Hello all,
I discovered that the software for the Apple-1 is all scattered around the internet and there is no single place where you can find all of it. Also the format in which the programs are kept online differs and is not uniform. Also, it would be great to browse to the history of Apple-1 software, read its instructions and be able to play/use the software instantly. So I created a website for this: apple1software.com.
At the moment I finished researching 17 programs in 4 different categories: Games, Fun, Programming and Utilities. For each program you can:
- Read its history, instructions and other useful information.
- See directly what it looks like on the machine with screenshots.
- Establish a direct serial connection with a (real) Apple-1 (more on this below).
- View the Wozmon listing that can be copy pasted in an emulator for example.
- Download the binary file.
- The idea is to also offer the cassette download in AIFF format, but this is future work.
- See the BASIC or assembly source when available.
Also with regard to my - soon to be launched - Keyboard Serial Terminal (see this topic, still work in progress) this website is very handy. Through the Web Serial API, the website itself can establish a direct serial connection with an Apple-1 to transfer the program right away. I also incorporated Uncle Bernie’s TurboType algorithm, which speeds up serial and Wozmon transfers to the machine and emulators.
More content coming up, curious to get your feedback and ideas.
Regards from Holland and Merry Christmas,
Bobby
Hi, that's a great idea! Indeed, the little that has been written or adapted for Apple-1 is in different places and often in different formats. It would be much more convenient to organize it all somehow. I've thought about it myself, but unfortunately I'm not good at making websites. Nevertheless, I've collected some stuff, games and manuals, I can give it to you if you need it. I tried to keep the games simple and easy to understand.
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/PkeDgYyDib1gqw
Thank you for sharing your collection Igor, I will take a look at it!
I am trying to add all 9 original Apple tapes to the site, as sold in 1977, see below.
apple-1-tapes.png
However, I need some clarification for the 16K-Startrek and the Extended Monitor. Would be great to complete these 'tapes'.
There is also a StarTrek 2003 version around that has a starting banner by Vince Briel. Is this one based on the original 16K Startrek? Or another port of the game done by Vince?
It seems that a 16K Startrek variant is listed on Wendell's website, here: https://apple1notes.com/?page_id=42#ab. Is this the 'original' 16K Startrek, as sold on tape back then?
Is the 'Apple II Monitor on Apple 1' listed on this same site the Extended Monitor? I could not find any other programs that come close to this one.
Does anyone have a Wozmon or binary file of these two AIFF files from Wendell?
Thanks again!
This is a great project of Bobby to which I had the honor to contribute a few little tools from my Apple-1 toolbox.
Still, there is a lot of work to be done to collect, consolidate, test, and rectify the existing Apple-1 software until it is fit to be presented on Bobby's website. And - I hope - that enough volunteers will be motivated to contribute by writing new Apple-1 software, or by porting existing software to the Apple-1.
One problem with existing Apple-1 software floating around in the web is that many of these programs don't work as expected, or pretend to be for the Apple-1, but are too large for the basic Apple-1 or won't load without BASIC complaining about syntax errors. This then leads to requests like the one in the previous post:
In post #3, "njissen" asked:
" Does anyone have a Wozmon or binary file of these two AIFF files from Wendell ? "
Uncle Bernie comments:
Converting AIFF files to binary is a yet incomplete function of my unreleased "ACIace" tool, which otherwise works fine for generating AIFF files from binaries, Apple-1, Apple II and the "extended formats" supported by my PROMs for the improved ACI. I intended to continue working on ACIace early next year, so if you can wait until I can finish and release it, you could use it towards your conversion efforts.
But if you can't wait, just load the AIFF into the Apple-1 and then use the UPLOAD funtion of my keyboard emulator cable - I think I gave you all the sources etc. needed for that. Once you have uploaded a binary into your Linux based host you can then use the tools I gave you to make .APL and .TUR files and put them on your website.
