4am ❧

Wheeler Dealers.cass

This was distributed on cassette, which I normally don't include in the woz-a-day collection. But this was a "white whale" for @A2_Canada, who spent many years searching for an original of this 1978 game by Danielle Bunten Berry, who went on to a long game development career.

The game was shipped with custom controllers, but it is possible to play 2 players in the in-browser emulator.

https://archive.org/details/wozaday_Wheeler_Dealers

#wozaday #AppleII #retrocomputing

Wheeler Dealers (woz-a-day collection) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Wheeler Dealers is a 1978 simulation game developed by Danielle Bunten Berry and distributed by Speakeasy Software. It was originally distributed on cassette...

Internet Archive
May 24, 2024 at 2:25pmPhanpy
Show thread4am ❧May 24, 2024
Many thanks to several people in the Apple II Slack who figured out how to verify this cassette digitization and convert it to a more usable format. I have no experience working with computer cassettes. Despite the fact that the Apple II predates floppy drives, emulator support for cassettes is spotty. @txgx42 was the first to confirm that the .cass file could be loaded in the Virtual II emulator by setting the cassette volume to 90. Analog hardware was finicky!
Show thread4am ❧May 24, 2024
Show thread4am ❧May 24, 2024
@txgx42 reverse engineered how the tape works. "The 30.300R overwrites the load end address (3E/3F), changing the 0300 to 07FF. It also changes the COUT hook (36/37) to $02B4, and fills the text page with the lo-res graphics data. When the load finishes, it returns to the monitor which calls COUT and so jumps to $02B4...
Show thread4am ❧May 24, 2024
"...There it switches the machine into lores/text mixed mode and sets up to load the second file from the tape which contains the main BASIC code. After loading that it does its scrolling text thing and waits for a key press. then jumps into BASIC, which starts the program via a "GOTO 1" command that was left in the input buffer at 0200 by the first stage."
Show thread4am ❧May 24, 2024

Here is what Dani said about her experience writing and publishing her first game (excerpted from the Ozark Software website which is now offline):

"'Wheeler Dealers' published in '78 by Speakeasy Software in Canada was my first game. It was also the first game to come out in a box when all others were published with the cassette (16K) and mimeographed rules in a zip-lock bag. ...

Show thread4am ❧May 24, 2024
"...Also included in the box was a custom input device that consisted of 4 push-buttons connected to the Apple II's gameport. This allowed the 4 players to compete in real-time auctions for stock in companies which the players managed via those same buttons. It was a great challenge to work out how to input data with nothing but a push button but it taught me that interface is less important than play value and that auctions are a compelling way to interact."
Show thread4am ❧May 24, 2024
Here's a video showing the (emulated) original cassette loading process in real time, then some gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R7hfSILhsw
Wheeler Dealers Apple II Demonstration

YouTube
Show thread4am ❧May 24, 2024
Here's an audio recording of Dani's last GDC presentation in 1998, just a few months before her death: https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1013991/Do-Online-Games-Still-Suck
Do Online Games Still Suck?

A presentation by Danielle Bunten Berry, long-time game designer of online/offline multi-player titles, discusses her thoughts on what constitutes success and failure in the multiplayer experience, as well as showing current examples of...

Show threadAnoidJul 5, 2024

@a2_4am I tried to convert the AIFF formatted cassette to WAV using Audacity to use directly in the Apple I driver in MAME, but I get errors loading in MAME. Do you have a WAV file for the cassette that I can try? I'd like to include as a cassette in MAME if possible.

Thanks,
A-Noid

Show thread4am ❧Jul 6, 2024
@Anoid OK, this is the original .wav file that @A2_Canada posted in Slack: https://archive.org/download/wozaday_Wheeler_Dealers/Wheeler%20Dealers.wav
Show threadAnoidJul 6, 2024
@a2_4am @A2_Canada Thanks for the wav. I'm seeing the same issues loading. After testing with other Apple cassettes in Mame, it looks like MAME needs some work to support this. I will mark as unsupported for now in the apple cassette software list.
Show threadSpace HoboMay 24, 2024
@a2_4am Pourin' one out for Dani: M*U*L*E was an absolute gem and still slaps in her original versions.
Show threadJohn AycockMay 24, 2024
@a2_4am Sorry, zip-lock technology didn't make it to Canada until aboot 1997.
Show threadTom GreeneMay 24, 2024
@a2_4am @A2_Canada wav-a-day
Show threadHendrik 🇵🇸🇺🇦May 24, 2024
@a2_4am @A2_Canada An article about the search for this piece of software was published in the latest issue of #Juiced.gs https://juiced.gs/ Only in print 😉
Juiced.GS - A quarterly Apple II magazine

Juiced.GS is a quarterly print magazine for retrocomputing enthusiasts of all models of the Apple II computer.

Juiced.GS
Show threadKrishna Draws✏️May 24, 2024
@HendrikLinde @a2_4am @A2_Canada oh cool! That’s my art :) (Juiced.GS subscriber here, as well.)