Games Disk
Games and Microsoft BASIC-80 (MBASIC)
A Short Description of Games Included On Your MBASIC Diskette
MBASIC is the CP/M version of the high-level language BASIC-80. It is an easy to use BASIC interpreter which incorporates features that can be used by the beginner and the experienced programmer alike.
When purchasing the MBASIC diskette, you will receive the following copywrited files:
- MBASIC.COM
- OBASIC.COM
- LADDER.COM
- CATCHUM.COM
- LADDER.DAT
- CATCHUM.DAT
- ALIENS.COM
The difference between the programming languages MBASIC and OBASIC is basically (excuse the pun) that OBASIC is an old version of MBASIC. MBASIC is probably the programming language that you will want to use to write your own programs, because it has more commands for you to choose from than OBASIC does.
Also included on the disk free of charge are a variety of games that are in the public domain. These games were written-in OBASIC.
To play any of these free games, type in: OBASIC <game> Where <game> is the name of the game you want to play.
To break any game in midplay, type a CTRL-C.
To return to the CP/M operating system after a game is over or after a CTRL-C (you'll see the word "Ok" on the screen in either case), type: SYSTEM Then press the RETURN key.
Also, once you have an "Ok" on the screen, you can call up any of these free games by typing: LOAD"<GAME>.BAS" and pressing the RETURN key. <GAME> would be the name of the game you want to play, and it all should be in capital letters. When you see another "Ok" on the screen, the game should be loaded, and you can play it by typing: RUN
The following is a list of the games and a short description of each:
STRTRK--For the beginner to the expert, this exciting game puts you in command of a Federation star ship, with warp drives, phasers, and photon torpedoes at your disposaL to combat Klingons.
TRADE--A game for 1 to 4 players, the object is to establish interstellar trade routes and amass vast amounts of money based on stock purchases, mergings, and splits, using the resulting dividends to buy more stocks and increase your holdings in companies such as BETELGEUSE LIMITED. This computerized boardgame is one of the hottest games going and comes highly recommended (we played game after game of TRADE for 14 hours straight the weekend after we discovered it).
CHASE--Caught in a maze of high voltage fence posts and five security machines, your task is to destroy all of the security machines before they get you.
BLKJK--Play casino blackjack against the computer. You can wager up to $500 with casino rules, including insurance, splits and doubling down.
WUMP--This is the game of Hunt the Wumpus. Try to catch the Wumpus in a cave of 20 rooms while avoiding bottomless pits and super bats. Each turn you can move to another room or shoot a crooked arrow. The Wumpus is sleeping, and if you wake him, he may eat you. Watch out, I smell a Wumpus.
HORSE--Go to the track, and bet on horses to win, place and show. Watch SEA BISCUIT, GALLANT FOX, CITATION and the rest as they're coming around the bend into the home stretch.
ROCKET--This is a lunar landing simulation game where you start off at 500 feet above the lunar surface at a downward velocity of 50 ft/sec with 120 units of fuel. You specify how much fuel you want to use for each turn and down, or up, you go. Good luck, and keep an eye on your fuel.
MANDALA--Design beautiful and intricate mandalas (symmetrical patterns) by entering numbers. You specify the size in inches and six other numerical factors, and watch the mandala be formed before your eyes.
TAXMAN--This well-named game starts off with the question: "Hi, I'm the taxman. Do you want the regulations?" Sound familiar? Well, with this game, you can beat the taxman at his own game. You begin with a list of whole numbers (you decide how many) and play by taking a number from the list. The taxman gets all of the factors of your number that are left. You precede choosing numbers until all the numbers are gone, and the one with the highest total wins.
BIO--This computerized study of biorhythmic curves plots your biorhythm for a number of days. You input your birthday in a 6 number string, with the year first, then the month, and then the day (for example, March 2nd, 1948 would be: 480302), and then input the current date in the same manner. The resulting graph indicates whether your physical, mental, and emotional rhythms are high, low, or critical.
The following are the three copyrighted games which are sold with the MBASIC disk. To play any of the three games listed below, simply type in the name as shown.
LADDER--A game in which you have lads that you move left, right, up, or down with the blue keypad (4=left, 6=right, 8=up, 2=down, and any other number to stop), and jump over obstacles with the space bar. Avoid the rolling barrels (o's), grab the ampersands (&'s) along the way for bonus points, and climb up the ladders (H') to the highest level to reach the dollar sign and onto a new screen. Watch out for the fifth screen, though, it's a killer. There are five levels of difficulty, which you can choose before the game, that will increase the speed if you desire. Start off at level one if you know what's good for you.
CATCHUM--This game puts your cats (C's) in a maze of dots, which you eat as you go along, avoiding the monster A's. There are four energy o's that will transform the A's into m's so that you can eat them for bonus points. Also, you can gain extra points by nabbing the dollar sign when it appears. You move with the blue keypad (4=left, 6=right, 8=up, and 2=down). There are 9 levels of difficulty, which can be set before the game starts. The levels of difficulty change the speed of the game. If you're really hot at Catchum, try level 9. It'll cool you down.
ALIENS--Attention, alien invasion in progress! Man the laser base and fire upward towards the encroaching aliens. Get bonus points for hitting the saucers flying across the top of the screen. But watch it, every time you shoot and miss, you lose a point. And every time your laser base gets hit, you lose 25 points. This game is actually six games in one which you can call up from the menu:
1) Bloodbath - For this one, the laser base never stops moving. Fire upward at the aliens, and get them before they crush you.
2) We come in peace - You can stop and direct the laser base left or right in this version.
3) The aliens strike back - In this version, the aliens have the ability to fire back at you, so watch out.
4) Invisible alien weasels - The aliens are invisible here, so keep on your toes. Beeps will let you know when you've got one with your trusty laser beam.
5) Klinker - Here the barriers, as well as the aliens, are invisible. So watch where your laser beam goes when you fire it.
6) The black hole - Hold onto your senses for this one. Not only are the barriers and aliens invisible, but your laser base is too. This one is definitely not for beginners.
To move the laser base left, type a z or a comma (,). To move the base right, type a c or a slash (/). To stop the base, type an x or a period (.). To fire the laser beam, press the space bar. To exit any game, type a q (Note: In the last three games listed above, you wiLl have to type a q twice to exit the game).