Perfect timing - Sharopolis just released a video [0] using this exact disassembly to mod Super Mario-style physics into the game.
He used Claude Code to 'vibe code' the assembly changes, leveraging the fact that the disassembly identifies about 2KB of unused memory. It’s a fascinating look at how LLMs can now navigate and modify 40-year-old Z80 assembly when provided with a well-documented codebase like this one.
The video sparked a lot of discussion in the comments, with some people being very upset he used AI for this.
Ah, this is delightful - as a life-long collector of old machines, having kept every computer I've used personally/professionally since 1978, the Speccie is one of the greatest ways to spend an afternoon - and even though there are a huge, huge number of other titles, Manic Miner is still a top 5 favorite in the playlist.
The disassembly is particularly nice to read, such as the sprite-drawing routine:
Curious that there are snippets of the original project source code still embedded in the 'dead' memory space of the Manic Miner binary .. I find myself wondering if this could be the basis of a ML-driven rewrite into the original source form, as a kind of archaic protogenesis .. but, anyway, still a curio:
Perfect timing - Sharopolis just released a video [0] using this exact disassembly to mod Super Mario-style physics into the game.
He used Claude Code to 'vibe code' the assembly changes, leveraging the fact that the disassembly identifies about 2KB of unused memory. It’s a fascinating look at how LLMs can now navigate and modify 40-year-old Z80 assembly when provided with a well-documented codebase like this one.
The video sparked a lot of discussion in the comments, with some people being very upset he used AI for this.
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxxNgZgd88I"
I've played Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy countless times back in those days. Very fun to read it completely disassembled. Thank you.
Ah, this is delightful - as a life-long collector of old machines, having kept every computer I've used personally/professionally since 1978, the Speccie is one of the greatest ways to spend an afternoon - and even though there are a huge, huge number of other titles, Manic Miner is still a top 5 favorite in the playlist.
The disassembly is particularly nice to read, such as the sprite-drawing routine:
https://skoolkit.ca/disassemblies/manic_miner/asm/36852.html
Curious that there are snippets of the original project source code still embedded in the 'dead' memory space of the Manic Miner binary .. I find myself wondering if this could be the basis of a ML-driven rewrite into the original source form, as a kind of archaic protogenesis .. but, anyway, still a curio:
https://skoolkit.ca/disassemblies/manic_miner/asm/37708.html
Indeed, for anyone with a new or old interest in assembly language, of any competency, this disassembly is a delightful read ..
oh dear god. i can port this to VR now... Claude!