Best BASIC game?

General software. From trouble with the Banyan Tree to OCP Art Studio, post any general software chat here. Could include game challenges...
User avatar
5MinuteRetro
Manic Miner
Posts: 755
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 12:21 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Best BASIC game?

Post by 5MinuteRetro »

Inspired by a recent thread about a new BASIC game I wonder what the best Spectrum BASIC game might be? I mean, I'm sure I played a heap of them in the machine's earliest days but none immediately spring to mind. Actually, Oracle's Cave just sprang to mind: I wonder if that was BASIC? I sure played that loads, and remember it being basic enough to be BASIC.

I just checked on ZXDB and it seems the coding language isn't recorded? If so, there's no easy/obvious way to see a list of BASIC games. Perhaps I'm missing something?

Either way, what are people's recommendations for genuinely good BASIC games? To be clear, I really do mean pure BASIC... not mostly BASIC with bits of machine code bolted on.
Retro stuff, real quick
YouTube: http://bit.ly/5MinuteRetro
Twitter: https://twitter.com/5MinuteRetro
User avatar
DouglasReynholm
Manic Miner
Posts: 347
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2019 8:38 pm

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by DouglasReynholm »

Quicksilva's Mined-Out was an early-ish basic title I think? Not a bad game, and one of the first I remember being easily able to BREAK into. Also, the legendary Football Manager was easily LISTed too... I don't recall seeing any DATA, but not looked in a long time.
User avatar
Einar Saukas
Bugaboo
Posts: 3070
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:48 pm

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by Einar Saukas »

5MinuteRetro wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 9:01 pmI just checked on ZXDB and it seems the coding language isn't recorded? If so, there's no easy/obvious way to see a list of BASIC games. Perhaps I'm missing something?
ZXDB already classifies titles according to programming languages. It currently recognizes the following groups:

Code: Select all

4002: Sinclair BASIC
4003: C (z88dk)
4004: C (z88dk/splib2)
4005: C (SDCC)
4006: ccz80
4007: Boriel ZX BASIC
4008: HiSoft BASIC
4009: Colt BASIC
4010: Assembly (GNU binutils)
4011: Assembly (Pasmo)
4001: Assembly (misc)
Group 4002 contains titles developed in "Sinclair Basic":

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... up_id=4002

Unfortunately this list is far from complete. Most titles are not classified by programming language... If anyone can provide a list of IDs for titles developed in a certain programming language, I will gladly complement this information in ZXDB!
User avatar
5MinuteRetro
Manic Miner
Posts: 755
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 12:21 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by 5MinuteRetro »

Einar Saukas wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 9:45 pm
Group 4002 contains titles developed in "Sinclair Basic":

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... up_id=4002

Unfortunately this list is far from complete. Most titles are not classified by programming language... If anyone can provide a list of IDs for titles developed in a certain programming language, I will gladly complement this information in ZXDB!
Ah, right - sorry! It did seem like an odd omission from the database.
Retro stuff, real quick
YouTube: http://bit.ly/5MinuteRetro
Twitter: https://twitter.com/5MinuteRetro
User avatar
PeterJ
Site Admin
Posts: 6852
Joined: Thu Nov 09, 2017 7:19 pm
Location: Surrey, UK

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by PeterJ »

I'm not sure if you are including type-ins here, but I have always had a lot of respect for the Benny Bunny series which appeared in Sinclair Programs.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=21612

Scroll down the link above to see other games in the series.

The Type Fantastic website also highlights impressive type-ins with a white background.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~jg27p ... pehome.htm
User avatar
5MinuteRetro
Manic Miner
Posts: 755
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 12:21 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by 5MinuteRetro »

DouglasReynholm wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 9:16 pm Quicksilva's Mined-Out was an early-ish basic title I think? Not a bad game, and one of the first I remember being easily able to BREAK into. Also, the legendary Football Manager was easily LISTed too... I don't recall seeing any DATA, but not looked in a long time.
Not sure I ever played Mined-Out - so will try it. Thanks.

Pretty sure Football Manager was all BASIC but I have zero interest in football, so not for me regardless!
Retro stuff, real quick
YouTube: http://bit.ly/5MinuteRetro
Twitter: https://twitter.com/5MinuteRetro
User avatar
DouglasReynholm
Manic Miner
Posts: 347
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2019 8:38 pm

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by DouglasReynholm »

5MinuteRetro wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 10:15 pm
DouglasReynholm wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 9:16 pm Quicksilva's Mined-Out was an early-ish basic title I think? Not a bad game, and one of the first I remember being easily able to BREAK into. Also, the legendary Football Manager was easily LISTed too... I don't recall seeing any DATA, but not looked in a long time.
Not sure I ever played Mined-Out - so will try it. Thanks.

