All news entries:
(links may be preserved past the lifetime of their targets)
12/14/09: HCS Web Site
Hmm, never updated the old page, the current site is hcs64.com
06/05/06: HCS Web Site
We're currently located here
09/29/05: temporary
halleyscometsoftware.com is temporarily down. You can get 64th Note 0.09 or 64th Note v1.0 beta 16 here until it's back up. I don't have the bandwidth to mirror the USF sets, though.
04/17/05: halleyscometsoftware.com
I'm gradually moving operations over to my new domain.
So far I've got the most "active" stuff, USF Central and the guestbook moved over, the rest of this site will eventually follow.
03/27/05: While I'm being random...
I suck at music.
03/27/05: Comedy at its Finest
float doctor museum office cactus wiffle not broken magic everything cordless boomerang date prankster godmother drivethru horse mole greek predicament parched scar blind pig student fire power tattoo lightbulb wig rabbits city resue origin
02/13/05: 10,000 downloads for 64th Note
According to the download page for 64th Note on winamp.com it's been downloaded 10,000 times! Of course that doesn't count the hits here and on ZD, so it's still higher!
02/08/05: Something interesting...
It looks like someone has ported 64th Note to BeOS.
I managed to test it through a PC emulator and it does in fact seem to work. I'd like to actually have BeOS natively installed to see it run in real-time, though.
Here's a picture
01/23/05: A Touch o' USF News
It has been discovered that Conker's Bad Fur Day uses the "standard" N64 audio driver, which should make it realtively easy to rip. Just a heads up for those who have been looking forward to it, it may be in progress soon.
01/07/05: ズール～魔獣使い伝説～ (Zool: Majou Tsukai Densetsu) USF released
You've probably never heard of this game, but it has a great soundtrack, IMHO. I've tried for a while to figure out who composed it, but neither Imagineer nor PANDORA BOX, nor the rest of the internet, had any information. If anyone can get me the composer's name it'll ease my mind; I hate leaving this unattributed.
Get the set on the USF page, as usual.
11/08/04: Now Playing...
Just wanted to test out the Winamp plugin I wrote:
11/01/04: 64th Note v0.08
This should be the last 64th Note update in a while Nothing terribly exciting, but the better memory usage lets it run on some computers where it couldn't before.
10/15/04: 64th Note v0.07
Why you should care:
10/10/04: 64th Note v0.06
A new version of 64th Note is ready for you...
New features:
10/04/04: 64th Note v0.05
(New) Features:
09/30/04: 64th Note v0.04
Another update, this time with super-spiffiness:
09/27/04: Pyramid Scheme
For those of you who don't know FreeiPods.com will in fact send you a free iPod if you make them some money with their advertisements. I figure I might as well give this a try considering the traffic this site is getting, if you click the above link and sign up it'll help me out...
09/26/04: All-around USF update
I've updated all USF sets to reflect some bugs which were pointed out:
09/25/04: 64th Note v0.03
The new version of 64th Note includes support for more RAM as will be needed for the upcoming Majora's Mask USF set and also fixes some bugs when switching from the recompiler to the interpreter (if you had problems with Pilot Wings crashing this will probably fix it).
09/22/04: F-Zero X
I've completed the F-Zero X USF rip (only 20 tracks but a whopping 9 MB!). To run it you'll need the new version of 64th Note, v0.02, which comes with a few fixes and an installer!
09/17/04: Fix the 3rd
All tracks in Ocarina of Time are now timed, including the little bits of Hyrule Field.
09/17/04: Another dumb mistake
Forgot fading on two Super Mario 64 tracks (Slider and Koopa's Road).
09/16/04: Oops
I'd like to apologise for using the wrong set of titles for the Zelda USF rip and for not crediting the person who made these more accurate titles (and timings) possible. That is now fixed.

Thank you mouser_x!
09/16/04: USF, etc.
