Taipan Game for Microbee

[elpiggio]

The Taipan Game by C.A. Sinclair is a different to the original TRS-80 or Apple II versions. In fact, it's much harder to play.

I'm not sure if it's a bug, but in the Microbee version, the debt to the moneylender accumulates VERY fast and it's virtually impossible to get on top of it.

I was able to play a very successful game of the original version using the tips from here (see link at the end to play it online):

https://ricsize.com/taipan-1982-gameplay-basics-tips/

However, after a week or two of somewhat intensive effort with the Microbee version I'm hardly able to get off the ground.

This leads me to two points:

1. Possibly the Microbee version could use some small modifications to stack the odds a little better.

2. Also, I am thinking it would be cool to make a native CP/M version. Equally cool would be to convert the Apple or TRS-80 versions to the Microbee including the graphical elements. Or add some graphics of ships and such to the existing Microbee version, as well as features like "ship repair".

Currently I'm playing the version from c_a_sinclair_educational_disk_ds40.dsk (available in the repository).

- elpiggio

[ChickenMan]

I just had a look at it as its also on Adventure #4 disk  and it fires up much the same as the TRS-80 game but thats as far as I've gone.  I will have a look at the code in the New Year and compare to the TRS-80 code and see if there are any major differences.

You can play the TRS-80 version directly on the Microbee also.  Wizged wrote a great little program called TBRUN that allows you to run any TRS-80 Model 1/3 BAS game, as long as there is no Assembler code within it.  

Get tbrun_ss80.dsk from the Software/Games folder. You need to locate from the internet a copy of the TRS-80 Basic Level 2 rom, rename to TBRUN.ROM and copy it to the floppy using HOST2CPM.

Boot the disk ( ubee512 -a tbrun_ss80.dsk ) and type in  TBRUN TAIPAN10.BAS.   If your using ubee512 emulator and the game runs to fast, from the Console window, use -x 1 to slow it all down

Let us know how you get on with the TRS-80 version on the Microbee.

[elpiggio]

Thanks. I will definitely check out the TRS-80 version (had assumed it was similar to the Apple II version, which had graphics).

TBRUN might be interesting too. I noticed there is TRS-80 Basic Source Code out there for "Pirate Adventure". I've played the Microbee version. Can see a few other TRS-80 basic type programs and games which might be of interest.

Amazing just how much Software there is that runs on the Microbee when you add it all together !!!

-elpiggio