Spare Change
| Spare Change | ||
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| Game No. | 532 | |
| Voting | 6.60 points, 5 votes | |
| Developer | Dam Zeller, Mike Zeller, Steven Ohmert | |
| Company | Brøderbund | |
| Publisher | Brøderbund | |
| Release | 1983 | |
| Platform | Apple II, Atari 400/800, C64 | |
| Genre | Arcade | |
| Gamemode | Single player | |
| Operation |   
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| Media | 
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| Language | 
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Description[edit | edit source]
In the game "Spare Change", the player collects coins from various machines in an arcade and stores them in a central depot. At the same time, they must defend themselves against two "Zerks", characters who have escaped from a slot machine and are now trying to steal coins and collect them in their piggy bank. If the player manages to save at least 10 coins and deposit them in the depot, the Zerks lose their savings and must try their luck again in the next round. However, if the Zerks manage to steal 5 coins in a row and put them in their piggy bank, they can retire and the game ends.
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Backstory[edit | edit source]
In an arcade, two game characters called "Zerks" have escaped from their machine. They now plan to steal enough coins and put them in their piggy bank to enjoy a carefree retirement. While the arcade owner, controlled by the player, tries to exchange cash from a safe into coins via a cash register and collect them in a central vault, he must also fend off the thieving Zerks — because as soon as they have collected 5 coins in their piggy bank, they can retire and the game is over. If, however, the player manages to save 10 or more coins and return them to the central depot, the "Zerk Show" opens its doors; the Zerks must abandon their savings and may even have to perform a short play. A new round then begins in the competition between the arcade owner and the Zerks.
Design[edit | edit source]
The game takes place on a 280 x 176 pixel grid, within which both the player-controlled character and the opposing Zerks move along a grid of perpendicular paths. Specifically, the arcade owner always moves horizontally or vertically within this grid from one intersection to the next and cannot stop on the connecting path, even if the player only briefly moves the joystick.
Both the player-controlled character and the two opposing Zerks are very small and move rather hectically and jerkily; furthermore, the Zerks are displayed as individual multicolor sprites and therefore only have a resolution of 12x16 pixels (where each pixel consists of two horizontally adjacent screen pixels). This rather meager rendering is, however, compensated for by the remarkable independent spirit these scoundrels develop: If the arcade owner snatches their loot back, they fly into a rage and stamp their feet in fury; they throw or kick the stolen coins toward their piggy bank; from time to time, they collide and then have to sit down, dazed; and when cornered by the player, they occasionally secure their loot by tossing it to each other.
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Graphics[edit | edit source]
The screen display is in multicolor text mode (video RAM at address $0400), with the screen switching between different character sets in different sections. During gameplay, the character set for grid lines 0-38 is located at address $3800, for grid lines 39-132 at address $3000, and for grid lines 133-199 at address $2800. When the "Zerk Control Panel" is displayed, the character set for grid lines 0-94 and 159-199 is located at address $3000, and the character set for the area in between is located at address $2800. Switching between the different character sets is done via raster line interrupts.
Sound[edit | edit source]
Numerous short sound sequences underscore the events of the game. As soon as the arcade owner distracts the Zerks by starting the jukebox, one of four longer, two-part musical pieces also plays (see section "Theme").
Hints[edit | edit source]
The goal of each round is to, as the owner of an arcade, deposit at least 10, ideally up to 18, coins in a central depot and then complete the round by entering the "Zerk Show", which has opened in the meantime. The coins collected in the depot are then converted into points. If there are 10 or more coins in the depot, the player receives a bonus for each coin in the top compartment (i.e., for the amount exceeding 9 coins), which is displayed at the bottom of the screen as a money bag. If the player has collected a total of 9 such money bags within one or more rounds, the level ends, and the player is rewarded with a short sketch performance in the "Zerk Show".
The coins must be collected individually from a total of four coin machines and brought to the depot. Each of these coin machines contains a total of 8 coins at the beginning of the round. The player can take the first two coins directly from each machine; Two more coins are made available each time the player takes a dollar bill from a cash register in the upper right corner of the screen and inserts it into the coin slot machine. If the player inserts a fourth dollar bill into a machine after already taking all eight coins, the word "Out" appears in the dispensing slot; the dollar bill is lost in this case.
Alternatively, some levels also feature a slot machine that can be fed with dollar bills, from which the coins fall directly into the depot if the player wins (see the middle animation in the gallery in the "Description" section).
