Space Shuttle: Commodore 64 and Atari 800 XL

We cosplay Astronauts and try to play Space Shuttle: A Journey Into Space on the Commodore 64 and the Atari 800 XL.
#retrogaming #retrocomputers

[@MQsto]

Houston, we have an Atari!

[@fractalMD]

😂

[@xenosaga1348]

👍👍👍👍

[@lurkerrekrul]

I had this for the Atari 2600. It even came with two overlays for the console switches, one each for the 4 and 6 switch models. I could make it into space, even managing all the controls, but I never learned to follow the course and dock with the satellite, except in the easy mode, where it handled most of the hard stuff for you. What really threw me was how the Earth is always in the bottom of the window. Maybe it was a technical limitation (which was carried over to the other versions), but it was hard for me to visualize that the shuttle was twisting and turning on all the different axises, when the view out the windows never changed. I've never played the Atari 8-bit version, but it looks bugged to me. It's not supposed to have that extra window frame on the left. Fun fact: After this game was released, someone landed it using the backup engines. They contacted NASA who tested it out in their simulator and found that it WAS possible to land the shuttle with the backup engines. They added that as an emergency landing procedure.

[@HunterZBNS]

Also bought this for the 2600 back in the day, but I think it was a budget rerelease because it didn't come with overlays. I really liked how it used the switches on the console as game controls, although it made me wish I had a sixer.

[@fractalMD]

We heard that rumor about the game but couldn't independently confirm it!

[@JimLeonard]

"You ever want to be an astronaut?" "I *am* an astronaut." And we're off, right in the first 10 seconds

[@fractalMD]

😂

[@SusieTheExhaustedCatLady]

The outfits and intro are perfection. 😂❤ Also, I “crashed” the shuttle at Space Academy. It was a moment.

[@fractalMD]

Ha! I'll bet that was epic!!!

[@WhatHoSnorkers]

I had that on the ZX Spectrum. Fantastic game but the real mission is so tough. I died so many times... Great cosplay too!

[@fractalMD]

SO TOUGH! It's like,, how..??!!

[@vectrexer]

"Open the cargo bay doors" LOL!

[@fractalMD]

😄

[@hotfightinghistory9224]

Ok now this was worth the two-week hiatus!!!! :)

[@fractalMD]

Yeah, due to our work schedules we are going more for bi-weekly. Gotta pay them bills!

[@GarthBeagle]

Such a fun “game”! So freaking complicated, I love it 😃

[@fractalMD]

I feel like you could get a degree in this game. For reals.

[@geekwithsocialskills]

@@fractalMD you don't already have a degree in this game? 😛

[@fractalMD]

@@geekwithsocialskillsI should!

[@GarthBeagle]

@@fractalMD 🤣

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

Dogstranauts. Perfect! 🤣

[@fractalMD]

Woof!

[@geekwithsocialskills]

Really funny seeing you two cosplaying as Astronauts, complete with Top Gun Aviator sunglasses LOL. Nice seeing the Commodore 64 getting love on your channel. I own Space Shuttle cartridges for both my C64 and Atari 2600. Like you mentioned both are very similar in gameplay, however IMHO the C64 has slighty better graphics and sounds.

[@fractalMD]

I'd agree with all of that. It's a bit higher in quality. Tho both are equally impossible.

[@assassindroidig88]

You had ONE job, Amy! Haha Seriously though, this game is a technical marvel! I was OBSESSED with the Space Shuttle as a kid. It was so much a part of our collective 80s experience. P.S. LOVE the outfits. :)

[@fractalMD]

😂

[@mickaka]

You two make me laugh so much, great video, love the inflatable astronaut haha

[@fractalMD]

Isn't Matt Damon just the best?

[@coffeecuparcade]

OMG I was right there with you in the cockpit! AMAZING MISSION! No matter what happened Captain and Commander, Mission was successful! Well done. I am totally going to learn and play this game myself now. Looks amazing to play! And yes, my face is basically Amy's, but I'm going for it anyway! haha 10/10

[@fractalMD]

SPACE JOURNEY INTO SPACE

[@coffeecuparcade]

@@fractalMD Ground control to major tom....

[@michaelstoliker971]

There was an apocryphal story about this game that some kid figured out how to re-enter the atmosphere if the standard re-entry could not be achieved. Don't know how true this is.

[@fractalMD]

The legends surrounding this game!

[@CurtisBoyle]

Great video - and loved the "in theme" wardrobe. I had briefly played this on a friends 2600, but have never tried/seen the Atari 8 bit and C64 version, so that was interesting. My only other experience along this line was the Shuttle Simulator for the Coco (you knew that was coming, didn't you?). But it was written mostly in BASIC so it is a fair bit slower, although it did have some good bits (I of coursed liked that you had to use the Canadarm to bring the satellite into the shuttle). See you in less than a month!

