For this year’s Retrochallenge it’s my intention to do some sort of mash up of old and new technology to see what sort of modern computing tasks I can complete with some of my retro hardware.
I want to incorporate my Raspberry Pi which has become an effective yet rather lonely media server sitting behind my T.V. and seems destined for greater things.
Over the last few months I’ve also been using and experimenting with the If This Then That (IFTTT) website which allows you to all manner of things by creating recipes to trigger events.
Combining this with Jim Brain’s excellent TCPser software, I’m imagining all sorts of fiendishly pointless exercises.
Picture the scene, it’s a hot summer’s day in 1985, Frankie by Sister Sledge tops the singles chart, Filofaxes are the new big thing, and I’m at school sat in front of a BBC Model B trying in vain to finish my Computer Studies project before the term ends, a computer version of the dice game Yahtzee. To my right David is putting the finishing touches to his military magazine database, on my left Simon is entertaining most of the class with his Hungry Horace goes Skiing clone.
How It Used To Look
Behind me, dreamy Donna and her friend Jackie are arguing over which band is best, Duran Duran or Wham and across the class Nick is throwing Jeff’s school bag out of the second floor window while Mark (Urbancamo) distracts the teacher Mr Rigby. Only a few days until the end of term and the summer holidays.
Faced by the choice of finishing my code or intervening in the Duran Duran/Wham debate, I choose the later, if only to spend more time with Donna. So I type SAVE”YAHTZEE” for the last time, remove the disk from the drive and throw it into my Adidas school bag.
28 years later at the beginning of January this year I found the aforementioned disk whilst digging around in the loft and miraculously managed to recover the contents. My Retrochallenge was therefore decided, to try to finish Yahtzee.
Roll & Hold Toggle
Since the last update I’ve managed to eliminate the need to jump out of Mode 7 to display the dice by building the graphical representation of each die using Sixels.
Although I’ve lost the roundness of the dots and the squareness of the dice and I still prefer the end result plus it gives a more consistent feel to the overall aesthetic of the program.
Using this mode has also allowed me to improve the layout by placing the dice horizontally, label them more clearly and fit in more text where necessary. Here’s a list of improvements made since my last entry:-
Graphics updated to Mode 7
Dice properly labelled and numbered
Hold/Roll toggle selection
Option to amend Hold/Toggle choices
Option to skip 2nd and 3rd rolls
Current round displayed
Used GET$ to remove unwanted question marks
Everything seems to be working correctly and although I might be tempted to tinker a little more I think Yahtzee is finally at a stage where I could submit it as finished coursework and hope to improve upon the ‘C’ I was originally graded.
Given that I started this code 28 years ago I confess it is a tad late. If Mr Rigby, our put upon Computer Studies teacher is indeed still alive (his nickname was Rigamortis) then I hope he won’t give me a detention for what is presumably the world’s latest homework. I’ve included the finished code and a short video of it in action below.
MMC Solid State Drive
I’ve also received the MMC solid state disk drive that I ordered. This great little device hooks up to the BBC’s user port and makes the transfer of files back and forth between the PC and BBC via SD cards relatively simple.
Currently the unit is dangling around on the end of its ribbon cable but it does come supplied with the parts needed to fit it inside the BBC’s case. I have to make a decision however on whether I want to attempt to cut a whole in the case to allow card changes to be made without the need to open the old girl up.
