The CoCo Nation Show

Episode 116 - CoCoForever Winners!

We're back with another great live episode of CoCoTALK! the world's leading live talk show featuring the Tandy Color Comptuer. This week we'll reveal the winners of the private CoCo Forever screening party. cover CoCo news and so much more!

CoCoTALK!
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News links:
1) Nick Marentes has his latest GunStar blog up:
http://www.nickmarentes.com/Gunstar/18.html

2) Blair Leduc has another update to his Assembly extension for Visual Code Studio (now up to version 0.3.0):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157315033642641/

3) Speaking of Visual Code Studio extensions, Jason Pittman has uploaded a video of his Coco C/ASM extension, that also includes converting graphics down to the 16 color mode on the Coco 3: He also demo's the source highlighting using Ken Reichart
https://youtu.be/IqvOJ6hL6Nc

4) Brian Weiseler has come across a book for the Coco, called "Making the Most of Your TRS-80 Color Computer" by Peter Vernon. This is one that I have never seen before, and was published in Australia.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157314793107641/

5) Sheldon MacDonald is making a cartridge (based on the Game Master Cartridge) that also attaches to the cassette port, so that you can shut the music playing on/off simply with AUDIO ON and AUDIO OFF commands in BASIC. He 3D printed his own case for the project, and is tweaking the software side still.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157146611412641/

6) Pere Serrat & Kees van Oss have released AGD game packs #33 & 34, which are special ones. The games were created by 10-11 year old children at the Bearsden Primary School in Scotland, in a class on programming taught by Dougie Mcg. The children designed their own sprites, levels, etc. and programmed/debugged them themselves. All the games were written this year (2019) in the class.
http://archive.worldofdragon.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6112

http://archive.worldofdragon.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6115

7) Bart van den Akker has an IndieGogo campaign going to raise money for the Home Computer Museum in the Netherlands (which is interactive and lets visitors try over 200 older home computers). If you are interested in information, or contributing to the museum, see there Indiegogo page:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/homecomputermuseum-streaming-tour

8) Todd Wallace has a demo video showing his 80 column Coco 3 text editing tool. This has sparked some conversation on doing a game using 80x24/25/28 hardware text mode, but using color attributes, blinking and underline, to do "graphics", similar to the Semigraphics stuff being done on the Coco 1/2 side.
https://youtu.be/5JsJGPI4e4k

9) The Floppy Days podcast (With Randy Kindig) episode 92 features and inteview with Dave Lagerquist, who worked for CLOAD (for the Model I/III) and then started Chromasette, the first tape based magazine for the Coco back in the early 1980's. Some great stories from when the company was started.
http://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-92-dave-lagerquist-interview-editor-cload-and-chromasette

10) Tony Jewell posted some photos from the Dragon Meetup 2019 that took place during CocoTalk last week (July 7), at the Centre for Computing History in Cambridge, England.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dragon32/permalink/2352252818367707/

(There are other videos and photos from this event in the Dragon 32/64 Facebook group).

11) Jason Pittman has an updated video showing his Picture converter/editor - which now has the beginnings of converting to Coco 1/2 modes as well as Coco 3.
https://youtu.be/3F03WK6NNZo

You can also download the program he has written:
http://jasonpittman.com/dist/CoCoPic.zip

CoCoPi3 project page: http://www.cocopi3.com/

Dragon Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dragon32/

MC-10 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/731424100317748/

 

Episode 115 - CoCo Forever screening party contest

Today we'll announce a very special opportunity to join a private screening of the entire series of CoCoForever, created by D. Bruce Moore, and we'll hear from the cast, crew, and consumes of the series. A few special guests will also be invited, send an email to CoCoTALK@CoCoTALK.live with your entry, telling us _WHY_ you should attend the private screening.

News stories for July 6 show:
1) Jeff Teunissen (Deek on Discord) has started a public github for ALL C source code for OS9/NitrOS-9 (past and present), and includes parts of the C compiler itself. This is very much an ongoing work in progress, so if this is of interest to you, keep checking in on it periodically. He is also wanting anyone with C source code for OS-9/NitrOS-9 projects that he has not been able to find, to sent them to him and he will include them on his Github. As of July 3, in addition to the C compiler itself, he also has other language whose compilers were written in C (like Forth09 and XLisp), as well as enhanced utilities (like Help & CUTS).
https://github.com/Deek/CoCoC

2) Ron Klein has an experimental (translation: expect bugs!) CocoPI3 git repo, so that the CocoPI3 can get automatic updates. Details & instructions here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tTtsB-_iR7ECtPwY11cxcHeB9GSF8oaZszDFWWV3uNg/edit

3) Tony Cappellini shared some photos he had taken at one of the Color America Fests, held in the southern California around the mid-1980's. Steve Bjork makes a guest appearance, and has a photo shoot with a Quadrunner (I think some of these photos ended up in his interview with Color Computer Magazine). They also hooked the quad up so that it could literally control Steve's game Desert Rider (released by Tandy/Radio Shack). One of the Wayne Technologies CP/M cards makes an appearance, as well as other hardware and software. There is also a Q&A session with some local Coco luminaries of the time, that Tony would like help identifying.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157299413497641/

