[Coco] Back to BASIC

Tue Apr 11 09:01:36 EDT 2017

Chapter 16 has been uploaded, which covers SCREEN and PCLS commands, it's
starting to get good!!!

Steve Strowbridge, aka
The Original Gamer Stevie Strow
http://ogsteviestrow.com
ogsteviestrow at gmail.com

On Sun, Apr 9, 2017 at 11:29 PM, Steve Strowbridge <ogsteviestrow at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Thanks Alexander, me too, on the assembly part.
>
> It's turning out the book I grabbed from the archive doesn't seem to cover
> the "standard" BASIC graphics modes, so I'm going to have to probably get
> out my hard copies and do some of that, because I really like the low-res
> set/reset modes of 9 glorious colors.
>
>
> Steve Strowbridge, aka
> The Original Gamer Stevie Strow
> http://ogsteviestrow.com
> ogsteviestrow at gmail.com
>
>
> On Sun, Apr 9, 2017 at 9:28 PM, Alexander Wallace <
> alexander.o.wallace at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> That’s great Steve,
>>
>> I watched up to 13 yesterday so you have a few minutes before needing to
>> make the next one :)
>>
>> JK, Thanks for all you do!
>>
>> Anxious to get to Assembly!
>>
>> > On Apr 9, 2017, at 12:14 PM, Steve Strowbridge <ogsteviestrow at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > I have just added two more chapters in the BASIC programming series..
>> >
>> > Chapter 14, plotting pixels with the PSET command
>> > Chapter 15, creating lines, boxes, and filled boxes with the LINE
>> command.
>> >
>> > My head is about to explode so will take a break before moving on :)
>> >
>> >
>> > Steve Strowbridge, aka
>> > The Original Gamer Stevie Strow
>> > http://ogsteviestrow.com
>> > ogsteviestrow at gmail.com
>> >
>> >
>> > On Thu, Apr 6, 2017 at 7:37 PM, John Lochey via Coco <
>> coco at maltedmedia.com>
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> >> Yeah emulation has changed everything!
>> >> Now I can "own" them all, so to speak!
>> >> But right now I'm really enjoying the CoCo2 and the MC10 that I have.
>> >> So I'm happy to play with those.  Definitely assembly is in the future
>> for
>> >> me, and is quite exciting!
>> >> I have a CoCo with the SDC unit, but still find emulation awfully
>> handy as
>> >> I go back and forth between home computers and work computers.
>> >>
>> >> Really appreciate this community too, can't possibly say that ENOUGH!
>> >>
>> >> Johnny
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>      From: Steve Strowbridge <ogsteviestrow at gmail.com>
>> >> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>> >> Sent: Thursday, April 6, 2017 5:25 PM
>> >> Subject: Re: [Coco] Back to BASIC
>> >>
>> >> Hey John, nice to hear from other people who look in on Tandy as drool
>> >> worthy, not quite sure I heard it put that way before.
>> >>
>> >> I always loved my Coco, and was proud of it, but I did drool over some
>> of
>> >> the games that were available on the C-64, Atari 800, etc., as those
>> >> machines had much better color, sound, graphics, etc (compared to a
>> CoCo
>> >> 1/2 at least).
>> >>
>> >> Now, I can at least afford some of the computers I never could have
>> back
>> >> then, so I hope to eventually get my hands on a lot of them and dig in
>> and
>> >> try and create a little.  For the foreseeable near future, though, that
>> >> exploration will remain focused on the CoCo.
>> >>
>> >> I want to learn Assembly in general, create a CoCo 1/2 project or two,
>> then
>> >> work at some CoCo 3 stuff taking advantage of higher resolutions and
>> color,
>> >> hardware scrolling, etc.
>> >>
>> >> But, if the time permits, and the passion is strong enough, may branch
>> out
>> >> and try and do the same thing on other platforms, but the Coco is
>> always
>> >> top priority.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Steve Strowbridge, aka
>> >> The Original Gamer Stevie Strow
>> >> http://ogsteviestrow.com
>> >> ogsteviestrow at gmail.com
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> On Thu, Apr 6, 2017 at 3:22 PM, John Lochey via Coco <
>> coco at maltedmedia.com
>> >>>
>> >> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> Hi all,
>> >>> My BASICS came on the VIC-20.
>> >>> I badly wanted a Commodore 64 or a Color Computer, but for my
>> Commodore
>> >>> friends and I, the Tandy machines were "the other guys".
>> >>> But RS's were everywhere in the Midwest, so the Tandy's were always
>> very
>> >>> "drool worthy".
>> >>> My friend and I did some type-ins and some small games and life moved
>> on.
>> >>> Now, I just want to get back to ALL that stuff that I wanted to learn
>> >> then
>> >>> and never did.  Assembly Language still seems super cool to me, but
>> >>> definitely filled with "smoke and mirrors and magic" at the moment!
