Today, in the video, we talk about gaming, with games KikStart and KikStart II (KikStart 2) for Commodore 64!
KikStart and KikStart II are two motocross games. It is possible to play alone or with two players. Although many write these two games as KickStart and KickStart 2, in fact the correct names are KikStart and KikStart II (without the "c").
To load these two video games, you can use: the Commodore 1541 floppy disk drive, the SD2IEC emulator (also with Epyx FastLoad to speed up loading) and even the Kung Fu Flash interface. They also work with PC emulators, such as the VICE and the CCS64. Both video games are available for download at the bottom of this page, in a D64 virtual disc and also in PRG "single file" format.
Beware, however, with Kung Fu Flash (up to version 1.19), I was unable to save the tracks. For this I suggest using tape, floppy or SD2IEC to save your own custom tracks.
KikStart, motocross videogame for Commodore 64 from 1985
KickStart came out in 1985 and was programmed by Shaun Southern of the British company Mr. Chip Software.
It is possible to play alone or with two players. Unfortunately, you cannot play against the computer: when playing alone, the second track remains empty. Thankfully, this gap was filled with the subsequent KikStart II.
In fact, I was unable to appreciate this first version of the game. It is very difficult to get to the end of the track! On the contrary, I really appreciate KikStart II.
KikStart II, second version of the 1987 video game
Thankfully, Shaun Southern continued to improve on this motocross video game and, in 1987, a much better performing version came out.
It is possible to play against the computer and the motorcycle is much more manageable. In short, the video game has improved a lot!
You can see this both from the cover and from the home screen, where many options are available.
From the icons on the left (those under the red arrow, in the previous image), you can:
- start the challenge with 5 races;
- consult the table of the best times;
- create and edit tracks;
- play with 1 or 2 players;
- change the name of the players.
You move between the icons with the cursor arrows (bottom and right). To confirm, press RETURN.
The five letters at the bottom center (those under the green arrow, so to speak), are the 5 tracks that make up the race. It is possible to change them simply by pressing the keys on the keyboard (from A to X, with Z clue to case).
Below the blue arrow, there are the names of the players, which can be customized.
KikStart II is really a lot of fun!
KikStart II, build your own custom tracks
The KikStart II videogame also allows you to create your own custom tracks. To build a track, you need to go to the third icon on the home screen.
Dopo essere entrati nella sezione di personalizzazione, è possibile muoversi a sinistra e a destra della pista tramite i tasti < e > (minor and greater). You can choose an obstacle, among those indicated below, by pressing the respective letter on the keyboard. Of some obstacles, the size must also be specified.
Through the icon i you can view the previous two screens, which list the obstacles. Using the icon of scissors, it is possible to create a new track or modify an existing one.
You have to complete the path by inserting the desired obstacles. After choosing the obstacle (with the letters on the keyboard) and the size (if required), the icon with the foot to insert it into the track.
If you have entered the wrong obstacle by mistake, you can press – (less) to delete sections of the track. With + (more), pieces of empty track are inserted, obviously where the cursor is.
Once you have finished drawing the track, you can replace the track in place of one of the predefined ones. The icon indicated with the red arrow in the following image is used.
In addition to specifying the letter that marks the track (from A a X), it is necessary to indicate whether the slope is day (day), night (night) or with snow (snow). After indicating the name of your track, you must confirm by typing 1.
To save or load the items we have created (the whole set of tracks, actually), use the icons under the red (save) and green (load) arrows in the following image.
As I said at the beginning of the article, I was unable to save the set of custom tracks on Kung Fu Flash (I tried with version 1.19, which already supports writing). For this I suggest using a disk or SD2IEC to load the game, if you want to customize the tracks.
Download KikStart and KikStart II
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here is the DISK in D64 format (compressed in ZIP) which includes both video games: KikStart and KikStart II. Inside the same ZIP file there are also two PRG files, which allow you to start video games even without going through the virtual disk.
For those who do not remember how to copy a PRG from SD2IEC to floppy disk, directly on the Commodore 64, here is the video.
Credits: in the video tutorial, the SID music are those of KikStart and KikStart II.
Very amazing game
Thank you!