Retro gaming won some new interest in 2020 as people looked for ways to entertain themselves during lockdowns. Being a modern, 20-something gamer spoiled by my hand-built PC, RTX2060 OC, and Ryzen 7 2700X processor, I was surprised to learn that there are games built exclusively to play on the mainframe, mostly created when it was one of the only computer platforms in existence (check out this Wikipedia link for context). Outside of Pong and Tetris, I can't say I've thought much about the history of video games before now.
Mainframe Defender was super popular last year and simulates the play of the early systems, and I've since learned one of my childhood-favorite remakes, Oregon Trail, likewise started as a mainframe game in 1971. After some internet stalking, I was able to get my hands on code for Yahtzee and have even heard of people figuring out how to play Ms. Pacman on a mainframe...
So forum members, I'm wondering if you have experience with or interest in mainframe gaming, if you've played any lately (I won't tell your boss), or generally your thoughts on the topic. Of course if you have some game code to pass along, I'd love to trade! :)
(On a related note, my latest obsession is the procedurally-generated survival phenomenon, Valheim. Hail to my fellow Vikings out there!)
------------------------------
Bethany Rock
Rocket Software
------------------------------
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Retro gaming won some new interest in 2020 as people looked for ways to entertain themselves during lockdowns. Being a modern, 20-something gamer spoiled by my hand-built PC, RTX2060 OC, and Ryzen 7 2700X processor, I was surprised to learn that there are games built exclusively to play on the mainframe, mostly created when it was one of the only computer platforms in existence (check out this Wikipedia link for context). Outside of Pong and Tetris, I can't say I've thought much about the history of video games before now.
Mainframe Defender was super popular last year and simulates the play of the early systems, and I've since learned one of my childhood-favorite remakes, Oregon Trail, likewise started as a mainframe game in 1971. After some internet stalking, I was able to get my hands on code for Yahtzee and have even heard of people figuring out how to play Ms. Pacman on a mainframe...
So forum members, I'm wondering if you have experience with or interest in mainframe gaming, if you've played any lately (I won't tell your boss), or generally your thoughts on the topic. Of course if you have some game code to pass along, I'd love to trade! :)
(On a related note, my latest obsession is the procedurally-generated survival phenomenon, Valheim. Hail to my fellow Vikings out there!)
------------------------------
Bethany Rock
Rocket Software
------------------------------
Mainframe Defender was super popular last year and simulates the play of the early systems, and I've since learned one of my childhood-favorite remakes, Oregon Trail, likewise started as a mainframe game in 1971. After some internet stalking, I was able to get my hands on code for Yahtzee and have even heard of people figuring out how to play Ms. Pacman on a mainframe...
So forum members, I'm wondering if you have experience with or interest in mainframe gaming, if you've played any lately (I won't tell your boss), or generally your thoughts on the topic. Of course if you have some game code to pass along, I'd love to trade! :)
(On a related note, my latest obsession is the procedurally-generated survival phenomenon, Valheim. Hail to my fellow Vikings out there!)
------------------------------
Bethany Rock
Rocket Software
------------------------------
By far my favorite mainframe game from then was Adventure. When the game starts, you are outside, at the end of a road, near an old pump house. There is a cave nearby. You have to find the cave and get all the treasures back to the house. It has the usual dwarves, a pirate who steals the treasures you are carrying, two mazes inside the cave. There is a maze in the forest, and if you get lost there you lose serious points. The game has been updated since then with many extra rooms hanging off available access points left in the original game map. Several messages from the game regularly make it into comments in my code.
------------------------------
Rob Hamilton
Chemical Abstracts Service
------------------------------
Retro gaming won some new interest in 2020 as people looked for ways to entertain themselves during lockdowns. Being a modern, 20-something gamer spoiled by my hand-built PC, RTX2060 OC, and Ryzen 7 2700X processor, I was surprised to learn that there are games built exclusively to play on the mainframe, mostly created when it was one of the only computer platforms in existence (check out this Wikipedia link for context). Outside of Pong and Tetris, I can't say I've thought much about the history of video games before now.
