Let's Explore The Commodore Plus/4! Feat. Mercenary

[@The8BitGuy]

Love your unscrewing sounds. :-) . Yeah, the poor plus/4 doesn't get enough love.

[@RetroRecipes]

Those were genuine! 😊🕹

[@AndyDavis007]

And the poor plus/4 certainly hasn't gotten any love from me. Maybe I'm not watching the right videos. It just seems *so* underwhelming. However, I'm heading down to NYC to a shop that sells retro computers. If they have one I hope it's working so I can give it a 2nd look in person.

[@RetroRecipes]

I'd love to see photos inside that shop! 👍🎮

[@adamsfusion]

It doesn't get love because it's such a hobbled system made for all the wrong reasons.

[@RetroDawn]

@@adamsfusion The 116/264/364 were designed for some right reasons at the time in 83, but the Plus/4 was a huge marketing mistake in 84, after losing Tramiel.

[@krisztiannemeth6148]

Some background on the "Hungarian connection" from a Hungarian guy. Here, behind the Iron Curtain, it was quite a cool thing in the 80s. Lots of people had actually C64s and ZX Spectrums, and the C+4, C16 line was mostly to be found in schools. Back then the Hungarian government had an initiative to buy computers to schools (primary, secondary/highschools) and one of the chosen line was the C16/C+4. I think it was a good decision. For a relatively low price the schools got a reliable, well designed and properly manufactured little computer. Its Basic is far superior to the V2 Basic of the C64 (ah, that RENUMBER!), and this was very important for learning. 16/64 K was also enough for the students, and, as kind of a bonus, the deal included a modified ROM with Hungarian accented letters (á, é, ó, ö, ü, etc.), and even the keyboard had corresponding markings. All in all, it was perfect for schools, and after the lectures the students could also play some games on these lovely machines :)

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for the wonderful insight and inside info 👍🕹️

[@gabor222]

I remember the common nickname of the Plus4 in Hungary was "the Ugly Duckling" until CovBoy the editor of the mail section of the Commodore Világ (Commodore World) magazine started to call it "the Flamingo Flying in the Clouds" :)

[@chiclone-tests71]

Man, that modern coders are incredible, what they get out of this old machines is amazing. Unbelieveable!

[@DarkGT]

Someday Ashley will have what you need, just keep asking.

Ashley will launch a competing retro channel soon, I guess ;-)

[@ncc74656m]

Just like any good in game merchant.

[@AccountWasHacked]

She'll be like the Orange Shirt Guy (got fame from DangMattSmith); have her own YT Channel becoming famous off his runs with him. :D ;) ask her out already.

[@hyzenthlay7151]

I was one of those crazy people that had a Plus/4, and it wasn't a bad machine at all... the problem it had from a gaming perspective was the C16, where almost all the games were made to be compatible with both the machines, leading to very simple games played on a machine that could achieve a lot more... it was a bit like the C128 where most of the software was C64 compatible, or some Spectrum 48K games that were made to be compatible with the 16K models. Now, with homebrew games made specifically for the Plus/4 coming out, we can finally see what the machine is really capable of, and it is quite impressive really. I wish I still had my Plus/4, but it was lost in the Great Purge of the Attic!!

[@JonathanCorwin]

Ditto, I had a Plus4. Never used the office apps. I got an Amiga a few years later and no idea what happened to it. Wish I'd kept my old computers!

[@hyzenthlay7151]

I had a few systems stored away in my parent's attic, and then a time came when they decided to do a clean out, and threw away the stuff that had been there for years and thought I wouldn't want any more... and some of those things I've managed to rebuy again, but others, they are pretty expensive, or hard to find worth buying. I can't seem to find an Amiga A600 for example without getting overbidded in a spectacular way, or the stupid high prices for MegaCDs that don't even work!! Doesn't help when your shopping options are severely limited because of where you live, either!! And yes, people say "you can just emulate", but sorry, it doesn't feel the same. If your plan is the final result and only that, fair enough, but if you care about going to some place, for example, then "you could just walk" isn't always a good substitute to having a car, even if the goal is attainable both ways... And I do somewhat emulate or use cheaper methods for systems I have no nostalgia for, like SNES, which wasn't anything for me back in the day, but I did have some curiosity for some games, so rather than getting a system and then the overpriced games, I opted for a SNES Classic when I saw one for €40, modded it all the way including wireless controllers with internal dongles, and enjoy those games that way. The whole experience and build up before the game of inserting a cart and all that isn't "destroyed" because there is no nostalgia for that system at all.

