Best of.... Fantasy and Dungeon Crawlers for TI-99/4A

Best of.... Fantasy and Dungeon Crawlers for TI-99/4A

Dungeons of Asgard



Single player game. This is a *great* game once you get to know all the keystrokes to play.  This game requires expanded memory, 128K of RAM 

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Tunnels of Doom


The original Dungeon Crawler for the TI-99.  A classic. Released in 1982.  Control one to four characters, choosing from Fighter, Wizard, and Rogue classes. You can also play as a combined "Hero" class.  Features randomly generated dungeons, tactical turn-based combat on a grid, and an early auto-mapping system.  Base 16K RAM

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Realms of Antiquity


Features a party of up to four characters with nine different classes and 16 experience levels. Content includes 8 schools of magic, 60 spells, over 250 items, tactical combat, scrolling maps, and over 200 monster types. Requires a disk system or TIPI with multiple drives, and a SAMS card with at least 1024k of bank-switched RAM.

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Hell's Halls

A single player dungeon crawler where you explore randomized rooms behind hidden doors, collect gold, fight enemies like bats and imps, and manage health. Features a strict time limit per floor, adding intense pressure while managing wounds and traps. Just need the base 16K of RAM

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Wizard's Doom

Wizard's Doom is a Dungeon crawl role-playing game requiring a 32K memory expansion and a disk system. The game features roughly six dozen different items to find—including weapons, armor, scrolls, potions, and rings—alongside a functional save and load game feature. The plot consists of an evil wizard returns to torment the realm and summon strange creatures into a dungeon world that the player must explore and conquer.

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Hero

Created by pixelpedant, the same developer of Hell's Hall.  Requires Extended BASIC XB256.

Home Place Baseball Card Database 1.2.2 Released.

I have already updated the software for my Baseball Card DB. Now at version 1.2.2. Yes, twice in one week. I have made several improvements. Biggest is the you can monitor your data files to see how large they are becoming and how much disk space you have left. Also made some interface changes. Code named Lynn in honor of my uncle that just passed away.  Currently still only for the TI-99/4A with extended BASIC with one or move drives.

Baseball Card Database for TI-99/4A

I now have a release version 1.2 for my Baseball Card Database for TI-99/4A.

There are a lot of improvements, functional, but not perfect.  Made changes in data so that the cards grade can be added.  Still works with the old format of version 1.0.  Now can change working disk that you wish to use.  Defaults to Disk 1.  Also added an easier to read font and cleaned up display detail to make all easier to read.

More thoughts on UNIX99

UNIX99 for the TI-99/4A may be my favorite software/OS for 2026 so far. The OS has continued to be updated. As of writing this, April 9th, 2026 was the last update. I'm quite impressed with it. Enough, that I'm going to start helping by porting apps to the OS. For example, SED is not bundled with it. That tool is must for me. A real world work tool for me... at least in my career.

Purchased a PPEB

I just purchased an 8M PPEB with case and the activity led installed. Has a preloaded microsd card included.

A "8MB PPEB" for the TI-99/4A refers to a modern, compact, all-in-one expansion device built around a Raspberry Pi Pico W, designed to emulate the massive, original 1980s Peripheral Expansion Box (PEB). "PPEB" stands for [Pi Pico[W] Peripheral Expansion Box].



It is designed to fit in a small case. Mine in a 3D-printed enclosure or sometimes a repurposed original speech synthesizer case and plugs directly into the TI-99/4A's side expansion port, rather than needing a large external unit.

Key Features and Capabilities:
- 8MB RAM Expansion: This specifically provides massive memory expansion, often utilizing SAMS (software-activated memory system) memory management to support 1MB or 8MB configurations, far exceeding the original 32K limit.  There are configurations that support 16MB.

- Virtual Disk Storage: The device emulates floppy drives and hard drives using a MicroSD card or the Pico's internal storage, allowing you to run games and software without physical disk drives.
Sidecar Form Factor: It replaces the massive, 30 lb original PEB box and its many expansion cards with one small module that sits on the side of the computer.

- Modern Connectivity: It often provides USB or Wi-Fi capabilities for file transfers.

New hardware project - my computer desk

I have 5 to 7 computers on my desk at any given time. With literal, physical desktop space being sparse, I have decided to do something that I think most would find odd. I'm going to take my Atari and my C64 and put them in a tower.


I will need a mechanism that will allow the two boards to share a single keyboard and a way to possibly power each independently.