[@fractalMD]

Mandatory coco reference! 😂 Cocofest here before we know it!!

[@chrissimpson1183]

This game looks like fun!

[@Charleshawn66]

Wow! Safe landing! great job!

[@fractalMD]

😎😎

[@EricsEdgeVideos]

LOL As they say in "The Right Stuff" - Spam in a Can! Entertaining as always.

[@fractalMD]

We must be the left stuff.

[@chrissimpson1183]

Spaceflight Simulator on PC is fun but hard too.

[@awilliams1701]

I used to play project space station on the c64. You couldn't fail......however there were rewards for doing well. The launch was 3d and you just have to fly in the rings. If you do well, you are closer to the station. If you do poorly, you are no where near it. So it takes longer to take your pod to it. On the landing (which is much harder) the repair time is 28 days. The better you do, the shorter the time is. I think the best you can do is 3 days. The most fun part was actually building the space station itself.

[@fractalMD]

Super cool.

[@brianwieseler5938]

Enjoyed the video. Look forward to meeting the both of you at CoCoFest

[@fractalMD]

We will see you there! We even got an actual TABLE this year.

[@brianwieseler5938]

@@fractalMD excellent!!! I have a table as well. I think I might be across from your table. I’m planning on displaying things from my collection.

[@fractalMD]

@Brian Wieseler We plan on acting a fewl 24/7. You may regret your table location. 😀

[@brianwieseler5938]

@@fractalMD looking forward to it!!!

[@JamiesHackShack]

That game can be a pain! Great vid!

[@fractalMD]

I still contend actual shuttle is easier. I've flown a plane IFR in clouds at night and that was certainly easier! 😂

[@JamiesHackShack]

@@fractalMD 😆

[@lurkerrekrul]

Another C64 space game with a similar theme is Apollo 18: Mission to the Moon by Accolade. It's mostly a series of mini-games simulating the different parts of a trip to the moon. Launch is similar to this game, then there's docking with the lunar module, a space walk to retrieve satellites, landing on the moon, walking/bouncing on the moon, and finally returning to Earth to splash down in the ocean. You absolutely will need to find a copy of the manual though. Elite was another well-loved space game. It's more sci-fi though. You start out with a basic ship and 100 credits, and have to build yourself up through cargo trading, fighting off pirates, etc. It's another game where you'll need a copy of the manual. It came out for many of the 8-bit computers of the time, including the C64, Apple, BBC Micro (original version), ZX Spectrum, etc. It may not look like much now, but it's impressive for the fact that it loads entirely into memory, has eight galaxies of 200+ planets each, and has a full 3D engine (albeit a slow one), all on systems that are 2000-3000 times slower than today's computers, in a program smaller in size than many webpage thumnbnail images. Another popular space game was Accolade's PSI 5 Trading Company. Pick a crew of humans, aliens and robots, then try to deliver your cargo. It's more of a management game than an action one.

[@fractalMD]

We actually broke out Apollo 18 but cut the footage cause we had waaaay too much!

[@lurkerrekrul]

@@fractalMD Well edit that sucker down and post it! :)

[@floydjohnson7888]

0:45 That REALLY put me into "overthink" mode: (1) Sen. John H. Glenn (D-OH) SOMEHOW sold it to NASA as "microgravity gerontology research". Everyone thinks he was envious of Shuttle crews, as they literally had more room to work with compared to the Mercury craft he first orbited the Earth in. (1a) Even the "serves three" APOLLO capsule was a tiny thing compared to the crew areas in the Shuttle. (2) In more recent years, Blue Origin's New Shepard program saw the likes of Mary Wallace 'Wally' Funk -at 82, analogous to the characters in "Space Cowboys"-and William Shatner-at 90, the oldest person to date to "set foot" beyond the Von Karmann line

[@fractalMD]

There. Is. A. Chance.

[@wimwiddershins]

That's not a game, that's a stress test.

[@fractalMD]

I did get some chest pain, now that I think about it.

[@RetroTechChris]

Looks like you had a blast!

[@fractalMD]

I see what you did there.

[@RetroTechChris]

@@fractalMD guilty as charged!! 🤣🤣

[@orignal29]

My favourite of that genre on the C64 was "Project: Space Station". Less piloting, more management. I haven't thought about that game since the 80s. Gotta play it now!

[@fractalMD]

You HAVE to

[@chrissimpson1183]

You lived!!!!!

[@fractalMD]

CHOOSE LIFE!

[@drjohnfisher]

Dogstronauts!!! Love it!!! 💜💜💜 I would like to place a formal request to play this overly complicated game that seemingly requires a degree in aeronautical engineering. Also, is this what a NASA ICU sounds like? The sound definitely increased my resting heart rate dramatically.

[@geekwithsocialskills]

I LOL'd at this too!

