Type-ins Games of the week / month

[Johnny Olsen]

Merry  christmas to all of you.

And here a bit Christmas atmosphere.

[Johnny Olsen]

Another year gone, so again Merry Christmas to all of your.
I've found this game in my collection, a keyboard and a joystick version.
It is a difficult game.
You can find infinite lives in line 960 and infinite time in line 180

[SRS]

This is really quite difficult. But nice what you could do with basic and some calls those days.

[Johnny Olsen]

I just found another version of santa's grotty, called "Feliz Navidad / Papa noel",
with new graphic by Jose Pons.

Look more like a christmas game than the original.

Only problem - the tape version don't work - impossible to come from screen 2 to screen 3.
I have debugged the game "easy when having a working copy of santa's grotty" so now it is
possible to play Feliz Navidad.

[Johnny Olsen]

A Christmas greeting from 1985. A listing from Danish "Amstrad Bladet".

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

[AMSDOS]

A BASIC book which I acquired from the Library of a High School/Secondary School I attended has an interesting problem of writing a programme to produce a Christmas Tree, though to get it to work correctly in Locomotive BASIC I had to make modifications to produce the Christmas Tree! 


This is what the Amstrad version looks like:

Code Select Expand



10 REM  CHAPTER 7/1
20 REM  CHRISTMAS TREE
25 MODE 1:BORDER 6:INK 0,6:INK 1,9:DEFINT a-z
30 T=20
40 PRINT TAB(t);"*"
50 FOR j=1 TO 4
60 PRINT TAB(t-j);"*";TAB(t+j);"*"
70 NEXT j
80 FOR c=1 TO 2*j+1
90 PRINT TAB(t-(3*2)+c);"*";
100 NEXT c
110 PRINT
120 FOR j=1 TO 2
130 PRINT TAB(t-1);"*";TAB(t+1);"*"
140 NEXT j
150 FOR c=1 TO j
160 PRINT TAB(t-2+c);"*";
170 NEXT c





Some of the TABs worked, the ones which didn't were the TAB statements in 90 and 160 with the original programme drawing the stars down the screen!


So I tested the original programme which works on an Apple // with Applesoft BASIC in JavaScript, which indeed confirmed works fine on that system:

Code Select Expand



10 REM  CHAPTER 7/1
20 REM  CHRISTMAS TREE
25 HOME
30 T=20
40 PRINT TAB(T);"*"
50 FOR J=1 TO 4
60 PRINT TAB(T-J);"*";TAB(T+J);"*"
70 NEXT J
80 FOR C=1 TO 2*J+1
90 PRINT TAB(T-J);"*";
100 NEXT C
110 PRINT
120 FOR J=1 TO 2
130 PRINT TAB(T-1);"*";TAB(T+1);"*"
140 NEXT J
150 FOR C=1 TO J
160 PRINT TAB(T-1);"*";
170 NEXT C





So it looks as if the TAB isn't totally compatible between BASICs, though the book I have does stress that slight variations may need to be made when using a different system from the Apple //.


So better late than never a Christmas Tree! 

[AMSDOS]

So it looks as if the TAB isn't totally compatible between BASICs, though the book I have does stress that slight variations may need to be made when using a different system from the Apple //.

Sorry for making this thread about the TAB() command, I didn't really look into why it's different on the Amstrad as opposed to the Apple //. The programme I posted reveals Lines 90 & 160 end in Semi-Colons and these are the two lines which were causing all the trouble in Locomotive BASIC (both 1.0 & 1.1) and normally Semi-Colons are used to prevent writing onto the next line and this is what happens when the Semi-Colon is used on the Apple // BASIC, but in Locomotive BASIC TAB() seems to overwrite that, except for when I use a variable from within that Loop, I'm unsure if this is a glitch across all Locomotive BASICs given Semi-Colon is normally used at the end of PRINT to prevent printing on the next line.

[Fessor]

Its not a glitch as in the Manual its described why Amstrads TAB goes to a next line:
If the current position is greater than the required position then a carriage return is executed, followed by spaces to reach the required position on the next line.

In Applesofts Manual is written that TAB also doesnt goes backwards, but stays in the line and ignores the command if the cursor position is greater than the value in the command.
http://www.classiccmp.org/cini/pdf/Apple/AppleSoft%20II%20Basic%20Programming%20Manual.PDF Page 51

[Johnny Olsen]

I have modified the program, because as a child I always wanted a bigger tree.   

