Rob-Ball (C64)
A downloadable game
Latest Update: v1.2 (Check the Devlog for the new features!)
*** NEW: Version 1.1 with Paddle and 1351 Mouse support is now available! ***
Rob is back! After the success of Rob-Man, the journey continues with Rob-Ball, a high-octane brick-breaker that pushes your C64 to its limits. This isn't just another clone; it’s a fully polished, assembly-coded arcade experience.
Experience the ultimate Arkanoid-reimagining on the Commodore 64! Featuring smooth parallax scrolling, 24 randomized stages, and a unique "Coffee Break" help system.
What makes Rob-Ball unique?
- Parallax Backgrounds: Immerse yourself in the action with multi-layered, smooth-scrolling backgrounds that give the game a sense of depth never before seen in this genre on the C64.
- 24 Randomized Levels: Tired of the same old order? Rob-Ball shuffles all 24 stages every time you play, ensuring no two sessions are ever the same!
- Open Border HUD: We’ve opened the top and bottom borders using sprite-multiplexing to display your score, lives, and level, leaving the entire main screen dedicated to pure gameplay.
- Dynamic Physics: Feel every impact! The paddle reacts physically to the ball, and floating obstacles will test your reflexes to the max.
- The Coffee Break System: Need a breather? Hit the coffee key anytime for an interactive help screen with a steaming cup of coffee. When you're ready, jump right back exactly where you left off.
Technical Specifications:
100% 6502 Assembly code.
Optimized for PAL/NTSC.
Custom sound effects and high-speed gameplay.
Controls:
Keyboard orJoystick in Port 2.
Coffee key for Help/Coffee Break.
Support a solo indie developer and keep the C64 scene alive!
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $3.99 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Comments
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Great Game
Very nice!
Thank you so much for adding the paddle support! There are not enough paddle-compatible games these days.
Would you be willing to add a new option for version 1.2 to black out the background? A black backdrop would help to make the moving objects easier to see.
Thank you for your consideration!
Hi!
Thank you for the feedback! I’m glad you’re enjoying the new paddle support.
I've considered your suggestion regarding visibility and did some testing. Since the background consists of multicolor characters, besides the black base, I use two shared colors: Light Blue (14) and Light Grey (15).
I've tried replacing color 15 with darker shades. This makes the background graphics much less distracting while keeping the parallax effect intact. I've attached 4 screenshots of the tests:
What do you think? Which version makes the game easier to see for you? According to my plans, the chosen darkened mode might be included in the upcoming v1.2 update.
Thank you for your purchase and for supporting the project!
Best regards,
Robert
Thank you for your consideration.
It’s a shame one cannot on-demand swap-in the black base for the two shared colors and forego the parallax visual effect entirely (like on the right-hand side of the screen).
Of the four screenshots you shared, Image 3 looks to provide the best contrast: the white ball (which is the most crucial game element that the player must visually lock-in on) shows up reasonably against the darkest grey and red.
Nice!
Very successful and respectable "Arkanoid" clone with many innovative extras. Technically very impressive, but the lack of title and in-game music unfortunately prevents us from giving it our highest rating. A simultaneous 2-player mode would also have been very welcome. Our German-language review can be found at 00:29:37. English subtitles are also available. Subscription to our YouTube and Twitch channel is welcome. 🙂
Thank you for the detailed review and the kind words! I'm glad you found the game technically impressive—the project utilizes 100% of the available RAM to push the C64 to its limits, which is the main reason for the lack of in-game music. Since your video, I have released version 1.1 with several upgrades: 1351 Mouse support, a jitter filter for paddles, and a Parallax ON/OFF option. I’ve also refined the projectiles—with the right power-up, you can now shoot and destroy bricks! I have subscribed to your channel and will be following your work. Keep it up!
Thanks for featuring Rob-Boll on your channel!
Best regards,
Robert
Thank you so much for the feedback and the detailed explanation! The mouse support is truly excellent and further perfects the game. 😎 Regarding the missing music: perhaps there's the possibility of releasing a cartridge version to circumvent such RAM limitations. That would make the game practically perfect.
Thank you for the great idea! A cartridge version would indeed be excellent. To be honest, I'm more focused on assembly programming for Commodore systems (C64, C128, MEGA65) and I don't have much experience with the hardware/banking side of cartridges yet. I would definitely need some help or collaboration to make that happen. But it’s definitely something to think about for the future!
Thanks again for the support!
I created a video with all 24 levels, played with the mouse. The parallax scrolling distracted me a bit, so I disabled it. I can see you're a very talented coder. How about adding some in-game music for your next game? Either way, good work!
Wow, that was incredibly fast! I just watched your video, and it's great to see the 1351 Mouse support in action. I'm also glad the Parallax toggle ('X' key) came in handy for you right away!