[@hyzenthlay7151]

It is true, but I hope the homebrew community don't give up on it, as we've seen what it can really do with dedicated software. And I don't mean to ignore the C16, as I hope homebrew still caters to tat with modern techniques, much like they are for the VIC20

[@RetroDawn]

@@hyzenthlay7151 I'm developing some kickass games for the entire CBM 264 series. People are going to be very excited about these games.

[@Mr.1.i]

Games still took a few minutes to load

[@RealRaeddie]

Some maybe interesting fact. The C16 had also a kind of boom in Germany, as it was the orignal "Aldi PC", long before Aldi pushed IBM compatibles. In fact, what started as a simple stock clearance for Commodore, led to a some short but hectic hunt for spare parts to make additional units to satisfy the demand.

[@chrishopkins209]

The Plus/4 was my first computer...purchased from Debenhams in Cardiff in time for Xmas 85....It was the perfect computer for an 8 year old as most of the games available were Mastertronic games for pocket money prices. I went up to the C64 in 88 (and kept it until 96)

[@gadi70]

As a C16 owner in the 80's, i'd think plus/4 was the best possible computer. I loved the built-in assember, updated basic and hex editor. It was so easy to make everything with it. If it'd had sprites and decend sound chip, it'd been a very differentent history.

[@gadi70]

IIRC: If you program was very very stuck, you could reset it with saving all the data, just by pressing the commodore key while pressing reset and exiting from monitor. This was hardware-reset but just couldn't be done with C64.

[@SpearM3064]

@@gadi70 Actually, you could modify the C64 to have a reset switch. I modified my FastLoad cartridge, to keep the computer original. First, since the FastLoad cartridge was not 100% compatible with all forms of copy protection (and because I planned to eventually upgrade to a C128), I wired an on/off switch into it. All you have to do is cut the trace to pin 9 and wire a toggle switch across it. Pin 9 is the EXROM line, which tells the computer that a cartridge is present. By toggling the switch to the OFF position and pressing the RESET button (see below), the computer would reset and act like no cartridge was present. The second modification to the FastLoad cartridge was to add a soft reset switch. All you have to do for *that* is to wire a pushbutton between pin C and pin 1. Pin C is the RESET line,. and Pin 1 is ground (or earth, as the British say). When you pressed the button, it pulled pin C low and the CPU would jump to the reset vector as if you had typed SYS 64738. I wish I had photos so I could show you a picture of the modified cartridge (I still have it in my closet!), but I don't have a digital camera. By the way, I totally agree with you. If the Plus/4 had hardware sprites and a better sound chip, it would have changed everything.

[@Mr.1.i]

If it loaded c64 software then it would have be a different history

[@GuilhermeMittmann]

Someday Ashley will have her own episode!

[@GuilhermeMittmann]

Of course, she can get anything she want but the crossover would be cool.

[@GuilhermeMittmann]

Something in DW's style: All the old Commodores were turned into a dalek army, their leader is an strange and new LEGO-C64, only Ashley, who were all this time a secret agent from torchwood have the pieces to build a new sonic screwdriver and defeat the enemies. Maybe a Party with the 8-bit Guy and LGR....

[@BilisNegra]

Congrats on this first anniversary! Glad to see your channel grow along with your puppies.

[@s980845]

I always fall asleep to your voice. It's so soothing for some reason.

[@RetroRecipes]

Pleasant dreams 😴🕹

[@s980845]

@@RetroRecipes Thank You. Zzz

[@SuperHammaren]

Love the sight of the Amstrad in the back, started off with a PCW 8256 back in the day. Liked it :))

[@ensor2872]

Re; Mercenary. It wasn't backported to 8-bit machines from the 16-bit versions. Paul was a huge Atari fan, he developed Mercenary for the 8-bit Atari first then ported it to the C64 and +4. The Z80 versions were done by an outside freelance programmer. The 16-bit versions came several years later.

[@RetroRecipes]

Thanks for the clarification

[@elfenmagix8173]

Of all the Plus4 reviews, I have to say it is one of the best. You didn't try to force the issue that it is not a C64, it is not. It is a totally different beast from the C64. About a year later "Compute!" magazine released the SpeedScript series of word processors and spread sheets and I think there wad a version for the Plus4. You should get a C16 and do a 64k RAM upgrade to it. It would not have the office software of the Plus4 but it would be more viable as a machine like a RAM expanded Vic20.

