Where are these type of games for Commodore Plus/4??? Dear Commodore Plus/4 Partisans,
As I mentioned in one of my last comments, I start to re-read the famous newspaper called CoV (Commodore Világ). Yes the original paperback editions (my story is joined to the 28th issue, and after). I want to tell about the 35th issue, the Game Center attachment in the middle of it exactly. This attachment is not showed on the scanned-site(http://pcvilag.muskatli.hu/irodalom/CoV/CoV35/cov35.html), so I did it:
I framed some games that I was very surprised at, because they were published on Commodore 64, but NO on Commodore Plus/4. I had just asked myself: WHY??? Why these type of games were not published on Commodore Plus/4? There were no one to interested in? Or no any time to make it? I didn't understand. I was looking for these type of games in the "Games" menu of Plus4World, but no any result. As if nobody made games for Commodore Plus/4... (no any section in Game Center, too, only C64, Amiga and PC). Well, each games on Commodore Plus/4 is only a conversion from C64?
What do you think about it?
Another World on C64: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6xqaMjlGKI
Golden Axe on C64: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y75M95UdaK0
Shadow of the beast on C64: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_GdJiEjSho
Re: Where are these type of games for Commodore Plus/4??? Hi, I'm the developer of Another World on C64 and MEGA65, the project is recent and so there is nothing in common with the version listed on your scan from 1993. Furthermore my C64 version requires a SuperCPU (it is strictly identical to the Amiga/PC versions that came out in 1991/1992 using the same engine architecture), it needs a lot of CPU power and RAM so unfortunately a CPlus/4 version is not feasible.
Don't know about the Another World from 1993 though...
Re: Where are these type of games for Commodore Plus/4??? One of my personal favorites is Golden Axe, but ONLY on Sega Megadrive (or on coin op) Our beloved platform just not got sufficient power to deliver it in an enjoyable form..
Re: Where are these type of games for Commodore Plus/4??? Well, in some cases with FEW sprites the Plus/4 can manage to ALMOST simulate C64 with the help of it's higher CPU power. These are like Spy VS Spy, or Borrowed times, maybe I can count here Barbarian too. But there are restriction on color and placing, and needed really smart programmers and fast routines at the border area.
On the other hand, the mentioned games (like Golden Axe, or SOTB) use a LOT of big sprites, and without HW support, this is not feasible with the current +4 HW. STOB is definitely what +4 cannot do, but Mermaid demo Lone Fly from 2006 (in 8 Shades Of Black) is the closest thing on +4 to SOFB. But the bird is on the background area, not before the house or trees. That1s not feasible.
If our CPU (or a more future proof and more reliable 65C02) would have 2 or 3 time more power during the border area (when TED does not work on the display), I mean 2-3x higher frequency, then maybe... Actually, nor EGA or VGA had hardware sprites, but they had no attribute color collision, and had much higher CPU clock speed to do the math for the proper sprite handling. Like Secret of the Monkey Island, or the lot of classic shoort games, like Flashback. Another World has so much filled 2D vectors... for this you need RAW CPU power.
Re: Where are these type of games for Commodore Plus/4??? Majikeyric: Yes, really, you are right, because the 1993's version of Another World was not the same as what I mean:
Chronos: As I see you were and are a very hardcore gamer. I like playing games, too... Currently I dust my Amigas: walking through Prince of Persia, Dyna Blaster, Another World, The legend of Kyrandia, The Secret of Monkey Island, Supertetris, Pinball Fantasies, etc. Maybe I am collecting ideas...
MMS: OK, I thought something similar what you are talking about, but Commodore Plus/4 wanted to be the successor of Commodore 64 and in spite of all its faults (the robust keyboard as VIC20+C16 and that layout of cursor arrows, omg) seemingly it would be the winner.
Re: Where are these type of games for Commodore Plus/4??? @Charlemagne 1) Well, this Another World is not THAT Another world. This is Turrican / SOTB clone, not related to the Amiga game. Not bad at all, but no parallax scolling, no 2D vector gfx.
