#09 Reset... Barnsley Badger - Tiger Claw - Paradroid Redux - Hessian Andrew & Rob Hewson - Hyper Sentinel - Vinny’s Cheat & Beat Reset... #09 The magazine for the casual Commodore 64 user. Editorial/Credits Unkle K Page 3 Hyper Sentinel Preview Unkle K Page 4 Four5Six Pixel Interview Unkle K Page 5 They Were Our Gods - Andrew & Rob Hewson PaulEMoz Page 8 Reset Mix-i-Disk Reset Page 13 News Reset Page 14 Games Scene News Reset Page 16 Coming Soon! Reset Page 18 High Scoring Heroes Reset Page 19 RGCD 16kb Cartridge Game Competition Roundup Rob Page 20 Reset Reloaded - July ‘86 Martin Grundy Page 26 Blast From The Past - Hewson! Ausretrogamer Page 28 Book Review - Hints & Tips for Videogame Pioneers PaulEMoz Page 34 Game Review - Barnsley Badger Ant, Cam Page 36 Game Review - Tiger Claw Rob, Alex Page 38 Game Review & Interview - Paradroid Redux Rob Page 40 Games That Weren’t Frank Gasking Page 44 Reset Rewind - 3D Lunattack Rob Page 48 Game Review - Hessian Merman, Paul Page 52 Rack-It Retrospective PaulEMoz Page 56 Hardware - Freedom Expansion Board Stingray Page 59 Reset Mini-Bytes Reset Page 60 Cheat & Beat Vinny Page 66 Format Wars - Anarchy Last Chance Page 70 Deep Thoughts Merman Page 77 The Commodore Jedi Master Leonard Roach Page 78 Reset Q&A Reset Page 81 Final Thoughts Unkle K Page 82 Blow The Cartridge - Insects in Space Gazunta Page 83 Reset #09, June 2016 Page 3 The Hewson Issue! It’s with pleasure that we dedicate this their own innovative ideas, while utilising issue to one of the finest software houses the Hewson experience to take the company from the classic 8 bit era, Hewson into the next generation. We hope Hewson Consultants. Founded in 1980 by micro- succeed and wish them all the best with their computer enthusiast Andrew Hewson, the new endeavours! company first published the book Hints and As we head into this 9th issue of Reset, it’s Tips for the ZX80, followed by a few more hard to believe that we have reached the half books and a handful of mail order only games. way mark of 2016. It’s been a cracker of a As the company grew, Hewson Consultants year so far for the C64 and the second half released their first C64 game, Heathrow Air is only going to build on that. RGCD, Traffic Control, in 1984. Psytronik and Protovision have all been productive, with a slew of releases already That was the beginning of a long history with out and many more in the pipeline before the the breadbin that would see them release a year’s end. The RGCD 16kb Cartridge Game consistent stream of A grade games, including Development Competition didn’t disappoint and Gribble's Day Out, Paradroid, Uridium and once again encouraged plenty of new Nebulus, to name but four. It was no development with some new names emerging onto exaggeration that if you saw the Hewson name the C64 gaming scene. on the inlay or box, it was a sure thing. We are also holding our own competition at Andrew Hewson was a master of taking Reset. The 4kb ‘Craptastic’ Game Coding enthusiastic bedroom coders and turning them Competition has already seen a healthy number into superstars, releasing hit after hit and of registered competitors as well as a establishing many names in the industry. Now, handful of submitted entries that won’t Hewson is back, with Andrew’s son Rob disappoint. So read on! I hope you enjoy the heading the publishing and development issue! division. He is leading the charge to work with a new generation of indie teams and solo Sincerely, developers and encouraging them to develop Unkle K Credits: Reset Magazine Staff: Kevin Tilley (Unkle K) - Editor, Staff Writer, Design Paul Morrison (PaulEMoz) - Staff Writer Anthony Stiller (Ant) - Staff Writer, Art Cameron Davis (Gazunta) - Staff Writer, Art Alex Boz (Ausretrogamer) - Staff Writer Rob Caporetto (Hellfire 64) - Staff Writer The Mighty Brain (TMB) - Staff Writer Shane Wood (Zap) - Webmaster Contributors: Merman, Frank Gasking (Enigma), Jari Karjalainen (Last Chance), Lenard Roach, Martin Grundy, Vinny Mainolfi, Stingray, Raj Singh (Sh0ck Design). Special thanks to the Reset Mix-i-disk contributors: Dr J, Shine, Richard Bayliss (TND), Lazycow, Endurion and everybody else involved in the various productions. Cover Art by Anthony Stiller. Some screenshots, graphics and clipart © various sources on the internet. If you require an image to be removed please contact [email protected] Visit Reset at http://reset.cbm8bit.com/ Visit the Reset Magazine Staff at the CSDB Follow us on Twitter: @ResetC64 All text remains the © of the author. Reset is a non-profit, free publication. We print Reset with best results in A5 with