[@SuperVstech]

Elfen Magix yup, I fondly remember my little brother reading me the script, and me typing in the code for all the Compute! Programs. (Every time I activated a windows xp install, I think about the code similar to compute!’s confirmation code at the end of each line.) I actually used speedscript to print all my college papers... nobody in the school had a computer at home... the prof was impressed I printed my reports...

[@elfenmagix8173]

@@SuperVstech, I too used Speedscript in College but on a C64 and Vic20. The professors were so damned impressed the class' grades were lowered because my grade hit the upper limit!

[@Dr.Dawson]

Man that was as slick as a DX7 melody layered on top of an 808 beat recorded to a Portastudio! Brilliant! You are firing on all 12 cylinders like a proper old school Ferrari. Well done!

[@RetroRecipes]

🎹 🚘

[@Dr.Dawson]

@Max Pain Was that when you took the name Max Pain? Sorry, I had to. :)

[@TheRetroShed]

I so wanted a Commodore Plus 4 back in 1984 but when we went to buy it we were told by the store chap that the Toshiba MSX was a better computer for games. So I ended up with one of those instead and it wasn’t bad at all. Have since picked up a Plus 4 for our collection and love it to bits. :)

[@stephanerichard3979]

Way back when I tried commodore 16. About a year after I had a plus/4 I was a pet programmer and back then wasn't a game coder but a business coder. It was a great machine to have for people like me. I had a whole lotta fun with it business software wise. Lol

[@HerrBlei]

Ahh... Memories of my childhood. My brother had a C16 from ALDI. We played Tuttifrutti all the Time. And with high-Speed dubbing we made Safety-Copies of the games from a neighbor kid, who had a plus4.

[@moribundtoot8183]

Mercenary was by far my most favourite game on the C64. I can tell that the Pus/4 version is quite a bit smoother though. I vastly preferred it to Elite as well. You could get lost for days going through the bunkers and the underground corridors. The fact that the best ship for travelling around the planet was a lump of cheese was pure brilliant.

[@johneygd]

Disasambling & cleaning the C64+ was the best part and those mario clones are absolutely mind blowing.

[@0raj0]

I had a C116 back then and later managed to get a Plus/4. I LOVED Mercenary, it was an abolutely amazing game!

[@P5BDeluxeWiFi]

ofc you prepped Ashley.. lol a moment I thought ... That she might have a clue, Great acting!

[@laureven]

This channel is growing on me. Sometimes I'm not a fan of its very specific sense of humour, but the content is awesome, and with enough time I will start liking humour too :) ...I didn't like beer the first time :). regardless, I'm always impressed if someone if putting so much work into those videos. Thanks for the opportunity to learn something new. Regards

[@Lucasrainford]

Back in the day (circa 1986) my friend and I decided to invest in a 8-bit machine for gaming. I went for the pricier C64 and my friend went for the much cheaper Plus4. His choice still baffles me to this day, suffice to say he wasn't a happy chap when his crazy decision smacked him in the chops. All was not lost though, he was round mine every night on my C64 as long as he made the brews. :)

[@martinbrewer7629]

I used to spend fricking hours on Mercenary, even at one point walking for a good hour or so to a hanger because I went through that door with the skull and crossbones on it up on the station... (hint, if you're ever desperate for a ship, take a bite of cheese...) Much respect to the creator of that fun world, although, I gotta say it, The Second City was an utter swine... Glass raised...

[@KurisuYamato]

That 12939 supply near the end of the video was just the best. While the games demonstrated certainly made me smile, that was the point where I felt a genuine childlike joy for how clever that little tidbit was! Ah, really that game is quite the demonstration of what the system could do in its day, and certainly makes me appreciate its place in computer (and Commodore) history. That whole family of machines got the crap end of the 8 bit deal, so to speak, but not for lack of effort from Bil Herd and the rest of the team.

[@SqueekyBums]

Loving the PCW8512 behind you. I can still hear the printer in my head although I haven't fired mine up in years :D Oh, and I have a plus4 in my extensive, fully functional collection.

[@mephustowest1876]

I have a plus/4 and I really enjoy it. My 3 year old son is getting interested in computers already and its his favorite one so far lol.

