on a side note I just started to rework the code for #rcbbs, no visible changes, but under the hood there has been a massive rework as I have replaced the static (as in memory) message buffer with a dynamically allocated one. This is in preparation to allow 40 column support at a later stage of development.

#retrocoding
#bdsc
#bbs

It was a cold and rainy day today so I decided to rework the parser of my text adventure game skeleton.

So now you can enter a simple sentence as can be seen in the screenshot which is better than the two-word approach I initially implemented (still not Infocom like but then that's not what I am after).

What happens in the background is that the user input is split into sub-strings which are then checked against a list of strings (e.g. object names, verbs), leaving their corresponding list index number on the stack. These numbers are then used within the actual game logic.

Oh, and I've added some colors - now the thing is beginning to look like a game ...

#textadventure
#game
#parser
#retrocoding
#durexforth
#forth

Had a day off today and used the free time to implement "take", ""drop" and "inv" (inventory) for that #text #adventure #game skeleton I'm occasionally tinkering with.

On the #Commodore64 I use #durexforth, but the same code also works on the #MyNorMy4th and with #gforth and I plan to get it to work on the #Minstrel4d as well.

I still use just a two-word #parser at the moment but I'm already looking into ways of expanding that (will not be as great as Infocom but better than it is now).

#forth
#retrocoding

I've felt compelled to try and recreate one of the first games I ever wrote, but now for the Commodore 64 (it was a Flash game, originally. Me trying as best I could to make a clone of Kaboom!, ha.)

Also a nice opportunity I suppose to show up my new desktop setup, lol. :X

#retrocomputing #retrocoding #commodore64 #gamedev #indiedev

tinkering with #durexforth on the
#Commodore64, doing some #retrocoding

I have compiled Durexforth from source, using the "master" branch. The main reason for this being that - unlike the official 5.0.0 release - the most recent code allows the S" word to be used in interactive mode.

Even more interesting is the fact that there already is a COUNT word but not its counterpart PLACE - so I provided that myself. And that eventually enabled me to provide a new, custom word: S, (which you may know from gforth)

S, will add a counted string to the dictionary, starting at HERE

Which eventually gives us a the ability to create nice lists of strings. 💡

Now, why do all of this (despite having fun)? 🤔

Well, remember when I put together a two-word parser for a simple #textadventure #game in DX-Forth on CP/M? 🔄
(https://oldbytes.space/@Wintermute_BBS/115996588963884170)

With my additions in place that code now also runs on Durexforth without any changes (despite ASCII to PETSCII conversion) .... yay!

#forth
#programming

some of you may remember my little, Forth based BBS project (DXBBS). Well, I'm not pleased with the way the whole message system turned out. very bad coding style, bloated, yuck!

So I put everything on hold and started a new approach, one that will be compatible with my current RBBS message base format.

Below is the code and a first test I use to access those messages. The message file I am experimenting with is a copy of what is currently online on RC-BOX BBS.

#retrocoding
#forth
#dxbbs