I've never looked into the STARTREK games (not a big fan of the TV shows, although as a kid I tried to watch every episode of the original 1960s show on TV). But I am well aware of several versions of the game which crossed my ways in the last half century. There is a big version which won't fit into the basic Apple-1, but the good news is that back in the 2nd half of the 1970s, one of the fledgling microcomputer magazines of the time had a "TINY TREK" program listing which works with the bare bones TINY BASICs of the the time, and with very little RAM. This might be the original source for any Apple-1 STARTREK game which fits into 4k of RAM (other than the 4k for the BASIC interpreter). If you want, I could go looking for this magazine.
One issue I ran into with some BASIC games for the Apple-1 is that they just don't work ! It may be due to different versions of Woz' BASIC interpreter, I don't know, it's only a guess, but for instance, I had to massage the "HAMURABI" game quite a lot until it did fit and work in the Apple-1 having only 2 x 4k of RAM. I think it did put this version of HAMURABI into the last release of my keyboard emulator cable software published here on Applefritter - sorry I can't find the thread anymore, it was a separate thread from the original one where this emulator cable was first released.
Some info for the readers who may wonder about my role in this project:
I gave Bobby my toolkit to turn binaries into APL and TUR files. APL files are just WOZmon syntax which can be auto-typed into the Apple-1 by a suitable keyboard emulator, the first of which was my keyboard emulator design published here on Applefritter, and free for anyone wanting to build it. You need a vintage DOS based computer with a parallel printer port, though, which is a drawback. So Bobby's upcoming keyboard emulator which works with modern computers and notebooks was a worthwhile project for me to support with a few little tools. The TUR files ("TurboType") are a hybrid file which first uses WOZmon syntax to install a loader on the Apple-1, which allows very fast pumping of code, contained in a compressed format in the same TUR file, into the Apple-1. The whole process is secured by CRC. I developed "TurboType" for my own software development work on the Apple-1, as I could not stand the time consuming autotype process of APL (WOZmon syntax) files, once my software grew in size. Since I have "TurboType", I did not use the ACI anymore, except for testing AIFF files. "TurboType" speed is in the ballpark of floppy disk drives, like drinking from a firehose ;-)
I will soon release part#1 of my Apple-1 toolchain here on Applefritter, to enable and encourage you all to port or develop software for the Apple-1, which then can be made available via Bobby's website. The only missing piece is competion of the manual for the toolchain. I hope I will find some time to finish that manual soon. Stay tuned !
- Uncle Bernie
I researched and added a few more Apple-1 programs to my online library:
- Microchess; it took some time to figure out how this game actually worked. Also contacted Peter Jennings, the author of this game originally for the KIM-1, had a nice conversation with him by mail. Larry Nelson adapted the KIM-1 game so it ran on the Apple-1.
- Shut the Box; besides Worple! another great game written by Jeff Jetton.
- Cellular; in the fun section. An alternative on Conway's Game of Life by Ken Wesson.
- Stringout; in the programming section. An Apple-1 routine by Chris Espinosa listed in Dr. Dobbs from 1976. This 'program' is not really widespread online, I typed it over and is quite interesting to look into. Also listed Meier's improved version.
- Party Checkin; in the utility section. Made last year by Erik Bruchez, a nice example of programming in C for the Apple-1. Modified it a little to be able to run it on a Apple-1 with default memory configuration.
All tested in the online Apple-1 emulator and on the 'real' one using my Keyboard Serial Terminal. I do my best to contact all authors of the programs I add to the library. If something is incorrect please let me know.
Regards from Holland,
Bobby
Thanks for your work. I honestly couldn't figure out how to play Microchess, I kept waiting for pawns and other pieces to appear, but it never happened. I guess to play it you have to graduate from an Ivy League university :)
Seriously, can I add information about new products to my FB group so that other guys can test new games and programs?
What a good idea! And I'm honored to have some of my software on there.
If you're interested, there's another game on my GitHub that you're more than welcome to include: https://github.com/JeffJetton/apple1-15-puzzle
(Incidentally, I'm currently working on a ton of software for a 6502-based system. Some of the games and other diversions should work well on the Apple 1 too, so I intend to make the small tweaks necessary to convert them soon!)
