C64 Dev WIP: February 2023 Progress

1 February 2023 · Updated 26 February 2026

Monthly development update covering progress across active projects. This period focused on engine optimization work for Parallaxian while advancing Seawolves toward release readiness.

Parallaxian Engine Work

Significant effort this month addressed interrupt handler efficiency. The previous implementation consumed excessive raster time during complex scenes, limiting available cycles for game logic. Restructuring the handler chain reduced overhead by approximately 15%.

Key changes:

Consolidated redundant register preservation across chained handlers
Implemented handler skip logic for inactive subsystems (saves cycles when features aren’t currently displaying)
Relocated critical variables to zero page positions freed by ROM banking optimization

The parallax layer rendering now completes within tighter timing windows, enabling additional sprite processing capacity during visually complex scenes.

Sprite System Refinements

Enemy behavior patterns received attention this month. The existing patrol logic produced predictable movement that experienced players could exploit. New path variation introduces subtle randomization while maintaining deterministic replay capability.

The pseudo-random variation seeds from enemy spawn frame, ensuring identical paths across playthroughs starting from the same game state. This preserves pattern-learning as a valid skill while preventing pure memorization from trivializing encounters.

Seawolves Status

Final compatibility verification continues across hardware variants. Testing identified a minor audio timing issue on certain SID chip revisions—the fix maintains correct behavior across all tested configurations without compromising audio quality.

Documentation preparation proceeds alongside technical work. The goal remains releasing a complete package requiring no post-launch patches or errata.

Technical Writing

Background work on technical articles continues, documenting techniques developed during active projects. Several articles are in draft state awaiting time for completion and publication. Sharing development knowledge benefits the community while clarifying understanding of implemented systems.

March Priorities

Complete Seawolves pre-release testing
Continue Parallaxian enemy AI refinements
Finalize at least one pending technical article

Development time remains constrained by other commitments, but steady progress accumulates. The discipline of monthly updates helps maintain momentum even when dramatic breakthroughs aren’t occurring.