Here is the final Yahtzee code, if you’re still out there Mr Rigby, let me know what you think and I’m sorry it’s late:-
10 REM YAHTZEE BY RETROCOSM
20 REM RETROCHALLENGE 2013 WINTER WARMUP
30 REM DEFINE VARIABLES
40 CONE=0:CTWO=0:CTHREE=0:CFOUR=0
50 P=0:Q=0:SC=0:ST=0:Y=0:C=0
60 JUMP=0:RSCORE=0:SORTED=0:ROUND=1
70 DIM Q$(5):DIM A(5):DIM V(5):DIM D(5)
80 IF RND(-TIME)
90 REM START SCREEN
100 CLS:MODE 7
110 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT
120 PRINTCHR$(141);CHR$(131)" YAHTZEE"
130 PRINTCHR$(141);CHR$(130)" YAHTZEE"
140 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT
150 PRINTCHR$(132)" By Retrocosm.net"
160 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT:PRINT
170 PRINTCHR$(129)" Press Any Key"
180 LET B$=GET$:IF B$="" THEN 150
190 CLS
200 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT
210 PRINTCHR$(132)"Instructions(Y/N)"
220 PRINT:PRINT
230 LET A$=GET$
240 IF A$="Y" THEN 2000
250 IF A$<>"N" THEN 190
260 CLS
270 PRINT:PRINT
280 PRINTCHR$(132)"Please Enter Your Name"
290 PRINT:INPUT NAME$
300 PRINT:PRINT"THANK YOU"
310 CLS
320 PRINTCHR$(141);CHR$(131)" YAHTZEE"
330 PRINTCHR$(141);CHR$(130)" YAHTZEE"
340 PRINTCHR$(141);CHR$(129)" ======="
350 PRINTCHR$(141);CHR$(129)" ======="
360 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT
370 PRINTCHR$(132)"Player One Is ";CHR$(129);CHR$(136);NAME$
380 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT
390 PRINT CHR$(129)"Press Any Key To Play"
400 LET B$=GET$:IF B$="" THEN 370
500
510
520 PRINT:PRINT
530 CLS
540 REM RANDOMISE & PRINT DICE
550 FOR L=0 TO 4
560 PRINT TAB(L*8,3);CHR$(132)"ROLL"
570 LET Z=INT(RND(1)*6)+1:LET V(L+1)=Z
580 ON Z GOSUB 1000,1020,1040,1060,1080,1100
590 PRINT TAB(L*8,10);CHR$(132)"DIE ";L+1
595 PRINT TAB(0,1);CHR$(131)"Round ";ROUND
600 NEXT L
610 C=1
620 FOR F=0 TO 4
630 PRINT TAB(0,12);CHR$(129);"Hold Die ";F+1;" (Y/N) "
640 LET A$=GET$
650 IF A$="Y" THEN LET A(F+1)=1 ELSE A(F+1)=0
660 IF A$="Y" THEN PRINT TAB(F*8,3);CHR$(129)"HOLD"
670 IF A$="N" THEN PRINT TAB(F*8,3);CHR$(131)"ROLL"
680 NEXT F
690 PRINT TAB(0,12);CHR$(132);"Roll(R) Go Back(B) Finish(F)"
700 LET C$=GET$
710 IF C$="R" THEN 730
715 IF C$="F" THEN C=2:GOTO 870
720 IF C$="B" THEN 620 ELSE 690
730 FOR F=1 TO 5
740 LET Z=INT(RND(1)*6)+1
750 IF A(F)=0 THEN LET V(F)=Z
760 NEXT F
770 CLS
780 FOR L=0 TO 4
785 PRINT TAB(0,1);CHR$(131)"Round ";ROUND
790 PRINT TAB(L*8,3);CHR$(132)"ROLL"
800 PRINT TAB(L*8,10);CHR$(132)"DIE ";L+1
805 IF SORTED=1 THEN PRINT TAB(L*8,3);CHR$(132)" "
810 ON V(L+1) GOSUB 1000,1020,1040,1060,1080,1100
820 NEXT L
830 IF C=2 THEN GOTO 860
840 LET C=C+1
850 GOTO 620
860 IF SORTED=1 GOTO 920
870 PRINT TAB(0,12);CHR$(129);"Any Key To Sort "
880 LET A$=GET$
890 REM SORT DICE
900 PROCsort
910 IF SORTED=1 GOTO 780
920 PROCreadice
930 PROCscores
940 ROUND=ROUND+1
950 IF ROUND=6 THEN GOTO 2310
960 GOTO 520
1000 PROCone
1010 RETURN
1020 PROCtwo
1030 RETURN
1040 PROCthree
1050 RETURN
1060 PROCfour
1070 RETURN
1080 PROCfive
1090 RETURN
1100 PROCsix
1110 RETURN
2000 REM SHOW INSTRUCTIONS
2010 CLS
2020 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT CHR$(129)"YAHTZEE INSTRUCTIONS"
2030 PRINT:PRINT CHR$(131)"Yahtzee is a simulated dice throwing"
2040 PRINT CHR$(131)"game for one player."
2050 PRINT CHR$(131)"The player shakes his dice."
2060 PRINT CHR$(131)"After shaking you may pick up any"
2070 PRINT CHR$(131)"amount of the dice you wish and shake"
2080 PRINT CHR$(131)"again until you are satisfied with"
2090 PRINT CHR$(131)"your score.You may do this twice after"
2100 PRINT CHR$(131)"your first shake."
2110 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT CHR$(132)"Press Any Key"
2120 LET B$=GET$:IF B$="" THEN 1130
2130 CLS
2140 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT CHR$(129)"YAHTZEE SCORING"
