I've ported the BBC/Acorn Electron version of Boulder Dash over to the Vic20 (PAL with 32K RAM expansion). I thought this would be a good way of getting to know more about the Vic20, my first childhood computer. The game is really 5 different versions of Boulder Dash - the original version, Boulder Dash 2 and 3. I've added my own adapted '+1' version which includes bombs and zero-gravity caves. There's also a fan-version from Arno's Boulder Dash fansite and a collection of all the intermission caves to play in one go.
There are some differences in this Vic20 version of the game.
- The visible screen size on this version is more limited than the original game although the overall map is same size. Only 12x12 tiles are visible in this version compared to 12x20 tiles in the original. This means Rockford cannot 'see' as many tiles to the left and right. This difference is most noticeable on the bonus screens which do not normally scroll but must in this version. Overall though, it doesn't detract from the gameplay experience that much (in my opinion
). - The status bar is different as it shows the diamonds needed, reduced each time one is gathered. The diamond value is not shown. A count of the number of bombs available is included, as are the normal things such as time remaining, lives available and the player score.
- Different versions of Boulder Dash are selectable and all caves except the intermissions are selectable from the menu.
- The game includes basic instructions.
- Bombs and zero-gravity enhancements. These are only used in caves where they have been defined as cave parameters.
- Screenshot
If you're interested in this game, there are more details including the assembler source code in the repo. I've added the D64 file here for convenience.
I've tested this game using the VICE emulator and also on a real Vic20 (PAL with 32K RAM expansion). Comments, ideas etc welcome!
It would be amazing to play that version!