I've placed "complete" versions of the three USF sets I've done so far on USF Central, as well as a new version of 64th Note, fixing many a bug. This supports the new finalized version of the USF format which is fully compliant with the PSF standard. Source for everything is also available.
I consider this the first official release, so feel free to spread the news.
07/28/04: NSFE, NotSo Fatso, Elite
In case you are using any NSF (NES Sound Format) player other than Disch's NotSo Fatso, go get it now. Besides great audio quality and accuracy it is the only player I know of to support the NSFE extension to the NSF format, which includes tagging information for the tracks (such as title and timing). He has a large archive of NSFE sets with full tags for your listening pleasure.
I bring this up because I just tagged Memblers' NSF rip of Elite (4 tracks, not a huge task), which contains the best rendition of Blue Danube on the NES.
07/09/04: Emergency announcement.
I have just been informed that I have not posted an update in exactly one month. I'd like to thank the individual who brought this pressing matter to my attention.
06/09/04: Senior Project Video
For our senior project Utpal Sandesara and I worked on a simulation of cloud formation. I have put a video of our results, rendered in POV-Ray, online.
cloud.avi 10 MB uncompressed AVI
Source may follow, but it isn't much to brag about.
06/02/04: Neon64 v1.2a
A slight bug fix will prevent random crashing in some games. Wizards & Warriors is also fixed.
Now also includes full easy-to-assemble source.
Get your copy today!
05/21/04: My apologies...
I formerly had a version of CGI Proxy available here, but apparently this was too intensive on the server and so my account was disabled. I've removed the proxy and my host has been kind enough to grant me another chance.
04/10/04: Nintendo 64 Sound Format
I present USF, an emulated N64 sound format, similar to NSF or PSF. Nothing is in a final stage yet, but I thought it was time for some public information.
02/23/04: Escape from Pong in Debian
Escape from Pong has wound up, of all places, in Debian GNU/Linux!
http://packages.debian.org/unstable/games/efp
Thanks to Joe Nahmias for doing the legwork in getting this approved and added. This includes a new version of the source which Joe and I wrote, for assembly with the open source XA65 assembler.
02/04/04: Neon64 v1.2 released
Neon64 v1.2 is released, with mostly speed increases but a few bug fixes as well. Additionally you can now use the Gameshark version with the PAL version of Super Mario 64. Sound mixing is more accurate. Source will be out in a little while...
GET IT!
12/30/03: Neon64 v1.1 Released
Get It!
This will probably be the last release for a while, there's not much more I can do with it. I'll have the source code released soon.
12/18/03: Blast from the Past
I recently ran across, entirely by accident, a project I had once started which was to use genetic algorithms to write programs, specifically to simulate sound waves. It never went anywhere, but apparently I set up an account for it on sourceforge. I don't plan to revive it or anything, but its interesting to know that there's some record of it out there.
12/09/03: CD64 User Wanted!
I need the help of someone with a CD64 to help me test a feature in the new version of Neon64.
12/07/03: MetroidMetal.com
MetroidMetal.com has added a new track!

Why do I announce this here? Because I have that kind of power! Bwa ha ha!
11/30/03: The Neon64 Request Show
I'm going to stop work on Neon64 after the release of the next version. If there are any games unsupported in the current version that you want, let me know (see the Neon64 page for details.)
10/28/03: MiniGame 2003 Compo Results!
The results of the 2003 MiniGame Compo are in. Escape from Pong did better than some, 37th out of 63 (41st percentile). Check out some of the higher ranked games, most are very worth your time!
10/10/03: A possibility . . .
I am investigating the possibility of writing a PSF player for the N64. I've written a short explanation of why this is possible here, but I don't really know anything concrete yet.
08/29/03: MiniGame Update
My NES game, Escape from Pong, is now on the ballot of the MiniGame Compo. Please give the site a look and vote for me!
08/26/03: QLabs updated again
I updated my brother's website, QLabs, again. There's a new layout with frames and some PHP, and a comic that's actually funny.