[@smalon75]

The Plus/4 was my first computer and while most of the games were made for the C16, there are some real gems to be found. Tom Thumb, Winter Events, Berks 3, Ace, Bridgehead, Icicle Works, Treasure Island, Kikstart, Mercenary, Fire Ant, Trailblazer, Voidrunner and the Plus/4 version of Saboteur (not the awful C16 version). I then upgraded to an Amiga 500, wow, what a machine that is!

[@SirGalahard]

The Plus/4 was my first computer, poor Hungarian kid at the time here, I loved it to death, just as I played Mercenary, my mind was blown, I totally lived the experience. Thanks for the memories!

[@1premek]

Oh yeah, Mercenary with it;s wire frame graphic and cheese as the fastest ship :-) And I loved the "photon emitter" :D haha. Good old times with Commodore plus/4!

[@Dkentflyer]

I used to play Mercenary alot on my Atari 800XL and remember the Commodore logo, it was an amazing game!. Great overview of this little machine

[@TotalVyper68]

Paul Woakes was a real genius and a top bloke as well.

[@bdbensley]

I used to have a +4 (I think I had two of them) and wrote programs for it (utilities, educational, and business...not a lot of games) and well. Anyway, I had to sell it off with a LOT of my collection of computers and didn't get much for it. I miss those old days when I had those computers and wrote software and kept them repaired and repaired them for others as well. Love your channel and the videos.

[@pnvgordinho]

Nicholas concept looks freaking amazing. The Amiga ones he made are also cool.

[@rabbit8037]

My first computer. I always felt the Plus 4 was dragged down by the C16. Games were typically designed to run on both and didn't take advantage of the extra memory. It was amazing what could be achieved once you broke out of the constraints of basic - and this computer had a machine language monitor built in which you could program in assembly language directly. This enabled the possibility of some very fast graphics routines.

[@1premek]

I own one Commodore plus/4 I learned the basics of BASIC and assembler on that when I was 10 yo... On those good old times! I loved that computer!

[@ClangBot]

Incidentally, when you showed a WHSmiths, that looked like one from my hometown.

[@ClangBot]

@@RetroRecipes originally I'm from Croydon, South London.

[@Commander64]

I have very vague memories of having a Plus 4 in our household, but Clee memories of our C16 and my C64. Great video, very chilled.

[@bredmond812]

I never get tired of hearing you say "PCB Waaaaaay!"

[@francescogreco4113]

The c16 and the plus/4 were quite popular also here in Italy

[@manicsorceress2181]

The C16/+4 is my favourite of all Commodore computers.

[@RetroRecollections]

Awesome review! I had a C16 as a child and I'm after one again (or even better the Plus/4). I have fond memories of the games back in the day and I'll be covering quite a few of them in the future. You're spot on though, the incompatibility with the vast C64 library didn't help. Many of my friends had the C64 and we couldn't swap games. Even the mags of the time didn't cover it much (looking back now I guess because it was discontinued so quickly) and I remember getting frustrated that most of the program listings were for C64 and of course would not work on my C16.

[@lewis72]

Well, I never knew that games were being released for machines long after they went out of production !

[@GuppyCzar]

Mercenary was on heavy rotation in my 64. They did a commendable job on the Plus 4 version.

[@caeserromero3013]

My personal take is that it was a business machine designed as a cheap entry into the business market. It wasn't designed as a 'gaming' or general 'home computer'. But because the success of the C64 made Commodore (at least in the UK) the defacto number one game/home computer company, no business was interested in it as it was probably seen as 'Fisher Price' my first computer type toy. I think the problem was image and also application. Commodore couldn't shake the 'home computer' image and so therefore companies wouldn't apply a Commodore product to a 'serious' role. If you wanted a home computer the kids could play on during the day and that you could do your accounts on in the evening, there was already a lot of software out there for the C64, so why buy a +4 that came with less than optimal business apps, and for which your kids could't get many decent games? If you ran a business, by 1985 IBM or Compaq etc had already cornered that market...

[@KillerBill1953]

Interesting video. When I was looking to upgrade from the ZX Spectrum I wanted to do word processing. I considered both the Plus 4 and Atari 8 bits, but went for a CPC464 due to price. I managed to write a novel on it, had a printer and external disk drive, but working with a maximum of 5 pages in memory at a time was very limiting. After a couple of years I sold it and bought an Amiga 500. The Plus 4 wasn't even in the running. I wrote my next novel on the Amiga, and a pile of short stories, plus playing some amazing games. Eventually I moved up to a PC (486 with Windows 3.2) and the cheap MS office pack, and never looked back. I think the Plus 4 was just too little, too late.

