DOS software

Last page update: 6 Jan 1999

BIT STORM

NEW: Version 1.0 (1 Jan 1999).
Bitstorm is an unusual action game in which you have to guide packets through a grid by laying paths with your cursor. One packet at a time is easy, but wait till they come in numbers! For once, you'll be glad that it's not 3D! My personal highscore is 13,000.

Bitstorm works on just about any PC with colour card, and runs in DOS and Windows (you can run it in a window). It has also been tested with the Acorn RiscPC's PC addon board. Adlib and PC speaker sound supported. I'm also working on an X11 version (here's a screenshot of the first prototype).

UPDATE: Important note for Windows users: When you click on the BITSTORM.COM file, the program appears to do nothing except exit immediately. What the program is doing, is displaying a diagnostic message showing the available command line options. I'll fix this problem ASAP. For now, you need to supply a command line argument. You can do this by creating a shortcut and editing the shortcut's properties, or by running Bitstorm from within a DOS box. The following options are available:

bitstorm /o - No sound
bitstorm /b - BIOS beep
bitstorm /p - PC speaker
bitstorm /a - Adlib

The game: Bitstorm 1.0 (5 Kb ZIP file)

Screenshots: Day level | Night level | Running it in a window | Prototype of X11 version

256-byte games

How much of a game can you write in 256 bytes? This particular idea was taken from the 256-byte game contest which was held about two years ago. There is also a new contest, the 256-byte worm game contest, the results of which are available now!

I wrote a couple of 256-byte games myself, since it's fun to do. It is a challenge to design and code a program in such a way that it will fit in so small a space, and you soon get an intimate knowledge of the assembly language you work with. Furthermore, a 256-byte program doesn't take ages to write. Imposing such an artificial limit may also be an ideal way to create a quick prototype of a game concept; one has to keep the presentation and the engine simple, which does save a lot of time - I myself have the tendency to keep making the engine 'neater' and more general, instead of working on the game itself. If the concept turns out to be really good, one can always embellish it afterwards.

INTRUDERS (intrdrs2.zip), a sort of Space-Invaders clone.

CATCH EM (catchem2.zip), a version of Activision's well-known Kaboom!.

DEAD END (deadend1.zip), which was my entry in the worm game contest.

ASM sources of these games are included. They can be assembled & linked using the freeware ARROWASM & VAL.

The smallest utility ever!

ENDBAT gives you an elegant & convenient method to terminate your batch files. No more awkward 'GOTO end' statements! This utility is so efficient that some browsers refuse to download it. Therefore, the package has been ZIPped. Full documentation is also included.