Beetle - Colin Gooch (ZX Computing-June/July 84-Page 51)



There are no bugs in this game! Up to four players can take part in Colin

Gooch's realistic dice game.



Many traditional games have made their way from boards, cards, pen and paper

into the computer screen, some successfully and some not. This is one of the

successful transplants.

 For those of you who have missed the delights of this game in it's original

incarnation, the idea is to throw a dice and build up a "beetle" according

to the numbers thrown.

 The computer displays teh cards and the stages of the Beetle as it is drawn

and a clever routine is used to simulate dice throwing. Instead of just saying

"You threw 3", or whatever (a very suspicious format to non-computer - expert

players) a dice is displayed which "rolls" until the player removes his finger

from the key. This gives a realistic feel to the game.

 When less than four players take part then the computer joins in. It is a 

mean opponent, and I can't spot any sneaky programming which gives it an ad-

vantage!

 You must have a 6 to start and this draws the body, 5 draws the head and ot-

her numbers provide antenna, legs, eyes, etc. As you will gather, this is a

game where luck is the important factor, but it makes a nice relaxing change

from saving the world from aliens, or wrestling with some logical computer

generated problem.



VARIABLES USED



A$,B$,C$        Dice spots.

D$,E$           Dice frame.

P$(N)           Players' names.

S$              Spectrum control, Play or Not.

N$,Z$           Temporary variables (line inputs)

A(X)            Accumulated totals.

B(X,Y)          Beetles.

Count           Control variable in dice.

D               Dice value.

FF              Dice control variable.

N               FOR/NEXT loops.

PL              Number of players.

T               Turn number.

V(X)            Value of score.

X,Y,P,I         Variables to set up title page.



THE LINES



1000-1020       Introduction, initialisation and inputs.

1030-1060       Main control loop, including checks.

1180-1320       Endgame routine.

1340-1600       Subroutines to print out beetle parts.

1610-1810       Start - get inputs on player details.

1820-1960       Initialise variables and dice graphics.

1970-2090       Dice throwing routine.

2100            Miscellaneous drawing title page etc.



 An interesting point to note in this program is the use of the hi-res graphic

drawing routines. Unlike many other programs, only one UDG is used - the disc

pip (graphic A).



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TYPE: Traditional (Dice Game) 



COMMENT: 





This info file was typed by Michael Bruhn



Downloaded from:

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Michael Bruhn -- frankie@image.dk