>> >>> Funny, I work by day managing a US IT Datacenter for a large chemical
>> >>> corporation, but the only computers I like to play with at home are
>> >> retro!
>> >>> :)
>> >>> For the the Retro-World is still wide open!  Lots to learn, lots to
>> do.
>> >>> Heck, I'd just like to know as much as some of you have already
>> >> forgotten!
>> >>> ;)
>> >>> Thanks,
>> >>>
>> >>> Johnny
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>     From: Steve Strowbridge <ogsteviestrow at gmail.com>
>> >>> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>> >>> Sent: Thursday, April 6, 2017 9:24 AM
>> >>> Subject: Re: [Coco] Back to BASIC
>> >>>
>> >>> Thank you Alexander for the kind words!
>> >>>
>> >>> Seven Chapters!! Wow!! I hope you didn't get bored to sleep and end up
>> >>> injuring yourself in the work shop :)
>> >>>
>> >>> BASIC on the CoCo was my entry into computer programming, like most
>> kids
>> >> of
>> >>> the day, I'm sure, I followed the very user friendly book, actually
>> >>> "learned" the language and was able to apply it and create original
>> >>> programs, I rarely "typed in" any programs, I enjoyed the process of
>> >> coming
>> >>> up with the ideas, then working out the logistics of making everything
>> >>> work.
>> >>>
>> >>> I started on a 16K Standard BASIC, and cut my teeth on that for a
>> year or
>> >>> two, my 2nd CoCo was the 64K white CoCo 1 with Extended Color BASIC
>> and I
>> >>> went to town with that, loved doing high res games with PMODE 3 and 4,
>> >>> using PCOPY and GET/PUT to create sprites, move objects without
>> erasing
>> >> the
>> >>> background, experiment with screen scrolling, etc.
>> >>>
>> >>> All the things I saw the pros do in assembly, I tried to mimic in ECB,
>> >> and
>> >>> other than the vast difference in speed, I was able to recreate most
>> of
>> >> the
>> >>> tricks.  For whatever reason, it never occurred to me that I could
>> also
>> >>> attempt to learn assembly myself, I was a kid, and I thought that was
>> >> what
>> >>> grown ups did.  I went to college for computer programming, and
>> thought
>> >> it
>> >>> would be taught to me there, I was disappointed that it wasn't, they
>> were
>> >>> covering DBase, Fortran, Cobol, and BASIC, and BASIC I already knew,
>> and
>> >>> those others, I had no interest in, so I didn't say in college for
>> >>> programming.
>> >>>
>> >>> I transitioned from CoCo to the Tandy 1000 in 1986, I got ahold of MS
>> >>> QBasic sometime after that, and enjoyed many years through up to the
>> late
>> >>> 90's programming in Quick BASIC on MS-DOS based systems.
>> >>>
>> >>> Anything I ever made was always a game, I had no interest in anything
>> >>> "serious".
>> >>>
>> >>> My biggest claim to fame, with my own software was a game I made,
>> which
>> >>> actually started as an "I told you so" in College, where I told the
>> guy
>> >>> sitting next to me "I can make a space invaders game", and he said "no
>> >> you
>> >>> can't" and before the class was over, I already had the skeleton of
>> the
>> >>> game up and running in QBASIC.
>> >>>
>> >>> That became a game called "Cosmic Aliens", it was DOS Text based, the
>> >>> smiley faces characters were the aliens, they dropped bombs, there
>> was a
>> >>> text character that looked like a bomb, and your ship was two
>> characters
>> >>> together that looked like a line graphic space ship, you shot arrows
>> up
>> >> in
>> >>> the air like Galaga.
>> >>>
>> >>> That game grew over time, was circulated through BBS systems, I put
>> the
>> >>> usual shareware messages on there, like "if you'd like to support this
>> >>> game, mail a check to..." and at one point and time, the "mail to"
>> >> address
>> >>> what the retail store I worked at in Fort Lauderdale called the Byte
>> >> Shop.
>> >>>
>> >>> Turns out, the game was a favorite of a person in the military, and he
>> >> said
>> >>> he and his buddies like the game, I found this out, because he came to
>> >>> visit me at the Byte Shop to tell me that.  I was blown away by
>> that.  I
>> >>> grabbed the source code and modified it, and created a custom version
>> for
>> >>> him, and gave him the updated EXE file, he was happy about that.  I
>> >> think I
>> >>> also got a random product review of that game somebody mailed me, and
>> >> even
>> >>> an offer to buy it by a company in Canada called Ninga software or
>> >>> something like that.  My 15 minutes of game fame were under a very
>> small
>> >>> spotlight, but it was very rewarding to know somebody in the military
>> was
>> >>> able to entertain themselves while at a base with my game.
