#plus/4

[mingos-commodoreblog]

Commodore Plus/4 Game - AntiAir

[commodorez]

In the Plus/4's defence, Jack was forced out of the company before the project was completed, and the marketing department essentially took over and mandated several changes to make it a more attractive/profitable machine. Jack's original idea was for an ultra cheap computer that would be under $100, be better than all the ultra cheap computers from competitors, and take over the low-end of the consumer market and get a good chunk of the small business market as well. The marketing department took what was supposed to be a sub-$100 computer and tacked on a price that was almost as much as a C64. Unsurprisingly, it bombed. But if you look beyond the North America market, to places like latin america and Europe (particularly eastern Europe), you'll see that Jack's original idea of an ultra cheap machine did amazingly well there, because they charged what the machine was actually worth and not what the marketing department wanted to sell it for, and the C16 in particular became the best selling computer in those markets.

At its core, the TED series was still a bad idea that nudged out better ideas from being made (like the Commodore LCD). It was cheap and offloaded elsewhere BECAUSE it bombed in the US, where it needed to make its money. The whole Plus/4 line was weird and generally disjointed.

[everygame]

Icicle Works (Commodore Plus/4)

Developed/Published by: Doug Turner / Commodore Released: 1985 Completed: n/a Completion: Completed a few toys, but lost in Santa’s snowy labyrinth…

Working my way through Christmas games in an (as near as records allow) chronological fashion has been a bit of a challenge this year! We’ve had some highs for sure (discovering Hanan Samara) but some absurd lows (all of Christmas Crackers.) I think next year I’m going to actually have to do some proper legwork and try and sort out what was actually released for (at least) the BBC Micro and ZX Spectrum that can be classed as a commercially released Christmas game to make me feel satisfied I’m doing my due diligence. I’m aware that literally no one cares about this, but apparently it’s just what my brain does, and there are too many Christmas themed type-ins, and World of Spectrum doesn’t let you search by theme, so it’s going to take some time.

In lieu of doing that though, onward with the next game I can confirm as Christmassy; Doug Turner’s Icicle Works for Commodore’s generally unloved Plus/4.

The Plus/4 is a weird machine. I’m not sure there’s been a bit of industrial design in home computers that looks as much like it should be on a spaceship that an Alien is murdering the crew on (this is a good thing) but it’s got that bizarre problem that so many hardware manufacturers made then–it’s a Commodore, but it’s not compatible with the C64 at all nor a meaningful upgrade to it, so… why buy it? And more than that… why make games for it?

Few people did, and that’s probably why Icicle Works is so well remembered in the machine’s surprisingly… existing community (it turns out it was popular in Hungary.) You play as Santa, who has come back from holiday and (I assume) discovered that his workshop has exploded, leaving parts of presents scattered around in the snow, requiring him to dig through it all while avoiding enraged penguins, polar bears and ice water.

It’s very much a Boulder Dash clone, which makes it quite strange that it’s called “Icicle Works” considering there aren’t any icicles in it. It’s actually named after the band, who are probably best known for the single Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream) which… I might have heard before? It was used in Stranger Things, actually, so I’ve definitely heard it, although I absolutely couldn’t have named the band until I researched this. They were named for a Frederik Poh short story, “The Day the Icicle Works Closed” and I must say I think that if Turner was going to take inspiration, he should have looked at that instead and gone for “The Day Santa’s Workshop Exploded.”

Anyway. Boulder Dash is one of those game designs that it sort of feels like you couldn’t escape at one point but which no one even thinks about now–although they’re still making them–and interestingly it’s actually not a series I have much familiarity with. I don’t think I even played Repton on the BBC Micro or anything.

If you’re unfamiliar with Boulder Dash, it follows on from the likes of Dig Dug or Mr. Do by heavily featuring the mechanic of rocks falling down the screen, but for some reason it’s the one I most fixate on the odd perspective of. Are you viewing the action side-on? Or is it top-down and we accept that rocks fall because the screen is vertical? Notably in Repton the ritual character does a weird sort of monkey climb when going up and down, but in Boulder Dash it sort of looks more like it’s top-down. Dig Dug was definitely side-on, and Taizo Hori did always walk on a wall no matter what direction he was moving, so that one almost made sense.

Er… this is getting away from me, here. All that actually matters is that in Boulder Dash you’re playing through levels trying to collect all of the diamonds without being squished by falling rocks or other hazards, hazards that you generally create by your own digging.

Icicle Works, which I think is definitely top down even if that doesn’t exactly make sense (you're actually on... a mountainside! that's it) expands this design into a sixteen level map. On each multi-screen level you have to collect all of the presents and then you’re able to select one of the doors to go to another level, but it’s completely non-linear–you can go from level 1 to level 6, and and even go back to level 1 (where the level will stay completed for you.) It’s a bit like Ancipital, if less idiosyncratically inventive.