Mainframe Defender was super popular last year and simulates the play of the early systems, and I've since learned one of my childhood-favorite remakes, Oregon Trail, likewise started as a mainframe game in 1971. After some internet stalking, I was able to get my hands on code for Yahtzee and have even heard of people figuring out how to play Ms. Pacman on a mainframe...
So forum members, I'm wondering if you have experience with or interest in mainframe gaming, if you've played any lately (I won't tell your boss), or generally your thoughts on the topic. Of course if you have some game code to pass along, I'd love to trade! :)
(On a related note, my latest obsession is the procedurally-generated survival phenomenon, Valheim. Hail to my fellow Vikings out there!)
------------------------------
Bethany Rock
Rocket Software
------------------------------
Mainframe Defender was super popular last year and simulates the play of the early systems, and I've since learned one of my childhood-favorite remakes, Oregon Trail, likewise started as a mainframe game in 1971. After some internet stalking, I was able to get my hands on code for Yahtzee and have even heard of people figuring out how to play Ms. Pacman on a mainframe...
So forum members, I'm wondering if you have experience with or interest in mainframe gaming, if you've played any lately (I won't tell your boss), or generally your thoughts on the topic. Of course if you have some game code to pass along, I'd love to trade! :)
(On a related note, my latest obsession is the procedurally-generated survival phenomenon, Valheim. Hail to my fellow Vikings out there!)
------------------------------
Bethany Rock
Rocket Software
------------------------------
I know an IT manager that created a snake game for UniVerse and it's actually quite good (not that I've had any time to play it).
Pick used to come with games (I think there was even a games account upon installing) but they were removed almost straight away by the installer.
------------------------------
David Inquieti
Helpdesk and Database Manager
Comtec Cable Accessories Ltd
------------------------------
When I was in college there were a few Star Trek games out there (this was before Star Wars). They were simple-command based games, all written in Fortran. In one directions were specified as compass degrees and the other used the values 1-8 (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW) when you wanted to specify a direction. The one message I still love was "The distress call was a sly Klingon ruse."
By far my favorite mainframe game from then was Adventure. When the game starts, you are outside, at the end of a road, near an old pump house. There is a cave nearby. You have to find the cave and get all the treasures back to the house. It has the usual dwarves, a pirate who steals the treasures you are carrying, two mazes inside the cave. There is a maze in the forest, and if you get lost there you lose serious points. The game has been updated since then with many extra rooms hanging off available access points left in the original game map. Several messages from the game regularly make it into comments in my code.
------------------------------
Rob Hamilton
Chemical Abstracts Service
------------------------------
By far my favorite mainframe game from then was Adventure. When the game starts, you are outside, at the end of a road, near an old pump house. There is a cave nearby. You have to find the cave and get all the treasures back to the house. It has the usual dwarves, a pirate who steals the treasures you are carrying, two mazes inside the cave. There is a maze in the forest, and if you get lost there you lose serious points. The game has been updated since then with many extra rooms hanging off available access points left in the original game map. Several messages from the game regularly make it into comments in my code.
------------------------------
Rob Hamilton
Chemical Abstracts Service
------------------------------
------------------------------
Roberto Halais
EVERTEC, LLC
------------------------------
When I was in college there were a few Star Trek games out there (this was before Star Wars). They were simple-command based games, all written in Fortran. In one directions were specified as compass degrees and the other used the values 1-8 (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW) when you wanted to specify a direction. The one message I still love was "The distress call was a sly Klingon ruse."
By far my favorite mainframe game from then was Adventure. When the game starts, you are outside, at the end of a road, near an old pump house. There is a cave nearby. You have to find the cave and get all the treasures back to the house. It has the usual dwarves, a pirate who steals the treasures you are carrying, two mazes inside the cave. There is a maze in the forest, and if you get lost there you lose serious points. The game has been updated since then with many extra rooms hanging off available access points left in the original game map. Several messages from the game regularly make it into comments in my code.
