What do you think?
Rate this book
24 tested, ready-to-run game programs in Basic
Fun and games programs-most including specific adaptations for the TRO-80 & PET home computers
251 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1978
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 4, 2019
This book uses a wide definition of games, including a program for determining the “ampular and vertical displacements” of a ship in the water based on its hull parameters.
The games it does include, however, are fascinating; it has a variation of the oldest of old-school game “Hunt the Wumpus”. And it has several space games, including a variation on the then ubiquitous Star Trek game. But its version is fantastically different. Instead of graphs and calculations of distance and direction, it turns the player’s choices into a script:
“Ken” is the name that the player chose for the Captain of the Prometheus; in this case, the author’s name, since the author is providing the sample runs. The player types only the parts between square brackets, and the rest is generated by the game.
Another fascinating aspect of the book is that while the games are written in generic BASIC code for all computers, there is an entire section in the back with improved versions of selected games for the TRS-80 Model I, with a passing reference to the Commodore PET. With a first printing in November 1978, there were several other computers available, but these were what they considered the popular ones.
The big problem with this book is that the programs appear to have been poorly photocopied from different formats. Some use tiny text, many have fading ink. Even with reading glasses, ink that isn’t there doesn’t show up. I had to guess at some of the variable names and operators based on what I knew about what it was attempting to do, and since this is BASIC it is usually not obvious what any particular line is attempting to do.
The games it does include, however, are fascinating; it has a variation of the oldest of old-school game “Hunt the Wumpus”. And it has several space games, including a variation on the then ubiquitous Star Trek game. But its version is fantastically different. Instead of graphs and calculations of distance and direction, it turns the player’s choices into a script:
KEN: CAPTAIN'S LOG, STAR DATE 517.647 . WE ARE PRESENTLY ON COURSE FOR BETEGEUSE 7 TO RESCUE MINERS UNDER THE ATTACK BY OUTSIDER BATTLE CRUISERS.
SULU: SIR. I’M PICKING UP A VESSEL ON AN ATTACK VECTOR WITH THE PROMETHEUS.
SPOCK: SHIP’S COMPUTERS INDICATE THAT IT IS THE OUTSIDER VESSEL CTHULU UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAIN TWEEL.
KEN: SOUND RED ALERT, LIEUTENANT UHURA.
UHURA: AYE, SIR.
SULU: WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS, SIR? [LVEER]
KEN: TURN 90 DEGREES LEFT MR. CHEKOV.
SPOCK: CTHULU IS AT RANGE 390.304 MGM, BEARING -140.399 DEGREES.
SULU: WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS, SIR? [TORPR]
KEN: FIRE REAR PHOTON TORPEDOES.
CHEKOV: MISSED HIM, SIR.
“Ken” is the name that the player chose for the Captain of the Prometheus; in this case, the author’s name, since the author is providing the sample runs. The player types only the parts between square brackets, and the rest is generated by the game.
Another fascinating aspect of the book is that while the games are written in generic BASIC code for all computers, there is an entire section in the back with improved versions of selected games for the TRS-80 Model I, with a passing reference to the Commodore PET. With a first printing in November 1978, there were several other computers available, but these were what they considered the popular ones.
The big problem with this book is that the programs appear to have been poorly photocopied from different formats. Some use tiny text, many have fading ink. Even with reading glasses, ink that isn’t there doesn’t show up. I had to guess at some of the variable names and operators based on what I knew about what it was attempting to do, and since this is BASIC it is usually not obvious what any particular line is attempting to do.
Displaying 1 of 1 review