GameMaker Development - Bedroom added

I really had a feeling that if I rendered Faux’s place in pixels, it would be perfect stage for a game that focuses on our relationship and our ongoing efforts to grow a life together.

The next step in this project will be to start mapping out the exterior garden. Plenty of photos were taken at peak season to ensure a grand interpretation. With fall fast upon us, the colder weather should provide plenty of incentive to want to revisit that warmth. I am excited to start growing our pixel garden in the warmth of the studio.

I promise I will also have more papercraft projects coming soon!

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Faux really knows how to put a room together and she also made the quilt on the bed!

GameMaker Progress - Coloring has begun

I have been having such a great time with my papercraft designs that I had taken a break on other projects such as my graphics for a possible GameMaker game. What exactly this game could be has yet to be determined but as an exercise in “pixellating” a real-life location, I am beginning to see some real success.

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I am especially proud of the linoleum in the kitchen. Ezra the cat is always demanding to be fed.

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Cheeseburger the cat likes to follow me around the trailer and beg to be picked up.

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The final area I worked on, is the hallway, studio and bathroom areas. More clutter, erm details will be added to the studio shelves at some point.

Conion C-100F Papercraft

My first encounter with the Conion C-100F was at my local flea markets. I went back dozens of times just to see it's majesty. I could never justify the purchase price so the best way for me to get hands-on with one of these beasts was to make a papercraft version of it.

Enjoy the free pattern at the end of the article.

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There are so many dials and switches on this thing - it's begging to be used.

This is a device from another time where the design language was clearly more is more. And it is a sight to behold. From the analogue VU meters with that flashy blue and motif, the huge tuner for fine adjustments, those crazy old-school LEDs that light up to the beat, it has a freaking burglar alarm! The thing that really stuck with me was how the folks at Conion decided to use two design languages when implementing the dual-cassette system. A traditional front-loading design typical for portable stereos, and a deck that would be more at home in an automobile. I am sure this is a space-saving measure but it's pretty fun as well.

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This boombox uses 8 D-Cell batteries which I imagine don't last too long in the wild.

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Conion C-100F - Promotional Badging

If you like this project please consider leaving a like, this lets me know if there is interest in seeing more of these in the future. I would like to do more boomboxes and really want to do an Pioneer Urushi component stereo.

Download the pattern here.

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PS. This is not the first time I have riffed off the mighty King Conion. A few months back, I designed a Conion patch.

Nintendo GameCube Papercraft

I was inspired to make my own GameCube Mini after hearing rumors about such a project being planned by Nintendo. While I remain skeptical that such a project is on Nintendo's short list, my new papercraft is free and available for download here.

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As much as I like drawing computers from the 80's, the GameCube represented a welcomed departure for all that beige.

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Indigo was the most common GameCube colour and the one I own.

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Black and Indigo were the base-level GameCube models.

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The Platinum GameCube was the system's premium configuration.

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I think Nintendo knocked it out of the park with the simple and colourful design!

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The Spice-coloured GameCube was exclusive to Japan.

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GameCube Development Kits came in many colours including Emerald Blue.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end of the post. I make pixel art and other tech-related papercraft projects. Please check out a few posts just below for more.

If you would like to see more posts like this, consider leaving a like on this post it really encourages me to keep creating!

Commodore 64 Papercraft V3

This is the third update of my Commodore 64 papercraft series. This project consists of everything you will need to recreate the iconic image pictured above:

• Commodore 64 Computer - Update, original light-coloured function keys

• Commodore 1541 Hard Drive - Update, "active" power light

• Commodore MPS 801 Printer - New!

• Commodore VIC Modem - New!

• "Net Sales" Screenplate - New!

Download Link

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Commodore MPS 801 Printer - Front

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Continuous feed paper with MPS print test

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Commodore MPS 801 Printer - Rear

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VIC Modem, a mystery to me as a kid

I am enjoying this series. I have received a lot of words of encouragement as well as some great feedback.

Stay tuned for more cool stuff!

Commodore 1541 Disk Drive Papercraft

I was about 10 when I first saw Hover Bovver on my friend's C-64. He had a disk drive and fists fulls of games. I had a 64 for a while at that point but had been limited by the few cartridge games I could find in my small town and a very slow Datasette.

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The iconic 1541 drive I pined for as a kid.

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This drive would make my C64 a killer games machine.

I begged my mom for a disk drive for years before finally getting one towards the end of the Commodore's run. I bought a shiny new 1541-C (don't worry, the papercraft is a period correct 1541). Even though the scene in town had dwindled to about three kids, I quickly "amassed" hundreds of games. I was often more interested in the "cracktos" featured at the beginning of the games than the games themselves.