------------------------------
Rob Hamilton
Chemical Abstracts Service
------------------------------
By far my favorite mainframe game from then was Adventure. When the game starts, you are outside, at the end of a road, near an old pump house. There is a cave nearby. You have to find the cave and get all the treasures back to the house. It has the usual dwarves, a pirate who steals the treasures you are carrying, two mazes inside the cave. There is a maze in the forest, and if you get lost there you lose serious points. The game has been updated since then with many extra rooms hanging off available access points left in the original game map. Several messages from the game regularly make it into comments in my code.
------------------------------
Rob Hamilton
Chemical Abstracts Service
------------------------------
https://www.zdnet.com/article/one-of-the-first-computer-games-is-born-again-in-open-source/
------------------------------
Dave Andrews
Head of Customer Engagement
Rocket Software
------------------------------
Adventure looks to have a lot of devotees, and the code is also available for hacking!
https://www.zdnet.com/article/one-of-the-first-computer-games-is-born-again-in-open-source/
------------------------------
Dave Andrews
Head of Customer Engagement
Rocket Software
------------------------------
https://www.zdnet.com/article/one-of-the-first-computer-games-is-born-again-in-open-source/
------------------------------
Dave Andrews
Head of Customer Engagement
Rocket Software
------------------------------
There is a Pick BASIC port of Adventure in GitHub that does work on D3 and UniVerse - see Pick BASIC port of the famous Adventure game
------------------------------
Gregor Scott
Software Architect
Pentana Solutions
Mount Waverley VIC Australia
------------------------------
Retro gaming won some new interest in 2020 as people looked for ways to entertain themselves during lockdowns. Being a modern, 20-something gamer spoiled by my hand-built PC, RTX2060 OC, and Ryzen 7 2700X processor, I was surprised to learn that there are games built exclusively to play on the mainframe, mostly created when it was one of the only computer platforms in existence (check out this Wikipedia link for context). Outside of Pong and Tetris, I can't say I've thought much about the history of video games before now.
Mainframe Defender was super popular last year and simulates the play of the early systems, and I've since learned one of my childhood-favorite remakes, Oregon Trail, likewise started as a mainframe game in 1971. After some internet stalking, I was able to get my hands on code for Yahtzee and have even heard of people figuring out how to play Ms. Pacman on a mainframe...
So forum members, I'm wondering if you have experience with or interest in mainframe gaming, if you've played any lately (I won't tell your boss), or generally your thoughts on the topic. Of course if you have some game code to pass along, I'd love to trade! :)
(On a related note, my latest obsession is the procedurally-generated survival phenomenon, Valheim. Hail to my fellow Vikings out there!)
------------------------------
Bethany Rock
Rocket Software
------------------------------
Mainframe Defender was super popular last year and simulates the play of the early systems, and I've since learned one of my childhood-favorite remakes, Oregon Trail, likewise started as a mainframe game in 1971. After some internet stalking, I was able to get my hands on code for Yahtzee and have even heard of people figuring out how to play Ms. Pacman on a mainframe...
So forum members, I'm wondering if you have experience with or interest in mainframe gaming, if you've played any lately (I won't tell your boss), or generally your thoughts on the topic. Of course if you have some game code to pass along, I'd love to trade! :)
(On a related note, my latest obsession is the procedurally-generated survival phenomenon, Valheim. Hail to my fellow Vikings out there!)
------------------------------
Bethany Rock
Rocket Software
------------------------------
------------------------------
Paul Lemons
z/OS Systems Programmer
Harland Clarke Vericast
------------------------------
Hi Bethany
I know an IT manager that created a snake game for UniVerse and it's actually quite good (not that I've had any time to play it).