What it is, though, is unbelievably fucking hard. So hard that it’s really quite beyond me, and feels like a game for serious Boulder Dash players. From basically the second level Icicle Works requires pro Boulder Dash strategies: in certain screens, you need to go as fast as possible to avoid being trapped by flowing water. In others, you need to drop snowballs in exactly the right place to make a path or to kill enemies to complete it. You can’t see the entire level you’re on and you start with just three lives, so to even start to learn the game you’ll need to play it from the start over and over–and there’s a harsh time limit on every screen, and most screens require you pick up so many presents you really have to be playing almost a perfect racers line.

 Yes, Icicle Works is a “pressure puzzle” if not a “pressure puzzle platformer” and it’s… aggressive. I’d be surprised it’s so fondly remembered but for the fact that the Plus/4 had almost no games, and even saying that it’s so brutal that I’m impressed anyone stuck with it. It does play well enough–it’s tile-based movement, but it’s snappy, and I honestly did play this for quite a while before giving up in, honestly, frustration. With a map and save states, I’d say that if you really love Boulder Dash-style games this would be well worth playing, but it doesn’t have an ending, which means you’ll be stuck with only your sense of satisfaction for having beaten it, and you’ll have used a map and save states, so you might not be that satisfied to be honest.

Icicle Works’ biggest flaw for me though is that it doesn’t really feel that Christmassy! Sure, you’re playing a wee pixelated Santa, but the music is jaunty in a really non-festive fashion, and the name Icicle Works is just wrong. This is a perfectly fine game for the era (and the machine) but I think I’d probably like it more if it actually was called “The Day Santa’s Workshop Exploded.”

Will I ever play it again? I really copped out on this one because it’s so bloody hard; I just wasn’t really enjoying working out the puzzle of each level because, as I’ve described, I don’t like puzzles under pressure. So no.

Final Thought: Something I find really charming is that over 30 years later in 2020 Doug Turner would release an official “sequel” of sorts to this and his other game, Prospector Pete, only on the bloody Plus/4 again! So I suspect if you really want to play a Plus/4 Boulder Dash-me-do you’re better off with The Pit.

Sadly, Doug Turner passed away in 2022, just a couple of years after releasing it–it seems he was a beloved and active member of the Plus/4 community, and took great pleasure that people were still interested and playing his games.So RIP, Doug, thanks for Icicle Works… even if it is too bloody hard.

Every Game I’ve Finished 14>24 is OUT NOW! You can pick it up in paperback, kindle, or epub/pdf. You can also support Every Game I’ve Finished on ko-fi! You can pick up digital copies of exp., a zine featuring all-exclusive writing at my shop, or join as a supporter at just $1 a month and get articles like this a week early.

[digitalesleben]

Tom von Kingsoft auf dem C16 - 40 Jahre Kultspiel

Vor 40 Jahren kam ein Computer auf den Markt, der mir und meinem Bruder mit dem Spiel Tom viele schöne Stunden Spass bereitete. Der erste Aldi Computer war der Commodore C16. Und Tom von Udo Gertz war das Software-Meisterstück für diesen Computer.

Dies ist ein Beitrag über eines der bemerkenswertesten Computerspiele, das ich vor knapp 40 Jahren gespielt habe. Nächtelang habe ich an dem Commodore C16 meines Bruders gesessen, um durch die 178 Bildschirme des Spiels zu laufen und zu springen. Diese hat der Spieleentwickler Udo Gertz in die knapp 16 KB RAM des C16 gepackt. Eine beeindruckende Leistung zur damaligen Zeit. Immerhin war der C16…

[minxinq]

blazamy band/idol au lalala

[loullipopx]

Pokémon Lamb & Goat, coming March 2026

[karinamariee]

celibate

pairing: drew starkey x fiancé!fem!reader

summary: you’re as innocent as it gets, promising celibacy. but when your boyfriend drew comes into your life, you can’t help but yearn for him.

warnings: smut w plot, mdni!!

authors note: this is my 100 follower special, plus it is such a hot idea, i love it

—————————————————————————

drew first was admired by you when you stepped in one of his acting classes, taking him by surprise. it wasn’t your face (though it was beautiful) or your body (which made him instantly hard), it was the fact that you walked into the acting classes, dressed in all pink, and you walked into there with such kindness and respect that drew immediately needed you.

it took drew months to get you to go on one date with him, it was actually fucking with his pride, but he didn’t give up. eventually, you ended up going on a romantic date with him where he brought flowers and your favorite (though you never told him, he just assumed) chocolates. how could you say no to that?

but oh, when drew kissed you for the first time, he knew he wanted forever with you. he knew he wanted to get married, to have children, to grow old together. he wanted every single flaw, insecurity, fear and pain, and he would take that and throw it all into his heart.

he had just wanted all of you.

so he asked you any question under the sun like: “what’s your favorite color?” in which you answered pink. “who’s your favorite music artist?” in which you said gracie abrams. “what’s your favorite thing about yourself?” eyes. “why do you wear pink all the time.” i love wearing pink. all those questions were answered, and he immediately knew, you knew how to not be shy, being as open as your are.

by the time three months hit, he got down on both his knees, arms wrapped around your torso, cheek on your belly, your hands in his hair, and telling you how much he loved you. your response had been what he needed: you loved him too.

by ten months, you had been able to sit in silence, enjoying each others company.

by one year and a half, you two both officially moved in with each other, finally planning your life together.

by two years and three months, he proposed to you in which your answer was yes.

everything seemed perfect, but one thing kept on flashing in drew’s mind, and oh did he feel so dirty. he always wonder what it would be like to see you naked, bent over the kitchen counter, fucking you from behind as you moaned his name. so when he did think of those thoughts, he would shake his head.