2150 PRINT:PRINT CHR$(131)"Points are awarded for getting certain"
2160 PRINT CHR$(131)"amounts and patterns on the dice."
2170 PRINT CHR$(131)"For example runs, sets or pairs"
2180 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT CHR$(132)"Press any key to play"
2190 LET B$=GET$:IF B$="" THEN 2190
2200 GOTO 260
2300 REM PRINT FINAL SCORE
2310 CLS:PRINT:PRINT CHR$(132);"Final Score"
2320 PRINT:PRINT CHR$(129);"After 5 Goes You Have A Score Of";CHR$(136);RSCORE
2330 PROCsound
2340 PRINT:PRINT CHR$(131);"Play Again(Y/N)":PRINT
2350 LET Y$=GET$
2360 IF Y$="Y" THEN 2390
2370 IF Y$<>"N" THEN 2300
2380 GOTO 2410
2390 RESTORE
2400 RUN
2410 CLS
2420 PRINT:PRINT CHR$(131);"Goodbye, Thank You For Playing Yahtzee."
2430 END
4000 DEFPROCsound
4100 SOUND 1,-15,97,10
4200 SOUND 1,-15,105,10
4300 SOUND 1,-15,89,10
4400 SOUND 1,-15,41,10
4500 SOUND 1,-15,69,20
4600 ENDPROC
5000 DEFPROCone
5010 PRINT TAB(L*8,5);CHR$151;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$159
5020 PRINT TAB(L*8,6);CHR$151;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$159
5030 PRINT TAB(L*8,7);CHR$151;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$159
5035 PRINT TAB(L*8,8);CHR$151;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$159
5040 ENDPROC
5050 DEFPROCtwo
5060 PRINT TAB(L*8,5);CHR$151;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$159
5070 PRINT TAB(L*8,6);CHR$151;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$159
5080 PRINT TAB(L*8,7);CHR$151;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$159
5085 PRINT TAB(L*8,8);CHR$151;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$159
5090 ENDPROC
5100 DEFPROCthree
5110 PRINT TAB(L*8,5);CHR$151;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$159
5120 PRINT TAB(L*8,6);CHR$151;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$159
5130 PRINT TAB(L*8,7);CHR$151;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$159
5135 PRINT TAB(L*8,8);CHR$151;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$159
5140 ENDPROC
5150 DEFPROCfour
5160 PRINT TAB(L*8,5);CHR$151;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$159
5170 PRINT TAB(L*8,6);CHR$151;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$159
5180 PRINT TAB(L*8,7);CHR$151;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$159
5185 PRINT TAB(L*8,8);CHR$151;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$159
5190 ENDPROC
5200 DEFPROCfive
5210 PRINT TAB(L*8,5);CHR$151;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$159
5220 PRINT TAB(L*8,6);CHR$151;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$159
5230 PRINT TAB(L*8,7);CHR$151;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$159
5235 PRINT TAB(L*8,8);CHR$151;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$159
5240 ENDPROC
5250 DEFPROCsix
5260 PRINT TAB(L*8,5);CHR$151;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$191;CHR$239;CHR$159
5270 PRINT TAB(L*8,6);CHR$151;CHR$189;CHR$238;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$189;CHR$238;CHR$159
5280 PRINT TAB(L*8,7);CHR$151;CHR$189;CHR$238;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$189;CHR$238;CHR$159
5285 PRINT TAB(L*8,8);CHR$151;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$255;CHR$255;CHR$253;CHR$254;CHR$159
5290 ENDPROC
6000 DEFPROCsort
6010 FOR PASS=1 TO 5
6020 FOR SORT=1 TO 4
6030 ST=V(SORT+1)
6040 IF V(SORT)<V(SORT+1) THEN ST=V(SORT)
6050 IF V(SORT)<V(SORT+1) THEN V(SORT)=V(SORT+1)
6060 V(SORT+1)=ST
6070 NEXT SORT
6080 NEXT PASS
6090 SORTED=1
6100 ENDPROC
7000 DEFPROCreadice
7010 CONE=0:CTWO=0:CTHREE=0:CFOUR=0
7020 SORTED=0:JUMP=0
7030 FOR I=1 TO 4
7040 IF V(1)=V(I+1) THEN CONE=CONE+1 ELSE JUMP=(I+1)
7050 IF JUMP>0 THEN I=4
7060 REM
7070 NEXT I
