Cyningstan

Suchyles has found two data cards already, but in a Gathering mission there are bound to be more.

For a Gathering mission you need to stick around a bit longer and find as many data cards as you can. You're scored on the number found and time taken, so you must decide when to stop looking. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

A screenshot from the MS-DOS version of Barbarians, showing off the palette. The thick forest shows the various autumnal shades this palette is capable of through dithering: purples, oranges, browns, and various shades of green.

My #ibmpc #gamedev projects use C. The graphics were based on the version for the Psion Revo, but the 4-greyscale monochrome graphics were recoloured in the most colourful or gaudy of #cga palettes. cyningstan.itch.io/barbarians-dos

Aren the Ranger buys a couple of poultices at the ranger supply shop. These can be used with a skill of Medicine:1, but at that skill level, many will be wasted in unsuccessful attempts to heal. At Medicine:2 skill there's nearly a 50% chance of success, so they become more worth buying. The Poultice is enlarged in the inset.

A preparation of herbs for healing wounds, a Poultice can be applied to wounds to heal them at the rate of 1 hit point per turn. The poultice will often fully heal the character. Get The #ChambersBeneath from cyningstan.itch.io/the-chambers... #roguelike #ibmpc #msdos #cga

In the third level of Double Trouble, Multibot has just shot a forcefield generator, disabling forcefields that extended from it to the north and south. Meanwhile, Strider navigates a corridor full of crates to reach its data card at the top.

Double Trouble level 3 builds on the same theme as level 2. The robot in the bottom half needs to shoot the generator that powers forcefields blocking both robots' paths. Get the game and the level pack from cyningstan.itch.io/team-droid #TeamDroid #ibmpc #msdos #cga

A Battleship, escorted by Cruisers and Destroyers.

Battleships are the largest ships afloat. They have more power and a longer range than cruisers, and are the best units to have in a sea battle. They are also good for offshore bombardment. cyningstan.itch.io/waterworld. #ibmpc #msdos #cga #BarrenPlanet #Waterworld

This amulet on level 8 works well for intelligent characters, warding off blows from the monsters. It is enlarged in the inset.

The magic amulet appears in the mid levels of the #Ossuary. Its magical protection adds +2 to intelligence, and makes intelligence the stat for defence. This and the wand work well together. Download the game from cyningstan.itch.io/ossuary #ibmpc #msdos #cga #zxspectrum

I've never thought about the resemblance between these two before! You can see some rules for Senet at my board games web site: www.cyningstan.com/game/22/senet

Looking for the data card in a Retrieval mission. Predictably, it's not conveniently stored in a cabinet right by the entrance, so the search continues.

In a Retrieval mission you have to find the very important macguffin and get out with it in your possession. It may be in a cabinet or it might be carried by an enemy. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Portable Barbarians: two pocket computers running the game: a Psion Series 3 running the EPOC16 version from 2010, and a Hewlett Packard 100LX running the new MS-DOS version from 2025.

But in early 2025 I picked up my old #cga roguelike #gamedev project for #msdos The Chambers Beneath again. That was released in July 2025, and shortly afterwards, the #DOSember game jam was announced. I thought #Barbarians would make a good entry. cyningstan.itch.io/barbarians-dos

Meleel the Ranger picked up a potion down in the dungeon. We won't know what this potion really is till Meleel either drinks it, throws it at a monster, or takes it to the Mage's shop for identification.

The twelve potions in the The #ChambersBeneath give a variety of effects both good and bad. Found in the dungeons, and bought and sold in the Magic Shop. Get the game from cyningstan.itch.io/the-chambers... #roguelike #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Psion Series 3 Handheld computer from 1991

Look at this *gorgeous* little Psion Series 3 handheld computer from 1991! Hinges and screen are perfect, but I like to reinforce the hinges with 3M tape, as this is a key point of vulnerability. 😍

The second level of Double Trouble. At the top, Soldier has jumped over the forcefield with the aid of a spring that's still in its inventory. Meanwhile at the bottom, Multibot has also jumped its forcefield and is preparing to push its data card all the way to the reader.

Level 2 of Double Trouble needs a different kind of cooperation. Neither robot meets nor passes objects to the other, but one robot needs to shoot the forcefield that powers the generator the blocks the other's movement. cyningstan.itch.io/team-droid #TeamDroid #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Cruisers are the more powerful units in this battle.

Cruisers are medium-sized combat ships with a good attack range. They're useful to add extra power to naval battles, and to bombard ports and other land units from off shore. They're slightly slower than destroyers. cyningstan.itch.io/waterworld. #ibmpc #msdos #cga #BarrenPlanet #Waterworld

Back on level 1 our hero found a wand. This is useful for characters whose intelligence is greater than their attack strength. The wand is enlarged in the inset.

