iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

That's some seriously cool stuff!

Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

ATM it's just non-coders looking for a shortcut, and that will scupper them if they don't learn what's happening under the hood. I just don't think they want to bother. Either way, the Amiga community has a problem with "My team must win at all costs". It's a bit culty.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Stopped work on my Amiga tutorial articles. The noticeable uptick in people starting Ai-driven projects is discouraging, and folk just don't seem interested in actually learning about the system. They just want that EHB OCS Street Fighter II port to rub in SNES owner's faces.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Hard to pinpoint. - The Devil in Quatermass & The Pit - The Policemen with the pointy teeth in The Monster Club - The burned dog in Quatermass Conclusion - Librarian in Ghostbusters - Superman III's cyborg sequence The one that genuinely traumatised me was watching The Fly (1986) when i was 10.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Arcade ports to retro systems via AI are becoming more common, and the results are getting good. Personally, I'd be unimpressed at a fully AI made game. Who is there to admire? Or be inspired by? Only computer/console war idiots who take secondhand credit for a system would get anything from it.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Jackie Gleason did it better.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Not that I was expecting it, but no X-Flip function on the STE Blitter is still a bummer. That would have been a considerable code and memory saving advantage over the Amiga. Like, maybe even deal-breaker stuff. Although, maybe not. I <3 the Copper.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

This is looking great! The Amiga needed more brawlers that weren't arcade conversions, becasue the developers really required the freedom to work with (and around) the system's limitations. The Amiga wasn't a console, which means much more custom code and work for the same result. Very impressive!

youtube.com

MetroSiege Update 3: Continued Progress on Environments and Adding More Sophisticated Enemy Combat.

YouTube video by BitBeamCannon

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Yeah, they really understood the assignment when it came to the toons' personalities. Mel Blanc would have been proud.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I see that Atari documentation is just as bad as any of the other systems. The default to basic ST instead of later models is one of the problems with iterations of a similar name/design, and makes searching a pain. No matter. Just dipping my toe in for now. Still on Amstrad shizz.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

IMO Who Framed Roger Rabbit is the greatest film ever made. It's perfect on every level as a movie, but also as an innovative work of toon/live crossover art. Coyote vs Acme is the closest anything has come to that level of success. It lacks the lush period style, but it nails the characters. 9/10

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It's always egos that scupper the good stuff. I'd even be happy if they released another 68k based computer but with properly updated blitter bandwidth/functions and 8PCM audio channels with panning & FX. Might be too much like a hobby project though.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Yeah, it looks like the cream of the crop tbh.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

It's taken a full seven hours to get photos and videos off my iPhone. To top it off, it won't let me bulk delete files from explorer like it would before. Never had a single problem in the past, and the only thing that's changed is the IOS version. Raging!

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Are there any decent Atari STE emulators out there? Something WinUAE equivalent in terms of accuracy and functionality (debugger/memory inspector etc.).

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I'd love it if Nu-Commodore managed to scrape together enough info to make the AAA/Hombre Amiga and release it as an actual product. We get that final glory moment that was denied. Are there enough solid designs out there though? Or would we have to frog-DNA bits so much that it changes?

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I always thought that this game could have been a decent Zelda-Like, but I don't even think Zelda was out yet. Same with Antiriad and Metroid. Very similar concepts made at the same time by unrelated/unaware teams.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Tough one. Way of the Exploding Fist was the start of my beat 'em up journey, but I'm not sure it "defined" me. I'll just say Final Fight and call it a day. That game still resonates with me to this day.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

So, I've completely broken down the loader and ripped it into more manageable sections. A few tweaks and it's now workable as both a READ and WRITE loader to a 6128 3" disc. I'll upload the source code to my site once I've done a few more tests and thought of a daft name for it.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Found a (sort of) hardware loader on CPCWiki, but it's read only and not very clear on how to use it. I think it can be made to write too, but scouring FDC data sheets for correct read/write bit combos is a pain in the willy.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Was wondering why I couldn't load stuff in from disk without a crash, then I realised my program starts at &0100 and overwrites all the firmware. Anyone know of any custom disk loaders for the Amstrad 6128? I don't think Rob Northen made 8-bit versions.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I did a kind of triple buffer on the Spectrum. Just held a clean copy of the background in RAM then picked at that with a list when bits got dirty. Definitely saved some space with less copy code, but the clean screen was in contended memory so maybe not speed.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Must be the season for it. Dem dark nights!

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Have to re-write my background restore routine to work in reverse becasue it can't handle overlapping sprites at the moment. Four attempts later and I think I have it (in theory), but it's been a brain melt trying to retain popping bytes while going backwards.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Amiga fans and their obsession with on-screen colours put me off. You should play it. It's an amazing game (hard as nails though), and the score by Yuzo Koshiro is great! The sequel is brilliant too!