The cash register starts each round with 10 bills. If this supply is depleted, the player can take a bag containing another 10 dollar bills from a safe in the upper left corner and refill the cash register.
While doing this, the player must fend off two "Zerks"; These are game characters that have escaped from slot machines and are now trying to steal a total of 5 coins and put them in their piggy bank. Once a total of 5 coins have been collected in this piggy bank, shown in the bottom right corner, the Zerks can retire and the game ends.
The player must therefore constantly be vigilant in preventing the Zerks from stealing coins. Fortunately, the Zerks can be easily distracted for a while — by the player inserting a coin into the jukebox provided at the bottom of the screen, allowing the Zerks to dance to the music, and in some rounds also by the player inserting a coin into one of two telephones, encouraging the Zerks to make a phone call, or by starting a popcorn machine, around which the Zerks then stand admiringly.
 The jukebox invites you to dance |
 What could be more interesting than a popcorn machine in action? |
 A temptingly ringing telephone |
Alternatively, you can also steal coins already stolen from the Zerks, provided the player-controlled character isn't currently carrying any coins or dollar bills. To do this, simply catch up with the thieving Zerk and touch him.
The Zerks are eager to get their loot to safety as quickly as possible. When they get close enough to the piggy bank, they throw or kick the coin towards it. If the player-controlled arcade owner cuts off a Zerk's path to retrieve a stolen coin, the culprit might throw his loot to the second Zerk, thus preventing the arcade owner from getting hold of it.
Screen Layout[edit | edit source]
Controls[edit | edit source]
Before the game starts, the player can select the attributes of their enemies on a "Zerk Control Panel." The panel loads and starts after pressing the F1 key (see animation on the right); this is also possible after the game has started, but will then interrupt the current game. As described in the text in the lower half of the screen, the SPACE key can be used to switch between the individual display elements. Moving the joystick left or right adjusts the currently selected parameter. Pressing the ENTER key returns to the game. A small animation below the sliders illustrates the meaning of the currently adjustable parameter.
Pressing the fire button on the joystick starts the game. Control is achieved solely by moving the joystick up, down, left, or right; the fire button and keyboard have no effect on controlling the character. The character moves back and forth within an invisible grid along fixed paths between a small number of possible locations (image on the left). Even if the joystick is only briefly moved to the right, for example, the character will move to the grid point to the right, which is colored purple in this image; only then is the joystick checked again and can trigger the next movement.
Between two consecutive levels, the "Zerk Show" presents one of ten short, humorous performances, after which the next level starts automatically. Levels divisible by 4 are an exception: Here, the player is offered a selection of four performances, from which they can choose one and view it by pressing the SPACE key. Alternatively, he can continue the game by pressing the ENTER key.
After the game ends, the player can enter his initials (a total of three alphanumeric characters) in the high score list and press the ENTER key to complete the entry, provided he has placed. Attempting to correct an incorrect entry using the DELETE key will fill the name with the letter "T", and using the spacebar will fill it with spaces; therefore, neither is advisable.
Tips[edit | edit source]
- The jukebox melodies vary in length (see section "Theme"). By memorizing the music tracks and their approximate durations, one can estimate which actions can be performed undisturbed before the music ends and the Zerks begin stealing coins again.
- If you quickly remove the first two coins from each coin-operated machine and then focus on only one machine at a time until it is empty, the Zerks' attacks are limited to just two targets (the current coin-operated machine and the depot) and are therefore easier to defend against.
- If you are less concerned with reaching higher levels and primarily want to maximize your score, it is recommended to collect exactly 10 coins in the depot each round, then wait until one of the Zerks steals another coin from the depot, and then go to the Zerk Show as quickly as possible. This way, you receive no bonus, remain permanently on the easy first level, and can accumulate points indefinitely.
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Solution[edit | edit source]
In the early levels, "Spare Change" can be played easily by constantly keeping the jukebox running. The situation where the machine stops accepting coins only occurs if there is an alternative distraction for the Zerks — a pair of payphones or a popcorn machine. The strategy at this stage is to start the jukebox at the beginning of each round and be ready with the next coin before each song ends to restart it.
In higher levels, however, the jukebox stops working after only a few songs. The key here is to anticipate the Zerks' behavior and position yourself so that your character can cut them off and reclaim their loot. This strategy can be practiced even in the early levels by consciously avoiding the jukebox and other distractions.