[AMSDOS]

This game has been in CPC-Power for ages (unsure how long) and I thought I had a good quality scan of it (but couldn't find it), fortunately I was able to get a high quality scan of it and type it in for everyone to enjoy.


Initially I thought it was going to be a Manic Miner Clone as I have noticed others writing them in BASIC, but the code was saying otherwise with all 4 keys being used and no Jump Sequence. It's still a fun game where you guide your character 'Fred' around the screen collecting the Gold Coins and avoiding the Mines placed near them.


There is a slight flaw/cheat in the game where by if you keep moving your player around the Timer doesn't decrease. I think this is occurring because much of the game relies on GOTO to go back to the main loop to help speed up the game, rather than go through everything procedurally, and I'm guessing the time routine is only checked (decreased), when no keypresses are in active.


Otherwise a fun game with 19 Levels and I've only managed to get to the 8th! You only have one life too which is a bit frustrating. 

[Johnny Olsen]

Hi Amsdos

I have used notepad ++ to compare your file with a version of the game that I have.
I've found some typos and debugged the game.

I like to have a program so close to the original listing, so you have a starting
point for modifying it if you want too.

About the game: With the bad key control (going one step further than I wish) and
with my playing skills (read patience) it's way too hard.

It should have been possible to choose level.

This will select level 2 as the start level.
1120 RESTORE 1330:sc=0:l=2:ti=200:x=1:y=11

[AMSDOS]

Hi Amsdos

I have used notepad ++ to compare your file with a version of the game that I have.
I've found some typos and debugged the game.

I like to have a program so close to the original listing, so you have a starting
point for modifying it if you want too.

I'm not sure what you're suggesting here. I went to a lot of trouble to obtain a detailed scan and have BASIC all setup to follow the number of characters per line as laid out in the magazine. There were a few glitches even on the detailed scans that I obtained, but was much less likely to makes typos from that than from a low-res scan of the programme.


I'm puzzled as to why you have a copy of the Miner Man and yet CPC-Power hasn't got a copy of it (hasn't had for years), have you got a copy of "Welcome to the Hotel Horrabelle" too?

About the game: With the bad key control (going one step further than I wish) and
with my playing skills (read patience) it's way too hard.

It should have been possible to choose level.

I had to end up Cheating by disabling the checks for the Mines and I only just got through Level 16, which was definitely the hardest level (I wouldn't be able to complete that level without triggering either a mine or running out of time). I didn't encounter any other noticeable flaws with the end of game sequence running just fine, I found one typo in one of my lines with a variable "V" titled "U" because in the magazine it looked like an "U", though other lines marked it as 'V', I had no problems with the game after that.

[Johnny Olsen]

I'm not sure what you're suggesting here.

I want a copy exactly like in the magazine.

My idea is to create a database of only type-ins.
Every time I find a game I don't have, I get it in the database even if it doesn't work. Then I hope to find time to correct it.

I love your work, but you know, as well as me, that it is impossible to enter a large listing without errors. I mean I'm only Johnny (Jimmy) Olsen and I can't, maybe you're Superman and can. 

It takes a long time to debug a listing, and even then maybe not all the errors have been found. Therefore, it is easier to compare two different listings. It is unlikely there are similar mistakes.

I'm puzzled as to why you have a copy of the Miner Man and yet CPC-Power hasn't got a copy of it (hasn't had for years)

There are 15945 programs on CPC-POWER and I have several hundred discs with 4 -5 programs on each. Many not indexed. I can not handle it. Sometimes a bell rings when I saw your game I knew I had seen it before. I searched through my discs and found it.

If I had known, I had the game and sent it to CPC-POWER I would have spread a game with a lot of errors.

Your game works but you have typed incorrectly in symbols 169 - 177 - 185 or have you tried to animate the Miner Man?
Symbol 169 makes errors in the frame.
Some text is missing in line 4180.

have you got a copy of "Welcome to the Hotel Horrabelle" too?

Maybe do you have a picture? 

[AMSDOS]

I want a copy exactly like in the magazine.


My idea is to create a database of only type-ins.
Every time I find a game I don't have, I get it in the database even if it doesn't work. Then I hope to find time to correct it.


