Turbo Rascal Syntax Error

[AndyH]

I've just noticed that Turbo Rascal has not been mentioned here. It's a cross development programming environment that runs on Windows, Linux and OSX for creating games and demos on many formats including the Vic 20.

https://lemonspawn.com/turbo-rascal-syn ... but-begin/

Turbo Rascal Sytax Error (or TRSE for short) can be best described as a hybrid Pascal / Assembler. You write code in Pascal-like language and this generates an ASM file that is automatically assembled by the built in OrgASM assembler or with DASM if you prefer.

While it allows you to work with a higher-level language structure it is still rooted in the low level code. You have to know enough about the machine (the help files are improving) and think about how you write your code in that way. It's really powerful and you can mix in assembler with your TRSE Pascal code very easily. The output assembly code can be examined, so there is hidden magic and this offers a good insight if you are wanting to learn 6502 assembler as you go along.

TRSE is being improved all of the time with more features and commands suited to creating fast programs on 8-bit (and 16-bit systems). The code size and optimisation is also improving with each version.

I've just released a game made with it called Vic Nibbler (https://hewco.uk/game/vicnibbler) and absolutely love this development tool, so much so I am now also contributing to it with new commands and documentation. The author Leuat is very passionate about TRSE and is constantly expanding it, currently with 16-bit support and even a built in raytracer. Check it out if you've got an itch to make a Vic 20 game but not sure where to start.

[orion70]

Hey, Nibbler is an absolute gem! Shouldn't this release deserve its own thread in the Games section?
Also, it's described as the VIC port "of a lesser known arcade game". Wait wait wait, it was in fact very well known! At least in my region of Italy, it was in the top five circa 1983-84 with more complex games and long lasting hits like Spy Hunter, Track and Field, Dig Dug, or Q*Bert. Like many of them, it was ported to the Commodore 64, and now we welcome it on our VIC screen .

I wonder how I could forget it for so many years! Now this really brings me back in time. Thanks so much.

[AndyH]

Oh wow - I didn't realise. I saw the history of it in the US with it being the first game to have a billion points and the competition to beat it but I only found out about it four weeks ago. I love this game and thought it would be perfect for the Vic 20. I had to resize the screen to fit it better too.

I've posted in the released games for 2019 too.

[orion70]

I see from WP that

on September 27, 1984, Italian player Enrico Zanetti topped McVey with a 1,001,073,840 score, but it was not officially recognized by Twin Galaxies, who ultimately stopped verifying record scores for the game altogether

..which only confirms that it was very popular here

[AndyH]

New version of Turbo Rascal released a few days ago. Improved help and information, loads of bug fixes and new features.

https://youtu.be/H3FQDnNP2m0