Hello from North Wales

[myulz]

Hello everybody


I suppose like a lot of people on here, back in the late 80's and early 90's I got a CPC as a present from my parents (a second hand 464 with green screen) and I really loved it! Quite a step up from my first computer (Spectrum). Most of my teenage years were spent in front of it programming all kinds of stuff with Locomotive Basic. It really got me into programming generally and I went on and got a degree in Computing, and a career as a VB programmer on the back of it. So I've a lot to be thankful for to the old CPC.


I do still have the 464 actually, but the 5-pin monitor cable (attached to the screen) has a broken plug, so it needs fixing somehow.


I still have some old tapes of programs I wrote, but I suppose after sitting in a box for 30 years they probably wouldn't load anymore.


I've been really amazed at how people are still really into these machines and have made so many modern addons and written new software for them.


I'd love to be able to use mine with an SD card as disk drive! And some people have even got simple Internet connections going with basic web browsing - I'd love to know how that is done!

[ComSoft6128]

Welcome!

[llopis]

Welcome to the forum! Your story sounds eerily familiar :-)

[myulz]

Welcome to the forum! Your story sounds eerily familiar :-)

Heheh yes I can quite believe that. I have many happy memories of my 464, I'd really like to fix that monitor cable so I can fire it up again.


Those M4 boards look superb, as does the new GUI operating systems that have been written. I think you need lots of memory for those don't you? Mine is still on the standard 64k, I couldn't afford the Dk'Tronics expansion pack as a kid and I bet they are rare as hens teeth now...

[keith56]

Welcome to the forum! like yourself I started on the CPC, and ended up with a Job in programming as a result!.. In my case the CPC was my first computer though.

If you want a memory upgrade PM toto - he makes 512k memory upgrades - which are really cheap (calld the X-mem), I have one and it works superbly

Getting the CPC working with an SD card disk emulator is pretty easy, and it's certainly worth it - and you're right, there's lots of new stuff happening with the CPC!

It doesn't entirely surprise me the 8 bits are seeing a big revival - I think that developing for these old machines is someways 'better' than the modern ones - new computers have so much power that really anything is possible - especially with unlimited time/money - but developing for an old system gives you a 'Fixed resource' to work out how to use to - and making a 'AAA" game for an 8 bit is possible for one person, but for the PC/PS4 it would be unachievable

I hope you find some new fun things to do with the CPC!

[tjohnson]

Welcome to the forum, if the tapes have been stored safely they should still work.

It doesn't entirely surprise me the 8 bits are seeing a big revival - I think that developing for these old machines is someways 'better' than the modern ones - new computers have so much power that really anything is possible - especially with unlimited time/money - but developing for an old system gives you a 'Fixed resource' to work out how to use to - and making a 'AAA" game for an 8 bit is possible for one person, but for the PC/PS4 it would be unachievable

I hope you find some new fun things to do with the CPC!

I imagine for joe public developing for the PS4 is near on impossible, where as everything you need to develop for the Amstrad is there without having to join special programs and buy devkits.  AAA games were written by a 2 or 3 people back in the day now the big games have budgets larger than holywood films, what was Destiny $500m or something stupid like that

[DanyPPC]

Welcome to the great Amstrad community ! 

[myulz]

Thanks ever so much for the welcome everyone, I appreciate it 


Back in the day, there never was any community or people to connect with or learn from. With one exception I suppose - Amstrad Action! I was a subscriber, it wiped away almost an entire months pocket money to get that one monthly mag. The first one I got was actually the first one they started including the regular tape on the front, and I think I kept it up for a couple of years and I still have all the tapes (plus a number of the mags).


Here is my only Amstrad story.


My 464 was my pride and joy but early in my adulthood (about 24-26 years old) I visited my local recycling centre to drop off some junk and there in the skip was a PCW256 system, complete. I'd never seen one in the flesh before, and fished it out. I was putting it in my car when the guy comes up and tells me that I'm not supposed to take stuff.


I apologise but explain that although the system wasn't worth much (and it wasn't then, we're talking about 2002 here) it was an important future relic that should be kept. He seemed quite interested and actually agreed to keep aside for me any computer bits with the word Amstrad on.


I stopped by every week or two and each time I left with a car boot full. So much stuff. 464s by the ton, several 664s, lots of 6128s. Several 464+ and 6128+, some even in their original boxes. A number of GX4000's. I got DD1 drives, DK'tronics stuff, software, light pens, printers, peripherals, multifaces, you name it. As well as other Amstrad stuff that I was much less interested in like a PC1512 and a very early and large D-cell powered PC laptop. All this stuff was destined for the slow boat to China.


within about a year I could fill a room at home but I had no time to use any of it. Really for me it was about saving it, but I knew I had to let it go. I put a job-lot auction on eBay for the whole lot, starting bid 500 pounds. It got one bid, some fella in the midlands got it. I filled a van to the roof with the stuff and took it over. It was a bargain for him even then, now I expect the same collection would be worth more than the van was new. But it wasn't the money, I just wanted it saved. I hadn't the room or expertise for it myself. I bet some of you here own stuff that passed through that collection.


I kept my own 464 though, with its broken monitor cable that is still waiting for me to sort out after 24 years.

[mr_lou]

Welcome! 

I imagine for joe public developing for the PS4 is near on impossible, where as everything you need to develop for the Amstrad is there without having to join special programs and buy devkits.  AAA games were written by a 2 or 3 people back in the day now the big games have budgets larger than holywood films, what was Destiny $500m or something stupid like that

If you develop for the CPC, you only have one choice though: Retrogame.

You can do a retrogame for XB1, PS3 and PS4 the same way too - without needing any special programs or devkits. It's simple: Use Java. ;-)
All those consoles run Java because they have a Blu-ray player. All Blu-ray players run Java. www.blu-play.com
Ukko's Journey is a proof of concept project for this, disproving a lot of false claims you can find here and there. www.UkkosJourney.com
It is also how the engine for 8-bit Memoirs was made.
Doesn't even have to be retro either. You can have some awesome graphics. But of course you can't make a stunning 3D game with 60 fps. There is no SDL and no 3D API's. You only have a simple Java 1.3 Micro Edition API available - which only makes it more interesting to me.

Here is my only Amstrad story.

Great story. But.... your only one? I doubt that. 

[00WReX]

Welcome...love the story, and thanks for saving the Amstrads 

Cheers,Shane