8 ms·

JSBeeb – JavaScript BBC Micro Emulator

70 points by robeerob 8y ago

jacknews 8y ago
Very nice, how do I run elite? I never had a disk system edit: Ah got it, shift-break on BBC, fn-shift-right_command-F12 on macbook pro touchbar
- sgt 8y ago
  I've been trying to do that but I can't seem to make it work. fn-shift-right cmd-f12... on MBP non touchbar
  - radiowave 8y ago
    Alternatively, at the prompt, type: >CHAIN "LOAD"
pjmlp 8y ago
Pick up the subject of old 8 bit computers, games and browsers. Get ready for the 20 KB JS shooter competition. https://gynvael.coldwind.pl/?id=686 https://gynvael.coldwind.pl/?id=686
thorin 8y ago
Frak worked first time, haven't seen that in a while. Very nice. There are loads of good text adventures on BBC and of course Elite but has anyone else got any good recommends?
- delibes 8y ago
  I used to love the puzzle adventure things like Repton. edit - and Castle Quest and Ravenskull.
  - thorin 8y ago
    I'd forgotten about Repton! Is Granny's Garden available freely - I seem to remember they are still trying to sell it!
    - zaf 8y ago
      Unfortunately Granny's Garden is not available freely due to publishers denying permission to do so.
- dave-f 8y ago
  A few to try: Citadel (Arcade adventure) Imogen (Cute Puzzler) Chuckie Egg (Ladders 'n levels romp) Skirmish (Joust) 3D Pool (Lovely 3D Pool simulation) Thrust (Space Physics fun) Firetrack (Shooter)
  - thorin 8y ago
    Don't worry, I already know about Chuckie Egg. I've lapped it a few times, BBC possible the best version? I never really got into Thrust but will give it another go. Thanks
- crtasm 8y ago
  Frak! I don't think I ever got past the second level as a kid, wonder how I'd fare after ~32years of platforming practice.
- zem 8y ago
  want to see if i can complete twin kingdom valley now! never did get the last lousy point.
FearNotDaniel 8y ago
10 PRINT "HELLO "; 20 GOTO 10 RUN Ah, the memories. But I forgot how to break out of such a loop. Lucky there's a hard/soft reset option in the website menu...
- mmjaa 8y ago
  Its the ESCAPE key.
- nudgeee 8y ago
  10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU "; 20 GOTO 10 RUN As seen in the BBC cult classic Look Around You intro, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBaVwwuErmU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBaVwwuErmU
  - timthorn 8y ago
    And that, of course, in homage to The Adventure Game: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/adventuregame/trivia.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/adventuregame/trivia.shtml
- stuaxo 8y ago
  Press ESC or f12 is probably the BBC micro break button, though you may need OLD to get your program back.
rayui 8y ago
without a working "*" key, makes it pretty unusable!
- teh_klev 8y ago
  The top menu has a drop down menu where you can choose between: Physical: '*' is next to Enter/Return Natural: '*' is shift-8 For me with a UK PC keyboard Physical is shift + ' (that key also has my @ character on it). It'd be where the star key would be on a BBC keyboard. Natural is just shift + 8 (where the asterisk is normally located).
- thorin 8y ago
  Look at the keyboard options...
- rwmj 8y ago
  On my UK laptop keyboard, Shift @ works.
ariehkovler 8y ago
Oh the feels. I had a ZX Spectrum at home so that made me one of the 'techie' kids in my school who could use the class BBC better than the teachers. It was my second experience with BASIC, and BBC BASIC was a little different to ZX Basic so I had to learn to adapt the syntax of my kiddie code. And the games! Anyone else play Podd? I still remember the first time I figured out you could make him explode.
- stuaxo 8y ago
  Pod can pop Was always funny / sad.
zellyn 8y ago
Never got a chance to use a BBC, but I did read Peter Killworth's “How to write Adventure Games” at one point: http://www.mocagh.org/softguide/writeadventuregames.pdf http://www.mocagh.org/softguide/writeadventuregames.pdf
- zaf 8y ago
  Have the hard copy, fantastic book.
apo 8y ago
Default keyboard symbol mapping is surprising: = -> ↑ ' -> : : -> + and so on. Why? Tried the entries on the Keyboard menu, which didn't seem to change much.
- tom_ 8y ago
  That's where the keys are, physically, on the real BBC Micro. Good shot of the keyboard on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Micro#/media/File:BBC_Micro_Front_Restored.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Micro#/media/File:BBC_Micr...
- JdeBP 8y ago
  It's only surprising to those who do not know ASCII codes off by heart, from using the VDU statement. (-: The BBC Micro had what is called a "bit-paired" keyboard. It also had copy cursor keys and a reset key.
  - tom_ 8y ago
    I think the up arrow here is the poster's rendering of the Mode 7 representation of ^.
SoulMan 8y ago
This is the first computer at school that I got my hands on
cjallen88 8y ago
I did a couple weeks of ‘work experience’ about 15 years ago at school and I spent some time playing with one. They gave it to me at the end of the last day, I still have it in my attic... it’s probably the reason I work in software.
rwmj 8y ago
Nice that *. which lists the directory also makes a disk-whirring noise. And Elite! *RUN"ELITE3" (* = shift @ on my keyboard)