I'll leave my primary Tandy CoCo2 and TI-99/4A alone of course.

I also need a tape cassette cable for the Tandy Coco so I can backup and restore code to my file server. 

WAR IRON of the Red Clan

I'm going to do something I have never tried before, to make a game in Tandy's SG24 mode.  This will be a major difference in the development path I'm taking with the TI-99/4A, C64, and Atari 8-bit.  Those three system's graphics are being done with 8x8 bitmap pixels.

what is the deal with 80s computer keyboards

I hear social media video blogger repeat over and over that there was not a keyboard standard in the 70s and 80s for home computers. This unfortunately is true - kinda. There were really two loose standards. How do I know? First, I own quite a few computers from the 80s. It was IBM PC that broke the simi-standard and then redefined the overall standard by "winning" the PC wars.

So what was the standard layout before IBM changed it all?

First there is What I call Standard I - This was used by majority of the early 70-80s home computers

1) QWERTY keyboard like most type-writters

2) Specific characters associated with SHIFT and numbers

(Photo of a Commodore 64 keyboard)


(Photo of a Tandy CoCo 2 keyboard)

(Photo of an Atari 130XE keyboard)

Above the 1=!, 2=", 3=#, 4=$, 5=%, 6=&, 7=', 8=(, 9=)

Who adhered to this Standard I:
- Amstrad
- Apple I and II
- Atari (400, 800, 800XL, 130XE,  ect) - *Mostly*
- Commodore (PET, Vic 20, C64)

- Dragon (32 and 64 computers)
- Tandy (Model 1, Model 2, Model 3, Model 4, Coco, CoCo2, CoCo3 and others)

Probably others were included.

Anyone that does retro programming on these systems knows it is an adjustment finding the quote above the '2' key.

Atari put a '@' with the 8 and shifted the '(' and ')' over one place.

Where did these companies come up with this format. Many decades of typewriters before them. This was much of their layout.

Standard II
Who did not use Standard I, but the Standard II? 

- Later Apple computers and Macintosh. 

- Later Atari computers (ST line), 

- Later Commodores (Amiga line), 

- all IBM computers and most compatibles like Tandy 1000 line. 

- Coleco Adam

- All Texas Instrument computers.  

IBM came up with this design, which may have influenced later keyboard's such as the Apple IIe's/Macintosh, the Commodore Amigas and Atari STs.

With the Apple IIe, Apple changed some keys around like the 2 key to be associated with @ like the IBM.

Texas Instruments TI-99/4A keyboard

What is the Standard II number line layout?

1=!, 2=@, 3=#, 4=$, 5=%, 6=^, 7=, 8=*, 9=(, 0=)

Somehow people were swayed into believing the IBM PC was superior to the computers of the late 80s.  Really was not true, but perception often wins.   As PC clones became the norm, so did this keyboard layout.

80s BASIC

I'm currently reprogramming a game I did before called Seven/Eleven. The game looked a little dull so I'm remaking all the interfaces. This made me realize how much I enjoy some 80s BASICs over others.

Here is a list of my Favorite 80's BASICs that I use fairly regular, from favorite to least favorite.

1 TI-99 Extended BASIC

2 TI-99 BASIC

3 Tandy Extended Color BASIC 2.0

4 Tandy Extended Color BASIC 1.1

5 Tandy BASIC

6 Commodore BASIC V2

7 Atari BASIC

8 AppleSoft II BASIC

I should note that my first exposure to Tandy BASIC and Apple II BASIC was mostly as a teenager through public schools.

Why TI at the top? Most control in the easiest way. I really think if most companies and found someone better than Microsoft to develop their BASIC language, they could have been much better. What I like about Tandy and Commodore is that what ever they lack in BASIC features, they are quite hackable. It is possible to get to modes the physical computer could do that were not addressed in the BASIC environment.  Really, that is why Microsoft had the PEEK and POKE commands because there was so much they did not know how to translate into BASIC usefully.  And the way Microsoft used their graphics modes were so over complicated and stupid.  Really just limiting.  For the most part, programmers that understood the hardware capabilities and used assembler/machine language were really able to make the most of these computers.

It is not like TI-99 Extended BASIC was perfect as there were feature that were not addressed until the late 80s and early 90s with Super Extended BASIC by third party developers - but by that time most of the world had moved on from TI-99.  TI-99 popularity now is just mainly from people that remember fondly how much they enjoyed using TI-99 in the late 70s and early 80s.