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I used to love Bewitched as a kid, but watching it again I can't help but notice what a prick Darren is to Samantha. Love the 60s vibe, but maybe not that part of it.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Spent the morning playing Revenge of Shinobi. It's still sublime! So well thought out, and has bags of atmosphere and challenge. It was going to be my next Amiga port project before I got put off developing for the system. Had all the sprites and drum sounds ripped and ready to go.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Nothing will make me play a game or watch a film faster than someone saying "It's shit. Don't even bother". I've bought Megadrive and Amiga games with <40% scores, and enjoyed every panned film released in the last year. Always see for yourself.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Having a Mandela effect moment. I remember one of the cast's names on the Back to the Future poster having a white line box around it. I'm sure it was Crispin Glover, but can't find any evidence. I had that poster above my bed in the 80s, so I know it well. Weird!

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I loved this game! So atmospheric, and the gameplay was immersive.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Watched an AI fan film of Reeve Superman visiting his Mum. You can still tell it's AI. The colours are inky, and the mouths don't move right. However, the textures and facial nuances are getting scarily good. Almost convincing. Emotional tugs like this nearly make you forget that it's evil.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Bluesky engagement is weird though. One post can explode, but others get lost in the void. Old Twitter was better at evenly spreading the butter.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I tend to treat these projects as more than just a hobby. I have dyscalculia, so it's more like a validating personal challenge, becasue I really struggled with numbers as a child. It's tempting to share progress, but I find it ends up as an unsolicited suggestion box rather than a showcase.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

It can feel like a second (unpaid) job at times. I think IP games are harder becasue there's expectations from the start, but even original games are tough. So many projects end up on the fizzle-out pile due to unexpected brick walls.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I'm sticking to my rule of "Don't show anything until it's 80% complete". Final Fight was showcased way too early in development, and that was a bad move. Even then there are no guarantees. Renegades was pretty much done bar some music & polish, but all it took was one thing to scupper it. Beware!

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Playing a few Megadrive games as a palate cleanser, and you forget what a powerhouse machine it was! So much cool hardware, sprites, layers, colours, and sound channels. It's almost the perfect console, and that post-1991 games library is incredible!

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I miss when websites had actual single-screen pages and weren't just a bloated, never ending downward scroll. Trying to navigate them like a social media feed is excruciating.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

More CPC progress. Fixed an ISR bug which was popping flipped bits back to the spritesheet, and I've started to get the main player control system almost up and running. Next step is getting the platform mechanics in. Lots of tile checking at the feet/head, but thankfully only for the player.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Finally deleted my Facebook. I feel weirdly disconnected now, because it was ok for things like mates' gigs and quick messages to people. The amount of racial/transphobic incitement and adverts allowed there was shocking though, so good riddance to that shite.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Loved it! I remember regularly playing it after watching Fresh Prince or Gamesmaster, so it became a fixture of the 90s for me.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I only knew one guy with a Neo Geo, but no one liked him becasue he and his family were really snobby. I did enjoy quite a few SNK/Neo Geo arcade games though, but a lot of the library did feel like "What are Capcom doing this week?"

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Forgot that actual double buffering needs two of everything. Two screen locations, two sets of code for calculating positions (one really, but poked), two lists of background repair data, etc. Xor is earning its dinner today.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Ahh Outrun! Another classic. Battlezone blew my mind when I first played it! Very atmospheric.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

When someone says the word "Arcade", what are the games that first come to your mind? For me its: Star Wars Marble Madness Phoenix Operation Wolf Indiana Jones & TTOD Vigilante Karate Champ Final Fight Street Fighter II Tekken There's a ton of others too, but I think that's the prime cut.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Managed to convert my Spectrum sprite arranger to the Amstrad. Took about a week to sort all the various hardware calls, but it's working fine now. Not too much to re-write since the Speccy was working in two byte chunks for interleaved mask & image, and that works for how Amstrad's data is sorted.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Spent 20 minutes of my morning reconfiguring FB Purity to hide the adverts & hate scum that are popping up again. This seems to be a trend whereby you're burdened with extra steps just to get to "barely usable". Should really ditch FB. Every second post is racists lobbing laugh emojis at adverts.

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Two bytes to show 8 screen pixels on the Amstrad just shows why most games were a bit sluggish (double the work of the Speccy). IIRC the Sugar Z80 CPU was 4MHz compared to the Clive 3.5Mhz, but it probably needed to be 5 (like Master System) for the grunt of screen drawing. No beeper either. :(

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

There are fewer bands who have been in my life as long as ZZ Top, so hearing about drummer Frank Beard's death is devastating. Especially after losing Dusty so recently. Una Hombre left. :(

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Prototron @prototron.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Not even started coding gameplay yet and already this is looking to be much easier than a beat 'em up. Like, oh i don't need to flip those 16x16 enemy sprites which only have 2 frames of animation. Level maps might be big though, and I've never tried ones that go up and down as well as left/right.

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