Thank you for the compliment on my coding. About the music: you are right, it would be a great addition! For Rob-Ball, I pushed the C64 memory so far that I ended up with 0 bytes free, so a music player simply didn't fit. But for my next game, I will definitely make room for some SID tunes!
Thanks for the support and for sharing the gameplay video!
Thanks again. Happy gaming!
Best regards,
Robert
Hi! I sent you an email. Did you receive it?
Cannot get this to work, I'm using c64.emu on android, anyone have any ideas?
Nice Breakout game, have to play more with paddles. I added it to my video along with other games released in April.
Looks good! But i have two questions:
1. Is there are active Highscoresavingsystem?
2. Is it possible, to disable the backgroundparalaxscrolling?
/cheers
Hi!
Thank you for your feedback and for your interest in ROB-Ball!
Regarding the parallax effect: I've heard your concerns about motion, and I'm happy to announce that in the upcoming update, you will be able to toggle the parallax scrolling ON/OFF by pressing the 'P' key or via the main menu.
As for the high score saving: unfortunately, the game's code is already reaching the absolute limits of the Commodore 64's memory. To include the new Mouse and Paddle support, along with the optimization for the parallax toggle, I have to prioritize gameplay features over disk-saving routines. At this stage, adding a permanent high score table would require more RAM than what is currently available.
I hope you'll enjoy the new control options and the customizable background scrolling! Stay tuned for the update!
Best regards,
Hanyic Robert
Good news! In the upcoming v1.1 update (releasing today), I've added the option to toggle the parallax background ON/OFF with the 'X' key in the main menu. Thanks for the suggestion, it makes the game more accessible for everyone!
Does the game have High Score Saving support?
Instant buy if paddle support gets added!
Challenge accepted! :) I'm happy to announce that the v1.1 update is coming later today. It includes full 1351 Mouse and Paddle support. I've spent the morning testing it on my real C64 and C128 hardware to make sure it's pixel-perfect. I even had to optimize the code to the last byte to fit the new drivers in! Get your controllers ready!
Updating later today!
Great!
Paddle support in the future?
Yeah paddle support is most wanted!
and maybe mouse support (1351 and Amiga)?
Nice game!
Thank you for your purchase!
Have fun playing!
It doesn’t run on VICE… I just get a red screen.
In Vice Simulator, make sure the "Inject into RAM" option is checked in the Autostart settings.
Preferences / Settings / Host / Autostart:
Check "Inject into RAM"
and "Attach image LOAD and RUN"
Then, use the mouse to select the .prg file, and simply drop it onto VICE
Thank you for your purchase!
Have fun playing!
TOP!!! Thanks!!
Okay, perfect — it works!!
Update - nevermind - works in Denise
Looks great. Instant buy for me as an Arkanoid-fan. Hint: the 250 Blocks big PRG-file probably will not load on stock OS. Why not using a modern cruncher? With Exomizer I got the filesize down to 65 blocks.
Thank you for your purchase!
Have fun playing!
Technical Note for VICE & Real C64 Users:
Please avoid using traditional disk loading (.d64) for the .prg file, as the game utilizes almost the entire 64KB RAM (up to $FF4F). While compression (Exomizer) is possible, I do not recommend it due to potential memory conflicts with the decompression routines. For a flawless experience, please use the 'Inject to RAM' feature in VICE or load the .prg directly. This ensures all 133 sprites and complex IRQ routines initialize correctly without interference
Hmmm - it loads here,,, then only red screen (VICE)
In Vice Simulator, make sure the "Inject into RAM" option is checked in the Autostart settings.
Preferences / Settings / Host / Autostart:
Check "Inject into RAM"
and "Attach image LOAD and RUN"
Then, use the mouse to select the .prg file, and simply drop it onto VIC
Thank you for your purchase!
Have fun playing!
Ah yes, that helped with Vice. I had "Copy to disk" activated instead of "Inject into Ram". Thank you!
Nice Game btw!
Suggestions:
Just ideas, it is already good as it is!!
Hi! Thank you for these great suggestions. Here are my thoughts on them:
Thanks again for the constructive ideas, stay tuned for v1.1
Please write down your email address; I might send you the updated Rob-Man. I’ve removed the level start triggered by the joystick fire button, and the parallax scroll no longer stops when we aren't moving. For now, I’m curious to see how you like it. The full update isn’t finished yet (I haven't managed to get an original paddle yet).
Thanks,
Robert
Great news! I’ve implemented your suggestion in the v1.1 update (releasing today). Now, when you stop the paddle, the background doesn't freeze instantly; it keeps a slow, 2-pixel 'kinetic drift'. It looks much more natural and adds a great sense of motion to the game.
I had to be careful with the 2-pixel limit to keep the multi-color patterns stable, but it works perfectly. Thank you for helping me make the game better!