Software
There is a Software page in the blog to list the programs I have made. It has been there available for some time now but I have not advertised it much. Currently, it contains only two items Flappy Skimmer Ride game and hexfile command line hex dumper tool. I have a couple of projects which I should add there.
Flappy Skimmer Ride game play
I first learned programming with GW-BASIC and wanted to try how a modern BASIC would work. I had played a bit with QB64 but decided to develop hexfile with FreeBASIC. I got the idea from the hexfile example program in P.K. McBride, 1989, Programming in GW-BASIC chapter 15.6. I wanted to use modern development practices and as the program grew I felt the need to add automated tests. There are already test frameworks for FreeBASIC – e.g. fbcunit – but I decided to build my own library. I am currently polishing the first version and preparing a GitHub repository. I will add the library to the blog after the first release is done.
hexfile in Kubuntu terminal
hexfile in Gitpod terminal
hexfile in FreeDOS
The third BASIC project is retro programming. I mostly used a PC as a kid, but we also had a Salora Manager home computer which is basically a Salora-branded version of VTech Laser 2001. I do not have the computer anymore, but wanted to develop a game for it using an emulator. The game is Motituspeli a simple clone of the PC game Motti (motti is Finnish for encirclement) where players try to conquer territory and capture the capitals of others. The game is not finished yet. It is playable but still lacks advanced features.
Graphics mode map in version 0.3.0
Main menu in version 0.3.0. The game is in Finnish.
Text mode map in version 0.2.0
The final software project is Wizard’s Tower a choose-your-own-adventure style text adventure made with Twine. I have wanted to do something with Twine for some time already and got an idea to do a game based on the Swamp Fortress images with help from generative AI tools like Midjourney and ChatGPT. The Wizards Tower is a test project with a smaller scope. The idea is not to make a perfect game but learn Twine and see how the AI tools work for a game project.
Developing Wizard’s Tower in Twine.