urse, playing games was the first thing we did with the   
   computer.  I had to wait until 1986 until I got my own computer, a   
   Commodore 128 with floppy drive.  Since I was never very talented at   
   playing games, I soon started to get interested in programming the machine.   
   I started off with BASIC, just as many of us did, and then learned   
   Assembler from books (no Internet at the time!) a few years later.   
      
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   CF:  Can you give a brief overview for the Commodore CBM II computer   
   system?   
      
   CK:  The CBM II series was introduced by Commodore Business Machines in   
   1982 and meant to be a successor to the popular but at the time outdated   
   PET series.  The heart of the CBM II systems is the MOS 6509 processor, a   
   6502 derivative that runs at 2 MHz and has a simple bank switching   
   mechanism.  I can address up to 1 Mbyte of RAM.  CBM IIs came with either   
   128 KByte or 256 KByte RAM.  The CBM IIs use the CRTC video chip which was   
   also used in the earlier PETs.  However the CBM IIs also have the famous   
   SID sound chip that is known from the Commodore 64.  Other than that the   
   CBM IIs have IEEE 488 and RS 232 interfaces and VERY stylish housings.  As   
   a matter of fact, the CBM II design won design awards at the time.   
   Unfortunately, the CBM II systems were incompatible with the PET series and   
   early ROM versions are known to be very buggy.  This led to the CBM II   
   Systems being a commercial failure.  Only very few machines are still alive   
   and working.   
      
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   CF:  Of course we want to learn about the game you have been working on   
   "Space Chase".  Can you tell our readers how you came to start coding this,   
   what was the inspiration?   
      
   CK:  Actually, this was by accident!  A friend of mine called me up three   
   months ago when cleaning his office store; he stumbled upon an old computer   
   which he thought was a Commodore Amiga.  It turned out it was a CBM B500, a   
   very early incarnation of the CBM II series.  The computer's serial number   
   is as low as 316 and it was never sold as "B500" but its name changed to   
   "Commodore 610" in Europe and "B128" in the US before it hit the stores.   
   This was the first time I sat in front of a real CBM II system since the   
   CBM IIs were not a commercial success and incompatible with its   
   predecessor, very few software titles exist for the system.  I don't know   
   of any games for it at all!  Therefore I thought that programming a game 35   
   years late for it could be a good idea...   
      
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   CF:  Can you explain what the game entails?  The game is listed as one or   
   two players.  What do you have to do in the game?   
      
   CK Space Chase is a fast 2-player shooter with split screen display.  The   
   main task is to hunt and shoot your opponent player.  The other player can   
   either be controlled by the computer or by another human player, which of   
   course is more fun.  Controls are "space like":  You can only accelerate in   
   the direction you are facing.  In order to change direction you first have   
   to turn around and counter accelerate.  Other than the two players, there   
   are 12 more enemies on the playfield (which by the way is huge, more than   
   400 screens wide and high).  Six are allied to player 1 and six to player   
   2.  They also try to attack the other player.  So things can get quite busy   
   and crowded on the screen.   
      
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   CF:  Graphics, because of the machine being text-based, and memory would   
   have been an issue writing the game for the CBM II.  Did you see this as   
   more of a challenge or a hindrance?  Some people, for example, claim the   
   less resources you have the better the coding and the final gameplay.   
      
   CK:  That is true.  The less resources and possibilities you have, the more   
   thoughts you have to invest in smart programming and fun gameplay.  To me,   
   this is a challenge, I liked the idea of using the "PETSCII" character set   
   to create a 160 x 50 resolution.  This means that the game engine needs to   
   figure out which characters can be combined to create the shape wanted.   
   Also I wanted something like a smooth gameplay and realistically feeling   
   physics.  Other than that, you have to do everything by yourself.  The CRTC   
   video chip doesn't help you at all.  No sprites, no changeable characters,   
   no automatic collision detection, no raster interrupts...   
      
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   CF:  At the time of writing the game is still in Beta although very   
   playable.  What is the expected completion date?   
      
   CK:  I hope to finish Space Chase this summer.  This however also depends   
   on the feedback I get from users.  The game engine is very flexible.  I can   
   display up to 253 objects on the screen and the playfield is huge.  It   
   wouldn't be a problem to change and enhance the game play, for example by   
   adding search and rescue missions, enemy attack waves, collectable bonuses,   
   etc.   
      
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   CF:  What options or additions are you personally still going to add to the   
   game?   
      
   CK:  Currently, what's missing most is sound.  The CBM II machines have the   
   famous SID sound chip and therefore can produce sound just like a Commodore   
   64.  However, programming the SID is not what I am well trained in.  Maybe   
   someone can help me with that?  Other than that, I will further improve the   
   graphics, make enemies look more diverse and animate the graphics more   
   vividly.  All that is already possible with the game engine, it's just a   
   matter of time and motivation.   
      
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   CF:  I notice you list as a benefit that the game is written in assembler.   
   Did you think of using another language, or was assembler the primary   
   language due to speed?   
      
   CK:  No, I never thought of any other programming language.  If you want a   
   fast game, you have to use Assembler on a 8-bit CBM machine.   
      
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   CF:  As you say, not thatmany games have been released for the CBM II (if   
   any).  Do you plan to release the game commercially through one of the   
   various publishing Commodore houses or offer the game to purchase from your   
   website?   
      
   CK:  No, Space Chase is and will remain free.  Positive feedback from users   
   is what pays me best.   
      
   All I intend is to have fun programming and hopefully give the players of   
   Space Chase some hours of fun time.   
      
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   CF:  I notice you list PRG studio on the websites links page.  Was this the   
   software used to program the game?   
      
   CK:  When I started thinking about a CBM II game, I first looked for a   
   cross assembler and stumbled over CBM Prg Studio by Arthur Jordison.  It   
   turned out to be perfect!  It's a fully integrated development environment   
   and closely integrates with the VICE Emulation, so testing is easy.  And   
   it's free.  A perfect match for my plans!   
      
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   CF:  You mention cross development.  How important do you feel emulation is   
   to the Commodore world?   
      
   CK:  Very important.  Since real hardware is rare and needs to be   
   thoroughly maintained to be kept alive, emulation makes life much easier.   
   But then, the only way to get the real retro feeling is in front of a real   
   machine.   
      
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   CF:  So then, what is the motivation to finish the game?  Is it just a   
   personal goal to finish off the code, the challenge, or something else?   
      
   CK:  I never thought programming in 6502 assembler could be that much fun   
   again after 20 years of abstinence.  Also, when you've crossed the age 40   
   barrier like me, anything that keeps your brains busy is a good idea.  To   
   me, programming is much more fun than playing chess or solving Sudokus...   
      
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   CF:  Have you a follow-up game in mind?   
      
   CK:  Not at the moment, I want to finish Space Chase first.  But then you   
   never know.  If people like Space Chase, porting it to the older PET   
   platform would be possible.  Depending on the feedback I get, maybe there   
   will be a "Space Chase II" some time...   
      
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   CF:  Apart from my personal comments about how good the game is (via   
   email), have you had any other comments from people?   
      
   CK:  I   
      
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