08/22/03: MiniGame 2003 Compo
There's a contest going on to see who can fit the best game into 1K or 4K. The MiniGame 2003 Compo has apparently been going on for two years and accepts program written for various 80s 8-bit systems. I'm currently working on a 1K NES game to submit. Submission ends September 29 for those who are interested.
Thanks to Memblers for annoucing this on Nesdev.
08/01/03: Neon64 Gameshark Version Released
I've released a version of Neon64 that can be run on the Gameshark. Full details on how to get it working are included in the archive. You heard it here first!
07/22/03: MetroidMetal.com
Since I seem to be unable to add links to my bookmarks I shall use the power of my 2 cent news engine to tell you of MetroidMetal.com.
Its got two (three, if you sign up for the mailing list) tracks from Metroid rearranged as metal, and he plans to do the entire soundtrack. Since this happens to be some of my favorite game music and he's done a really great job with it I recommend you check it out!
07/19/03: AP Scores...
My AP scores finally came in the mail. As expected I've now got three new 5s (Computer Science AB, Calculus BC, Physics C Mechanics) to accompany the three I already had (Biology, Chemistry, Statistics). For those unfamiliar with the system, 5 is the maximum score an an Advanced Placement test.
Yeah, it's got nothing to do with HCS, but I thought I'd post it anyway.
07/08/03: QLabs
I just finished setting up the framework for my brother's web site, QLabs. Check it out.
07/05/03: Neon64 v1.0 Released
One full year in the making, here's a public release of the latest NES emulator for the N64!
06/24/03: Neon64 sound working
I've been able to get Neon64 to run at nearly full speed (frame skipping is implemented, of course) with pretty solid sound. Yippie!
06/11/03: NESID released
Not much, no great feat of programming, but here it is anyway. I wrote a short program to read info from the iNES header of NES ROMs. It includes source and some batch files to scan a bunch of roms and sort them into directories by mapper #.
05/14/03: N64 "Starter Kit"
I wrote this a while ago as a demo for my assembler, but I'm only now making it public (upon request). This one zip file contains all you need to make an N64 ROM image, as well as enough comments to aid in the understanding of its workings.
It displays the value of the signal from the controller (which buttons are pressed), and you can move it around the screen. The text blitter runs entirely on the RSP.
You can get it on the N64 Stuff page
05/02/03: AdamTV, etc.
In my younger days I thought I was quite funny. I recently unearthed some old flash movies I'd made.
I also put some new stuff on the N64 stuff page, since I just learned that it's linked to from Nintendo 64 Tech.
On the subject of linking, the Phantom CubeBox 2-Cow page has been getting a lot of hits since some news on the Phantom turned up.
04/21/03: Guestbook
Yes, once again I have a guestbook. My brother asked me if I had one, so I made one. You should all sign it.
04/16/03: For your education and entertainment
A brief play...
04/01/03: No April Fool's Joke
I wanted to make up some elaborate hoax, like saying I'm dropping Neon64 to work on an SNES emulator, but then I realized it wouldn't be funny anyway.
03/28/03: A little downtime
For a few days hcs.freeshell.org didn't exist, as SDF went down for relocation and I never remade the subdomain. It came back online at 10 PM today.
03/24/03: Nemu64 0.8 released!
After it sat around for a few years, LaC and lemmy finally decided to release Nemu64 v0.8! The site says this happened 3/3/03, but I just heard about it today.
02/27/03: Neon64 Running SMB at 110%!
I finally got those optimizations in and Super Mario Brothers runs at greater than full speed! Check it out on the Neon64 page.
02/17/03: Computer photos added
On the Computers page I put up images of all of my computers. Because I felt like it.
02/17/03: E-mail address fixed
I had a stupid error on the contacts page, I left out the mailto before my email address. To anyone this may have confused, sorry.
02/17/03: Bad Joke
If I had a Game Boy I would call it "Riding the Gravy Train", after a line from Pink Floyd's Have A Cigar (on Wish You Were Here).
