Accessible Games

[OneSwitch]

Would love to see an Accessible Games / Special Needs section added to the complete BBC games archive. There are many accessible games (e.g. Special Needs or Blind focussed) missing from the list.

Some presently need special hardware supported in BeebEm (e.g. Touch-screen and Breakout Box) (hopefully a Matt Godbolt update can address this for on-line). Many don't and will work from the keyboard. If there's anything I can do to help with these (I have a big repository of these games, some with manuals, with permission to share the majority of them for non-profit use).

Would love to have a place on-line to point people to where they can find how amazing the BBC Micro was in this field.

https://bbc.godbolt.org/?autoboot&disc= ... .ssd%3Fdl&

Arcade Adventures: https://bbc.godbolt. ... .ssd?dl=0


As a side note, I'm heading towards "The Day of the Micros" in a preservation project I'm working on to document accessible gaming: https://oneswitch.org.uk/page/100 - having that long ago finished with the MAVIS project that predated the BBC Micro.

[OneSwitch]

There are now some accessible games (originally Special Needs focussed - but great for young kids too) at the Complete Archive, thanks to Lee 'leenew'.

https://bbcmicro.co.uk/index.php?rt_R=& ... =on&sort=b

The keys have been remapped to Z, M and SPACE BAR. Use SHIFT+BREAK to quit a game and reload the main menu. Some really great stuff in there, from the likes of Brilliant Computing, MARDIS and Alan Nixon.

[sa_scott]

Considering how much the Beeb was used within schools, there must be a wealth of educational software out there, including ones aimed at users with special needs.

I just recalled some kind of peripheral called Concept Keyboards? Weren't these plugged into Beebs (or was it Arcs?) to act as an alternative interface?

Edit - found this at Chris' Acorns page - http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org ... 4-128.html
Another edit - this thread on a USB Concept Keyboard is interesting - viewtopic.php?t=19517

I recall educational titles such as Mr T, and a numeracy package from Shiva Software. I only recall them because my parents bought these at the time. I needed a lot of patience, as they were all on tape!

[flaxcottage]

Can I suggest checking out the Educational Archive?

Over the last month or so I have archived lots of these switch and concept keyboard games. I'm finding more every day as I go through my many hundreds of discs.

[leenew]

Hi,
Yeah, at the suggestion of OneSwitch, I have added just a taster of the games that were available for special needs kids.
Obviously we couldn't add the ones that only used custom hardware.
I will add a link to the educational archive in the notes of those 6 games.

Lee.

[OneSwitch]

Very good idea to add the Educational Archive. @flaxcottage has been doing great work there for ages.

If anyone wishes to have a delve through my OneSwitch Dropbox they can do so here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/matx06f9mylv ... 6iTva?dl=0.

There's tons of touch-screen, switch/joystick, micro-mike, concept keyboard and other bits and bobs. It would be fantastic to get the on-line emulator able to play those touch-screen and User-Port breakout box switch/joystick games. Micromike and Concept Keyboard access might be a bit of a dream (not possible in BeebEm either) but if I can ever help with that, give me a shout.

Thanks again. And if anyone ever turns up Break-time Games by Brilliant Computing, I'd be chuffed to bits. Been looking for it for years.

[OneSwitch]

Have just discovered another really good disc of switch accessible games in the flaxcottage archive.

Chris Nixon's Compaid Switch Games 1 disc from 1985. It contains 4 games designed to be played with two switches. Unusually, these use the two fire buttons conventionally used by a pair of analogue-port joystick controllers. Smart idea really, but not normally used.

In Aliens you can use the keyboard (SPACE BAR = LEFT, RETURN = RIGHT, firing is automatic).

All the games work in BeebEm with Hardware > Options > Digital Mouse Stick ticked. Use the left and right-clicks for the LEFT / RIGHT switches.

This would be another great one to add to the educational / accessible gaming category.

Compaid I believe ran from 1984-1988, and there were certainly other titles including at least one art-based one I've seen referred to.