7080 K=JUMP:JUMP=0
7090 IF K>4 THEN GOTO 7260
7100 FOR I=K TO 4
7110 IF V(I)=V(I+1) THEN CTWO=CTWO+1 ELSE JUMP=(I+1)
7120 IF JUMP>0 THEN I=4
7130 REM
7140 NEXT I
7150 Q=JUMP:JUMP=0
7160 IF Q>4 THEN GOTO 7260
7170 FOR I=Q TO 4
7180 IF V(I)=V(I+1) THEN CTHREE=CTHREE+1 ELSE JUMP=(I+1)
7190 IF JUMP>0 THEN I=4
7200 NEXT I
7210 T=JUMP:JUMP=0
7220 IF T>4 THEN GOTO 7260
7230 FOR I=T TO 4
7240 IF V(I)=V(I+1) THEN CFOUR=CFOUR+1 ELSE I=4
7250 NEXT I
7260 ENDPROC
8000 DEFPROCscores
8010 PRINT:PRINT
8020 SC=0:CHK=CONE+CTWO+CTHREE+CFOUR
8030 IF CONE=4 THEN SC=100:PRINTCHR$(129);"YAHTZEE! "
8040 IF CONE=3 OR CTWO=3 THEN SC=75:PRINTCHR$(129);"FOUR OF A KIND "
8050 IF CONE=2 AND CTWO=1 THEN SC=50:PRINTCHR$(129);"FULL HOUSE "
8060 IF CONE=1 AND CTWO=2 THEN SC=50:PRINTCHR$(129);"FULL HOUSE "
8070 IF CONE=2 AND CTWO=0 THEN SC=40:PRINTCHR$(129);"THREE OF A KIND "
8080 IF CTWO=2 AND CONE 8090 IF CTHREE=2 THEN SC=40:PRINTCHR$(129);"THREE OF A KIND "
8100 IF CONE=1 AND CTWO=1 THEN SC=30:PRINTCHR$(129);"TWO PAIRS "
8110 IF CONE=1 AND CTHREE=1 THEN SC=30:PRINTCHR$(129);"TWO PAIRS "
8120 IF CTWO=1 AND CTHREE=1 THEN SC=30:PRINTCHR$(129);"TWO PAIRS "
8130 IF CHK=1 THEN SC=20:PRINTCHR$(129);"ONE PAIR "
8140 IF CHK=0 AND V(1)=6 AND V(5)=2 THEN SC=30:PRINTCHR$(129);"HIGH RUN "
8150 IF CHK=0 AND V(1)=5 AND V(5)=1 THEN SC=30:PRINTCHR$(129);"LOW RUN "
8160 IF SC=0 PRINTCHR$(129);"NO SCORE "
8170 PRINT:PRINTCHR$(131);"SCORE ";CHR$(136);SC:PRINT
8180 RSCORE=RSCORE+SC
8190 PRINTCHR$(132);"Running Score ";RSCORE
8200 PRINT:PRINTCHR$(129);"Any Key To Continue"
8210 LET B$=GET$:IF B$="" THEN 8210
8220 CONE=0:CTWO=0:CTHREE=0:CFOUR=0
8230 ENDPROC
Remember those halcyon days when you used to cycle excitedly to the local newsagent for the latest copy of your favourite computer magazine, rush home and spend three hours typing in a BASIC listing, fail to save it and then watch as your computer crashed due to an errant semi colon.
It’s Been 28 Years
Well I remember it especially vividly given that yesterday I spent an hour or so typing Yahtzee into my BBC Master. That’s right, I took one for the team. Unable to successfully transfer the code I’d worked on whilst waiting for the Master to arrive I opted for the manual option.
Jokes aside it was actually quite a pleasant experience. The BBC keyboard is very responsive and the screen was actually pretty easy on my eyes (remembers hours playing M.U.D. on a C64 hooked up to a TV and the subsequent migraines.)
Of course editing the code is a tad more laborious on the BBC than with a modern editor but nevertheless I’ve continued to make improvements, mostly aesthetic. I’ve banished the garish red dice and gone for more subtle black and white in a slightly less in your face graphics mode so everything’s a bit smaller.
Scores At Last
I’ve also numbered the dice so it’s more obvious which ones you’re holding, realigned some of the text and cleared out a few other redundant lines of code.
I’ve also been looking at the possibility of using the Mode 7 – Teletext mode to render the dice. I found a good resource here that covers Mode 7 and the Sixel graphical elements. Incidentally Ceefax, the BBC’s text information service, introduced in 1974 was finally retired on the 23rd of October 2012 when the last remaining analogue TV symbol in the UK was switched off in Northern Ireland in favour of digital broadcasts.
Old & New
When running Yahtzee on the actual Beeb rather than the emulator the previously reported issue with the lack of randomness of the dice throws has resolved itself.
Presumably the random number generator is now being correctly seeded and is as random as such computer generated things can be.
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