a 180gsm glossy cover. Produced 2016 © Reset… This issue is dedicated to Olivia Grace Tilley, the world’s youngest retro-gamer! Reset #09, June 2016 Page 4 Hyper Sentinel Preview By Unkle K The brand new incarnation of modern tricks such as the super Seeing that name again on Hewson Consultants are going smooth colourful graphics, new games is something straight back to their roots, booming soundtrack and game special for us old folk. with their first release to be mechanics that just weren’t Hopefully our slower the retro themed side-scrolling technically possible back in reflexes have still got what it shooter, Hyper Sentinel. the day, means it is highly takes! Developed by Manchester based likely that Hewson just may indie outfit Four5Six Pixel, have a winner on their hands. “With Hewson's Hyper Sentinel is billed as 'an Initially being developed for intense retro shoot 'em up goal to become iOS & Apple TV, ports to other delivering classic arcade platforms are certainly in the 'THE retro games action'. Getting excited yet? mix if stretch goals can be met label', Hyper Consisting of 12 levels, Hewson in the forthcoming Kickstarter promise gameplay features such campaign, which should be live Sentinel could as epic boss battles, amazing soon after we go to press. be the perfect power ups and a combo chaining With Hewson's goal to become system. Just to whet your retro springboard for 'THE retro games label', Hyper appetites a little bit further, Sentinel could be the perfect the return of the game is lovingly springboard for the return of handcrafted with 'spectacular the classic the classic publisher. What's pixel art graphics' and a exciting for us is that Hewson publisher.” 'heart- pumping SID - s t y l e are bringing back their chiptune soundtrack'. And, publishing model that helped breathe.. now legendary bedroom coders After watching the gameplay and start-up teams such as videos and seeing the Andrew Braybrook and DICE get screenshots, it's obvious that their starts in the industry. Hyper Sentinel never strays too We could be seeing the far from it's roots, with 8 bit emergence of a new wave of shooter classics Uridium, programming celebrities and the Zynaps and Slayer being obvious innovative, original games that influences. This is no bad Hewson were known for in the thing, as classic gameplay days of the 8 bits. Hyper Sentinel is gorgeous to never gets old and the games The Hyper Sentinel Kickstarter look at, with it’s fluid motion author and Four5Six Pixel's will be live in the first week and colourful pixel graphics. It sole developer, Jonathan Port, of July and can be accessed at needs to be seen in motion to obviously has an eye for http://www.hypersentinel.com fully appreciate how classic gameplay and mechanics. wonderful it looks. Seamlessly incorporating Reset #09, June 2016 Page 5 career. It wasn't until now (some 30 or so years later) however, that I've had the time and the platforms have been available for me to take that step back to my childhood memories and make a game myself. I have so many cherished memories of games on the C64 and ZX Spectrum that they have served as a natural inspiration for my first game, Hyper Sentinel. Four5Six Pixel is just me (for the moment at least). I like to take on as much of We had a chance to chat to Hyper Sentinel the game making process as I can, so the coder and Four5Six Pixel founder, Jonathan numbers represent coding, combined with Port. pixel graphics. I've done the sound fx too for Hyper Sentinel, but music needs specialist attention, so I needed an Reset: Hi Jonathan! Please tell us a bit expert to put the SID style soundtracks about yourself and Four5Six.Pixel together. JP: Hi! I'm Jonathan Port. I'm a husband and father of 2 and live near Manchester in the UK. I've been a professional business programmer by trade for over 20 years. I got into video games (or computer games as they used to be known!) in the early 1980s right at the start of the game explosion in the UK; I was around about 11 years old at the time we got our first family computer, a 16K ZX Spectrum. I'm fairly sure we got the computer for educational purposes, but as everyone knows, you don't come home from school to do more homework! But games had me, as with all my friends. I can remember though, even at this early age, that I was Reset: Who do you think will enjoy drawn not just to playing the games but to playing Hyper Sentinel? the idea of conjuring up, myself, amazing worlds to play in. I imagined it must be JP: Hyper Sentinel is a space themed akin to being a magician, and to be fair, arcade game first and foremost.