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· Games and Music
#Concerning TLIFE.100
5 messages in this thread
Don,
Hello, again. Note immediate introductory disclaimer: I recognize
that you may have many more important things to do than answer my questions. If
so, no problem – feel free to ignore!
If you have time and inclination, however, I have a query or two about
this exercise called TLIFE or Conway's "LIFE" and your CO addendum.
Is the object of the game to get the 'growth' to go on forever? If one
reaches the highest number of "Generations" is this good or simply expected and
inevitable? Or is the game only "won" if the entire screen becomes a matrix of
cell growth? Or does one just enjoy the configurations and realize that it's
not a game, just an exercise?
I got something started that began to count generations and 'grow.' I
then went from computer to dinner, letting it go. I got back at Gen. #1100+
and wondered if this was good or kindergarten? Can you 'splain it to me?
Also, in Msg. 87935 – how do you know where or what "high memory" is
and whether or not anything else is there? Do you clear everything via storage
of some kind? Do you have to know programming and where things get placed in
the computer's memory? What will happen if there is 'over-crowding'?
Forgive me if this bores you. (But thanks a bundle if you can answer.)
Muchos gracias. George P.S. At the 1100+ mark, the thing was still
proliferating or at least changing (i.e., continuing to change and 'grow' but
not nearly filling the screen).
George,
No apologies necessary! The whole point of this (or any other good SIG) is
sharing of information. Before I started on this Sig many months ago, I would
not have known the answers to ANY of your questions. Today, I know enough to
be a real bore on the subjects!
1) LIFE is what you make it. You can try to make it continuously change,
or become stable. There are many articles about it. I haven't read up, so I
just try to turn out interesting looking actions, and then sit and watch them.
2) In addition to TEXT (.DO) and BASIC (.BA) files, you can have MACHINE
LANGUAGE (.CO) files. You don't have to understand how to write them to use
them (I don't). They MUST be executed at a certain address in the memory, but
the file that appears as .CO on your menu is stored elsewhere. When you run
the program by moving the cursor over the .CO name and pressing ENTER, it puts
a copy of the program at the appropriate place in high memory, and runs it.
To do this, this "high memory" area must be protected, which is done with
the form CLEAR 0,62287 (or whatever number is appropriate). In TLIFE, the
BASIC program does this for you, but you never see it when running the program
as written. 62287 becomes HIMEM (MAXRAM is the highest possible HIMEM). My
suggestions in msg. 87935 would make this program into a .CO file.
You can store as many .CO files as the RAM will hold, but can normally only
RUN one at once. You can save these files to cassette with the CSAVEM command
(p. 133 in owner's manual).
I hope this has not confused you further. There are many interesting
machine language files available on the SIG, with various ways of turning them
into .CO files. A good one to get you going is in the three PLANET files in
DL3. Mike Berro's instructions are good, and the game is fun!
Don
Don,
Thanks. It's all beginning to get a bit more clear. I am not
technical and have no training in computer knowledge, but am an avid reader and
one who is not unwilling to experiment. My main computer interest is writing,
hence word-processing. But the messages are so irresistibly intriguing, I keep
taking in programs and trying them. I am not into games so much, but do enjoy
logic and puzzles.
You have provided much help. Besides reading the M100 manual, I have
read Danny Goodman, David Lien and the Waite Group's Introducing the TRS-80
Model 100 by Burns and Venit — so I guess something is 'rubbing off.'
Thanks again – hope I can repay by helping someone else later.
George
Don,
Thanks. It's all beginning to get a bit more clear. I am not
technical and have no training in computer knowledge, but am an avid reader and
one who is not unwilling to experiment. My main computer interest is writing,
hence word-processing. But the messages are so irresistibly intriguing, I keep
taking in programs and trying them. I am not into games so much, but do enjoy
logic and puzzles.
You have provided much help. Besides reading the M100 manual, I have
read Danny Goodman, David Lien and the Waite Group's Introducing the TRS-80
Model 100 by Burns and Venit — so I guess something is 'rubbing off.'
Thanks again – hope I can repay by helping someone else later.
George
George,
No apologies necessary! The whole point of this (or any other good SIG) is
sharing of information. Before I started on this Sig many months ago, I would
not have known the answers to ANY of your questions. Today, I know enough to
be a real bore on the subjects!
1) LIFE is what you make it. You can try to make it continuously change,
or become stable. There are many articles about it. I haven't read up, so I
just try to turn out interesting looking actions, and then sit and watch them.
2) In addition to TEXT (.DO) and BASIC (.BA) files, you can have MACHINE
LANGUAGE (.CO) files. You don't have to understand how to write them to use
them (I don't). They MUST be executed at a certain address in the memory, but
the file that appears as .CO on your menu is stored elsewhere. When you run
the program by moving the cursor over the .CO name and pressing ENTER, it puts
a copy of the program at the appropriate place in high memory, and runs it.
To do this, this "high memory" area must be protected, which is done with
the form CLEAR 0,62287 (or whatever number is appropriate). In TLIFE, the
BASIC program does this for you, but you never see it when running the program
as written. 62287 becomes HIMEM (MAXRAM is the highest possible HIMEM). My
suggestions in msg. 87935 would make this program into a .CO file.
You can store as many .CO files as the RAM will hold, but can normally only
RUN one at once. You can save these files to cassette with the CSAVEM command
(p. 133 in owner's manual).
I hope this has not confused you further. There are many interesting
machine language files available on the SIG, with various ways of turning them
into .CO files. A good one to get you going is in the three PLANET files in
DL3. Mike Berro's instructions are good, and the game is fun!
Don