A simple text adventure: MoonBase Escape

[LordVaderUK]

As demo'ed this evening on the virtual ABUG, I've attached a disk image for my text adventure, MoonBase Escape.

Don't expect the new Zork, it's a relatively simple game, with a few puzzles to solve. I haven't yet been able to test it on real hardware, but it seems pretty happy on the B2 emulator. The only person who has played it is me - so there are surely still some bugs and issues in there that I've not yet found!

Please feel free to have a go, if you break it please let me know so I can fix the bugs

[dp11]

Running through ABE saves about 5K and makes it run faster.

[leenew]

Perfect!
In the age old tradition of text adventures... one screen says Moonbase escape, and the other says Escape from moonbase.
Love it!
(I will add it to my list of things to play asap).

Lee

[lurkio]

Running through ABE saves about 5K and makes it run faster.

Heh. That's my line!

[CMcDougall]

& makes it run faster.

how can it run faster?? it's not turning basic into machine code....

Nice job Vader

[lurkio]

how can it run faster?? it's not turning basic into machine code....

The Pack routine in the PRES Advanced BASIC Editor will substitute resident integer variables for non-resident ones where possible -- and res int vars are slightly quicker to access than non-resident ones are. (Pack will shorten the names of non-integer vars too.)

Pack also uses lots of other techniques to compress a BASIC program -- and a smaller program is quicker for the BASIC interpreter to scan through when it's doing a GOTO or GOSUB.

Also, I suspect that a smaller program with short variables, etc., is generally quicker for the interpreter to parse than a larger, "wordier" program is.

Btw, I've uploaded the current version of Moonbase Escape to a temporary location on bbcmicro.co.uk in case anyone would like to play it online:

• [EDIT]

[Naomasa298]

Can I point something out with my pedant hat on?

The Moon isn't a planet.

[lurkio]

Please feel free to have a go, if you break it please let me know so I can fix the bugs

Not sure if this is a bug or if I've missed something: I ran out of life support and died, and the game said I didn't have a spacesuit, even though I was wearing a spacesuit!

[Arcadian]

In the age old tradition of text adventures... one screen says Moonbase escape, and the other says Escape from moonbase.

I like ... 'Moonbase Escape' !

But that might be because there's already an 'Escape from Moonbase Alpha' game on the Beeb - hence going with the former title would help differentiate it.

Anyway thanks for giving us the demo in the meeting Andrew and cheers for making the download available - have given it a quick try but will have a proper go over the weekend!

Once any issues have been ironed out, do you think you could produce an Electron version?

(Oh, and I love the artwork and would love to 'publish' it one day in a swish disc wallet with floppy as you know! )

[LordVaderUK]

Please feel free to have a go, if you break it please let me know so I can fix the bugs

Not sure if this is a bug or if I've missed something: I ran out of life support and died, and the game said I didn't have a spacesuit, even though I was wearing a spacesuit!

Had you repaired the spacesuit? As originally found it isn’t fully working...

[lurkio]

Had you repaired the spacesuit? As originally found it isn’t fully working...

Thanks! PM sent.

[LordVaderUK]

Can I point something out with my pedant hat on?

The Moon isn't a planet.

[LordVaderUK]

In the age old tradition of text adventures... one screen says Moonbase escape, and the other says Escape from moonbase.

I like ... 'Moonbase Escape' !

But that might be because there's already an 'Escape from Moonbase Alpha' game on the Beeb - hence going with the former title would help differentiate it.

Anyway thanks for giving us the demo in the meeting Andrew and cheers for making the download available - have given it a quick try but will have a proper go over the weekend!

Once any issues have been ironed out, do you think you could produce an Electron version?

(Oh, and I love the artwork and would love to 'publish' it one day in a swish disc wallet with floppy as you know! )

MoonBase Escape it is...

Would be happy to try and remake it for the Electron but I have no idea where to start. What are the restrictions, and where is a reliable emulator (ideally for Mac) to try it?

As for publishing it, the egotist in me says yes, but the realist in me says it needs a lot more work and development before I’d feel comfortable with anyone paying (any) money for it!