>> >>>
>> >>> Another game I made for DOS, which never got circulated was called
>> >> "Garden
>> >>> Worm" and it was a spin on Centipede, where you were the Centipede, so
>> >> kind
>> >>> of a hack clone of the various Snake type games, there was food to
>> eat to
>> >>> get larger, there were prizes for points, and there were special items
>> >> that
>> >>> would either make you bigger, smaller, faster, or slower, and there
>> was
>> >> an
>> >>> enemy centipede "worm" you had to avoid.
>> >>>
>> >>> I wrote a ton of games on the CoCo, my most interesting was a Donkey
>> Kong
>> >>> clone based on the rivets level where you jumped over rivets to clear
>> the
>> >>> board, to make this game, I created a level editor, and then it became
>> >> sort
>> >>> of game engine oriented where basically you could create any level
>> with
>> >> any
>> >>> arrangement and number of rivets, and as long as you could get to them
>> >> all,
>> >>> and pop them all, you could clear the level.  You would have to
>> specify
>> >>> where you wanted the animated donkey kong to stand, and how many fire
>> >> balls
>> >>> you wanted and their starting position.  Other than that, the game ran
>> >> with
>> >>> whatever design you could throw at it.  This was all done in the low
>> res
>> >>> 64*32*9 color mode, but was quite playable.
>> >>>
>> >>> My biggest regret is not having any of my original floppies, I had
>> them
>> >> all
>> >>> until the early 90's even, let somebody borrow my CoCo and my floppy
>> >> case,
>> >>> they ended up getting evicted from their apartment, and they were
>> never
>> >>> seen again.
>> >>>
>> >>> Long answer, to your post, I'm sure, but... What I wanted to do with
>> this
>> >>> series, was to re-learn the language, perhaps get some new people
>> >>> interested in simple programming concepts, and at the end of the book,
>> >>> start working on a new, original CoCo game project in BASIC, maybe
>> even a
>> >>> few games.
>> >>>
>> >>> That's still the plan, and I also plan on learning assembly, which I
>> >> might
>> >>> as well also turn into a series, and then come up with a game at the
>> end
>> >> of
>> >>> that, which, hopefully, I'll be able to debut at next year's CoCoFEST!
>> >>>
>> >>> -End of Line
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> Steve Strowbridge, aka
>> >>> The Original Gamer Stevie Strow
>> >>> http://ogsteviestrow.com
>> >>> ogsteviestrow at gmail.com
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> On Thu, Apr 6, 2017 at 8:51 AM, Alexander Wallace <
>> >>> alexander.o.wallace at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>>> I’ve worked as a software developer, mostly client/server and web
>> apps
>> >>>> since 1997, but my memory of CoCo’s Basic and other of it’s languages
>> >> has
>> >>>> pretty much disappeared as I’ve recently found out :)
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Your videos are a great companion tome while doing something else in
>> >> the
>> >>>> evenings, (metal or wood working or what not), I watched 7 yesterday,
>> >> and
>> >>>> really enjoyed it!
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I truly appreciate what you’re doing there and look forward to seeing
>> >> all
>> >>>> the videos for all the chapters, some for CoCo3 too and assembly :)
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Thanks a lot!
>> >>>>
>> >>>>> On Apr 5, 2017, at 3:30 PM, Steve Strowbridge <
>> >> ogsteviestrow at gmail.com
>> >>>>
>> >>>> wrote:
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> It's been a long time coming, but I got around to going through and
>> >>>>> recording two new chapters in my programming in BASIC video series,
>> >> so
>> >>>>> chapters 10 and 11 are now available for your viewing discomfort.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> The play list to the entire series is:
>> >>>>> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDfh7JjQaSYA1fP5KwRiO
>> wefFIIF1
>> >>> Alid
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> I started this series aimed at a non-technical, non-coco owner, so
>> >> it's
>> >>>>> based on using VCC as the emulator, and using the PDF of the CoCo 2
>> >>>>> Extended color BASIC manual from the Color Computer Archive.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> I had planned last year to finish the book, make a simple game in
>> >> BASIC
>> >>>> as
>> >>>>> a project putting all the pieces together, and then move on to
>> >>> assembly,
>> >>>>> and try and learn that.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> That didn't exactly happen, so going to try and make that happen
>> this
>> >>>> year,
>> >>>>> and have this series done, and some type of assembly project to show
>> >>> off
>> >>>> at
>> >>>>> CoCoFEST 27.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Thanks to all who have encouraged me to continue to do these, it's
>> >> can
>> >>> be
>> >>>>> quite brutal for me at times :)
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Steve Strowbridge, aka
>> >>>>> The Original Gamer Stevie Strow
>> >>>>> http://ogsteviestrow.com
>> >>>>> ogsteviestrow at gmail.com
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> --
>> >>>>> Coco mailing list
>> >>>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>> >>>>> https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> --
>> >>>> Coco mailing list
>> >>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>> >>>> https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>> >>>>
>> >>>
>> >>> --
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>> >>> https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> --
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>> >>> https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>> >>>
>> >>
>> >> --
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>> >> https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> --
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>> >>
>> >
>> > --
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>>
>>
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>
>