Commodore Free 32/Commodore_Free_Issue_32_2009_Commodore_Computer_Club.d64/website

Text File | 2023-02-26 | 8KB | 251 lines

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     Paul Allen Panks Homepage
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Commodore Free
I copied this text without permission
However under the circumstances I
didn't really want to upset anyone by
contacting them.
The Website can be viewed here
http://ppanks76.tripod.com/

"Welcome to my homepage. This page
has evolved over the years to become
more simplified and easier to use. I
have on this page several interests
of mine, including programming,
personal hobbies (computers, reading,
sports, etc.) and other interests. If
you have any questions, please e-mail
me at: l u m b e r j a c k s 7 6 @ l
y c o s . c o m. For my most current
thoughts and happenings, check out my
Windows Live space: Paul's Space

Computers

My interest in computers goes way
back -- back to the 1980's and the
famous Commodore 64/128 line of home
computers. I first became interested
in computing in 1983, when my uncle
brought home a Commodore 64. Way
ahead of it's time, the 64 had a 320
x 200 resolution display, with 16
colours, 8 individual sprites and a
built-in speech synthesizer providing
up to 3 voices. Printing was done
with the Panasonic KX-1080i printer.
We had a lot of fun on the Commodore,
spending countless hours playing
video games, programming, writing --
and printing -- documents (via a word
processor), and even typing in
program listings from
Commodore-specific computer magazines
(e.g. Compute!'s Gazette, Run, Ahoy!,
etc.).

Sooner or later, though, we all moved
on to the IBM PC-line of computers.
My first IBM PC-clone was a Packard
Bell Legend 10CD in 1994. It had a
486 processor, 4 MB of RAM, a 340 MB
hard disk drive, a 2X CD-ROM drive, a
2400 baud data/fax modem and a host
of multimedia CDs, including the New
Grolier Encyclopedia and Microsoft
Works (which incorporated a Microsoft
Word-compatible word processor and
spreadsheet).

The 486 wasn't fast enough to run
Windows 95, but we installed it on
the system anyway. It took forever to
boot up. That was okay, though,
because we spent most of our time in
MS-DOS mode playing the latest
computer games. One of the games I
played religiously was X-Wing, a game
taking part in the Star Wars
universe.  There was also a
reverse-roll version which allowed
the player to play as a Tie Fighter
pilot. The graphics were truly
amazing for the time and the missions
were well thought out.

I also used the 486 to Telnet (via
PRO COMM PLUS for Windows) to various
online MUDs -- Multi-User Dungeons.
These were multi-player online
adventure games similar to Dungeons &
Dragons, both in scope and design.
One in particular was enjoyed for
several years -- LustyMUD (and no,
despite the rough sounding name, it
was really a family MUD taking place
on two continents, Melchior and
Stormhaven). My screen name on that
game was dunric, which I originally
picked up as a nickname after playing
the old NES game The Immortal by Will
Wright and Electronic Arts (EA).

I discovered USENET newsgroups around
that same time and read up on various
game cheats for the Atari and
Commodore, including a way to
(finally!) win Raiders of the Lost
Ark. I had been at that game for over
a decade without finding a solution,
and the newsgroup
rec.games.video.classic provided one
for me (solution: use the parachute,
shovel and medallion, making sure to
land on the tree branch with the
parachute). There were also
newsgroups devoted to the Commodore
(comp.sys.cbm) and the regular Sony
Playstation (rec.games.video.sony).

After the 486 finally gave up the
ghost, I upgraded in 1997 to a
Hewlett Packard Pavilion 7360 PC,
which had 32 MB of RAM, a 200mhz
Pentium processor with MMX
technology, a 3.8 GB hard disk drive,
a 33.6 kbps Plug-N-Play modem and a
16X CD-ROM drive. The computer served
me well throughout college until I
upgraded to an e-Machines i400 with
32MB, a 400mhz processor and Windows
98 (in 1999).

With the new Hewlett Packard came an
opportunity to finally get on the
World Wide Web (WWW), and we did so
by signing up for a Microsoft Network
(MSN) internet account. While the
host software wasn't the greatest,
the cool "Darth Vader" look of the
included MSN 2.0 browser and the
associated "ding" sound whenever a
certain amount of time passed online
more than made up for it. Plus, you
could also check your email by merely
clicking on a link from the desktop,
a handy feature for the time.

I created homepages at Geocities,
Fortunecity and Tripod before finally
settling on Geocities in 1999. I was
also heavily involved in the QBasic
programming community during that
time, producing games with tile-based
sprite graphics and some text
adventures as well (many of my
adventure games can still be found
over at the Interactive Fiction
Archive -- www.ifarchive.org).

Today I am happy to report that I
have since built two computers from
scratch, including a 64-bit processor
computer courtesy of Fry's
Electronics. Although I am at present
using a borrowed computer from my
parents, I hope to get the 64-bit
computer out of storage and insert a
(working) video card. My hard disk
drive and CD-ROM are also woefully
out-of-date, and when I get enough
money to put towards a brand new
computer, you can bet I'll upgrade
the system to something faster and
more elegant. I am also working on
getting my system Microsoft Windows
Vista ready (requires at least 1 GB
of RAM to run smoothly).

Programming

I have been programming on computers
since I learned to type (about 1983
or so). Many of my early programs
were quite simple and even laughable
-- but they were indeed building
blocks to improved programs and games
later on down the road. One of my
earliest programs on the Commodore
was a text adventure named Enchanter:
Westfront to Apse. 'Westfront', as I
called it, evolved from a fairly
spartan dozen or so rooms to a
mammoth text adventure spanning over
80 rooms. The game was set in Norway
and included a mythological Smurf
Village. I incorporated several towns
and villages into the game, including
Oslo, Trondheim, Stavanger and
Bergen. Additionally, I added a Flora
Island just off the coast of Norway
(complete with a functional
lighthouse for incoming vessels).

The game included a sprite title --
WESTFRONT -- as well as a 3-D fractal
map of the surrounding countryside
(actually just 8 sprites joined
together). Finally, I added a
scrolling, WINDOWed text display and
function keys for easier movement.
All in all, the game occupied 206
blocks on disk, leaving approximately
7,000 bytes free (the game was
written for the Commodore 128's
40-column mode). Although I lost the
original version of this game some
time ago -- due to the notorious
SAVE-WITH-REPLACE bug -- I rewrote
much of it from an earlier version
that I found lying around. The result
was a game very similar to the
original version, albeit without some
of the original rooms (Smurf Village
was replaced with a 'golden elf'
village), commands (a few misc.
commands were removed) and a slightly
different fighting engine (more
balanced than the original).

More on the Story of Westfront to
Apse - read about my long lost game,
'Westfront'.
Another retrospective piece on
Westfront to Apse - more on
'Westfront'.
The Temple of Westfront - my thoughts
and remembrances about 'Westfront'.
The Unabridged Story of Westfront
(updated December 1, 2007) - link
says it all.

Text Documents

In addition to programming, I am also
a prolific writer. I enjoy writing
and have even written a couple of
books. For now, though, I will
include here some of the more
interesting documents that I have
written which have yet to be
published. Feel free to download them
and check them out. The documents
range from unusual dreams that I have
had to a short story called 'The
Golden Cat."

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