itch.io

Cool looking forward to the console comps - probably not to many Tape game entries for other consoles, well except the Bally Home Computer :)

I consider both of those more real computers than the C64 btw; that was just a game machine with an awesome music chip because that's how it was generally used; I wrote software for it too but I'm a programmer, and no serious applications.

All three are real computers, but with the C64 very few people that had one did anything other than play games while a much higher ratio of Atari Video Computer System Programmers actually learned how to program - check out the examples in this IDE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhAj0XXuxVU

In part this is because Atari BASIC Programming was well marketed and the Video Computer System presented as a multi-purpose device while the C64 was increasingly marketed as a console.

Based on actual usage, the C64 could be considered a console with a keyboard. So many people used it like that it was re-released as a console but it flopped because it was a console that needed a keyboard -  I think the C64 should be allowed in console comps with it's keyboard.   

I do have an original Beat 'em up on Tape for the TRS-80 CoCo; it was published in the 80's but is now free to share, it's a Military sim with a cool Tape loader! :)

Can I enter it?

Hope the Atari VCS is included for being contemporary with the C64 and the VIC-20 their entire lifetime.

I think it is also distinguished by having switches on the console like the Altair which is a home computer, and being called a Video Computer System.  It's from an earlier era so perhaps it could go either way. 

RelationalFramework is creating a 6K SuperCharger game for the Atari 2600 Video Computer System :)

There are lot's of fun BASIC examples and games and BASIC compilers on the site for retro coders to try out!

 Here's one Beat'em up title currently being worked on:

Writing new Atari VCS games in classic BASIC -   

Here is a fun and short example to share that anyone who wrote BASIC on a home computer will like: 

0 data city 5,9,6,9,7,6,7,5,9,5,5,5,5,6,6,7,5,8,5,8,7,5,8,8,5,5,6,6,7,5,7,8,9,8,8,7,8,9,5,6,8,5,9,6,6,7,5,7,5,5,8,5
1 if g=0 or CXP0FB>126 then CXCLR=0:for j=0 to 9:player1(j)=189:player0(j)=pl(j):rowcolors(j)=178+w:next j else goto 3
2 for j=20 to 71:k=j-20:k=city(k):for i=k to 9:vwpixel(j,i,on):next i,j:player0y=96:player0x=84:y=11:g=1:w=16*z
3 if f<player0y/52 and SWCHB|247=255 then f=f+1:goto 9 else AUDC1=7:AUDF1=BITIndex/5:AUDV1=BITIndex:f=0:rem Theme Music 
4 AUDV0=0:scrollvirtualworldtoggle=1:BITIndex=BITIndex+1:missile0x=missile0x+2:data pl 0,224,127,231,252,192,128,0
5 if joy0fire=1 and y>8 then AUDF0=12:AUDC0=9:SUSTAINFORFRAMES=15:x=BITIndex+9:i=96-player0y:i=i/10:y=1+i:remPlayahTune 
6 if y<10 then vwpixel(x,y,bindplayer1):COLUP1=M(y):y=y+1:data M 122,138,12,170,154,250,234,218,202,186,42,58,74,28   
7 if y<10 and vwpixel(x,y,poll)>0 then vwpixel(x,y,flip):player1x=0:player1y=0:AUDC0=y:y=21:AUDF0=4:AUDV0=15:rem Hit! 
8 if BITIndex>71 then BITIndex=0:player0y=player0y-2 else missile1x=missile1x+1:missile1y=missile1y+3:rem10LINEBLITZ II
9 if player0y=0 then g=0:player0colors(3)=14:player0colors(4)=112+z:COLUBK=M(z)-10:z=z+1 else missile0y=missile0y+2

Try the game in the browser here.