Tatung Computer Forum

A while ago I got bored and wrote a little ZX81 action game roughly based on one of my favourite classics 'Oil's Well'. That was fun but then I got bored and converted it to run on the Sord M5. That was fun but I got sick a couple of days ago and while bored decided to mash together the ZX81 and M5 versions into a hybrid beast for the Einstein

It's 95% finished at the moment - the only wrinkle is some dodgy timing caused by the lack of a vertical sync interrupt on the TC01. I know, right . I have to poll the VDP and while this should be solid enough I get some audible variation in speed during the title music. The game itself is fine, so I think I can reasonably release this fella now, with an update when I've worked out a scheme based on CTC timing.

You can grab the source and compiled COM file from my github.

Looks funny, what does it play like? Pac-Man?

.. kinda. you need to navigate the tubes, eat the 'oil', don't let the enemies touch your pipe! Oooer!

Nice game!, I remember playing it a lot in its MSX version:
Really hard!

I've been working on this for a few days now and I think it's pretty much finished, at least in this form. I've had some real fun working out a usable timing scheme that will deliver a decent audio and game clock without relying on a crazy involved self-adjusting timer interrupt programmed to coincide with the VDP's vertical sync bit. Or something.

Also, quite unrelated, I decided that if I was a DJ I'd go by the name of DJ NZ and see if anyone got it.

So have a go - it's quite fun. I love the fact it looks identical to the zx81 version, which is a deliberate kind-of nod to the old days where games were ported to systems quickly without much thought to improving them where possible. It's hugely ironic because it was much harder to keep the zx81 aesthetic than it would have been to make a native einstein version

As I've already said the source is up in github, there are some cobwebby corners but a little documentation might be forthcoming. I'll be delighted to talk people through the code, and it would be great to see this as the start of something like a new series of games or conversions of classics. Just sayin'.

Where do you get the time for this? Along with life and building einSDein cards!?!

DJNZ? Jump if not zero?

Let's just say I've had a bit of time this last week.

And close, but not quite

Great stuff... when i eventually get time i 'm curious to see how this compares with the other SMB version i have played

DJ NZ... of course i know, you know, i know what it is so i wont spoil it...

Regards Andy