how much archive space does this puzz-pack take?

16K

This is irrelevant to this news article, but will excellent games like super mario ever be made for the 83plus? I would really like to see more assembly games added.

My guess is that if there is a big enough demand for it, it will be ported. Also, I think instead of programmers focusing all their energies on ports, they should make more new 'excellent' games from scratch. Desert Dust (from the TCPA) sounds to me like it will be the next big thing to happen to the 83/+ calcs. Can't wait till' that comes out!

~Jonathan Taylor

desert dust is only for the 83 and I have an 83+

I think with the amount of flash mem there is programmers like the excellent ones at TCPA should try getting some of the games that they could never play on the 83+ like joltima (I read someone posting this awhile ago that 83+ didn't have enough mem for joltima so if my statement is wrong blame that person :P). Also, there should be some useful apps too, like (I don't know if its possible, I don't know much about 83 asm, or any asm for that matter :P) the 86's asm( command or lower/upper case without running a program.

Is Joltima an ASM program? Because if it is, all someone has to do is port it to ION and BAM!!!! there ya go, you got it on an 83+ and 83. Also, since it is running in Ion, the size will be much smaller, since every one of the Ion games uses the same libraries and other standard features that come with Ion. Really, I would hate to be a person that owned something other than an 83+ without having an 83+.

the 83+ cant run games like joltima I've read. Isn't it because of that 8k size limit? or just because it cant run a program that size due to ram limitations?

The 83+ would be able to run joltima only if it was made into a flash app. Since joltima is bigger than the RAM size on the 83+ you'd only be able to run it from the flash memory. Correct me if I'm wrong but the flash apps only need ~2k of RAM availible to execute because they're run directly from the flash mem. If someone did make joltima into a flash app they should probably add in some other small game or add something onto the game to make it worthwhile. I'm not saying joltima is not worthwhile by itself (because it is!), but since flash apps have to be in multiples of 16k and joltima is bigger than 16k it would have to be 32k and that would leave some wasted space on the calc that could be used to enhance the game.

lets say a programmer ported joltima to the 83+. But what to do with all that space left? If I was a programmer (which I'm currently in the process of trying), I'd add my own programs in there as a shameless self promotion so more people would see what kind of programs I could make :P

But if I didn't, I'd at least fill up that void with some other games.

Or you could add hidden games or more caves.

Exactly how big IS Joltima? because as long as it is less than 20 K it would fit on an 83+. See, ya'll don't realize, that with Ion, we 83+ users can archive the game and still be able to play it. By the way, the archive memory is totally seperated from the RAM, which we have 180 K of space in. Archive memory can only be cleared if you purposely reset the entire calculator :)

Nah, The author said on the TCPA message board that it will be made for ION.

~Jonathan Taylor

Okay, wait a minute here. Remember last time when there was a big demand for games on the 83+? It was so bad that two of the most prolific programmers for z80 calcs removed themselves from programming for the 83+. Programmers aren't paid. They do they're work for fun. Demanding something from unpaid people isn't fair. Let's not start that whole schpeil again.

~ferich

couldn't programmers start charging for flash programs if they wanted?

That, my friend, is a big problem down the road. People charging for FLASH apps. Sure, they're better, but once they make money, TI's going to want some. See, the only way to get the *good* SDK is to pay TI. When the majority of programs become shareware or commercialware, whatever have you, more programmers are going to want to charge for their programs/games. Consequentially, TI will sell more SDK's and before you know it, the TI Community is wiped out, leaving programmers who charge for their programs and warez freaks taking over yet another platform for software. What I just said might or might not happen, it's just my perception of things.

Question: Is anyone interested in a shell for the ti86 that can emulate the ti83, ti83+ and ti85? I've figured out how to get the screen on the ti86 to 'emulate' that of a ti83 without losing any speed. That way you'll be able to run decent(?) games from other less powerful calculators...

BTW, in the UK there's only £10 ($15) difference in price between the ti86 and the ti83+. If this is the same across the pond then why would anyone ever get a ti83+?

Ciaran McCreesh
http://www.asm86.cwc.net/ for a ti86 assembly tutorial

It's cheaper.
It's newer.
It has more memory.
It's easier to use.
Programming is easier.

There's also the fact that the vast majority of high schools in the country use the TI-82 or 83 as the standard calculator, so students entering these schools are told that this is the calculator they should get. (And there's no real reason why they shouldn't)

-Dan

really though, who wants to be just another average joe with an 82/83? Wouldn't you like to stand out with the spiffy 86?

Or you can make your teacher cower in fear when you break out the 89/92/92+ :P

Hm..... I seem to fit in all 3 of those catagories :)

Actually, my physics teacher is scared of my 89. Sometimes he'll ask to use my calculator for a quick thing. If I hand him my 89, he screams in fear and says "Give me a real calculator". He's freaked out over it.
I convinced him it wouldn't harm him to use it, and he was working some figures. When he pushed enter, the "answer" popped up on the screen and he goes "What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is that?" Right there in front of the class!! I've decided to keep my 89 away from him from now on and let him use my 83 when he asks...

