I would have to agree for the most part with Mr. Karneges. I too agree that the games were more creative in the good ole day of the NES, but thought there was light at the end of the tunnel when Zelda came out for N64. Don't get me wrong, Zelda was a great game, unbeleivable, and even more than I had bargained for when I purchased my copy. But then came Castlevania for the 64, needless to say, very disapointing coming after the likes of Zelda (although I didn't expect it to be as good as Zelda). Now, back to the TI subject, I have only been visiting this site for a few months since I purchased my graph-link, and have been very impressed with the "TI community." I myself typed in Tetris for the BASIC programming language, and became very appreciative of my graph-link, especially after 3 hours of programming only to recieve error after error. I am also very gratefull that I stumbled over this site, because I was about to bring my graph-link back after playing very disapointing BASIC games. Also, I would like very much for someone to send me information on how to program in assembly language, or at least some sites to learn about it.

The TI community is great and flourishing, partly because of the whole "its a freaking calculator, not a gameboy" business, because, I think for the most part the people using this site are somewhat intellectual. Anyway, the community is thriving, and...back to the Zelda, when is someone going to complete the Zelda project?
Thanks!
Travis

Zelda is the work of CCIA (Calculator Central Intelligence Agency) at the url:
ccia.calc.org/

they're currently constructing a new site. A demo has been released and is available. NO ONE has the right to give them a deadline or ask for a date. it can only get better.
Thanx.

Hello, This is Travis, the writer from the above comment. Obviously, you didn't understand my comment because I'm very appriciative of the people who are making Zelda, I wasn't trying to put your little deadline on the thing either. I just noticed that no new releases had came out for a while and wanted to know what had happened to the project, that all. Take it easy.

Travis

You hit the nail on the head, especially with the video game industry. I've owned almost every Nintendo system (with the exeption of the Virtual Boy...Mario Tennis was really fun on that though!) Here's my list of landmark video games:

1. Super Mario Bros. (ALL versions, including all 3 NES, ALL GameBoy, BOTH SNES, and N64) How could you go wrong? Each version, Miyamoto works his magic....
2. Tetris (In any and all forms on any and all platforms, as long as it's really Tetris) The ULTIMATE Time Waster. This was also my first Ti-83 game I downloaded :)
3. Zelda (First NES, GameBoy, N64) Great story, great gameplay...and the movies in the N64, DON'T GET ME STARTED :)
4. Virtua Racing (Ok, so it's Sega) This game jumpstarted racing games...I remember when I went to the Indy 500 in 1993, they had a machine there...crappy graphics, poor force feedback...I loved it!

In my opinion, this just goes to show how few superb games we really get these days...I just hope we can keep the Ti community going better than this. (BTW, Ahmed, great games! Love them!)

My 2 bucks.

This is somewhat offtopic, but I was pondering over "joining" the ti communitee, and taking up 68000 assembly programming. I tried once before writing oregon trail in assembly for the ti85, but unfortunately, I lacked knowledge in computers and assembly, so the code I wrote was s**t, and I understood very little. Anyways, I am now in college and have taken a few cs classes, and am currently finishing up a class on computer architecture and assembly, which has been extremely valuable. The class is based on the mips risc line of chips. I was wondering if anyone out there could tell me how difficult it would be to transpose my knowledge of risc assembly over to programming the motorolla chip. Just wondering if it is worth spending my summer vacation learning 68000 assembly. Thanks in advance, and sorry for posting here, I don't really know where else to post this sort of question.

uhhhhhh.. You still want to program for your calculator in college!?!? I just turned 14 and am making games for mine in z80 ASM. I made awesome games in basic. I also make games and programs for the comp. If you are going to program when you are that old and in college, you should switch to computers!

hush child.


Age holds no one back. This simply means that he can create really neat games with his experience.

I have to say that I agree. I didn't even know what a TI-82 was until my freshman year in high school (only two years ago). From then on I loved to make stupid little programs and games out of nothing, just to see what it would do. The fact is, it doesn't matter how old you are. The best part about programming for anything is knowing that it is your creation, and if nothing else, you learn something from each new project.

All I'm saying is, don't bash a guy (although you weren't bashing) just because he is older than you and just learning. Maybe he just wants to know that he can do it, and thats a better reason to program than many others I've heard.

Personally I don't see myself putting down my calculators until I am way past college and actually have a life that requires all of my time.

New programmers: Good luck, and stick with it! Though some of it may be difficult at first, you'll get it eventually.

Vets: Let's prove to Justin that he's got us all wrong. Let's unleash a tidal wave of new and unheard of, even silly and stupid, yet masterfully written, games and programs! I'm talking corny little ideas that swarm through your head. All it takes is time and work... is that so much to ask?