Sadly the two most fun computers  TI and Tandy were the two most physically limiting computers.  TI-only made a 32K memory expansion for their computer that was shipped out with 16k.  TI also made their computers slower than need be by running code in video memory.  Tandy did not provide a dedicated 3 voice or better sound chip and a video processing chip that only handled 9 colors on both the CoCo 1 and 2. 

TI did make up in other areas though.  Best built in sprite capabilities, 16-bit processor, and S-Video output.  Tandy did make up for it with the easiest, but powerful, graphics and music programming commands. With some hacking past Microsoft's made limitations, graphically Tandy could put out some nice graphics with only 9 colors. 

Voice of R2D2

 

Seven-Eleven for TI-99

My version of Seven-Eleven for TI-99:  UPDATE: Please note that I now have better versions of this program on my web site: http://mrgibson.com


10 REM Seven Eleven
15 REM by Michael R Gibson
20 GAME=0
25 WIN=0
30 LOSS=0
32 PNTS=105
34 A=0
36 GOSUB 400
40 CALL CLEAR
45 PRINT " Seven / Eleven"
50 PRINT " *$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$+"
52 PRINT "! The Win Tally ~"
54 PRINT "! ~"
60 PRINT "! Wins:", WIN
65 PRINT "! Losses:", LOSS
70 GAME=GAME+1
80 PNTS=PNTS-5
90 PRINT "! Points:",PNTS
100 PRINT "!"
105 PRINT "! Game:", GAME
108 CALL VCHAR(19,22,126,5)
110 GOSUB 200
120 IF A = 7 THEN 300
125 IF A = 11 THEN 300
130 IF A = 2 THEN 600
135 IF A = 12 THEN 600
145 GOTO 310
200 N=0
210 PRINT
215 PRINT "Press any key to roll"
220 N=N+WIN
225 CALL KEY(0,K,S)
227 IF S = 0 THEN 220
230 CALL CLEAR
240 C=INT(RND*6)+1
250 B=INT(RND*6)+1
260 A = B + C
270 PRINT " "
275 PRINT "Total rolled", A
278 PRINT " "
280 GOSUB 500
290 RETURN
300 PRINT "Great, You won"
301 PRINT " "
302 WIN = WIN + 1
303 PNTS = PNTS + 20
304 PRINT "Press R and Enter to roll"
305 PRINT "Press Q and Enter to quit"
306 INPUT KEY$
307 IF KEY$ = "Q" THEN 700
308 GOTO 40
310 PRINT "Sorry, you lose"
312 PRINT " "
320 LOSS = LOSS + 1
322 PRINT "Press R and Enter to roll"
324 PRINT "Press Q and Enter to quit"
326 INPUT KEY$
328 IF KEY$ = "Q" THEN 700
330 GOTO 40
400 REM define graphics
410 CALL CHAR(33,"0101010101010101")
415 CALL CHAR(42,"00000708102040FF")
420 CALL CHAR(43,"0000FC0C14244484")
424 REM 64=@
425 CALL CHAR(64,"8585858991A1C181")
426 CALL CHAR(95,"8585858990A0C080")
429 REM 94 = ^
430 CALL CHAR(94,"FF")
435 CALL CHAR(36, "0000FF00000000FF")
440 REM 45 = -
445 CALL CHAR(45, "8585858585858585")
450 REM 126 = ~
455 CALL CHAR(126,"8484848484848484")
490 RETURN
500 REM print graphics
505 PRINT " "
510 PRINT "YOU ROLLED A "
515 PRINT " *$$+*$$+"
518 PRINT "! - ~ "
520 PRINT "!";C;"-";B;"~ "
522 PRINT "! @ _"
525 PRINT " ^^^ ^^^ "
530 PRINT "With two D6"
540 RETURN
600 PRINT "Rolled 2 ones or 2 sixes"
610 PRINT "End of the game"
620 PNTS = PNTS-5
630 PRINT " Extra Points lost"
650 GOTO 145
700 END

TI Performance testing

Creative Computing wrote benchmark code. I converted the benchmark code:

My goal is to benchmark all the TI products

This is the code for performance testing rewritten for the TI-99/4A.  I will probably rework this for all programable devices and make a list.

TI Rounding Routine and snowflake

 

My GLASS spreadsheet page

 Since I have been putting so much effort writing spreadsheet software, I have created a new launch page for it.   https://mrgibson.com/GOS/index.php

I'm going to be posting GLASS for Linux and MacOS next, then work on C64 version of GSS.

