really enjoy the retro hardware insights, David, and it's great possibilities here for the good stuff: old school gaming!

[@drumcorpsmediaarchive]

I actually enjoy seeing all the different ports/versions of the game, as thats how developers had to do it back in the day, makes each version unique but exciting.

[@Jesse__H]

You should maybe consider sending a copy of the Genesis port to Joe over at Game Sack! He occasionally does episodes on new games for old consoles, and I bet he'd be happy to feature yours, as the Genesis is his favorite system. (For my money Game Sack is easily the best retro gaming channel on this platform. Super high quality, well-edited, and consistently uploaded for over a decade.)

[@CanadaBud23]

Joes pretty good and he's been holding up by himself for a good while now and still puts out regularly.

[@dellagustin]

That would be great, there are many other channels that could give this some extra coverage, LGR, Metal Jesus Rocks, MyLife in Gaming, given the size the project has reached I could even imagine a special episode o DF (Digital Foundry) Retro.

[@allluckyseven]

Cool and interesting video, Dave. These Petscii Robots vids, believe it or not, are _the_ most interesting to me on your channel! Especially when you go about the particularities of each system you and co. had to port it for. Looking forward to the follow-up on Geek Bits!

[@datashed]

Man, I just love how many ports this is getting!

[@timonatt]

Really cool! This is the first time I hear about your brother making videos, make sure it gets all the visibility it deserves!

[@AlexeyFilippenkoPlummet]

I want MORE game dev videos from David! Not less!

[@AndreAguiar]

Montezuma’s Revenge is a game I played ALL.THE.TIME back in the day. Don’t believe I ever completed it though.

[@jerrylarch6556]

You always mention Petscii Robots with trepidation and sheepishness these days like you're afraid to offend your viewers. Remember that the ones complaining comprise the minority of your viewing audience. You worked hard on that game (and are still working on it) - you deserve to be proud of it. And the vast majority of your viewers want to hear updates about it because it's a great game, multi-platform, etc. What an accomplishment! So I say to the haters: What have YOU done lately?

[@one-eyedsam2186]

Every video he does about Petscii Robots is just ANOTHER 8-Bit Guy video to watch. More of a good thing, AFAIK.

[@MurphDawgProductions]

The fact that you have made your own retro game that is playing on actual vintage hardware and all the accessories and merch to go with it is incredible. Very cool, sir!

[@striderskorpion]

Not sure if this has been mentioned or not, but MMC5 is not in Super Mario Bros. 3. It's a fairly uncommon mapper and it would be expensive to sacrifice the games that did use it just for this. There are FPGA implementations used in the PowerPak and Everdrive, but I'm not sure if it is generalized or specific to the full hardware.

[@jeffredd9965]

i have a few cheap chineseium everdrive copies... would they have the same chips in them?... if so, that's a very cheap alternative!

[@striderskorpion]

@@jeffredd9965 It's not that the FPGAs are expensive, only the originals. The problem is that I don't know if you could just use the mapper plug-ins as is or if they would need to be recoded since they might be specific to the setup. That is, I don't know if some logic is missing since the mapper drivers are made for a system that chooses the correct one to use based on the iNES header.

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

I would expect modern NES games to have fully custom CPLD or uC mappers. I'm really surprised anyone is even talking about destroying old games to salvage chips!

[@striderskorpion]

@@thewhitefalcon8539 I personally wouldn't as FPGA replacements or a custom FPGA mapper is, barring chip shortages, both cheaper and more readily available. As I mentioned above, MMC5 cartridges are uncommon and would be expensive to just sacrifice.

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

@@striderskorpion Another option would be a little bit of discrete logic, in fact I bet the first mappers were done that way. Just like, latch the data line when the write enable is on, or something.

[@padistedor]

I never get tired of videos about your game. I will happily watch them all.

[@JohnKelly2]

The Genesis version should have been easy to port to arcade, even using original hardware. The Genesis was a slightly scaled down version of the System 16 hardware. In theory, you could have just flashed a rom and dropped it into a machine. In theory.. I'm not a coder. But the Amiga conversion is a great idea.

