zero_page

I've been working on an Apple ][ emulator living inside of UE4 for a little while now. Why would anyone do that? It's part of a bigger project I'm working on called zero_page.

@gunabruna We're still here. Hopefully more updates soon.

@zeropage_game any updates? It's been 2 years...

@benkreis @weier_josh @kiwitalkz Yep! Hopefully more details on that in the near future.

@weier_josh you sold me when you described @zeropage_game as #Myst #Riven on the @kiwitalkz podcast. I assume you'll have a subtle narrative?

Now the game can run BASIC as if it weren't 40+ years old (where it counts). blog.zero-page.com/basic-necessit…

@DotComCTO @AspyrMedia Not the emulation, mostly the graphics fidelity. Apples still don't quite have the 3D graphics punch that their PC counterparts do (at least that I've seen so far). The new chips may start to change that, but not quickly.

@zeropage_game @AspyrMedia Interesting, indeed. Is the performance issue tied to the emulation, or other parts of the game? Just curious. I also joined your Discord channel.

Thanks to everyone who helped #zero_page cross the 1000+ Wishlist additions milestone on Steam! 📌 Wishlist: bit.ly/3p5I9e8 📌

@DotComCTO @AspyrMedia But it's only going to come out if I can properly support it and make it a viable platform so everyone is happy!

@DotComCTO @AspyrMedia The game currently runs on MacOS and Linux, but I don't have a system that can run it well--I'm not even sure what system that would be. Whether or not the game comes out on Macs will really be down to time and effort. It may be a staggered release, it may be day-and-date, TBD.

@DotComCTO It actually does run on MacOS! Mac's just historically haven't been built with gaming in mind, so it's hard to get cutting-edge gaming tech on them. Maybe the new processors will change that.

@zeropage_game That’s fantastic! I think this is very cool idea for a game. I’ve been around since before the days of the Apple IIe and IIc (and I used to sell them, too). But… Isn’t a little strange that a game involving a pseudo-Apple IIe is set to run on Windows instead of macOS?

@xd1936 I won't make any decisions yet! Keeping Linux building keeps the Mac building as well.

@zeropage_game :(

It works! The game is running (in Linux mode) on the #SteamDeck without any extra work. You can see the BASIC helper menu experiment as well.

The Proton 7 version (running the WIndows build) runs flawlessly! Might be time to retire the Linux build if that's the case...

The Linux version is really choppy at the moment, so I'm going to try and force the Windows version to run via Proton and see if that's a better experience.

An update about overcoming 40+ year old programs to make a game fun. blog.zero-page.com/system-status-…

@DavidSchenet Don't worry, what I'm referring to is behind the scenes details. I have no interest in making a complex programming game.

@zeropage_game As much as I love the idea of your Zero Page game, I feel like this is becoming /too complicated/ for, not only myself, but also, the average player. It's *NEAT*, I'll say that. But it's also *complicated*.

This uses about the same scheme to connect the Apple II to hardware that zero_page uses to connect to UE4. hackaday.com/2022/02/04/mod…

@JohnPolson Zero Page is a survival puzzle game set on a failing spacecraft orbiting a planet. You'll face a number of challenges trying to stay alive long enough to figure out what's going on. A big part of your arsenal is learning to use a computer from the 80s as a survival tool.

@SaphireLattice @coregaze Yes, you could easily roll your own emulation via the DLL, that was the goal. The only catch is how I use the expansion slots on the Apple II. There would have to be some thought around porting that on systems without something similar.

@zeropage_game @coregaze Time to replace it with riscv or something... Hm! Does it just straight up give you a screen state in response to keys, or? I really would love to see at least basic documentation on "make your own dll plugin" ^-^

There's still got a long way to go, but the game is now running on Steam under Windows, Linux, and Mac! If you haven't already, be sure to add it to your Steam Wishlist: bit.ly/3p5I9e8

@coregaze Interesting, I'll have to do a little bit of investigation to see what's possible. Since they're all 6502s at the core, writing different versions of the emulator is usually pretty quick.

@hdelima_ Give it another shot.

@hdelima_ Ah okay, Brazil has a special ratings requirement. Right now the game is too early along to do this properly, but it should be something that can be completed before release.