I love your work, but you know, as well as me, that it is impossible to enter a large listing without errors. I mean I'm only Johnny (Jimmy) Olsen and I can't, maybe you're Superman and can. 


It takes a long time to debug a listing, and even then maybe not all the errors have been found. Therefore, it is easier to compare two different listings. It is unlikely there are similar mistakes.

Unfortunately sometimes the Magazine gets it wrong too, which maybe a problem that occurred when the author has send in the listing or the Magazine has somehow messed it up the original code. I recall one game I typed in from Home Computing Weekly called "You're Surrounded!" having loads of printing issues to the point I had to modify or interpret, the game wasn't the same and made several modifications just to improve the game. From memory when I tried typing in that game exactly like from the magazine the end result was Syntax Error Line 11. The culprit in that case seems to be control codes, though there were other typos from other lines of the listing too.
It may just seem that my goals are slightly different from yours because I also like to improve or modify code, so it can work on all machines or correct a bug which was in the original listing, but was somehow overlooked.

There are 15945 programs on CPC-POWER and I have several hundred discs with 4 -5 programs on each. Many not indexed. I can not handle it. Sometimes a bell rings when I saw your game I knew I had seen it before. I searched through my discs and found it.

You can specify on CPC-POWER to search for only Type-ins (the 4th Icon next to the End Screenshot Camera) and from there say Yes for the Manual (10th Icon) and specify 'No' under the Disk and Tape Icons which narrows it down to Listings which haven't been typed in. Specifying the publisher for the name of the magazine will show what Listings are missing, when I did all that and specified "Your Computer" as the publisher, it displays 18 sheets of programmes which aren't on DSK or CDT.


I'm unsure how you could deal with hundreds of discs, are they on DSK image I guess is the 1st step, though even that is a huge task!

If I had known, I had the game and sent it to CPC-POWER I would have spread a game with a lot of errors.

It wouldn't be the 1st time and I suspect I've typed in a couple which would be incorrect too. I found Listings which others have typed in and found typing problems in them too, so I think Kukulcan will appreciate any corrections if people find problems when running those programmes.

Your game works but you have typed incorrectly in symbols 169 - 177 - 185 or have you tried to animate the Miner Man?
Symbol 169 makes errors in the frame.
Some text is missing in line 4180.

Wow, I'm Guilty of it then. Unfortunately I like the GFXs that I so incorrectly made which makes the Miner Man look Isometric. I was negligent by not checking if the 2nd line, lined up with the 1st line, which would of exposed those kinds of typos and line 4180 was me being sloppy by trying to rush and get the Listing Typed in, a problem I've always had when near completing the type-in.


Maybe do you have a picture?



The listing is on CPC-Power, but I actually discovered it was missing a Page, because the game is a part of a Series on writing Graphical Adventures with the code being written in Locomotive BASIC. Your Computer also included a Screenshot which is kinda fuzzy, if that helps rings any bells. I've tried to attach the whole article along with Listing, but unfortunately I don't seem to have permissions to do that, nor do I have permissions to  attached a screenshot of the game, so there's a link of the Listing on CPC-Power here.

[Johnny Olsen]

It may just seem that my goals are slightly different from yours because I also like to improve or modify code, so it can work on all machines or correct a bug which was in the original listing, but was somehow overlooked.

No, it's ok to modify a game, but I like either the original listing or the magazine it's printed in as a reference.
If a game or program gets better, it's okay.
I'm looking for an example of that.
Key 22 does not work on the Danish keyboard, so you have to change the key to play.

I'm unsure how you could deal with hundreds of discs, are they on DSK image I guess is the 1st step, though even that is a huge task!

In the 90s, all the people wanted to get rid of their Amstrad while I collected. I do not have the time to index all the disk.

line 4180 was me being sloppy by trying to rush and get the Listing Typed in, a problem I've always had when near completing the type-in.

You have to start from behind. 

I can't remember the  "Welcome to the Hotel Horrabelle",  I don't think I have it.

[Johnny Olsen]

SAM - der Mann von der Baustelle - is a platform game by Michael Baur.
There are 20 original levels and you can choose which level to start the game.

It is possible to design your own levels.
The "sambild.sam" file contains the level's

Looks like some of the levels are impossible to finish.
Maybe level 5 and 7 is some of them.