[@f.k.b.16]

The Amiga also offers up complexity. The disk drive and booting properly is my primary concern there. The Genesis either boots or it doesn't. Not to mention that custom character chip. What happens in 30 years when someone has to repair this and rewriting ROM chips is even harder!

[@leadedsolder]

It's not that close of a conversion, unfortunately. The System C board is a lot closer to the Genesis hardware as delivered, but still not identical (same VDP, FM, PSG sound, but with no Z80, and many more colours using a pretty fancy trick encoder, for instance.) It would be a fun project to see if you could port it for sure - the price of Columns boards is creeping up but there were certainly a lot of them made.

[@ballyastrocade5672]

@@f.k.b.16 Well, it sounds to me like the arcade game is just a one-off project, not something he intends to go into production with and sell as a commercial product, so any repairs and maintenance are going to be *his* problem. :-)

[@josangoj78]

By using the Amiga port as the base for the arcade, David went much more far than the developers of American Laser Games, who made the Mad Dog McCree shown. That machine only used the Amiga for the HUD graphics and as a mere I/O controller, the bulk of the game was just Laserdisc full motion video (the Amiga itself drove the LD playback as the inputs it got required).

[@technoturnovers7072]

well, at least he used some form of period appropriate hardware rather than just shoving in a raspberry pi and calling it a day (seriously, that's basically cheating)

[@AndyAKratz]

Bought your PETSCII Robots game for the Apple II since I have an original Apple IIc and I really like your game (and the Pesky/ASCII pun). It didn't take me but a few attempts to figure out what I was supposed to do and have now completed the first two maps of the game. This is good stuff, man!

[@briansideas]

Great video and interesting stuff! One thought, it would be interesting/nice to have download only compilation version sold that you buy all the different platforms for emulators. It would fun to see the differences among all the platforms.

[@bobdefalco]

Pretty neat, Dave! It's got to be cool seeing your work thrive!

[@noobguy57]

I've been learning 68k assembly for the Genesis, it's actually quite the processor and pretty crazy some of the stuff you can do with it.

[@joeschmo5171]

I love seeing the development of the game! You’ve done great work!

[@DynV]

12:33 If you decide to sell it, I suggest you put holes at the center-top to attach a handle, which would look like a shovel, to avoid static discharge.

[@yak601]

Your videos are endlessly entertaining, full of a very genuine energy, but this one might take the crown! I was glued to the screen like a child watching a cartoon for the first time.

[@redpheonix1000]

After seeing that PSP version, I wonder if someone could port the game to the Nintendo 3DS, with 3D support and everything ;) It would be the perfect handheld for this game, especially considering you could use the bottom touchscreen for things such as the map or selecting items

[@ikke1981]

JM Coulon might have a point. But Nintendo DS with its' rampant piracy in the form of an R4 card (including clones) which could load roms might be an option.

[@redpheonix1000]

@JM Coulon It absolutely can run unlicensed games, the console has been hacked long ago and is wide open. Even the latest firmware is very easy to unlock. As for the store, it only closes march of next year (2023), the only thing you can no longer do is add funds, but the store is technically still open

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

@JM Coulon Maybe they can sell DS cartridges made out of flash cards?

[@KopperNeoman]

@JM Coulon I personally wouldn't care. While 3DS flashcards work on all official firmwares, they only work on OFW if used for piracy. To run unlicensed code requires CFW, and always will, because reverse-engineering signatures like that is actually illegal. Trade secrets. Boot9strap is only legal because the bootrom uses exploitable verification code. If PETscii 3DS comes out and is the best version, I'll buy it. The 3DS is powerful enough to let you choose graphics styles and soundtracks. Add in the multiplayer from the Mega Drive version (fun fact, you actually CAN send modified Download Play CIAs to unmodified 3DSes, so PETscii could support that too) and maybe some 3D (at LEAST a cool 3D banner) and you have a winner.

