I don't want to disappoint the 3 Body Problem series fans, but in episode 4 where an old IBM PC shows alien messages, the screen resolution is wrong and outside of the capabilities of the CGA and Hercules video cards available in 1984. #DOS#IBMPC
It's exactly a year ago that I released Barren Planet into the world. Since then I've added two expansions to it. You can download them all from the game's web page: http://dos.cyningstan.org.uk/downloads/7/barren-planet
The game is free, there's a ko-fi link there if you want to show your appreciation. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
In just over an hour (7pm BST) I'll be on Twitch, continuing my play through of Barren Planet: First Landing. Join me there as I attempt to finish the campaign. As I'm a new streamer, follows on Twitch are especially welcome! https://twitch.tv/cyningstan#barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
The stream is starting! Today's my first Barren Planet stream, playing Nuvutech in First Landing. Can I crush the Avuscorp forces to take all of Dapra? Come join me and find out! Live at https://twitch.tv/cyningstan#barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
🟩🖥️ When we look at the motherboard for the IBM PC AT from 1984, we notice several interesting differences compared to modern ones:
🐘 Basic RAM is already included on it.
🧠 The 386 processor doesn't require any additional cooling.
🎓 For higher performance, a math coprocessor 80287 was needed.
⌨️ The only built-in peripheral connection is for the keyboard.
I've retrofitted CGALIB with Hercules support to Barren Planet. The Hercules card is automatically detected, and the CGA graphics work nicely when scaled. I'm usually on Team Green, but amber works better for this game. This version will be available in the near future. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga#hercules
I've been working on CGALIB this evening, adding internal support for Hercules graphics cards. The next task is the centre and un-squash the display by adding a gap every other line.
My CGA programs currently work with SIMCGA and the like, but having internal Hercules support will make them run at the same speed as they do on CGA hardware.
👴🖥️ The IBM PC AT (1984) succeeded the PC XT as the fourth model of the Personal Computer, bringing:
🧠 A 286 processor with a clock speed of up to 8 MHz
🐘 Up to 16 MB of memory
🛣️ 16-bit ISA bus
⬛ PC DOS 3.0
📚 Disk interface, later evolving into PATA
📏 Standard motherboard dimensions, which later developed into ATX
There can be up to eight terrain types in a Barren Planet campaign. The terrain used in each scenario is drawn from these, so each battle map will have its own individual character. A couple of tables of stats define the effects of terrain. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
A new series of tutorial articles for Team Droid has started today. The first post concentrates on the programming process itself, and the user interface. Team Droid: Some Tips to Help You Out http://dos.cyningstan.org.uk/posts/207#teamdroid#ibmpc#msdos#cga