[@AmaBroze]

As usual, a brilliant video! Brings back memories. I had this computer, styling wise, with the vents, keyboard shape etc, it kinda reminds me of the later A600 and A1200 keyboards. The games I remember most from this were: - Treasure Island (we even got a paper treasure map in the cassette box, which I tool to school). Icicle Works. And Fire Ant I have the A500 mini now, wondering if I could get any of these games working on that in the future, or build another system for emulation?

[@DjClarky78]

Me and my brother had one of these as a kids, as my parents were too tight to buy us the C64 we asked for. I remember playing Treasure Island, Fire Ant, The Exploits of Fingers Malone, Harbour Attack, and Punchy. We had to use the "spare" black and white TV, as the colour used to go milky for a while on the "Main" tv after the Commodore had been plugged in...? I also remember it doing something peculiar if you run your finger across all the F keys at the top, from left to right. Funny how these things date you. I've had a C16+4, then a C64, then an Amiga, Then PS1 - 2 - 3 & 4. I don't really game much anymore, but I have a little boy, no doubt he'll be wanting a PS5 when he's older. And I'll buy him one - he won't have to settle for a PlayStation +4. Thanks for the Vid.

[@TheBurk1989]

I'm truly amazed what they managed to accomplish with the game Pets Rescue. It looks absolutely beautiful! And keeping in mind it has no hardware sprites makes it even more amazing! Really good video once again and now I really would like to get my hands on either a Plus/4 or a C16 and upgrading it to 64k memory. Would fit great alongside my C64

[@Kekule1025]

Thank you Burkman1989, we loved to accomplish the making of our little game, and have to say we're surprised it's currently selling so fast, both on digital download and physical copies (and all the grants go to Humane Society International to save real pets ;) ).

[@a500]

Always loved the look of the machine. Score 4 out of erm 16 naturally. Good to see mercenary again although I played it on my Amiga, Damocles was fantastic and an all time favourite of mine. Nice to see it’s box appear on your shelf :-)

[@RetroRecipes]

Damocles is a favourite of mine too! 💾

[@TheTurnipKing]

I understand that the line was basically created as a competitor to keep the Timex Sinclair machines from getting any kind of foothold at the low end of the market.

[@00Skyfox]

This was a really fun episode. I really never knew much at all about the Plus/4. My relatives had one when I was a kid and apparently used it only for business/productivity stuff, because when they let me play with it I couldn't do anything with it. And only 99 lines to the word processor? More like a brief memo processor. Who's that adorable pup at around 12:00? I don't remember seeing him (her?) on the channel before. Super cute!

[@RetroRecipes]

Thanks! That's Rodneyfractic! He's a little camera shy unlike Puppyfractic #1. 🐶🕹

[@00Skyfox]

Was he named after Rodney Dangerfield?

[@RetroRecipes]

Only a danger in a field of sheep

[@GrannyBender]

Damn! I was quite surprised to see Arne's art on my youtube feed. An happy surprise for sure!

[@RetroRecipes]

He was very helpful in giving his consent to the usage and providing files. Such a talent.

[@Turrican]

My first computer! An underrated machine.

[@jameslewis2635]

The Plus 4 was a computer that looked so much better than it really was. The built in software was sub standard for its intended purpose and the lack of compatibility with the C64 was just lunacy.

[@ChristopherNelson2k]

Solid exploration of the red headed step child of Commodore!

[@nattila7713]

Really enjoyed watching this episode... mercenary, jokes and all. At one point my wife just shouted from the back of the room: "I had that computer!!!!!!!" :-D Poor woman, I often joke about the fact she had a +4 when I had a C64 which was so much better!!!! Unfortunatelly she doesn't really care. Should have married a Spectrum-girl :(

[@madcommodore]

I found Pets Rescue a few months ago and it really impressed me on the NTSC Plus/4, only fanboys would say it's not right up there with Super Mario Bros NES. 16k was always the limiting factor of the TED, Plus/4 conversions of Exploding Fist and Commando clearly show what would have been the norm if Jack hadn't been forced out by Goulde, the reason the TED machines doubled in price and went down to 16kb models to compensate for insane pricing vs C64 list price worldwide.

[@AndrewBishop1971]

I remember when Boots sold computers, my parents went in there one December to buy me one as an xmas present, but the sales guy wouldn't sell it to them, insisting that it was Business Computer and not for Kids!!!! I think they got me one from WHSmiths in the end. Great little machine.