70 points by robeerob 8y ago

Very nice, how do I run elite? I never had a disk system edit: Ah got it, shift-break on BBC, fn-shift-right_command-F12 on macbook pro touchbar

sgt 8y ago
I've been trying to do that but I can't seem to make it work. fn-shift-right cmd-f12... on MBP non touchbar
- radiowave 8y ago
  Alternatively, at the prompt, type: >CHAIN "LOAD"

pjmlp 8y ago

Pick up the subject of old 8 bit computers, games and browsers. Get ready for the 20 KB JS shooter competition. https://gynvael.coldwind.pl/?id=686 https://gynvael.coldwind.pl/?id=686

thorin 8y ago

Frak worked first time, haven't seen that in a while. Very nice. There are loads of good text adventures on BBC and of course Elite but has anyone else got any good recommends?

delibes 8y ago
I used to love the puzzle adventure things like Repton. edit - and Castle Quest and Ravenskull.
- thorin 8y ago
  I'd forgotten about Repton! Is Granny's Garden available freely - I seem to remember they are still trying to sell it!
  - zaf 8y ago
    Unfortunately Granny's Garden is not available freely due to publishers denying permission to do so.
dave-f 8y ago
A few to try: Citadel (Arcade adventure) Imogen (Cute Puzzler) Chuckie Egg (Ladders 'n levels romp) Skirmish (Joust) 3D Pool (Lovely 3D Pool simulation) Thrust (Space Physics fun) Firetrack (Shooter)
- thorin 8y ago
  Don't worry, I already know about Chuckie Egg. I've lapped it a few times, BBC possible the best version? I never really got into Thrust but will give it another go. Thanks
crtasm 8y ago
Frak! I don't think I ever got past the second level as a kid, wonder how I'd fare after ~32years of platforming practice.
zem 8y ago
want to see if i can complete twin kingdom valley now! never did get the last lousy point.

FearNotDaniel 8y ago

10 PRINT "HELLO "; 20 GOTO 10 RUN Ah, the memories. But I forgot how to break out of such a loop. Lucky there's a hard/soft reset option in the website menu...

mmjaa 8y ago
Its the ESCAPE key.
nudgeee 8y ago
10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU "; 20 GOTO 10 RUN As seen in the BBC cult classic Look Around You intro, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBaVwwuErmU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBaVwwuErmU
- timthorn 8y ago
  And that, of course, in homage to The Adventure Game: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/adventuregame/trivia.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/adventuregame/trivia.shtml
stuaxo 8y ago
Press ESC or f12 is probably the BBC micro break button, though you may need OLD to get your program back.

rayui 8y ago

without a working "*" key, makes it pretty unusable!

teh_klev 8y ago
The top menu has a drop down menu where you can choose between: Physical: '*' is next to Enter/Return Natural: '*' is shift-8 For me with a UK PC keyboard Physical is shift + ' (that key also has my @ character on it). It'd be where the star key would be on a BBC keyboard. Natural is just shift + 8 (where the asterisk is normally located).
thorin 8y ago
Look at the keyboard options...
rwmj 8y ago
On my UK laptop keyboard, Shift @ works.

ariehkovler 8y ago

Oh the feels. I had a ZX Spectrum at home so that made me one of the 'techie' kids in my school who could use the class BBC better than the teachers. It was my second experience with BASIC, and BBC BASIC was a little different to ZX Basic so I had to learn to adapt the syntax of my kiddie code. And the games! Anyone else play Podd? I still remember the first time I figured out you could make him explode.

stuaxo 8y ago
Pod can pop Was always funny / sad.

zellyn 8y ago

Never got a chance to use a BBC, but I did read Peter Killworth's “How to write Adventure Games” at one point: http://www.mocagh.org/softguide/writeadventuregames.pdf http://www.mocagh.org/softguide/writeadventuregames.pdf

zaf 8y ago
Have the hard copy, fantastic book.

apo 8y ago

Default keyboard symbol mapping is surprising: = -> ↑ ' -> : : -> + and so on. Why? Tried the entries on the Keyboard menu, which didn't seem to change much.

tom_ 8y ago
That's where the keys are, physically, on the real BBC Micro. Good shot of the keyboard on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Micro#/media/File:BBC_Micro_Front_Restored.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Micro#/media/File:BBC_Micr...
JdeBP 8y ago
It's only surprising to those who do not know ASCII codes off by heart, from using the VDU statement. (-: The BBC Micro had what is called a "bit-paired" keyboard. It also had copy cursor keys and a reset key.
- tom_ 8y ago
  I think the up arrow here is the poster's rendering of the Mode 7 representation of ^.

SoulMan 8y ago

This is the first computer at school that I got my hands on

cjallen88 8y ago

I did a couple weeks of ‘work experience’ about 15 years ago at school and I spent some time playing with one. They gave it to me at the end of the last day, I still have it in my attic... it’s probably the reason I work in software.

rwmj 8y ago

Nice that *. which lists the directory also makes a disk-whirring noise. And Elite! *RUN"ELITE3" (* = shift @ on my keyboard)