You know "And did we tell you the name of the Game Boy/we call it Riding the Gravy Train".
02/11/03: News System in Place
The conversion was finished a while ago, but now I finally have everything automated.
02/05/03: SDF Back Up
Our server, SDF, has found a new home. Hooray!
01/23/03: Phantom CubeBox 2-Cow
Some guy walked up to me on the street, handed me a floppy disk, and told me to put the contents on the Internet. And so I did.
01/17/03: PV Backup Link Updated
Valery's PV Backup site, which contains pinouts for N64 cartidges, has moved to Sourceforge at http://gamesys.sourceforge.net, so I updated the link that I had on the Univeral Boot Cart page.
01/02/03: ZD Back up
Zophar's Domain is now under new management, with a bright future stretching out before it.
12/09/02: New News System
Currently converting old news into new database format.
12/09/02: New News System
Still in development...
11/20/02:
I got Tempest back, expect Neon64 development to resume.
11/11/02:
Not my news, but Dextrose is back online, in a new and improved form!
11/03/02:
At 12:00 this morning the Halley's Comet Software website entered a new phase of its life on the sdf public access UNIX system.
09/25/02:
Site relocated due to temporary PHP problems at worman.net.
09/19/02:
Chances are this is somewhere on the internet already, but I've never seen it.
There's a cool transition in the Zelda 64 Beta Quest when you enter Lake Hylia, a spinning Triforce that shrinks and takes the screen with it. To my knowledge this was never used in the normal game.
Triforce Transition Video (74KB MPEG1 Video)
06/10/02:
worman.net is down, so I've relocated the site.
05/16/02:
Got a new server (thanks Tom!), currently in the process of setting everything up over here now.
03/07/02:
Added a new logo that actually has a comet in it. The old one is at the botton of the page if anyone cares.
03/02/02:
Parodius.com went back up a few days ago, so the link to 64Scener has been restored.
02/12/02:
The Super Fighter N64 Demo and the Christmas/New Year's Flame Demo were featured on Dextrose today.
02/08/02:
Created the downloads page, added AYB, 4D grapher, PC Flame Demo, Lava Lamp, Escape from TOOSMALL, Super Fighter Demo, and Speed Demo.
Updated Neon64 compatability list slightly.
02/06/02:
The Super Fighter N64 Demo was featured on Zophar's Domain
02/05/02:
The Super Fighter N64 Demo was featured on Superfighter.com
12/25/01:
Merry Christmas!
Added the Christmas/New Year Flame Demo.
11/26/01:
Added some more programs that had been lying around: Landscape Generator, Spherecizer 2001, and the HCS logo demo.
Fixed some spelling errors.
11/19/01:
Excitebike comparison page added.
11/15/01:
Added Ice Climber, Space Invaders, and Spy Hunter screenshots.
11/13/01:
Added Destination Earthstar and Baseball screenshots.
Cleaned up and updated a few things.
11/12/01:
Took screenshots of Donkey Kong running in Neon64.
Neon64 has been shown to work on a Z64 backup unit!
Made a cool new Neon64 logo.
11/07/01:
Added some more Neon64 screenshots
11/06/01:
Now the links should work with Netscape, a large scale syntax lapse was detected and repaired.
11/05/01:
Chemical Formula Mass Calculator added to the site.
11/02/01:
Neon64 was featured on Zophar's Domain, the net's most comprehensive emulation archive, today.
10/29/01:
Neon64 was featured on Dextrose, the home of N64 development on the net, today.
Neon64 was featured on 64Scener today.
10/27/01:
Public Beta 1 v2 of Neon64 released
Made some changes to the distribution but not to the program itself.
Added PiNimation to the site.
10/23/01:
888 Byte Mandelbrot plotter added to the site.
10/18/01:
Public Beta 1 of Neon64 has been released!
10/11/01:
This site began operation.
01/01/95:
Halley's Comet Software was first named at a rented house on LBI
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