Bad Apple on 80 computers!!!!

Bad Apple!

Each of these videos of computer renders keeps getting better.  

Really surprised how bad the C64 version is.

Impressed with what could be done with the Atari 2600
Animation is smooth, although not surprising blocky.

Best of these old computers is the TI-99/4a

Atari 2600
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko9ZA50X71

C64
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsDy-4L6-tQ

Atari 8-bit computer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjNm04oCdYc

zx spectrum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd5iEeIe7L0

TI-99/4A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx__aAdm4wQ

Original video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtutLA63Cp8

More on my new spread sheet software

As I continue to tweak the code, I'm realizing there will not be a 16K version. This will require 32K. Although it is possible to have 1M on the TI-99/4A, I don't think this is a reasonable requirement as this is much harder to aquire and not considered standard setup, where-as 32K is. I have sliced some code off, yet memory restaints in an issue.

Menus are done. Now I'm testing and tweaking the code to make it the best I can under the 32k scope.

I'll have more screenshot and code released soon.

99-sss 25.0 spread sheet software

I'm about to release my newest spread sheet software for the TI-99/4A. I'm pretty excited about this one.

99-sss 25.0
But this version is much different than my previous.

First of all, it has heavy requirements for the TI-99/4A :
- Extended BASIC
- 16k or 32K RAM - (16k = 10x10, 32k = 10x30)
- Floppy Disk drive (real or virtual) - data saving.
- Tape drive (real or virtual)

But the capabilities are better, most importantly : - exporting data to other spread sheets
- configuring the spreadsheet as you go
- save to cassette or disk
- printing and plotting

Some of the specs might change as I tweak this version. I'm going to release the application on tape format for maximum user distribution.
I will probably have two versions. One tweaked for 16K of RAM, one tweaked for 32k of RAM. Since it is programmed in Extended BASIC, yes it will be opensource. What Lic? Probably GPL 3. I'm testing this on Virtual and Real Hardware.
Will I release this software for Atari or C64? I don't know yet.

Unix99

It has been a minute since I posted.  A lot I have been wanting to post, but have not.  Been knee deep in coding and Greek studies.  But there is something that really caught my eye. A new Unix for the TI-99/4A called Unix99.

Prerequisites

The Unix99 runtime environment can be used in an emulation environment (Classic99 and MAME) and

on physical hardware.

Unix99 execution requires the following emulated or real hardware at a minimum:

• TI-99 console, providing CPU, graphics, VRAM and sound

• 32KB RAM

• At least one persistent storage device (TIPI, WDSx, IDEx, SCSx, DSK1/Classic99)

• Programmable GROM hardware, such as FinalGROM, that provides a host for the Unix99 ROM

Additional supported TI-99 hardware:

• Speech synthesizer

• PICO9918 and F18A

• SAMS memory card

• RS232 and Parallel I/O

• External USB mouse (TIPI required)

• External USB keyboard (TIPI required)

The development environment requires:

