C64 Dev Machine: Nodes Instead of Notepad — 6502 for the Scene
...because the C64 isn't done yet.
The demoscene and the C64 — that's not nostalgia, that's active research. New effects, new tricks, new releases every year. And now: a new tool. C64 Dev Machine by Polytricity brings a node-based editor for 6502 Assembly — every opcode as a visual block, freely arranged in a 2D workspace.
Feels unusual if you grew up with KickAssembler or CBM prg Studio. But the approach has something: Org-blocks for re-addressed code segments, Mapping-Boxes to keep IRQ, player and game logic cleanly separated, direct asset integration for SID tunes, sprites and bitmaps — and F5 fires up the VICE emulator. Sprite editor SPRED64 is now built right in.
The tool has been in rapid-release mode since early March, almost daily updates. Still Windows-only, still no full docs — but $4.99 with a free demo. Whether it replaces the classic text-editor workflow is for everyone to decide. As an entry point into the low-level world of the C64, it's pretty interesting.
C64_Universe