For those players who heed this advice and still fail in the early rounds, the following gallery shows the cartoons that appear in the "Zerk Show" upon successful completion of each level:
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Cheats[edit | edit source]
There are currently no known cheats.
Votes[edit | edit source]
| Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote): | ||
| 6.60 points at 5 votes (rank 644). You need to be logged in to cast a vote. | ||
| Lemon64 | 7,27 | December 19, 2023 - 15 votes |
| Rombachs C64-Spieleführer | 10 | September 1984 - "Verdict 1" |
Critics[edit | edit source]
Stephan64: "The design of Spare Change is a great achievement — especially considering its release year of 1983 — and the diverse and independent lives of the cheeky Zerks are unparalleled. However, the fun of playing has been lost: Following the same pattern (distracting the Zerks with the jukebox, refilling the machines, hauling coins, distracting the Zerks...), the player slogs through level after level until the jukebox eventually breaks down and the Zerks can exploit their numerical superiority. Therefore, 5 points for a pretty game that unfortunately becomes boring after a short time."
Rombachs C64-Spieleführer: "Spare Change is imaginatively designed and has a lot of wit. A successful game in all aspects (Rating 1)." [1]
Miscellaneous[edit | edit source]
Cover[edit | edit source]
Disc[edit | edit source]
Retail price[edit | edit source]
The game had a retail price of around $35.[2][3] (approximately €100 in today's purchasing power) and thus was relatively expensive, and also required a floppy disk drive, so it was probably not very widespread.
Theme[edit | edit source]
As soon as the arcade owner inserts a coin into the jukebox, one of four two-part melodies plays (see the following gallery). Since the sound of these musical pieces distracts the thieving Zerks, the longer the pieces are, the more useful they are for the gameplay. The first melody in the following gallery plays for about 42 seconds, but unfortunately, the jukebox only plays it the first time it is turned on. The second and third pieces last just over 20 seconds, and the fourth just over 30 seconds.
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Interestingly, the short sound sequences that underscore events in the game can also be captured using musical notation. For example, when the curtain opens in the Zerk Theater, a chromatic scale spanning two and a half octaves is played, and even the telephone rings in C major and in 4/4 time. The frequency parameters for the SID registers are taken from the user manual for the NTSC version of the Commodore 64.
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For creative reuse, the sheet music for all jukebox melodies and all sound effects is also available as a PDF document (File:SpareChange Theme PDF.pdf) and in ABC musical notation (File:SpareChange Theme.abc.txt).
Video Recording[edit | edit source]
Video of the first levels with commentary
Bugs[edit | edit source]
Although it is relatively easy to achieve scores of several hundred thousand points, the game only uses 6 digits for the score (internally stored at address $0034..$0036 in BCD format, most significant byte first). Once the player reaches or exceeds one million points, the count resets to 0. The high score ranking does not indicate that an overflow has occurred.
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Highscore[edit | edit source]
The following list invites you to immortalize yourself with your highest score. The list is sorted in descending order by score achieved; the level reached only affects the ranking in the case of a tie. For comparability, the Zerk behavior should be set to the default settings and not modified via the Zerk Control Panel.
Unfortunately, a high score does not necessarily indicate outstanding strategic skills in the fight against the Zerks, but may simply indicate exceptional perseverance (see the last point in the section "Tips") — but this quality of the player should also be acknowledged here.
- Stephan64 - 493.350 - 13 (29.12.2023)
- Ivanpaduano - 195.990 - 5 (16.02.2024)
- Nobody - 0 (tt.mm.jjjj)
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| #2 Ivanpaduano | #3 Nobody |
Links[edit | edit source]
- C64Games.de - Game No. 2654
- Gamebase64.com - Game No. 7141
- CSDb
- Lemon64 - Game No. 2399
- ready64 - Game No. 4412
- Spare Change at MobyGames
- Magazine
- Ahoy! test report (p. 49)
- Antic test report (p. 57)
- Compute! Gazette test report (pp. 108)
- Computer Gaming World test report (p. 24)
- Creative Computing test report (pp. 114)
- Electronic Fun with Computers and Games test report (p. 27)
- Electronic Games Review (p. 30) Review (p. 67) Test report (p. 44)
- Games test report (p. 57)
- Softline test report (p. 17)
- Softalk test report (pp. 179)
