Videos | Colin Hoad

Videos

Jul 27, 2023

Exile - Top 85 Games for the BBC Micro (4)

The hugely immersive action adventure legend "Exile" comes in at #4 in the countdown! This incredible work of programming genius was developed by Peter Irvin and Jeremy Smith, released in 1988 by Superior Software. It's held out to be one of the best ever games for the BBC Micro, and who am I to argue? This game has it all: stunning graphics, fiendish puzzles and a fully explorable world in which

Jul 20, 2023

Wait, the Terminator runs on what?!

I was genuinely wearing this t-shirt at the time I noticed this...

Jul 10, 2023

New microphone... thoughts?

Hello! I've got a new microphone and have been experimenting with the settings... which of these four options do you think sounds the best? Please let me know in the comments!

Jul 06, 2023

Death Watch - the first ever Micro User type-in listing game!

In this video I take a look at Death Watch by Brian and Marian Clark, which appeared as the first ever fulllength type-in listing game in the very first edition of the Micro User from March 1983! This arcade shooter took just 159 lines of code to get up and running, showcased some decent PROC-based programming and with a nice bit of in-line 6502 assembly code thrown in for good measure. Not a bad

Jun 17, 2023

Codename Droid: Stryker's Run 2 - Top 85 Games for the BBC Micro (5)

Superior Software does it again with this hugely impressive sequel to Stryker's Run: it's Codename Droid, from the creative minds of Nicholas Chamberlain and Martin Edmondson! Taking Command John Stryker in a wholly new direction (well, up - he's in space now) this game pivots away from the run 'n gun genre into the world of arcade adventure. Puzzle your way through the various sectors, collecting

Apr 27, 2023

Soko-Ban - A new game from 0xC0DE

Soko-Ban is a brand new game from 0xC0DE released this week! I'm really excited to share it with you, because it's simply brilliant. If you love puzzles as much as I do, you'll be guaranteed to enjoy this one. Based on a Japanese game from 1982 of the same name, this game puts you in the role of a warehouse worker who must move crates to a specified location without getting any of them stuck. It's

Apr 04, 2023

Sim City - Top 85 Games for the BBC Micro (6)

Here it is, one of the most incredible 8-bit programming feats ever achieved on the humble Beeb: it's Sim City, the official Acorn port of Will Wright's original Mac/Amiga game, developed by Peter Scott for Superior Software! Coming out in 1990, this game may have passed you by at the time, but it is such a fine piece of work that it still holds up today and is a highly engrossing experience. It e

Mar 09, 2023

Citadel - Top 85 Games for the BBC Micro (7)

see-ta-del ... See-Ta-Dell ... SEEEEE-TA-DELLLL! Yes, coming in at #7 it's the arcade puzzler that practically defined the genre: Citadel from Superior Software, developed by Michael Jakobsen! Citadel is a fully immersive game that combines wonderful mechanics, graphics and sound effects, spread across over 100 rooms filled with challenges and perils. Coded to perfection, there have been many pret

Mar 04, 2023

Block Breaker (aka Demolition In Blockland) by Gordon J. Key

In this video I wrestle with an excellent type-in listing from the April 1989 issue of the Micro User, called "Block Breaker" by Gordon J. Key. As well as reviewing the listing and the game, I also take a look at the Micro User's clever "Get It Right" checksum utility to help with debugging those dastardly DATA statements! Enjoy...

Feb 04, 2023

How to get both sound and picture on a TV from a BBC Micro

In a follow-up to my last video, I demonstrate a custom SCART lead made by coolnovelties which hooks up to both the RGB and the audio port mod (provided by @trickysoft) to get both sound and picture from the Beeb out of a TV! These two customisations work perfectly together, providing perfect audio control - including output, volume and even headphones if you prefer! Coolnovelties: https://coolno

Feb 02, 2023

How to get audio out of a BBC Micro

In this video I install a brilliant mod from @trickysoft which bypasses the Beeb's internal speaker and outputs audio to a 3.5mm audio socket. You can then use this to connect headphones, an external speaker or any other kind of audio out device with a 3.5mm jack! Big thanks to tricky for providing me with this mod, it is very easy to fit and it works perfectly. Enjoy! @trickysoft: https://www.yo

Jan 24, 2023

Duneroamin: the solution!

Here it is, the second half of my video covering the type-in listing Duneroamin - and in this video I present the solution, aided as any good 8-bit gamer would be with a hand-drawn map! PART ONE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScxwH3SHL28 PLAY DUNEROAMIN NOW: https://bbc.godbolt.org/?disc=https://colinhoad.github.io/duneroamin/duneroam.ssd&autoboot GET THE DUNEROAMIN DISC IMAGE: https://colinh