I tried to learn once. I made a mistake. I relied on tutorials, when i should have just read some source code. Anyway, I gave up on z80 and am now trying to learn 68k. Sorry I had to say it

ok.... am I the only one who sees a flaw in this specific logic? "Hush Child", and "Age holds no one back". Basically what you are doing is contradicting yourself. Perhaps you should think of another aspect of this
:::AGE DOESN'T MAKE YOU SUPERIOR EITHER!:::
In other words, don't say "hush child".
It's rude and negates your point.

btw if u are wondering I am 14 also.

Child is in reference to intelligence and perhaps knowledge recieved.
this excludes actual and or physical "age"
I'm sorry for not making that clear, I supposed it was understood.

this is NOT age discrimination, but i think that age (or should i say experience) has something to do with creative games. when you first heard that calculators could be programmed, you REALLY wanted to make games, didn't you? you dreamed about making your own RPG or mario clone. You had thousands of ideas in your head.

Now, when you really CAN program those things if you wanted to, it's not really as exciting as it used to be, because it's not a challenge anymore. there is not adventure to it, and your ideas are gone. that's one of the problems with games today. people slap together a game without really thinking about it (i find myself doing it alot). we should get our ideas from people who don't program, and then the programmers bring it to life. thats my opinion anyway.
thanx 4 reading this
Chris Fazio

I disagree with your comments about age being a factor when programming these calculators. I'm in college now, but I'd still like to learn how to program assembly on my TI-86. There are alot of complicated equations to remember, and programs help with homework. And what the heck, it's just fun!

First of all, I am not experienced enough in high level programming that I could write something too elaborate or extremely useful. Our final project last semester was to make a scrabble type game, but even this was text based, and not too exciting. I actually enjoy programming assembly (scary huh?). It can get frustrating, especially finding the bugs at 2 A.M., but it is still a lot fun to be working with the underpinnings of a computer, working under the abstractions of hll. I was looking in my text book, and there is a chapter on alternative architectures, and it features the 68000, so I am going to surely read up on it. While I am at it, I would like to post a big gripe of mine. I think that high schools should offer more programming related classes. I myself am not too akin to going online or to the library and reading books on programming. First of all this gets really boring, and second, things tend to get really confusing. Believe me, I tried this, and with my little knowledge I was quickly lost. My high school finally offered a programming class my senior year, but because of budget, they decided to have it on tues and thurs nights for 3 hrs, at the high school across town. Unfortunately, this didn't work out for me. Well, now that I have officially gone off topic two times, I will quit. Sorry bout that!

i completely agree with your statement about high school programming classes. And its not completely off-topic either. Even if a class is taught in quickbasic it still teaches the primary fundementals of programming, which would lead to better programs. Anyways, I am in the same boat at my school. Luckily i live in a college town, but i really feel for you. I only wish that I had the time to learn ASM so i could contribute back to this community what it has given me, mainly Phoenix89 because i am addicted.

I agree there SHOULD be more programming classes, but there are two problems:

1) Not enough kids. The most advanced programming course in my school is AP C++, which has 5 kids in it (my school is decent sized). There wouldn't be enough kids to fill a class higher than that.
2) Not enough teachers. In my C++ class, I believe that 3 of the 5 kids know more than the teacher :P There aren't many computer programmers in the world, and much fewer who are willing to teach high schoolers.

And just look at Erik Huizing, a college student who just won program of the month for his ti85 game, simcity.

Hey, I am in college and a member of the TI community ONLY since I have been in college. Maybe you'll learn, at 14 you still have plenty of time. I'm an EE major, and there is a class called Microprocessors. What do we learn in there, OH MY GOD IT'S ASM! Gee, do ya think my TI-asm knowledge will help me there? Ohhh, what about Computer Science majors? They program VARIOUS ELECTRONICS AS A JOB (walkmans, microwaves, thermostats...)! I bet they are not in college. Read the message you replied to again, it was about CREATING A MATURE, WELL DEVELOPED Ti-Community. I just reread it, and I must admit you are PARTIALLY right. I hope that by the time YOU are in college you are not a member of the Ti-Community.
~Larry C
The same one from the A-82, Ti-H, and Ti-Basic lists.

>> "it was about CREATING A MATURE, WELL DEVELOPED Ti-Community"

I am not here to say anything. I will just ask you to reread your comment with two questions in mind:

1) Are you being mature?
2) How does this contribute to the overall community by flaming someone else.

Actually, I feel guilty about posting this, considering I'm chastising someone, and that the news author did not request and comments. Editors, I don't care if you remove this comment or not.

~Num

I don't know very much about risc processors but your knowledge of risc assembly can be of great help. The main difference is that the MC68000 gives you more instructions to make thing easier.
I have made the experience that learning another flavour of assembly language is easier if you already know some. I had an easy time learning 80386 assembly language after messing around with the 68000 of my old Amiga.
I hope this information helps.

Hmmmmmm.........
Corruption in the TI community.......
We're all nerds anyway, so all we need to do is simply embrace this, and stick together. I rather emotional plea from Justin. I greatly respect his game Joltima, there isn't ANYTHING better for the TI_83.
bye.