2) Unfortunately you are not right. Tramiel planned the C116 (the basis if the 264 series) to be a direct competitor of the ZX Spectrum 16K with a $50 price. It was better in every aspect than the Spectrum. It has the same amount of RAM, but has more compact code, higher resolution, more colors and 2x more sound channels. As Tramiel wanted to have a really cheap computer to kill 16K Spectrum from the UK market, the sprite and very advanced sound was not important.
When Bil Herd joined, they realized, how flexible the TED chip, so they created the 232 (32KB in Plus/4 housing), 264 (64KB in Plus/4 housing), 364 computers (a 264 + numeric keyboard + speech IC). Unfortunately the 16K Spectrum quickly disappeared from the market, as Sir Sinclair also noticed the 16K is not enough for serious programming or languages (it was his ONLY focus), so you could even send back your 16K Spectrum to upgrade to 48K. Only the simpliest games were made for 16K, with 48K rather complex games started to be created to ZX Spectrum (Tir Na Nog or Elite to name few).
After the 264 series showed on the CES, Gould and Tramiel started to fight with each other (Tramiel pushed to create ASAP a 16 bit or 32 bit computer), while Gould was happy with the C64, as it generated a lot of profit. Tramiel left, and there was a ready computer series, but the ZX Spectrum 16K disappeared, and the C116 could not compete with the 48K Spectrum? The new management was in trouble, and at the same time the demand for C64 was huge for their production lines. But as the TED series was very cheap to produce, they decided to maximize profit and turn the problem into big earnings. They finally created a same priced computer as C64, and to compensate it's missing features (sprites and advanced sound) they called it home office computer with built in applications =Plus/4 To fit into that crazy defintion, they quickly ordered to create the 3+1 software, but in the last minute the cut the program size into 32K. I do not know, why the program became so weakling, as even one of the best and most complex C64 text editor, Easy Script (used at a lot of real home office and company office) was only 20KB and as released in 1982! It also worked with datasette. So if they would order Easy Script to fit into 16KB ROM, could be a much better option with much happier customers. Or some extrea features could fit into the remaining 14KB, who knows. https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/Easy_Script
Anyhow, during the time C= Japan created the C16, to make the available C64 moulds fit into ther new range (a a further potential cost saving for long term, after C116 moulds worn out), and as the moulds were ready for C116 and 264 series, they started to create them.
As the built-in 3+1 was not up to the expectations at THAT price, and the hardware was not able to compete with C64 at THAT price, and the C64 demand was growing (and C= could easily sell the C64 to "milk the cow") they stopped to support 264 series very soon.
I have a theory, that C= planned some cartridges for Plus/4, and used is's black housing for C64 cartridges. I suppose these cartridges planned for Plus/4 originally. These are the Sound Expander (with 11 channel Yamaha chipset (noone understood why it was necessary for C64 next to SID, but WE know how we could use it), IEEE488 (C64 had already a lot, but we still do not have any) and a Sound Digitizer cartridge.
So in short: Plus/4 (or the 264 series) was never meant to compete the C64, but C116 to kill Sinclair and Timex. The big demand to C64 also surprised Commodore, and they were lack of production capacity. The Plus/4 created by the Marketing team, without the support or Bil Herd project team.
Re: Where are these type of games for Commodore Plus/4??? MMS: Yes, I thought of the Amiga version when I was reading in Games Center. This is why I were surprised at. About the other theme: C64 vs C+/4... People who had got a C64 he prefer C64 to C+/4 and who had got a C+/4, he prefer C+/4 to C64. When my mother gave computer courses in 1984-85-86 at the school where I attend, we used Commodore VIC-20, C16, C+/4... There was a guy who worked as a mechanic (TV, radio, recorder, etc. he was very professional in his profession) once brought a C64. So I basically was sensitized with C+/4... Commodore +/4 was the machine about that I thought "this is the alpha and omega for me". I loved it, love it and will love it... Maybe this showed me why am I on Earth...
Where are these type of games for Commodore Plus/4???
Our beloved platform just not got sufficient power to deliver it in an enjoyable form..
Commodore +/4 was the machine about that I thought "this is the alpha and omega for me". I loved it, love it and will love it... Maybe this showed me why am I on Earth... 