In the "sambild1.sam" file they are corrected.
You can load this file from the menu.

Run "sammas" to play

Enjoy

[Johnny Olsen]

Merry Christmas to all of you.
Help Santa with the tree and Christmas gifts

[MiguelSky]

Merry Xmas!!!
I think two minigames from ESP soft are missing in this thread:


- Navidad https://www.amstrad.es/doku.php?id=juegos:navidad



- El Reno https://www.amstrad.es/doku.php?id=juegos:reno

[MiguelSky]

Ah, I've just realized that the thread is about TYPE-IN games 

[Johnny Olsen]

Yes, but no harm done. Funny games, could have been type-ins. 

[Johnny Olsen]

Stone Runner: written by Thomas Stein
Happy Computer Sonderheft 18 - Schneider Sonderheft 8

I just found this game and explanation in my old collection.

This is one of the best type-ins I have ever typed.
To run the game you have to read the note files.
Note 1 is the German explanation from the magazine.
Note 2 is a quick UK manual.
This is a modified version.
I had to remove the integer % in line 1410.
I got "Overflow in line 1410" if I tried to construct a new level.

I don't understand why. Does anyone have an explanation?

Before:
1410 FOR i%=FNadr(level)TO FNadr(level+1)-1:POKE i%,0:NEXT:FOR i=1 TO 5:top5$(level,i)="?.?.?":top5(level,i)=0:NEXT:RETURN
After:
1410 FOR i=FNadr(level)TO FNadr(level+1)-1:POKE i,0:NEXT:FOR i=1 TO 5:top5$(level,i)="?.?.?":top5(level,i)=0:NEXT:RETURN

This DSK includes the DAT files, the original levels and my old highscore (HS.txt)


-------------------------------------------------------------

Here my old notes.

A lot of tasting.

The worst thing was that listing 4 was too big for
Amstrad's memory, so it was impossible to poke data.

Only option was to split the file into 2 (Listing 5 + 6)
make a data loader and save them as

SAVE "SR1.PIC",B,&61A0,&F60
SAVE "SR2.PIC",B,&7100,&1120

Next step - merge "SR1.PIC" and "SR2.PIC" into one file "SR.PIC"

10 Memory &619f
20 LOAD "SR1.PIC":LOAD "SR2.PIC"
30 SAVE "SR.PIC",B,&61A0,&2080

Running the game but it didn't work.

Then in listing 1 - line
1110 images=24999 -(&61A7)
that images were loaded in & 61A7 not & 61A0
as listed in Listing 4 line
1000 DATA 61A0,33,2C,30,30,2C,30,30,09,1949
thus the first byte must be &09 and not &33

10 Memory & 619F
20 LOAD "SR1.PIC":LOAD "SR2.PIC"
30 SAVE "SR.PIC",B,&61A7,&2079

Yes Working

It took some time to figure out the first 7 bytes
in listing 4 should not be used.

Another option was to read the German notes and use the program
CPC "Comfortable Program For Code Input"
on page 87 of the same magazine. It also says that
listing 4 starts in & 61A7

Real men do not read instructions, but spend a lot of time
on figuring it out for ourself. Ha Ha.

Johnny Olsen

[AMSDOS]

Musical Mousetrap by John Keneally
Published in Home Computing Weekly July 9-15, 1985.


This game was probably inspired by the game Mouse by Graham Redman, which was published first in Computing with the Amstrad May 1985, though much of Musical Mouse is graphical with the Mouse simply being a Dot on the Screen and you're simply a line, trying to trap the Mouse. In this version you have to get the Mouse into the Top Left Corner of the Screen and like the other version, your goal is to Trap it as soon as possible and get the lowest score.


This game is played with the cursor key and space can be used to construct the trap or not draw a trap or even erase old trap lines and during play a rendition of 3-Blind Mice plays. 

[Johnny Olsen]

"Ballonzaehlen" by Berthold Freier - PC Schneider International No.01 1987
"Luftballon Ein Lernspiel" by Volker Reher - Databox 87-01

The school has just started, so here are two programs.
A simple counting game for the youngest and a slightly more difficult math program for older students.

I know young people prefer Ipads but !!!

"Ballonzaehlen" is printed in the magazine but strangely enough, another balloon mathematics program
has been placed on the corresponding tape/disk "CPC Databox 87-01".