[EdwardianDuck]

The Electron lacks MODE 7 (1Kb) and MODE 6 (monochrome) requires 8Kb so that's going to consume 7Kb out of the 4.5Kb I think you had left.

Not that this helps at all...

Jeremy

[dp11]

As for publishing it, the egotist in me says yes, but the realist in me says it needs a lot more work and development before I’d feel comfortable with anyone paying (any) money for it!

Take the money and either donate it to charity or the running of ABUG/startdot etc.

[sydney]

The Electron lacks MODE 7 (1Kb) and MODE 6 (monochrome) requires 8Kb so that's going to consume 7Kb out of the 4.5Kb I think you had left.

Not that this helps at all...

Jeremy

Running through ABE saves about 5K and makes it run faster.

That gives 9.5k to spare so it should fit.

[LordVaderUK]

Ok that gives me a starter for 10. Best Elk emulator?

[sydney]

Ok that gives me a starter for 10. Best Elk emulator?

On a Mac? Pass.

[Arcadian]

I don't have a Mac, but I suggested Clock Signal in the last Virtual ABug which EdwardianDuck went on to try and I think he said it worked reasonably well ... might not be perfect for arcade games but I'd imagine it should be fine for a text adventure...

[Arcadian]

As for publishing it, the egotist in me says yes, but the realist in me says it needs a lot more work and development before I’d feel comfortable with anyone paying (any) money for it!

Oh I'm months away from being in a position to publish anything (as I think you saw, I've got lots of other new releases to get out of the door at the moment) so no time pressures at all, there's plenty of time for tweaks (and ports! If you're considering an Elk conversion!).

It would be nice to get the cover art converted into a loading screen as well ... I might drop a 'specialist' a line if you're happy for me to do so?

[LordVaderUK]

It would be nice to get the cover art converted into a loading screen as well ... I might drop a 'specialist' a line if you're happy for me to do so?

Sure thing!

[lurkio]

I probably don't understand the Electron very well, but how do I type a tilde symbol in Elkulator?!

(I'm running the Windows version of Elkulator under WINE on a Mac.)

[Arcadian]

Try Ctrl and Left-Cursor

[lurkio]

Try Ctrl and Left-Cursor

Thanks!

I don't have a Mac, but I suggested Clock Signal in the last Virtual ABug which EdwardianDuck went on to try and I think he said it worked reasonably well ... might not be perfect for arcade games but I'd imagine it should be fine for a text adventure...

Yes, it seems to work quite well. And it has the advantage that you can paste text from macOS into the emulated Elk.

[EdwardianDuck]

Andy,

PM sent.

Here is my configuration in B2 to get (as far as I can tell) ABE working. I got as far as *BE & UTILS before lack of need to learn how to use it kicked in.

Jeremy

[lurkio]

Here is my configuration in B2 to get (as far as I can tell) ABE working. I got as far as *BE & UTILS before lack of need to learn how to use it kicked in.

I've found that instead of typing *BE followed by UTILS you can just type *B and it will take you straight to the Utils menu.

At the Utils menu, press P to run the Pack routine on the BASIC program that's currently in memory.

[daveejhitchins]

At the Utils menu, press P to run the Pack routine on the BASIC program that's currently in memory.

Please . . . Don't forget to keep you editable copy!!

Dave H

[lurkio]

Please . . . Don't forget to keep you[r] editable copy!!

Good point! I tend to keep the uncompressed BASIC source (with full REMs, spaces, long var names, etc.) in a text editor on macOS and then, whenever I want to compress and test the code, I copy and paste it into BeebEm, and then invoke Pack.

[dp11]

Also you can test the uncompressed basic on the bigger machines e.g. Hi basic on a second processor or bas128 on a master.

[iamaran]

Please feel free to have a go, if you break it please let me know so I can fix the bugs

Not sure if this is a bug or if I've missed something: I ran out of life support and died, and the game said I didn't have a spacesuit, even though I was wearing a spacesuit!

Had you repaired the spacesuit? As originally found it isn’t fully working...

Ah...