[@RetroRecipes]

That's crazy. What I'd love to find someday is a photo form inside those stores showing the computer setups that I remember.

[@Lucasrainford]

RIP Paul Woakes. I loved his games, played and completed all the Mercenary titles and Damocles. Backlash too on Amiga. Sad news that.

[@RetroRecipes]

RIP

[@1Thunderfire]

This channel just got recommended to me and wow, this is relaxing to listen to which I could always do with. I think I'll be hanging about here...

[@RetroRecipes]

Welcome to Retro Recipes! 👍🕹

[@MarcWeertsMusic]

Puppyfractic is cute enough to star in her own channel... 😊 Seriously though, another highly entertaining and informative video!

[@MegaManNeo]

Thanks for making this video. I can barely remember the Plus/4 myself as I got mine back at the age of three or four when my dad came home from the flea market with it and a complete C64 set. My Plus/4 also had a 9 pin adapter for Atari style joysticks and if I recall right, we managed to get Snoopy from the C64 up and running on it which I used to play in our bedroom for a few minutes. The other thing I got to run was that word processor but I didn't know what to do with it obviously. Also speaking of Pets Rescue, damn… Would this have been released back in the day, not just would it have given Giana Sisters a run for its money but probably piss off Nintendo even more (seriously, this looks almost as good as the Super Mario Allstars version of SMB1). Thumbs up!

[@TheMalMeninga]

Great video as always, Christian! A good review of a curious little machine. Loved seeing an old favourite, Mercenary, too. Might fire that up tonight. And Bonus Ashley!

[@BertGrink]

OOOhhhh HAPPY BDAY Perifractic!

[@RetroRecipes]

🎉

[@BilisNegra]

11:40 And for those not in the know, from somebody who read Amstrad magazines as a kid, yes, against all odds, there were some games developed for or ported to the Amstrad PCW. Despite its boring monochrome appearance, I guess it's a pretty interesting machine.

[@RetroRecipes]

Great games at that! Even Starglider. I'll be taking a look in the future.

[@annieworroll4373]

Wish I could have managed a complete in box example, all I got was the computer and the power brick. But it works! You're part of the binge of Plus/4 content to learn how to play with this thing. I did save some money given how incomplete it was and that the seller couldn't get it to power up but I found nothing wrong with it and it powered up with no problems.

[@Popmetalj]

Heard your interview on the Retro Hour. Glad I checked out your channel. I'm another Brit exile in North America (Canada for me because snow?). Curious to explore your vids and how you've got your machines set up. Regarding the Plus/4 I remember the excitement in mags like Commodore User when it was announced. Then the disappointment. If the business software had been better, they'd boosted the ram to 128k and not bothered with the C16, it may have had more of a chance. Price hurt it, too.

[@RetroDawn]

If they stuck to Tramiel's original plan, they would have had a better chance. I think the C16 and C116 were vital to the platform.

[@andreasu.3546]

14:55 I never knew there was a "Breaking Bad" adaptation for the plus/4. That machine was really ahead of it's time!

[@6581punk]

Your plus 4 has the round power connector. They often shipped with a square one and getting a new PSU is difficult, replacing it with the round C64 style one is possible.

[@ricande]

If i was into ASMR, i would like this channel.

[@AccountWasHacked]

love the cameo by Ashley.

[@AllGamingStarred]

Hello Bob Ross, never realized you came back from the dead. all jokes aside, that voice can raise the dead

[@RacerX-]

Excellent Repisode Raggy! If we could have had the BASIC and the color palette of the Plus/4 on the 64 when it was released that would have been pretty reaking cool.

[@RetroRecipes]

If only Scooby Dapp... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@AndrewAHayes]

You are like the whispering Bob Harris of retro tech, Bob Harris was a DJ and presenter on The Old Grey Whistle Test)

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you! I'm familiar with him. People also say Bob Ross. So maybe Whispering Bob Harross?

[@dammitspawk]

Neat! I love that pet rescue game, kudos to the developer. Hope your pup learns so manners soon! Even so she is a cutie. Thanks for another cool ep!

[@xxTeamFearLessxx1]

In this month was on the plus4 a new game release. The game is calling Yukon. Its an 8 bit adventure with 64k.

[@CasperUK31]

Remember when WHSmith sold computers awww...Even better Boots sold them too. WIsh I could go back to 1984 and be 9 again. Actually I wish I could go back to 1984 and be 20 and get on my preferred career in computers.

