ticalc.org
Basics Archives Community Services Programming
Hardware Help About Search Your Account
   Home :: Community :: Articles :: Plug and Play TI
Plug and Play TI

Posted on 2 September 1998

The following text was written by Kyle Everett:

A while back Maxis (makers of Sim City) released a program called plug and play. Basically what it allowed gamers to do was make their own video games using their own graphics, sounds, etc. What I believe we need is a plug and play program for TI calculators. We already have many great level editors for the PC why not take it one step further and create a program that allows gamers to home brew games on their PC or MAC. This is basically one step in the evolution of Alan Wong's idea of skeleton games, a program with the skeletons already built in among other things. Due to the requirements of this program it would probably have to be made to run in Windows 95/98 or Mac OS 8, not DOS. This would also allow for the viewing of multiple parts of the program at once.

The basic structure of how the program could work and the parts of the program:

  • Sprite editor: Make sprites in mono or greyscale, along with built in clipping.
  • Map/Level editor: A way to make maps and levels for the characters to travel on in either overhead or side scroll view.
  • Event editor: Certain spots in the map are chosen as "hotspots" where events will occur or where enemies will appear, this could also be expanded to include options where your character must have a certain item or fullfill a certain task for the event to occur.
  • Gameplay editor: How will the game play i.e. picking up items, attacking, jumping, collision detection and the such.
  • Path editor: Choose a path in relation, either in relation to the map or at random, that an enemy or other character will follow, even your character in cut scenes.
  • Animation editor: For creating "special effects in the game".
  • Built in library splitting: For use especially on the TI-86 this would allow graphics etc. to be stored in libraries as in SimCommunity and Joltima.
  • ASM editor: For hard core programmers who want to add something special to their games that is not available in the other options.
  • And finally Expansion Support: Support for applets that can be downloaded and added to the main program in order to add new options and newer or updated code.

This program would be the ultimate in game making technology with possible support for all calculator models. This program could virtually eliminate bugs, since there is no chance for human error because the computer is doing all the work.

Please someone consider making this program, if you have any questions about my ideas email me and I will give you an answer.

In closing I am begging someone out there to make a River City ransom or Harvest Moon Clone for the TI-86.

  Reply to this item

Re: Article: "Plug and Play TI"
ART BELL
(Web Page)

ON AT 10:00PM PACIFIC

Reply to this comment    20 February 1999, 02:21 GMT
1  2  3  

You can change the number of comments per page in Account Preferences.

  Copyright © 1996-2012, the ticalc.org project. All rights reserved. | Contact Us | Disclaimer