Two New C64 Assembly Programming Guides

1 July 2025 · Updated 26 February 2026

Two comprehensive programming guides have been published for the retro development community. These articles represent months of documentation work, distilling hard-won knowledge from actual game development into accessible tutorials.

Advanced Implementation Techniques Guide

An in-depth examination of specialized programming methods employed in game engine development. Covers techniques for achieving effects beyond standard hardware capabilities, including:

Sprite multiplexing strategies for displaying more than eight sprites simultaneously
Raster interrupt timing for stable visual effects without flicker
Memory banking approaches for managing assets beyond the 64KB address space
Optimized collision detection algorithms suitable for action games

Each technique includes working code examples with cycle counts and explanations of why particular approaches were chosen over alternatives.

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Hardware Interrupt Configuration Guide

A detailed walkthrough addressing gaps in existing community resources regarding interrupt handling. This often-misunderstood aspect of 6502 programming receives thorough treatment with practical examples. The guide covers:

NMI versus IRQ: when to use each interrupt type and why
Proper vector setup and the critical importance of disabling interrupts during configuration
Common pitfalls that cause intermittent crashes or visual glitches
Nested interrupt handling for complex multi-layer display effects

The article grew from frustration with existing tutorials that omit crucial details, leaving readers with code that works only under specific conditions.

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Existing community documentation often suffers from incomplete explanations and assumed prerequisite knowledge. These guides prioritize accessibility and practical application over theoretical abstraction. Both articles include downloadable source code that compiles with common assemblers including KickAssembler and ACME.