[@plushquasar653]

So cool you are supporting petscii robots as a community effort on different platforms.

[@dyscotopia]

I still wish one of the Devs implemented a smooth scroll option. It would only slow things down by an 1/8 of a second, not significant for an action strategy game, and it would look so much smoother. Chunky scrolling is fine on a home computer, but I can't think of a single arcade game that failed to do 60hz scrolling.

[@shiru8bit]

If we're talking about smooth movements for all objects, that's not about slowdown, it would completely change the gameplay. Tile based movements for everything but the player is much easier to implement, as it won't affect the gameplay, just the visuals. But I guess every dev just considered it to be looking too weird.

[@dyscotopia]

@@shiru8bit I programmed a vaguely Tetris like puzzle game (but boring) for my Amiga in the 80s. Everything was locked to a grid, but it just took a barely noticeable freeze of the action to keep the game pieces gliding from place to place rather than simply being erased and stamped elsewhere. It's like those meatspace plastic sliding tile games. Everything is still tile based but the numbers don't just disappear and reappear in their adjacent spot. Anyways, I'll shut up until I pick up coding again and can do a proof of concept :)

[@parnikkapore]

Probably more like gen 1-2 Pokemon, where the player moves in tiles but tweens between those tile stops?

[@shiru8bit]

@@dyscotopia I did my share of smooth Tetris games, too. The difference is that in Tetris the only moving thing is the figure, while in David's game there are independent objects that move on their on - robots, doors, bombs that alter the BG, etc - and all of this is async. It complicates the things a lot if you want to add smooth offsets to everything besides the player.

[@shiru8bit]

@@parnikkapore yes, that is a viable compromise.

[@BollingHolt]

3:48 I recently received the game pad I ordered from you. It works like a champ! Thanks!

[@maple201]

One possibility for the NES version is to switch palettes in different situations, such as levels. The entire tilemap would be 4 colours, but which 4 colours would depend on where you are in the game. It may also be possible to turn certain objects into sprites and colour them that way, like you do the player character.

[@Nbrother1607]

In that version you can set the color palette for the level, UI, and player independently

[@MezzoForteAural]

Wow now that is dedication to ports! I love the update video, really fun to see this running on so many platforms!!

[@chrisfratz]

Out of curiosity for your cartridge releases, are the edges of the connector beveled so that they don't do damage to the cartridge slot on the consoles?

[@three3fitty573]

Not that I see on the NES proto, I hope he sees this message. The lack of beveled edge is a constant gotya in the retro console community with new games.

[@Impossiblah]

Super excited to see you're building an arcade cabinet, even though I might not get the chance to check it out myself, because I've been wanting to see someone make a proper, crt monitor arcade cabinet for a while. It's also been a project I've wanted to try for a while-I was gonna stick a stripped down old television in one connected to an emulation system, but I've never been able to find good blueprints for a cabinet.

[@dr.coolguy8750]

I personaly like the petscii robot episodes, its not every day a KZbinr makes a game. Not just any game, a game so great it makes me want to BUY an actual vintage console/computer to play it. The only thing that has come close is ‘In Space with Markiplier’, and some KZbinr named Dani.

[@thesmokingcap]

Oohhhh very excited! Especially for me MS-DOS version, hats off to you and the developers, Huge amount of work to support so many devices!

[@p_mouse8676]

If you would follow the naysayers, we would still be living in caves, ignore the grumpy complainers! Just go for it, see it as a fun adventure, if it works it's great. If not you gained an awful lot of wonderful experiences and knowledge along the way as well as a lot of fun. I think it's a great idea!!!

[@8BitRetroJournal]

Great update! So many versions. Just cool to see if from your point of view!

[@stevebor1]

Dude. Make whatever videos you want and promote what you want. Don't let the trolls get to you.