Pretty sure Football Manager was all BASIC but I have zero interest in football, so not for me regardless!
Interestingly, Ian Spencer the Mined-out programmer, went on to found Incentive software who did the Freescape games (Driller, Total Eclipse etc.). Bit of a leap technology wise!
Daren
Manic Miner
Posts: 248
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2018 10:22 am

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by Daren »

Derby Day is probably mine.
dfzx
Manic Miner
Posts: 673
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 6:55 pm
Location: New Forest, UK
Contact:

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by dfzx »

Daren wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2019 8:19 am Derby Day is probably mine.
I wanted to say that! But it fails the "not with bits of machine code added on" criteria. :(

Good game though.
Derek Fountain, author of the ZX Spectrum C Programmer's Getting Started Guide and various open source games, hardware and other projects, including an IF1 and ZX Microdrive emulator.
User avatar
cha05e90
Dizzy
Posts: 66
Joined: Sun Nov 19, 2017 7:02 pm

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by cha05e90 »

I don't know why, but my most played and liked ZX BASIC game is the type-in from C,V&G: The Wizard of Tallyron.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=17442

Apparently I liked it so much, that I did a own loading screen for it (which is btw. muuuch nicer the the one that came with the sold version). :-)
48K/+/+/+/+128K/Vega/Next&80/81&88
User avatar
Juan F. Ramirez
Bugaboo
Posts: 5101
Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 6:55 am
Location: Málaga, Spain

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Wasn't Viking Raiders written in BASIC?

My fave is Indiana Jones y el Idolo de Oro (list published in Microhobby).
User avatar
Morkin
Bugaboo
Posts: 3250
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 8:50 am
Location: Bristol, UK

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by Morkin »

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2019 12:07 pmMy fave is Indiana Jones y el Idolo de Oro (list published in Microhobby).
I assume it got a "Seal of Approval" :)

I'm sure someone said The Witch's Cauldron was a BASIC game? Haven't checked. Seems to be quite highly rated.
My Speccy site: thirdharmoniser.com
User avatar
Einar Saukas
Bugaboo
Posts: 3070
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:48 pm

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by Einar Saukas »

cha05e90 wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2019 10:15 amApparently I liked it so much, that I did a own loading screen for it (which is btw. muuuch nicer the the one that came with the sold version). :-)
Why don't you upload it to ZX-Art?
User avatar
uglifruit
Manic Miner
Posts: 700
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2019 12:41 pm
Location: Leicester
Contact:

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by uglifruit »

My vote would be for The Biz. It's still great. (Also, as mentioned, Mined Out is also still very good and worth a play)
CLEAR 23855
User avatar
Kweepa
Manic Miner
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:14 pm
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by Kweepa »

Morkin wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2019 12:59 pm I'm sure someone said The Witch's Cauldron was a BASIC game? Haven't checked. Seems to be quite highly rated.
The tap contents don't look very BASICy:

Code: Select all

Program: CAULDRON LINE 0
Data (490 Bytes)
Data (6913 Bytes)
Data (40886 Bytes)
End if Tape
FFoulkes
Microbot
Posts: 161
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2019 2:42 pm

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by FFoulkes »

"Go to Jail" (Automata) - Monopoly in Basic (for 2 to 5 players), how cool is that?
FFoulkes
Microbot
Posts: 161
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2019 2:42 pm

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by FFoulkes »

This IQ-Test is really nice. Not really a game, though.

"Mined Out" would be one of my favourites, too. Very well done.
User avatar
R-Tape
Site Admin
Posts: 6353
Joined: Thu Nov 09, 2017 11:46 am

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by R-Tape »

The Wild Bunch is a cracker. It is pure BASIC isn't it?
Dark
Dizzy
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:21 am
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by Dark »

My first Spectrum was a +2, so Basic games were pretty much a thing of the past by then. But the one I did play, and play a lot was Football Manager, and thought it was a great game. I had a shot of it recently and thoroughly enjoyed it. Will definitely play it again when I get my Next and spend a bit more time playing Speccy games.
Ralf
Rick Dangerous
Posts: 2279
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:59 am
Location: Poland

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by Ralf »

User avatar
Ast A. Moore
Rick Dangerous
Posts: 2640
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:16 pm

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by Ast A. Moore »

Ralf wrote: Tue Mar 26, 2019 9:30 am Is Dictator writen in Basic?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=1388
Yes.
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.

Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
User avatar
Vampyre
Manic Miner
Posts: 833
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:51 pm
Contact:

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by Vampyre »

Wasn't The Great Space Race written in Basic? It would be far, far down the list of Best Basic Games though :lol:
ZX Spectrum Reviews REST API: http://zxspectrumreviews.co.uk/
User avatar
stupidget
Dynamite Dan
Posts: 1611
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:09 pm
Location: Sunny Wolverhampton

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by stupidget »

Not actually a released BASIC game as it was a type-in, but none the less, still an excellent game:

Forest of Long Shadows

This was pretty good as well:

Pixy the microdot
User avatar
Morkin
Bugaboo
Posts: 3250
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 8:50 am
Location: Bristol, UK

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by Morkin »

Kweepa wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2019 11:35 pm
Morkin wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2019 12:59 pm I'm sure someone said The Witch's Cauldron was a BASIC game? Haven't checked. Seems to be quite highly rated.
The tap contents don't look very BASICy:

Code: Select all

Program: CAULDRON LINE 0
Data (490 Bytes)
Data (6913 Bytes)
Data (40886 Bytes)
End if Tape
Ah yeah - just checked, that's definitely not stonk.... errrr.... BASIC...! :lol:
My Speccy site: thirdharmoniser.com
User avatar
zxbruno
Manic Miner
Posts: 213
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 6:13 am

Re: Best BASIC game?

Post by zxbruno »

Can we include games released in the past 15 years? The Bytemaniacos BASIC competition, for example, had a few games that impressed me when they were released. And wasn't there a game completely written in BASIC that was released just months ago? A good one, that is.
Post Reply