-Fil

"...the vast majority of high schools in the country use the TI-82 or 83 as the standard calculator..."
Is that actually based on any polls, or is it purely conjectural?
My school goes with TI-85's and TI-86's as the "standard." In fact, my algebra 2 teacher last year had to miss a day of school to go to a seminar about how to do stuff on the TI-83, because he noticed students had bought them, but he didn't know how to help them out. For a teacher, he was surprisingly graphing calculator literate, but he only knew how to do the kind of stuff he taught on 86's [and 85's, sort-of, because of the similarity]. This year, he told his students that he only want 86's in his room (or 85's for the ones who had older sibling's calculators to use.
Maybe ticalc should do a poll to see what the standard calculators are around the country/world. What do all you people think?
I don't care either way, because the only calculators I have are a TI-89 and a Casio CFX-9850G (which seems to be much more helpful for math than the TI-86).

|n|

<hey! does anyone know what's up with the ti-89 archives? there haven't been any new programs for several days.>

I think the reason for the lack of programs is because programmers may be working with the unofficial rom version. I know I've been busy with that for a while.

On a some-what related topic, if anyone has any idea how to do collision detection with 2d boxes, let me know, I'm kinda stuck. Maybe I will be able to finish my first 68k program then.

As you may have noticed yesterday, there WAS something up with the archives, so I'm not going crazy! WUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
I inquired about it because I had submitted an item and it hadn't shown up, even though there didn't seem to be any other programs there to be creating a back-log. I wonder what did happen!

|n|

Yeah, but the 86 has more games, more programs, more RAM (so it doesn't need a flash app of a game to play BIG games), bigger screen, more functions, and it can emulate 82/85 games as well using ASE/YAS. It is also easier to use the commands (key them in) and the menu system kicks. But I would like to see an 83/83+ emu :)

oh yeah, it also has lower/uppercase :P

Well, guess what, so does the 83+. I have not heard of anything REALLY significant that the 86 has and the 83+ doesn't. Really, the 83+ is a MUCH better claculator then the 86 will ever be...:Þ

you must have ignored most of what I said :P

bigger screen, more games (even more with emulation of 82/85 asm games), more functions, better menu system, the asm( command, and about 4x the ram of the 83+. Plus, I read you 83+'ers have to use a program to enable lowercase :P

Really, the 86 will always be the best z80 calc :P

Unless they like, release a TI-87? ^_^

-nik

Or an 86+ :)

Or a TI-89, whoops nevermind...

Jesus Christ! YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!!
</flame>

The 83+ has absolutely no calculus functions. That alone cripples it. The 86 is easier to program, has more RAM, has more support, is more widely used, and has around 99% fewer idiots punching it's keys. And try using a 83[+] past, say, Precal. You can't. Why? Because it _sucks_.

Levine

The 83+ has lowercase, you can yse CALCSYS to enable it *hint* *hint*

:)

yes, but the ti-86 doesn't need a program to enable it *hint hint* :P

yes but does it have alpha lock, I don't know I just know the 85 doesn't and it has lowercase when you press 2nd-ALPHA. Oh well, some people like to disable it because its actually complicated at times to switch back and fowarth *hint hint*

the 86 has a-lock, and it isn't THAT complicated *hint hint* :P

The main points are user-friendliness, and, as another member said, classroom compatibiliy. The 86 is not a user friendly calc. I've got one, along with an 83. It's hard as hell to program on the 86! I have people in my math class who have 86's. One of them got a 1500 on her SAT, but after 2 months with the calc, she can still only do rudimentary functions. 83 users just hum right along.

if this person reads the book she could do most of the functions within that time you said (2 months). Plus, its more user friendly because you can be looking at a menu of commands while still in the home screen, and you don't have to return to that menu if you need more than one command from that menu :P

For you the 86 may be more user friendly. However, without a doubt, the 82/83 series is much easier to use for the average high school user. The big menu's, less key presses, and easy to read functions are much simpler for a person who is only out to use the basic functions (graphing, math functions, maybe some statistics, etc). If you are a heavy computer user, or like to use your calculator outside of the classroom, you might find the 86 easier (although I like my 83+ just fine), however you must understand that you are in the minority.

-Dan

And the 89 rules ALLL!!!!!!

Just thought I'd say that, because I spent a hard-earned $150 to buy mine! :)

ok top this :P I have an 82, 83+, 86 and 89 (bryan i know you 0wn me on this one:P). I find that my TI-86 is my favorite calculator for programming. I program in ASM and BASIC for it. I think it is simple. It is also very easy to use in my opninion, but then again i have had one for 2.5 years and know a lot about it. I just recently got an 83+. The 83+ in no way compares to the TI-86. The same foes for my TI-82. They are just totally inferior in every way to the TI-86. The only possible advantage to having an 83+ is the flash apps area, although the 89 is much better in that regard.

-Raven

Remember the 83 plus gets support from ti on ASM programming unlike the others except for the 89 and 92.

and the 92 plus

Actually, The 86, 83+, 89/92+ all have ti supported asm. The 92 doesn't however

>It's cheaper.

True. But it sucks.

>It's newer.

Yep, but it sucks.

>It has more memory.

Only in archive. And that, my friends, sucks.

>It's easier to use.

I find the 83's menu-based interface extremely inefficent and much harder to use than the 86's function key based menus.

>Programming is easier.

And yet, there aren't any decent games out yet... or programs at all, for that matter.

Give up on the 83+. Please. It's a lost cause. The 86 can do so, so, so very much more.

Levine

preach awn brotha