[@fartking2845]

I agree, I like David's games. I can't wait to see future projects. He should make a paperclip game just to piss the trolls off. 😁

[@matmacsug]

Wow that Genesis music really WAS amazing! I'd get the game based on that strength alone

[@Markimark151]

Seeing your game ported to a Genesis cartridge would be so enticing, because I don’t have a working 8 bit computer nor a working floppy disk drive to play that game. Genesis, NES, or SNES would be suitable for retro gaming! Especially with lots of Genesis and SNES clone systems newly produced for vintage gamers!

[@Toonrick12]

I mean, it is open for pre-order right now. And you get the ROM and PDF of the manual.

[@Markimark151]

@@Toonrick12 yeah, an actual ROM cartridge being published with a manual in box!

[@boardsort]

David you never cease to amaze me! Do you even sleep? My word man...you got your hustle down pat!

[@EpicTyphlosionTV]

This has become the retro version of running Doom on everything

[@KopperNeoman]

Doom is retro, PETscii is a modern retro throwback. But yes, you can run PETscii on more things than Doom. It was made for the Commodore PET after all.

[@rlima81]

All your videos are awesome! It's your channel and you can do what you want :) Can't wait to see how the cabinet was built!

[@Darxide23]

KZbin reviewer: "I didn't read the manual." Also KZbin reviewer: "Why does this game suck?"

[@worldofretrogameplay6963]

I already own the Amiga version of Petscii Robots and love it. I plan on purchasing the Apple II and Genesis versions!

[@1BitFeverDreams]

As a teacher I feel seen by "unfortunately most people don't read the instructions"

[@bid0u12345]

Too many PETSCII Robots videos? This is your channel, feel free to advertise your game as much as you want, you deserve it, this is awesome work and this is not only advertisement, we also learn a lot of things and the challenges behind the ports on each platform!

[@KeithOlson0326]

Very cool! I might have to get that PSP version

[@truthandreality8465]

You're the best, 8-Bit Guy!! You're better than everyone else!!

[@mwwve]

All that’s left to do: 1. Port it to every platform imaginable, including the magnavox odyssey 2. Make it fully accessible by making a version for every language 3. Mass advertisement 4. _Child labor_

[@1MadJack1]

uhh

[@mwwve]

@@1MadJack1 *CHILD LABOR*

[@nneeerrrd]

​@@mwwve like it's something bad 🤔

[@jamessmithandgarrettsmith3623]

Real number 4. Make a sequel.

[@likwid-official]

It's a rather bittersweet moment, sacrificing a restoration video for an arcade cabinet... :')

[@cleverhardy5230]

Sometimes, items are beyond repair.

[@dapowerfulmastermind]

That is a surprising number of ports for this game! I wonder though, if someone could perhaps make a RISC OS port for the Acorn Archimedes/Raspberry Pi? Might be fun to play this on a RPI 400.

[@stevesteveson2435]

This is awesome stuff, you're here just making youtube vids and knocking out retro games at the same time. Absolute great community you spawned here, I love it!

[@cleverhardy5230]

Using an Amiga to run an arcade game is an ingenious idea. I remember hearing about some arcade systems using Amiga motherboards; I first heard of it with CD32s being used for slot machines of all things!

[@6581punk]

Look up Arcadia Multi Select system. It was Amiga based cabinets running games.

[@jeremygregorio7472]

@@6581punk I remember seeing advertisements for the home releases of those games where they proudly proclaimed that the one megabyte Amiga version was identical to the arcade game. I remember thinking that must have been one hell of a port because I didn't know that the arcade was just an Amiga

[@ps5hasnogames55]

furry :(

[@stevewallis661]

I think it's pretty damn impressive and a first of its kind that a simple pet game would generate such interest that its been ported to almost every retro computer system! I think 8 bit guy just opened the door when it comes to projects like this! Great job 8 bit guy! Big fan of yours!

[@M1LAD81]

I miss 8 bit keys 😢

[@zedfragg4134]

This is likely the coolest thing I've seen in a very long time. Nice work!

