News stories for Episode 247, January 29, 2022

News stories for Episode 247, January 29, 2022

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Coco 1/2/3 (and multi-platform)

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1) Bill Nobel posted an update on the Coco Facebook group - he has the NitrOS-9/6309 kernel booting now, and now has to work on 5 more modules (drivers) to get it fully booting to a shell:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/posts/10159709422217641/

2) Color Computer Programing on YouTube has released a videoo on the editing & renumbering BASIC programs (and a shortcut for REM) including commands like EDIT, RENUM, DEL, etc.

 https://youtu.be/aMldU2Jpzhs 

3) Mike Wilson posted on the Coco Facebook group that Luke at Console5.com is now carrying a caps kit for the Coco 3:

 https://console5.com/store/tandy-radio-shack-color-computer-3-cap-kit-coco3.html/

4) Pedro Pena (Rocky Hill on YouTube) posted a video of his progress so far in making a generic adaptor for the Coco to hook up a standard USB keyboard (in this video's case, a wireless one):

 https://youtu.be/K8fqRuIfMfU

MC-10

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1) Robert Sieg has not gotten is FSP (Full Screen Project) working not only with the 4x6 text characters, but now with 8x8, 8x16 and 16x16 4 color tiles. The tiles you can move in 4 pixel increments horizontally and 8 pixels vertically (the text characters use 6 pixel vertical). He has a screenshot showing some examples:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/731424100317748/posts/4680096055450513/

He has also uploaded the tape image that includes 16x16 tile samples to the MC-10 Facebook group, and a brief video demonstration:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/731424100317748/posts/4685456921581093/

He also uploaded a video to YouTube showing the editing of tiles, and some instructions on using this from your BASIC programs:

 https://youtu.be/0b704wp-3h0

And, by the end of the week he had uploaded the .C10 image that also added 32x32 tiles.

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/731424100317748/posts/4699405053519613/

And the video (which now shows support for PMODE 3 (128x192x4) for those that have upgraded their MC-10 video RAM to handle the extra RAM needed):

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/731424100317748/posts/4693558044104314/

Dragon 32/64

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1) Jon Warburton put up a video on YouTube showing his repairs to a Dragon 32, which had stress cracks on both the power and keyboard PCB's:

 https://youtu.be/ni2N8q6vZoQ

Game On news (all Coco related platforms):

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1) Retro Hack Shack (Aaron Newcomb) put up a video review on YouTube of Coco 3 games Springster, Rad Warrior and Thexder:

 https://youtu.be/D9nMkWz8c4Q

2) Jim Gerrie did an MC-10 port of a BASIC Othello style game (OTHO36) from a Coco version published earlier. Jim said that the computer plays a very strong game.

 https://youtu.be/2XY2_8Gdnio

He also released his MC-10 port of Laser Chess (originally an Atari ST board style game):

 https://youtu.be/8B8g9gLdNMg

3) Paul Shoemaker has uploaded an updated Coco 3 version of Poker Squares (while he is working on the multi-version, single disk image). This version features 128x96x16 graphics & multi-voice music. It is a hybrid BASIC and ML program, and the DSK image is in the Coco group on Facebook:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/posts/10159708342477641/

4) Darren Ottery has uploaded his version River Raid for the MC-10, a compiled BASIC program ran through Greg Dionne's MC-10 BASIC compiler. It is available on the MC-10 Facebook group:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/731424100317748/posts/4690218564438262/

5) Voidstar tech on YouTube put up a video on his YouTube channel comparing the video and audio output of Dungeons of Daggorath between a Coco 1 and Coco 3 (both RF & composite on the Coco 3) , all on real hardware:

 https://youtu.be/CtOPc6QXXKI

He also put up an almost 3 hour playthrough video of Daggorath, played from a real Coco 1 through RF:

 https://youtu.be/NotVeSUw4o4

And finally, he posted about his videos on the VCF forums to discuss the slight speed and pitch differences between the Coco 1 and Coco 3 with the exact same software:

 https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php?threads/tandy-coco3-vs-coco1-rf-and-composite-output-comparison.1237370/

(He also just joined our Discord this week, too. Welcome!)

6) The Amigos have released The Coco Show episode 28 - Featuring the Coco 1/2 game Wrestle Maniac:

 https://youtu.be/ak91halMn7Q

Also for those that didn't catch it - Aaron did an impromptu live stream last night doing Coco Diecom games (not all worked, as it was a last minute decision).

 https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1279471362

7) Pere Serrat & Kees van Oss have released AGD games pack #48, with 6 more games- Robot Santa, Robotic City, Somewhere in Hell, Stars, The Adventures of SideFaceMan, The Last Escape:

 http://archive.worldofdragon.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11000

And, since it's the end of a month, the Big Pack version 2.8 has been updated as well, including all 273 AGD games in one zip (for either Coco or Dragon):

 http://archive.worldofdragon.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11001

8) A new (to me) YouTube channel called "Sugizai" posted a video playthrough of Pyramix (Q*Bert clone on the Coco 3):

 https://youtu.be/362e8RKu8Kg