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Now I can shout out Hokuto Force!

This papercraft is dedicated to the times I spent experiencing exotic greetings from overseas in a time before the internet made such worldwide shout-outs commonplace.

The download is here. The papercraft model includes:

• New Commodore 1541 disk drive

• Two 5.25" floppy diskettes

• Swappable screen faceplates

• Improved Commodore 64 pattern

• Updated Commodore 1701 monitor pattern

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A couple of 5.25" floppy diskettes with a few games I owned back in the day.

Thanks so much for all the recent attention. I am glad these projects are providing enjoyment for others as well. Anticipate more updates in this Commodore papercraft series on this site. There are a LOT of accessories and I am also very nostalgic for these times.

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Now you can represent your favorite Demoscene with four interchangeable faceplates.

C64 Paper Craft Mini Monitor

Download the paper craft Monitor template v1 here.

A paper craft version of the Commodore 64 computer is already underway as part of a "Draw Your Favorite Computer" contest being put on by RetroManCave celebrating 30,000 subscribers. A link to the paper craft computer will be available by next weekend.

There are 10 screen variations of the paper craft monitor template to choose from in the download (PDF).

While I never personally had one of the 1701 monitors myself, a number of my C64 friends back in the day did and they were great!

A True Story: An Animated Film

This film is about a story my grandmother told me as a child about her sister's encounter with a stranger late at night along a lonely country road. Isolation and a lack of connection to family and friends was commonplace in many parts of Manitoba a generation ago and still persists in many ways today.

Manitoba Highway in the 1960's.

Radio, a one-way communication that often served to comfort as much as it did to inform.

Returning home.

Hallway, Studio, Bathroom Outlines Complete

Very excited to see continued progress on this project. I promise colour and details will follow but I must first outline the kitchen and the bedroom. I force myself to stay at this limited level of detail in order to remain flexible in the overall design. Also, it has been said, that you can't help but get better as you practice your pixelwork. By the time I have completed outlining, I am hoping I will have gained enough skill to fill in the gaps.

The trailer is beginning to take shape!

Here is a sample of the in-game door functionality. Doors allow for "privacy".

The final two rooms are smaller than the "first two" but are both full of interesting details so I will avoid the impulse to start rushing. This is a labour of love!

Faux and Rockasoo Video Game Development Begins

I went to Faux's trailer to take photos and graph out (on paper), the game's assets.

The idea of making a game out of my personal life is a theme that has followed me for a long time. I hope to celebrate life's many hardships, struggles, triumphs and victories in our quest to reach the lofty heights of the 16-bit.

For perspective, the trailer will span several screens.

Dicky's Diamonds - Arduboy Mockup

Start Screen

Option Menu

Making Arduboy mockups of classic Commodore games is great way to spend an evening. Dicky's Diamonds was a game published in 1983 by B. O'Shaugnessy for the Commodore 64. The game scales down handsomely to the Arduboy's scale and 1-bittyness.

My 8-Bit Future

The Living Room *ruffed* out. Bruce, the Blue Heeler, says hello.

Trying to distinguish feminine from masculine in 8-bits is a challenge.

Faux's trailer is the world map. The limitations of the NES will ultimately determine the level of detail I am able to give to this world.

NES 8-bit game design has always been on the bucket list. I am hoping NESmaker will be the key to giving it a go. Getting familiar with a different graphics mode is always exciting to me, and the opportunity to tell a meaningful story with an old Nintendo makes the whole prospect that much more attractive.

My Home Circa 1990

I grew up with a Commodore. One of my favorite things to do was draw pictures of my house using the PETSCII characters on the keyboard. Back in the day there was no way to easily save this drawings so the image above is a modern take using the very cool PLAYSCII editor.

Watch Colourways

Watch design recoloured.

Watch Design

As I continue to give watch design a critical look, I am beginning to see the templates emerge.

Avoiding unnecessary complications.

Flower Bandanas

I eventually always return to my monogram bandana designs. I love repeats and patterns. Can anyone guess the source of the flowers petal geometry?

Dancing Flowers Bandanas

Puyo Puyo SharpSCII

Puyo Puyo Tetris is available for the switch, but this Madou Monogatari spinoff got its start back in 1991 for the MSX and the Famicom Disk System. I think Puyo Puyo would look pretty handsome as a MX-700 port.

Another SharpSCII Mock-up

Wonderboy is one of my favorite games! It was pretty fun trying to recreate a familiar scene in SharpSCII.

Sharp MZ-700 Super Mario Bros Mockup

I grew up making PETSCII illustrations on my C64 so I had to try my hand at some SHARPSCII.