4) Allen Huffman gets a shoutout for his version of the Zimodem firmware (originally by Bo Zimmerman for the Commodores) for Simulant's Retro Wifi SI (Wifi RS-232 serial modem). (See notes at end)
https://www.simulant.uk/shop/retro-vintage-computer-wifi-modem-rs232-serial-hayes-compatible

5) Erico Monteiro has been working on sample semi-graphics animated artwork (all fully compatible with real hardware), including a mock-up of a Street Fighter II type game.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157292683362641/

6) Mat Chy is making a utility to help mix text scanlines for the Semigraphics-24 mode (like Protectors II did for the people you are rescuing), and has a video showing it:
https://youtu.be/XhhAgFfe7bY

And he has an animated GIF demo of it doing a kung-fu type game, as well as additional screenshots of experiments:
https://www.facebook.com/mat.chy.5099/videos/142356680199801/

And he also released a video showing an SG12 demo with a character running between rooms, with some automapping as well:
https://www.facebook.com/mat.chy.5099/videos/142687670166702/

7) CocoMech keyboard installation video by Ed Snider - shows how to install it.
https://youtu.be/PSR8-zqRSTY

8) Evan Wright has found software author Robert G. Kilgus, who has a book out called "An Inside Look at Microfiles", which goes into the thinking (and includes source) for his TRS-80 Model I/III program "Microfiles". Robert also did some of the earliest Coco programming as well, and seemed to favour 3-dimensional games (Quasar Commander, Dino Wars, Skiing, Color Cubes), and he also did the Disk Edtasm+ package.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157301702177641/

9) Glenside has published their latest newsletter, which includes a lot of pictures and info from the CocoFest in May:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157302097527641/

10) Blair Leduc has released an updated Visual Studio code for 6x09 assembly language (0.2.0).
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157292683362641/

11) And speaking of SG modes, Mat Chy shared a video of an SG Tile editor he has been working on. Erico has been active in the comments of that thread as well.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157289429657641/

12) Ken Reighard has released a new game "Nightmare Highway", with a great little commercial.
https://www.cankenmakeit.com/2019/07/new-game-for-coco-1-2-and-3-nightmare.html

13) James Diffendaffer has a video demonstrating the speedup he has done to MC-10 BASIC in the SIN/COS functions, and how BASIC keeps track of it's current line. He says that most programs get an 8% speed increase, but math intensive get up to 44% faster (as this video shows).
https://youtu.be/BCeR-tOz5QY

 

Episode 114 - the most LIVEest!

News stories for June 22 show:

1) Ron Klein has release a 2nd tutorial video on running the CocoPi3 - this time for working with disk images:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPmmhA2Wf5s

2) Ron Klein has also put up a video about using the Atom Editor for cross platform software development to the Coco:
https://youtu.be/CkFVCOD0NoU

He also has uploaded the files for it to GitHub:
https://github.com/mrgw454/AtomDevEnv

3) Mark D. Overholser & Bill Nobel have both received some Omniboards for developing hardware projects for the Coco, based on a design by Jayeson Lee-Steere. Picture of Mark's (in different colors) here:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157337010235960&set=a.123088625959&type=3

4) Carlos Camacho asked on the Coco group on Facebook for a complete list of magazines/newsletters that supported the Coco. The list is a lot bigger than I would have thought when it was first asked.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157240838647641/

5) Ed Orbea was asking some questions about running Fuzix (Coco 3 port by Brett Gordon) on a real Coco 3, and has received answers from William Carlin and Ron Klein. For those wanting to experiment with a version of Unix for the Coco, this is a good post to start with.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157275811322641/

6) Brendin Emslie printed a case for his CocoSDC using his resin printer, which turned out quite well:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157278238652641/

7) Richard Sorek has uploaded a PDF reference for the 6809, 6821, 6840 & 6850 in French.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157262363462641/

8) Paul Barton is doing a Coco 3 repack into a PC tower case (We haven't seen one of these in quite awhile, but they were almost commonplace in the 1990's):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157277554822641/

9) RetroManCave on YouTube has a video about The Micro Museum (40 years of collecting microcomputers), and the Coco 1, 2 and MC-10 make an appearance around 5:35 into it (and again at 5:50) when showing some of the 1980's machines. Strangely, I don't see a Coco 3 in there.
https://youtu.be/S8e84LE7fYs

10) Jim Gerrie has been busy again:
Coup D'Etat MC10 port from Sharp MZ80A:
https://youtu.be/GUZSTyx9xd0

11) Todd Wallace shared a video powering his Coco 3 set up from stored solar energy:
https://youtu.be/YyLG4MrFSEk

12) For our Dragon brethren in the UK, The 3rd annual Dragon Meetup (2019) is being held on July 6, at the Centre for Computing History in Cambridge.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dragon32/permalink/2344147779178211/

13) Retro Arcade Gaming did a comparison of Galaxians (and clones) between platforms. Since every computer had multiple clones, he chose Galax Attax by Spectral Associates to represent the Coco. (Coco at 9:26). He did choose the version with the original alien ships (quite different than the arcade); there was a later version that had graphics more closely resembling the original arcade. Visually, Glaxxons by Mark Data was closer visually, but the gameplay was quite different than the arcade.
https://youtu.be/fTFT3aCj_AY

14) Paul Thayer & Simon Jonassen are starting a massive Coco game project that they want to get other volunteers to become part of the team (graphics artists, level designers, musicians, etc.) You can respond to Paul's call on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157285796482641/

 

Episode 113 - LIVEr than EVER!

