Old Computers

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:24 pm

In the Bard's Tale or Wizardry, when your party is meant to have treasure, they might find a treasure chest.

In the game I am working on now, that concept will be there, but it will be an old computer instead. I am going to find and acquire and take photographs of various old computers. The idea is that the party can then try to crack the computer or logon or something, to get the bitcoin inside.

So far, I have decided that these computers will definitely be in the game. From this era, can you think of any I am missing?

IBM PCjr
Commodore 64
Atari 800
Amiga 1200
Apple II
TI-4 99/A (Regretting passing on one of these last year)
Coleco Adam
Apple IIGS
Atari ST
TRS-80 Color Computer
ZX Spectrum

I am putting these machines into the "nice to have, but not essential":

VIC-20
Commodore 128
IBM PC, IBM PC XT, etc.
Tandy 1000

I guess the cut-off point is around the era of CGA graphics for IBM computers. I know that the Amiga and ST were released way beyond the heyday of CGA graphics, but it's that area I am sort of sticking to. Have I totally flaked on a model of home computer or two?

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:37 pm

The TRS-80 Model III is way more iconic than the color model, in my opinion. Not sure if it's an exact era fit, but I might throw in a Mac Classic in the mix as well.

RealNC · Post by **RealNC** » Fri Feb 08, 2013 5:26 am

You forgot one of the most widely recognized retro computer series in this part of the world:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Micro

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Fri Feb 08, 2013 6:08 am

That's the other thing I was going to mention -- the first person outside the US that sees your list is going to say, "that's a very US-centric list."

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 8:27 am

Flack wrote:The TRS-80 Model III is way more iconic than the color model, in my opinion. Not sure if it's an exact era fit, but I might throw in a Mac Classic in the mix as well.

Thanks. That was the first one I had and one I had physically and I am unsure how it got dropped off the list.

The only ones I currently have are the Amiga, Atari 800 and Mac Classic. I am bad at obtaining and keeping old computers. :(

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 8:27 am

RealNC wrote:You forgot one of the most widely recognized retro computer series in this part of the world:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Micro

Thanks. I fear that the BBC Micro and the Speccy are going to be the two that I won't be able to find, or at least photograph, in America. :(

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 10:05 am

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:
Flack wrote:The TRS-80 Model III is way more iconic than the color model, in my opinion. Not sure if it's an exact era fit, but I might throw in a Mac Classic in the mix as well.
Thanks. That was the first one I had and one I had physically and I am unsure how it got dropped off the list.

The only ones I currently have are the Amiga, Atari 800 and Mac Classic. I am bad at obtaining and keeping old computers. :(

Off the top of my head I know I have a C64, a C64c, a C128, an Amiga 1200, a TI99/4a, a TRS-80 Color Computer, an Apple IIe, an Apple IIc, a Franklin Ace 1000, and half a dozen PCs (from 386 to modern). I *just* threw away my old Palm Pilot. I may or may not still have my Atari 800 and a few other old computers.

Tdarcos · Post by **Tdarcos** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 1:23 pm

Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) made a lot of minicomputers. In 1976, a PDP 11/03 could provide timesharing Basic on 4 terminals in 64K of memory and 2 256K floppy discs for just under $20,000.

But DEC also released some single terminal PCs. In addition to single machine versions of the PDP-11 such as made by Terak (the original machine for which UCSD Pascal was released), they also made their own PC, the Rainbow 100 and 100+. I'd forgotten about the Rainbow.

Non-standard 5 1/4" disc format meant no other PC could read floppies formatted by it, and it supported 3 boot modes, DOS, CP/M or as a VT52 terminal for PDP 11 minicomputers or VAX, Dec 10 and DecSystem 20 mainframes.

Tdarcos · Post by **Tdarcos** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 1:26 pm

Radio Shack and Zenith were two companies that made very IBM compatible PCs. In addition to actual IBM PCs, we also had Zenith's at the university where I hung out, and I checked out Radio Shack's at their stores. RS learned their lesson after they first made a PC that wasn't IBM compatible (although arguably better), and wasn't selling very well.

For me, the "gold standard" was the self-boot game Lode Runner. This plays on an IBM PC, and doesn't always work on some clones.

But Zenith's PCs and Radio Shack's were very compatible; Lode Runner booted and ran flawlessly on them. And no, The Shack didn't use the TRS name, they called them Tandy PCs.

Jizaboz · Post by **Jizaboz** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:31 am

Yeah, I was going to mention the Rainbow machine as well. I saw one or two of those around back in the day.

An oddball Japanese computer like a PC-98 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEC_PC-9801 would be cool too.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:28 pm

Thanks. But can we go older??

Bugs · Post by **Bugs** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:04 pm

Fire them shits up. I wanna play TradeWars!

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:12 pm

I am gonna give Walrustitty the files for the original JC BBS. He said he might try to put it online. (There is a 0.0000% chance he would ever go to Flack's BBS, unfortunately. But at the same time, I think it would be great for you guys to see what a moppet I was when I was in high school.)