Thanks! Your programs have great gameplay, and that for such a restricted platform ;-). Have my thoughts spinning about an action game for the Apple-1, being not turn based but realtime. I think this is quite undoable with that terminal-video of the Apple-1? The problem is that you are unable to change the already existing content of the screen based on actions in a direct way. Think it will stay with thoughts spinning...
Yes I have 15-Puzzle on my to-do list. I will add it, but it will take a while. I research all programs, describe and test them before I add them.
What kind of 6502 system are you working on? Just curious.
https://youtu.be/MiG5nuduo8o?si=AuI5HwZE-yBB7K65
Yes, the lack of direct/random video memory access, along with the slow display rate overall, does limit the sorts of things you can do. But that's part of the fun challenge of it too, I suppose.
I've been working with a breadboard-based 6502 kit (from Ben Eater), which uses a 16x2 LCD display. Inspired by computers like the KIM-1, I decided to add one of those 4x4 keypads to it for input, then wrote a bunch routines to support I/O and some other basic functions. I also wrote a Monitor for it, so you can play around with programming it directly from the keypad, and several games too, which all live in ROM.
Currently working on the documentation and tying up some of the final loose ends.
I post #8, 'nijssen' wrote:
" Have my thoughts spinning about an action game for the Apple-1, being not turn based but realtime. I think this is quite undoable with that terminal-video of the Apple-1 ? "
Uncle Bernie comments:
I think the best candidate for an "action" game on the Apple-1 is the 1970's 'Bowling' game for the WANG 2200:it shows a set of bowling pins on the top of the screen and then the 'ball' will run quickly from the left to the right on the bottom of the screen. You hit a key and the 'ball' will move upwards and 'hit' the pins you aimed at. Some pins will disappear (there is a large character matrix encoding which pins will fall for which set of standing pins and where hit by the ball). I don't remember more details. Has been a while, 50+ years since I played this game on a real WANG 2200, some years before the microprocessor based home computers came along. There was a Wang 2200 simulator somewhere on the web and IIRC, it has that bowling game, too. On the Apple-1 you could not make the 'ball' move upwards but you could show the pins and the 'running' ball is easy at cursor speed, which happens to be just right to make a 'reaction' type action game out of it.
Yet another "action game" I was thinking of is a "Lunar Lander", but with an added twist: the Apple-1 would show the fuel left (seconds of burn time available until empty), descent rate, and altitude, and the user would enter engine burn times (seconds) as in the old Lunar Landers for the HP-65, but we could also add keys to move the "lander" to the left or to the right, and forward and back and give 'clues' about the terrain - landing on rough terrain would break a landing leg, so no return from the moon ! Imagine the map of the 'terrain' being displayed line by line as the screen scrolls up (sort of a projection). If if the Lunar Lander pilot stops forward motion and flys backward, the 'history' of the terrain underneath would be visible on screen and be presented in the reverse order (so there must be a real map, not just random nonsense). The game would begin with initial descent where no concern for terrain is present, but closer to the surface (where the Lunar Lander could hover) the terrain map would come into play. But I did not work out the details and the math of this game yet. Maybe the added terrain challenge would be too much for most 'pilots' and not worth to implement. Who knows. Key to success is to implement the real physics: moon's gavity, mass of lander (with diminishing weight due to engine burns) and thrust yielding velocity. The early games for the HP-65 has the real physics implemented in a one dimensional simulation, and it was a fun game despite of this over-simplification.
I have no time to pursue these Apple-1 game ideas any further, so feel free to pick them up and implement them !
- Uncle Bernie
You could pull this off with a pseudo-random number generator as long as it was reversible.
This is what David Crane did with Pitfall. All 255 unique screens were built based on a one-byte linear feedback shift register algorithm and its inverse. So you could travel either left or right.
I do like that bowling "reaction" mechanism. Hmmm...