• Linux or MacOS

• Docker Desktop

5

Mad Magazine code for the TI-99/4A

Here is a fun little program







100 REM MAD 2025 (TI-BASIC)


110 CALL CLEAR

120 CALL SCREEN(15)

130 FOR N=1 TO 16

140 CALL COLOR(N,5,1)

150 NEXT N

160 FOR N=1 TO 98

170 READ DEF$,GRAPHICS,ROW,COLUMN

180 CALL CHAR(GRAPHICS,DEF$)

190 CALL HCHAR(ROW,COLUMN,GRAPHICS,1)

200 NEXT N

210 M$="WHAT, ME WORRY?"

220 FOR I=1 TO LEN(M$)

230 ID=ASC(SEG$(M$,I,1))

240 CALL HCHAR(19,9+I,ID)

250 NEXT I

260 GOTO 260

270 DATA "00000000010F3FFC",33,5,15,"01030F7EFCE00000",34,5,16,"A8D870E0FE070000",35,5,17

280 DATA "0000000000073FF8",36,5,18,"000001070E180000",37,6,12,"01FCFFF16060C080",38,6,13

290 DATA "8FFED8C020000000",39,6,14,"E000000000000000",40,6,15,"1613010000000000",41,6,18

300 DATA "00E0301C0E070301",42,6,19,"000000000080C0E0",48,6,20,"01070E0E0E0E0C0D",43,7,12

310 DATA "C080000000000000",45,7,13,"E070381E0F070301",46,7,20,"000000000080C0E0",47,7,21

320 DATA "0F0D191913070E1C",49,8,12,"0000000101010101",50,8,13,"00131B9ADE7E6E6C",51,8,14

330 DATA "00C0F03E07000000",52,8,15,"00007F3FC3F03C0E",53,8,16,"003C8FCDFE1F0E00",54,8,17

340 DATA "0000FEFF31180C00",55,8,18,"0000000080E1713F",56,8,19,"0100000070D8D818",57,8,20

350 DATA "F8C04060703C3218",58,8,21,"1C3C78D898303038",59,9,12,"03020606061E1C18",60,9,13

360 DATA "6C6C400000000000",61,9,14,"311C0C0000000000",62,9,19,"30381C0C06070301",64,9,20

370 DATA "1C1C0C0C0E0E0F0D",66,9,21,"1818183870606060",67,10,12,"0C0C1C1838303060",68,10,13

380 DATA "0003070F1C383070",70,10,14,"FFFFFFFF0001010F",71,10,15,"008080800080C0E0",73,10,16

390 DATA "00000001030F0F0C",74,10,17,"00007FFFFFFFC000",75,10,18,"000080C0E0F03000",76,10,19

400 DATA "0103030607070301",78,10,20,"0606060606060403",80,10,21,"000000030F3C70C7",81,11,11

410 DATA "606060B0180C0603",83,11,12,"606040C08080C0E0",85,11,13,"31071E0F00010301",86,11,14

420 DATA "FF7D7D0000ECF9C3",88,11,15,"800080C000C0C080",90,11,16,"0001030703040101",91,11,17

430 DATA "00FF7F7D00013FFF",92,11,18,"0080C0E0E0808000",93,11,19,"0100000000010103",94,11,20

440 DATA "E362626246CF9FB0",95,11,21,"0000000000F8FE07",96,11,22,"DFDCD8DCCCE4F07C",97,12,11

450 DATA "F3793C7070707878",98,12,12,"C0C0E0F010004060",99,12,13,"0000000000010307",100,12,15

460 DATA "80000C1C1800040E",101,12,16,"0000060E0C000000",102,12,17,"1E00000000006064",103,12,18

470 DATA "0303000000020307",104,12,20,"71E105150F193323",105,12,21,"FB3B391919999B83",106,12,22

480 DATA "3C3C1E0F07030100",107,13,11,"7F3F0F0398CCE070",108,13,12,"6060707038300008",109,13,13

490 DATA "000000030F3F5F1E",110,13,14,"030F3BF1E0C08000",111,13,15,"06FCFFFE00000000",112,13,16

500 DATA "060F9E0000203010",113,13,17,"3437630100000000",114,13,18,"0080C0FC7E3F3F17",115,13,19

510 DATA "030307070382C6C4",116,13,20,"131B1A187973270F",117,13,21,"070E3C78F0E08000",118,13,22

520 DATA "381C0F0700000000",119,14,12,"0C1CDEFE0E070703",120,14,13,"3F3F33000000C0E0",121,14,14

530 DATA "0080E03F1F010403",122,14,15,"000000FFFFFF9222",123,14,16,"303000FFFFFF7272",124,14,17

540 DATA "000001FFFEF8600C",125,14,18,"1331B0C000000000",126,14,19,"8206060F0F1D1C38",127,14,20

550 DATA "0F1E3C78F0C00000",128,14,21,"0301000000000000",129,15,13,"E0F6FF3F1F070000",130,15,14

560 DATA "03010080C0E0F078",131,15,15,"82C0E0707F3F1F00",132,15,16,"70000001FFFFFE00",133,15,17

570 DATA "3870E0C080000103",134,15,18,"0001070F1E3C78E0",135,15,19,"F0E0C08000000000",136,15,20

580 DATA "3C1E0F0301000000",137,16,15,"00000080E0FF7F1F",138,16,16,"0000000001FFFFFF",139,16,17

590 DATA "03070F3EFCF0E080",140,16,18,"E0C0800000000000",141,16,19

TMS9900 CPU

Studying the TMS9900 processor of the 70s and 80s, I have learned that it was capable of Multi-user preemptive multiprocessing. This is very sad that I'm not aware of this every being utilized with the TI-99/4A computer. This can be done with workplace register pointers that can be handled by the CPU, but stored in memory.





Because we are using pointer, this can be changed on the fly. Because of the interrupt processes, we can go back and forth between tasks.