Today we'll be even liver than ever, because we'll have our first ever live audio podcast on Spreaker!

Live YouTube video feed: http://live.cocotalk.live

Live audio podcast feed: https://www.spreaker.com/show/cocotalklive

News stories for June 22 show:

1) AGD game pack #31 release by Pere Serrat and Kees van Oss. Includes Breakanoid, Chunkzone, Operation Labyrinth Fall, Pengo Quest & Percy Penguin. Of note is that these are much more recently made games from the Spectrum; these are from 2015-2019.
http://archive.worldofdragon.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6085

2) AGD game pack #31 release by Pere Serrat and Kees van Oss. Includes Ferret Buster, Flipping Horace, Lupo Alberto, Monkey Jr, Pickaxe Pete & "Zyblut Owrzodzien w Kamiennym".
http://archive.worldofdragon.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6091

They have also updated the "Big Packs" to version 2.3, if you want to get all of the AGD games in one ZIP. There are 4 versions - long filenames (for emulators), short filenames (for the SDC,etc.), and each for Dragon and Coco.
http://archive.worldofdragon.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5971

3) Brian Wieseler found other sets of Production samples of Coco cartridges (both Tandy & Radio Shack labelled) are now up on eBay (similar to the Temple of ROM we talked about a few weeks ago). These also have the dates and sizes of production runs, which I find fascinating, especially with how many copies of older games (like Bustout) were still being made 8 years after their debut). And the fact that these are the only "official" numbers I have seen for Coco related product (even if they are incomplete, and a snapshot of a specific time frame). These were in the archives at the Radio Shack warehouse in Fort Worth, and were obtained by the seller in 2017 when Radio Shack went into bankruptcy.
Demolition Derby (4,650 made between April 21, 1988-March 7, 1989):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/273893753643

Dino Wars (2,300 made between Sep. 20-21, 1988):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dinowars-Tandy-TRS-80-Radio-Shack-Production-Sample/273893753615

Bustout (1,950 made between Nov. 10, 1988-Nov. 23, 1988):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bustout-Tandy-TRS-80-Radio-Shack-Production-Samples/273893753621

Space Assault (1,925 made between April 20, 1988-Feb. 24, 1989)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Space-Assault-Tandy-TRS-80-Radio-Shack-Production-Sample-Complete-in-Box/283519897602

Monster Maze (made between April 20, 1988-Sep 19,1988 Can't quite read qtys - at least 1558?)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Monster-Maze-Tandy-TRS-80-Radio-Shack-Production-Sample-Complete-in-Box/283519897605

4) Matchy (I don't know his real name) has released as DSK image for his Atari 2600 Combat type game called Tank Out, that we showed last week. This includes support for Ed Snider's PSG sound/joystick card, as well as "normal" joystick and 6 bit DAC sound. It's in the I'm A CoCo Nut group on Facebook, under Files:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/imacoconut/permalink/415901369260807/

5) Davy Mitchell has uploaded videos of the remaining games on the Dragon by Pocket Money Software (we have already viewed Tea Time, Bubble Buster, Data Fall and Robin Hood). New games to look at are Fearless Freddy, Bandito, Jet Boot Colin, Slide, Toppler, Pit Fiend.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0L3KoVXJkYHs0aKZfSACTIJmuavZPUlN

6) Jason Pittman has rejoined the Coco community, and has a screenshot from an emulated Coco, showing his real Coco set up (inception?)
https://imgur.com/a/ooGkS10

7) A discussion on Facebook for supporting more than the standard 32K RAM supported by BASIC, particulary on a Coco 1/2/Dragon/TDP that has 64K brought out a couple of solutions; a 40K BASIC from Rainbow magazine January 1984, Baby Basic. I remember Key-264 also supporting something like this.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10157265333152641/

8) Noriko Miyagami has posted a walkthrough of the Coco version of the Scott Adams adventure game Secret Mission (originally Mission Impossible - likely changed for copyright reasons).
https://youtu.be/Whj6hpoLxVE

9) Atari Vision on YouTube has uploaded an 8 minute video "introducing his Tandy Color Computer 3". His is upgraded to 512k, and has a real FD-501 floppy drive. I am not sure who this is, real name wise.
https://youtu.be/6tR_mEeFmOk

10) Ciaran Ascomb's online, web-based XRoar emulator (coco 1/2/Dragon) is "Coming along nicely" It supports various disk ROM's, cassette, Orchestra-90 and Game Master Cartridge support (if running the Fest demo for the GMC, it only works properly with NTSC emulation - timing will be off in PAL).
http://www.6809.org.uk/tmp/x/