[Coco] CoCo 1/2 arrow keys versus CoCo 3 arrow keys

[Allen Huffman]

> On Jan 14, 2023, at 2:07 PM, RETRO Innovations via Coco <coco at maltedmedia.com> wrote:
> 
> It sounds like, though, the answer to my initial question is that games were written with the split movement config in mind, which makes it harder to play those games on a clustered setup.  I'd love more detail on that, as I'm not a gamer and examples would help.

I wouldn’t say that — games were just written to know there was UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT keys on the keyboard, and used them rather than WASD or some alternative.

But, multiplayer games, even at least one from Radio Shack, did use letter keys on the keyboard, as well.  (I am thinking of the Gauntlet clones, and Rampage, specifically.)

The TRS-80 Model I came out in 1977 with those arrow keys. I wonder what the inspiration for it was in 1977.

The Commodore PET was later that year, and while we had later models at my old high school (different style keyboard), I believe the PET still had the two keys for cursor controls so they wouldn’t have wanted to control games that way and must have gone with other keyboard keys.

Apple 2 was also 1977, and I seem to recall you could cursor around the screen with the ones we had in Junior High school (early 1980s). From a photo, I see what looks like left and right arrows on the right side of the keyboard, but I don’t recall how up and down was achieved.

So for personal computers of 1977, we had three different methods, it seems.

What came earlier than 1977? CoCo’s keyboard was just continuing the TRS-80 style.
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Allen Huffman - PO Box 7634 - Urbandale IA 50323 - 515-999-0227 (vmail/TXT only)
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