“are you a virgin, y/n?” drew got the courage to ask one night.

you turned to him, closing your clothes drawer, and you walked to him, standing on your side of the bed.

“oh,” you said, “i guess i never told you this. im celibate, which means—“

drew quickly crawled over to your side, grabbing your waist, resting his head on your belly. “i know what it means, babe. it was just a question.”

but it got harder and harder for him, having seeing you in those mini skirts and dresses, seeing you in heels, seeing you change, seeing you do anything turned him on so much he had to jerk himself off in the bathroom.

but little did he know, it was hard for you too.

—————————————————————————

“please,” you whispered, “make sure to go slow. i’ve never done this before.”

drew snorted. “don’t worry, baby. you’re gonna have the best time with this.”

you nodded as drew took his cock out of his underwear, throwing them to the side. you looked down and audibly gasped.

“it’ll fit,” said drew, “trust me.”

he slide himself inside of you very slowly. going inch by inch, listening to when you told him to go. eventually he started thrusting slowly in and out of you. you got into the rhythm of it, moaning when he was at a perfect pace.

“fuck, baby. you feel so good around my cock.”

you moaned loudly at that, pulling him closer by his buttocks. you couldn’t get rid of this feeling he was giving you. he was so good at this, so good that he threw his head back, going faster, but not that much.

“faster,” you demanded.

“fuck.”

he quickened the pace, hitting that spot that made your toes curl, your head throwing back into the pillows. you had never felt a feeling like this before.

“drew…”

“fuck i’m close.” drew said.

you moaned loudly, scratching on his back as he quickened the pace, on a mission. he repeated himself over and over again and you started whining, tears falling down your cheeks.

you came all over his cock, toes curling, never feeling like this.

“i guess you’re not celibate anymore,” said drew later that night.

you laughed, turning to him. “i love you.”

“i love you too.”

[laurrelise]

unfortunately it has been decided that this is one of the funniest scenes in the show, sorry i don’t make the rules

diego’s hand slowly bringing the knife into frame? peak comedy

luther’s “what the- put the knife away” literally never fails to make me laugh

don’t even get me started on klaus’ damn condoms

[eccedente]

Loren (Grim's assistant), Mindy, Mel & Evangeline

[wasyago]

welp, didn't manage to get everything out before season 10 started, but i gotta post it one way or another so here we go! heard there was a fandom swap game going on, wanted to do a couple promts of my own :D

[mingos-commodoreblog]

Commodore Plus/4 Game - Yewdow by Inufuto

[hanzajesthanza]

something positive about the witcher 4 trailer that i’ve not seen anyone mention, maybe because it’s cdpr so it’s already to be expected that the visual design will be peak…

and maybe because i need an eyewash station after all that netflix has thrown at us…

but it felt great to see new witcher visuals with very present slavic design and motifs, the peasant girl’s dress and her crown, the atmosphere and setting.

again, maybe the bar is low because of netflix, this is just cdpr doing what they did great in witcher 3, but it’s satisfying to see the witcher retain a strong visual style and identity :p obviously they would be insane to change directions now, but it’s also not guaranteed (witcher 2 famously being more generic fantasy inspired, design-wise)

i’m just happy i finally got the “oooh, witcher” feeling when i saw it, which hasn’t happened in a while i guess

like doesn’t this look so gooood

[funkle420]

Turbo Granny blunt rotation WIP

[wroteclassicaly]

18+

Imagine

It happens unexpectedly. Your head hung down low as Eddie Munson fucks into you… hard from behind, and gives you a harsh thrust, your stomach and tits jiggling. His ringed hands indent into your skin. He groans an appreciative, “fuck, yes” and slaps your ass, before pulling it apart to see you stretched around his dick.

You’re dripping onto the furniture below. Webbings of slick that is stringing from your swollen lips, catching on his balls, caught on each propelling movement forward. One minute you were watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and the next you were shifting your hips, bent over the Munson’s couch, knees apart, his own shifting on the uneven cushions to get impossibly closer to the plush of your beautifully round ass.

[screwpinecaprice]

@animation-recaps-by-sean

I dunno how to design an older Mabel and Pacifica so I just thrown in whatever and hope that works. 😅

hklsafkhakhen Sorry I didn't notice there were still ask requests from April left in my inbox! I'll slowly get back to em.

P.S. Not taking requests right now!