Pick used to come with games (I think there was even a games account upon installing) but they were removed almost straight away by the installer.
------------------------------
David Inquieti
Helpdesk and Database Manager
Comtec Cable Accessories Ltd
------------------------------
I know an IT manager that created a snake game for UniVerse and it's actually quite good (not that I've had any time to play it).
Pick used to come with games (I think there was even a games account upon installing) but they were removed almost straight away by the installer.
------------------------------
David Inquieti
Helpdesk and Database Manager
Comtec Cable Accessories Ltd
------------------------------
I will look for the others. I well remember an adventure type game, and enjoyed playing it until I found my way around. Also, I had one called Hamurabi. I should be able to find them both ... somewhere!
Have fun!
------------------------------
Alan Miles
Business and IT Consultant
Amba Limited
Whanganui, New Zealand
[Phone]
------------------------------
Hi Bethany
I know an IT manager that created a snake game for UniVerse and it's actually quite good (not that I've had any time to play it).
Pick used to come with games (I think there was even a games account upon installing) but they were removed almost straight away by the installer.
------------------------------
David Inquieti
Helpdesk and Database Manager
Comtec Cable Accessories Ltd
------------------------------
I know an IT manager that created a snake game for UniVerse and it's actually quite good (not that I've had any time to play it).
Pick used to come with games (I think there was even a games account upon installing) but they were removed almost straight away by the installer.
------------------------------
David Inquieti
Helpdesk and Database Manager
Comtec Cable Accessories Ltd
------------------------------
It is worth playing ... it's a strategy game, where you choose how much grain to use to feed people, plant to grow more, and store in case of future famine.
------------------------------
Alan Miles
Business and IT Consultant
Amba Limited
Whanganui, New Zealand
------------------------------
Retro gaming won some new interest in 2020 as people looked for ways to entertain themselves during lockdowns. Being a modern, 20-something gamer spoiled by my hand-built PC, RTX2060 OC, and Ryzen 7 2700X processor, I was surprised to learn that there are games built exclusively to play on the mainframe, mostly created when it was one of the only computer platforms in existence (check out this Wikipedia link for context). Outside of Pong and Tetris, I can't say I've thought much about the history of video games before now.
Mainframe Defender was super popular last year and simulates the play of the early systems, and I've since learned one of my childhood-favorite remakes, Oregon Trail, likewise started as a mainframe game in 1971. After some internet stalking, I was able to get my hands on code for Yahtzee and have even heard of people figuring out how to play Ms. Pacman on a mainframe...
So forum members, I'm wondering if you have experience with or interest in mainframe gaming, if you've played any lately (I won't tell your boss), or generally your thoughts on the topic. Of course if you have some game code to pass along, I'd love to trade! :)
(On a related note, my latest obsession is the procedurally-generated survival phenomenon, Valheim. Hail to my fellow Vikings out there!)
------------------------------
Bethany Rock
Rocket Software
------------------------------
Mainframe Defender was super popular last year and simulates the play of the early systems, and I've since learned one of my childhood-favorite remakes, Oregon Trail, likewise started as a mainframe game in 1971. After some internet stalking, I was able to get my hands on code for Yahtzee and have even heard of people figuring out how to play Ms. Pacman on a mainframe...
So forum members, I'm wondering if you have experience with or interest in mainframe gaming, if you've played any lately (I won't tell your boss), or generally your thoughts on the topic. Of course if you have some game code to pass along, I'd love to trade! :)
(On a related note, my latest obsession is the procedurally-generated survival phenomenon, Valheim. Hail to my fellow Vikings out there!)
------------------------------
Bethany Rock
Rocket Software
------------------------------
I wrote some EXECs to display a chessboard nicely, with different-colored piece names, depending on the player. I was working on using IUCV instead of CMS SENDFILE for transmitting the new game position, a la postal chess.
------------------------------
Rob Hamilton
Chemical Abstracts Service
------------------------------
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