[@drjohnfisher]

@@geekwithsocialskills Right!!?? I’m still laughing at it.

[@fractalMD]

Start brushing up on the orbital mechanics.... 😂

[@drjohnfisher]

@@fractalMD I’m on it.

[@timothyp8947]

… and this week, our favourite explorers and rocketeers go off into space… BTW, have you ever heard of the space-trading game Elite for the BBC Micro? A good chunk of Universe packed into an 7-bit with only 32k RAM.

[@fractalMD]

I have not. Also we totally want a Micro.

[@wanderleyceschim2881]

Well, that was NASA's version of The Last Starfighter ruse. If you had mastered the game you would definitely be in the next space shuttle launch. Wait...

[@fractalMD]

😢

[@Fredthefat]

You two always cheer me up. Thank you for helping me get over a hard day. To echo Timothy P, definitely try Elite. Kept the majority of the youth in Britain off the streets back in the day. First upgrade has to be a docking computer. I don't see why NASA wouldn't call on your services, you just need a little more practice...

[@fractalMD]

I mean, I'm basically an amazing astronaut.

[@Alibm80]

Cool girls! 😎😂

[@fractalMD]

😎

[@IsaacKuo]

They need to make a hybrid of Space Shuttle and Star Raiders. Not that anyone would get far enough to see the different part when the aliens attack.

[@fractalMD]

The difficulty would be BREATHTAKING

[@drrev40]

If Matt offers you a potato in orbit, don't eat it. They taste like .......

[@fractalMD]

GOOD ADVICE

[@pitfalljerry]

As a kid I had both versions. My friends and I could never make it through a true mission. I have streamed both as an adult and still cannot do it.

[@fractalMD]

Actual astronauts prolly even can't!!!

[@BriansManCave]

Interesting, I didn't know this was on the Commodore 64! Although I am not surprised, the C64 has tons of games!

[@fractalMD]

All the games!

[@Alibm80]

Amy … Taylor … We have a problem!

[@fractalMD]

Boy do we

[@SirReptitious]

Actually Matt Damon is your crypto bro specialist. ;-)

[@fractalMD]

Oh yes. Thank you for correcting me!

[@johanlaurasia]

Hi there... John from NASA recruiting.. after seeing you demo flying the simulator we're going to have to pass... lol

[@fractalMD]

Yeah. We didn't sell ourselves too well!

[@IsaacKuo]

15:01 ... that look of disappointment!

[@fractalMD]

😂

[@cocoliving7157]

Don't cloud the issue with facts. You landed and it didn't break (just shut off the video at 11:23). That makes you a space hero and you should sew on another patch!!!

[@fractalMD]

MOAR PATCHES!

[@bazodee2]

In the amiga version you need to hit like 100 switches before the rocket even ignites, then 100 more once you reach orbit.

[@fractalMD]

Sweet baby Moses.

[@lurkerrekrul]

The Amiga game is a completely different game. It's more of a serious simulation than Activision's game.

[@djnak7856]

Bit embarrassed to admit I didn't recognize Matt Damon...thought it was Doogie Howser :/ The 2600 version has been on my "play someday" list for DECADES - you just might have inspired me to stumble through it!

[@fractalMD]

This is a sign to give it a whirl! (Matt Damon commands it.)

[@IsaacKuo]

Just got to make sure it's Martian Matt Damon and not Interstellar Matt Damon. Martian Matt Damon will science stuff for you; Interstellar Matt Damon will just kill ya.

[@floydjohnson7888]

That was a spacey episode, but it challenged me to think: (1) I'm under the impression that you grew up in or near Huntsville, where "astronautics" was almost literally the talk of the town. (2) For a mass-market simulation, the Activision program is pretty complicated. Then again, the real thing is EVEN MORE complicated (*tips hat to STS crews, who generally made that stuff look routine*) (3) For a moment, I got mixed up and thought Activision had tried to make a version for the 2600 VCS - which would probably have been impossible.

[@fractalMD]

Grew up in Tuscaloosa, so Huntsville is about 3 hours drive away. Never went to Space Camp, though, somehow!!

[@MQsto]

Oh but they _did_, Atari 2600 version is the original.

[@floydjohnson7888]

@@MQsto So there's a version for that game console as well as the 800 computer?

[@fractalMD]

@@floydjohnson7888 yes!

[@floydjohnson7888]

I see: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5y4eWaLot2cecU Come to think of it, Activision's "old heads" of the time (David Crane, Carol Shaw, Larry Kaplan, etc.) generally pushed the 2600 to the edges of its performance envelope.

[@escgoogle3865]

2048 cupcake party coming soon 🎉

[@fractalMD]

I know, right!!!!!

[@lsdowdle]

Is this "Space Cowgirls" the movie?

[@fractalMD]

Verrry low budget