Most liked posts in thread: Commando High Scores

Guys - some COMMANDO reviews here... only thing missing is the Atari Classic version, yeah, so out of the others which one(s) rock for you??

 

Just watched the video and I reckon C64 is the best (most playable) but Amstrad looks the nicest so I'll need to load it up and have a go. Of course we all know the Atari 8bit verison that kicked off this thread takes all other versions, lines them up against a wall, takes aim and kills them stone dead

 

It's a tough choice between the C64 and Atari computer, the Amstrad looks nice because they can use slightly better res character graphics because of the lack of sprites, but the higher the res, the lower the colour (back then). Also using a lot of character graphics means a load of masking so you are using a lot of cycles doing clean up rather than game mechanics. (You can tell I'm a frustrated programmer at heart).

Between the C64 and Atari, I'd say that the Atari just edges it but would say to people to look at the 101% version on the C64, the hackers took a long time rejigging it and adding missing parts, updates etc..It really is a smashing version, that version would be my best one..That's one thing on the C64 scene that I like, they take some of the old classics and give them a really good makeover, which is why it was so good seeing the same thing happen on the Atari with Commando.

The great thing here is that after 40+ years people are still bothering to add to these machines and update the older games...Amazing stuff..

 

Sorry guys, my neck and wrists are just not up to it at the mo...Finding it very hard to do the washing up..

 

Give it some welly, Rich.
Sorry to hear, Paul - get Cindy to boot it up and have a go.

 

Please stop having a go at me Paul....




(wait for it....)


....

 

Hey, dusted off my 800XL (256K onboard RAM - I think this will be thanks to Richie - cheers, mate) and joystick and then looked for some XEX / ATR Commando files... all I could find at 1st was a ROM file - nothing doing.

I then booted up what should be the 256K XEX Commando+ version... but it didn't look too good or clever, guys - comments on this one, please:


Loading and title screens OK...



but then once game selected and orf we go...


We got this distorted graphical mess above.

What's the problem here then fellas - is my 256K not sufficient and it actually needs 320K (or more) for those added extras that Matt mentioned previously?

So, I opted for the other XEX of just the standard Commando I found:





All looking mighty good so far... and when starting up the game:



YaY! That went well too, guys. Much better - how it should be in fact.

So, I just had a play at the beginner level for a couple of goes and my best "training" scores were:

18900, 28700 and then my best 39600 - though I hasten to add I played BEGINNER on Commando (not Commando +) so I need to check with you fellas - the comp, once up and running proper, is for EXPERT level, yeah, and can you play on either Commando+ or Commando - do they both constitute the same game challenge?



Just checking!!

Am enjoying the flashback when playing this for hours on the Beeb around 1985 - never played on a decent version on the Atari before so this is indeed a pleasure - if you aint had a go yet, do so - you never know, you might surprise yourself and get a reet good retro buzz from booting up this lovely ol classic - GAME ON, Al and Richie - and I know Matt's just waiting in the wings Will Manu and maybe Dave also join us - I jolly well hope so - and Cindy will show Paul just how it's done too (whilst he goes and fetches his car back from Loch Ness!!)

 

Ah, what a shame, Paul.
I can imagine you and Rob having a very good rapport as I know you're both passionate retro micro people - esp where the Atari and Amiga are concerned.

So so sorry to hear of his personal issues and it just goes to show that shit happens all the time and more often than not it's others getting an even worse deal than our own particular brown pile of suffering.

Sincerely hope that Rob's situation improves and that he's able to get back in touch with such firm friends and supporters as say you, Matt and many many others who would love to see that "missing" issue finally hit the printers and then our doormats - it's probably the best indie Atari mag that ever saw the light of day for our beloved Atari 8bit classic machines.

Have a good day, Paul and thanks, as ever, for your personal anecdotes - as ever, always an interesting read.

 

Gotcha, Paul.
Msg understood and what a nice guy - that's incredibly generous and decent of Rob.
I do hope his life is happier now and he returns to his retro hobby someday.

 

I just lurve your rich knowledge, your contacts, your stories, your references back and the links and friendships you've made over the years, Paul, that brings these games and the immense work that went into their coding instantly back to life - you weave a great story fabric and before long we kinda know these amazing guys too - through your words and experiences.

Many many thanks for always chipping in with your amazing rich tapesty of retro micro stories, mate - we'll do the shooting, getting beat and dying - ingloriously as we're bleedin gaming cannon fodder!

Sincerely, c'mon, folks - let's make the comp a bit of fun and something of a success by having a few more efforts at booting up this great conversion and paying a bit of homage to the programmer(s) and getting some more feedback and scores from a few more of our marvellous members - it would make all the difference hearing from yous too.

 

Every night's a firework night here, Paul... if I can remember!!!

 

Odd, Bev said something about "a damp squib"...No idea what she meant..

 

Anyone else wishing to ejaculate this further...?

 

Nice work, Al.
Hats off to you - I'll share the Commando crown with you, mate, as you undoubtedly put in a helluva lot more effort than me by playing in those other difficulty modes (and smashing me there, btw), plus putting in a shift tonight - I was going to and then I got sidetracked drying out the flooded garage, answering the door to trick or treaters (never seen so many demonoids since I was last at Helland Road ) and then having a quick blast on the old pinball table.

Thought we had also got to the end of the Netflix sci-fi cop thing Bodies... but we still aint... now episod 7 and it's basically a pain in the arse in terms of never ending time flitting between 1890, 1941, 2023 and 2053... it;s fine if you like Dr Who but the drama and cop content is pretty shit, IMHO.

So, all we need to do now is sort out another COMP!

How about this game - what is it, folks?

 

Sheesh, sorry to hear, Paul.
You remind us that we should never ever take our health for granted - it can be there one minute and gone the next - I've just stubbed my toe on a frickin metal bollard and I've very nearly broken it.... some choice language I can tell you, but you've got this kind of blazing pain most the time so what that's like is almost unreal to imagine whereas my soppy toe throb is beginning to ease all ready.
The most precious thing we possess: our health - without it, we are utterly fecked.
I just hope you get some gaps in the pain barrier mate to still enjoy a few games here and there on your new wonder machine and of course your classic 70s and 80s titles that made our hobby what it is - a galaxy of goodness we should never take for granted.
Keep smiling through, me old mate... I had heard about that artifacting flaring up and affecting certain titles such as this one when run on UK PAL machines. I'll bet you told me in the 1st place!
Keep up the great work you do here and elsewhere, buddy.
The retro micro world would be so much the poorer without you.

 

Agreed, fellas - it is amazing the care, dedication and lurve still being shown to get these venerable old classics of ours still being revised, improved and updated to being as close to the arcade original as is humanly possible with the hardware... and then some!

Great work, great programming and great software releases that still bring home the bacon