[@ahmetrefikeryilmaz4432]

This is the brand of nerd that I subscribe to. I have an emotional response to your endeavors in this video. What's even better is knowing exactly in what kind of company I am in, here in this comments section. My fellow nerds, I love every single one of you. Dave, you are building an arcade cabinet from scratch for a game you wrote. What can topple that in nerd I honestly don't know. I mean the game itself doesnt interest me at all (but I'd get a cartridge if I still had my mega drive 2, the game just agrees with that hardware) but I have been following your progress since the very beginning. This thing is getting better and better. I can't find the right words to express the extent of my enthusiasm here.

[@Wineman3383]

Love that you made an arcade cabinet. That's awesome man. Gotta go check that video out.

[@JamesLewis2]

It would be nice to see an enhanced MMC(1,3,5) version at some point, even if only as a ROM image.

[@shiru8bit]

Good call. Having a MMC5 digital-only release could help to break this circle and make a modern MMC5-capable board a possibility eventually.

[@jamessmithandgarrettsmith3623]

@@shiru8bit I agree with you and James Lewis that an “DX” version using the MMC5 will be necessary later down the line.

[@montyburns94]

I'm LOVING how much mileage you're getting out of your (amazing) 8bit game! Fitting that this becomes a cabinet/arcade unit! Kudos, sir.

[@thealienontheinternet]

Wow, I love the fact that you went back and added a map to the C64 version as well! I have one question though, is it going to be available to those who bought the original version or only to those who will purchase it from now on?

[@The8BitGuy]

I do updates all of the time to all of my games. They are always available. Just use the original download code to get the update.

[@thealienontheinternet]

@@The8BitGuy Awesome, thank you!

[@MrBroken030]

0:37 Those are some amazing arcade artworks on the wall!

[@Roadstar1602]

You're not making too many Petscii Robots videos. Make more. I can't get enough.

[@iskandertime747]

I love how this project is taking on a life of it's own! I mean, two player mode? So cool.

[@mekafinchi]

the audacity of reviewers complaining about not understanding the game while refusing to read the manual is astounding

[@pawer_organos]

The legend now makes whole machines for videos. Props to him!

[@gargaj]

12:50 You spelled your own name wrong 😱

[@gschizas]

Good catch! Thankfully it's not on any read-only medium. Oh wait! (j/k, I know it's on an eeprom)

[@fredricksfishkeeping3007]

Wow! I’m a UTA student so I typically go to Free Play here in Arlington, but I’m going to have to take a trip up there specifically for PETSCII Robots! I’ve always wanted to try it. Thank you for all you do for the retro enthusiast community!

[@JensChristianRestemeier]

I did actually look at MMC5, the problem is really to do it cost effectively. Especially as nowadays a lot of stuff is only available in 3.3V or even lower, so would require extra level shifting. How does the CGA version look like on composite?

[@PJBonoVox]

Fancy seeing you here :)

[@Yous0147]

This is just awesome, pure and simple. I honestly am vicariously getting excited watching you make a game grow so wide and have the passionate influence it had gotten, I hope to do something similar one day.

[@RogueShadowTCN]

Honestly... part of the charm of the old games is figuring things out on your own for a while. Actually I enjoy doing that in new games too. First week, hands down, no wiki's or let's plays.

[@eekee6034]

Oh, that's tempting me to do a little chestbeating: I played Kerbal Space Program for about a year without any external guidance. XD I did read bits of the manual, but it doesn't go very deep. It's chestbeating because some people play the game with tutorials for years, literally, without ever getting into orbit. But I had an advantage. Many years ago, I pondered spaceflight in depth, and figured some bits of it out; enough to give me some help with the game when I bought it in 2019. But I'm not the only one. KZbinr Matt Lowne says he hardly had Internet access when he bought the game. After many years of practice, he's up there with the players who have math or physics degrees! lol

[@DisruptedSinner]

Amazing work, David - and incredible collaboration with everyone involved. Also, I personally really like and look forward to the Petscii Robots development and progress videos.