[@mymusic7262]

I love your show. Thanks for keeping the dream alive.

[@robertd1965]

Ashley - "HI DAD! WHAT DOING! hAz tReatS???", "I steel sHow? K? bye.."

[@colinthomson7518]

nice machine for drawing pixel Art, love the colour palette. your dogs are cute. homebrew games are really good,

[@Dr.Dawson]

YES! New PRR, love it. I just have to put the polish on this song and I'll be right back. Love ya man! (edit) Done and dusted now lets get on with the greatness that is Perifractic's Retro Recipes and the great, well maybe, Plus/4!

[@RetroRecipes]

😘 🕹️

[@AJB2K3]

I've never had the chewing issues with my dogs, they used to eat house bricks and brambles.

[@RetroRecipes]

Wow what breed?

[@AJB2K3]

@@RetroRecipes CollyXSpanialXLabradorXRetriever!

[@LivingInAVan]

Woot! Another great video. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I love your content! Former VIC-20 and C-128 user here.

[@RetroRecipes]

Many thanks!

[@MontieMongoose]

Great job as always PurpleFractal.

[@RetroRecipes]

😂

[@sterlinglombard]

Oh you Brits! You're pretty. LOL! In all seriousness, I loved this video... never owned one, but was always curious... I'm not now, but thanks for taking one for the team! The commodore 64 has always been the way to go unless you you were the spoiled rich kid that could afford an Amiga!

[@Unschaerferelation137]

The plus/4 was my first computer and I had a lot of fun with the BASIC V3.5. So 7 of 7 points from me. 😊

[@StarDustSid]

That certainly brought back some great memories. Thank you.

[@SadoMisio]

My god, Mercenary - one of my favorite game from Atari xl/xe library! I always likes C+4 looks. Never have one.

[@zka77]

Oh hi, I'm hungarian and I've started my whole IT carreer on C+4 back in the end of 80s :) Germany was the other hub of the C+4 fanbase in europe. It was a super cool machine, shame for the shitty sounds and missing sprites. CPU speed was higher than C64 and the memory layout was much better - C64 litters the middle of the memory range with registers, while the plussy keeps everything available in a contigous block between $200 and $FC00 or so... TED chips are the most common parts to fail, most of plussies had dead teds by the end of 90s...

[@szabolcsmate5254]

"Dork's dilemma" is one of my favourites on the platform.

[@salud7432]

I am old... and i remember most C16 Games where also for the Plus4.

[@locutus6437]

Love the design of the Plus 4.

[@Elijah2]

The food processor! LOL! 😂🍔🕹

[@d2factotum]

If I recall correctly, the robot says something different if you press space (e.g. STOP) when it returns you to manual control just before crashing on the planet.

[@RetroRecipes]

Interesting! Let me know if you find out what. 👍🕹

[@cathrynm]

C128 is the machine the +4 should have been, basically. But took a hard lesson to realize this, and then when the C128 came out, it was too late.

[@video99couk]

I loved Mercenary on the Plus/4. I had the faster floppy drive, a better word processor cartridge, printer etc. However I found the Plus/4 was not as reliable as other models, I had assorted breakdowns on these things.

[@cf9539]

Winter Events and Summer Events by Kingsoft / Udo Gertz were squeezing everything out of these machines. Worth a search on KZbin

[@rbrtck]

My main memory of the Plus/4 back in the day was that at a Sears department store, it had displaced the C64 on the featured section of the home/personal computer display area. I remember some guy trying to look knowledgeable in front of his wife/girlfriend in the manner in which he said "Ah, the Plus/4 system." 😏 At first I thought it might be an upgrade to the C64 like the Atari 800XL was over the 800 (at least in some respects), but when I found out what the Plus/4 really was, I was totally perplexed. Even by then, the C64 was clearly such a runaway success that I couldn't figure out why Commodore was trying to sell this incompatible new computer at a higher retail price point. It seemed to be less capable audiovisually and intended for business use, yet it didn't have an 80-column display, and the business software was a joke. Frankly, I didn't think it would sell, and it didn't. When I found out about the Commodore 16, which I had never seen in person back in the day, I was even more perplexed at why Commodore seemed to be going backwards. The C128 made a lot more sense to me the next year, and the TED computers were soon history.

[@arcadealchemist]

MERC was a game i tryed to play many times i only got as far as finding the cheese