Characters with more brains than brawn will want to seek out the magic wand on the first level of the #Ossuary. It adds +2 to intelligence, *and* makes intelligence the stat for attacks. Get the game at cyningstan.itch.io/ossuary #ibmpc #msdos #cga #zxspectrum

In this turn-based roguelike adventure 🎲, you play as a glory-seeking hero ⚔️ tasked by the ruler of a fearful city 🏰 to explore a dangerous subterranean network 🕸️. @cyningstan.bsky.social

youtu.be/BipAVGcqpnk

#msdos #game #gameplay #homebrew #thechambersbeneath

Looks like having two instances of copy trying to copy the same file to the same place confused it. Hopefully the remaining instance should complete successfully. May be worth checking the size of the destination file from time to time to see if/how it's progressing.

On level 10 we see the most powerful blade weapon of all, the battleaxe, which is enlarged in the inset.

The battleaxe is the largest blade in the #Ossuary, useful for combat against more powerful monsters with its +6 bonus on attack strength. cyningstan.itch.io/ossuary #ibmpc #msdos #cga #zxspectrum

Finding the first hostage in a Rescue mission. The scout peeked through the door and retreated, which is why we can see the hostage and their kidnapper currently not in the line of sight.

Rescue missions are subtly different. With multiple hostages to find, some of whom have useful skills, you can recruit the hostages themselves to help. You also score per hostage freed. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Brand new Spectrum game: Welcome 2 The Machine, by Radical Reflux.

Download:
https://radical-reflux.itch.io/machine

#zxspectrum #retrogaming

A composite image my two games now ported from the ZX Spectrum to DOS. On top, Ossuary, with the Spectrum version on the left and the DOS version on the right. On the bottom, Barbarians, again with the Spectrum version on the left and the DOS version on the right.

By 2024 I decided the time was right for an #msdos version of #Barbarians. I'd already ported my third ZX Spectrum game Ossuary. I decided to start work on an MS-DOS port before the idea gets eclipsed by a more complex game on the same subject. cyningstan.itch.io/barbarians-dos

Upon donning Plate Mail, along with the iron helmet, the shield and the battleaxe, Aniere the Warrior has achieved the ultimate in arms and armament. They are now ready for almost any challenge the dungeons can throw at them. The plate mail is enlarged in the inset.

Plate Mail is solid metal armour providing good protection against body injuries, but requiring skill Dodging:5 to use effectively. Get The #ChambersBeneath from cyningstan.itch.io/the-chambers... #roguelike #ibmpc #msdos #cga

The first level of Double Trouble. The first data card has already been passed out of the middle and taken to its card reader. Carrier is returning to the teleporter to pick up the second card, while Strider pushes it to the teleporter from the inner chamber.

The first DLC for #TeamDroid was Double Trouble, every level having 2 droids, 2 cards, 2 readers. The first level requires droids to cooperate, passing cards out of the middle chamber. Download the game and the Double Trouble level pack from cyningstan.itch.io/team-droid #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Destroyers form the main part of this fleet.

Destroyers are the smallest sea combat units. They have little firepower and a short range, and are lightly armoured. They can navigate deep and shallow water, but they can't navigate too close to the sandbanks. cyningstan.itch.io/waterworld. #ibmpc #msdos #cga #BarrenPlanet #Waterworld

Our hero finds an iron shield on level 8, which will upgrade their ability to block attacks. The shield is enlarged in the inset.

The iron shield adds a +4 bonus to your defence state, parrying blows from the more powerful monsters in the #Ossuary. cyningstan.itch.io/ossuary #ibmpc #msdos #cga #zxspectrum

Entering the location for a Hostage mission. Hostages look like team members but are depicted without a weapon. The hostage in this mission is yet to be found.

The Hostage mission has a clear focus: find the named individual and get them out alive. Hostages need to be cut free; if your team doesn't have a blade you'll need to find one. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

The Barbarians victory screen on the ZX Spectrum. The map display fits nicely into the ZX Spectrum's attribute grid, allowing quite a colourful display. Only two of the machine's 15 colours remain unused in the game, the two blue shades. Even magenta is used, for the cursor not shown here.

The #ZXSpectrum had such affection among its former owners that it maintain its popularity to the present day. So in 2012 when I released #Barbarians for the Spectrum, the game attracted much more attention than the original Psion version ever did. cyningstan.itch.io/barbarians #gamedev

Lanera the Warrior meets Eanerk, Lord of Cechedri, who tells her that the city has lost the Plate of Might. Plates are one of the four treasures that can be the object of your main quest. You might also find plates that aren't the Plate of Might - make sure to identify plates that you find - you can sell lesser plates to the Merchant. A plate is shown enlarged in the inset.

The Plate is a fine and costly dining vessel made of precious metal and gemstones, found down in the dungeon. Sometimes a particular plate is the object of your quest. Get The #ChambersBeneath from cyningstan.itch.io/the-chambers... #roguelike #ibmpc #msdos #cga

My beautiful Ericsson MC218, based on the Psion 5mx handheld computer, from around the Millennium, still in use a quarter of a century later as my noting and organising computer for Genetics and Genomics notes. Delivering real utility and convenience in an age otherwise dominated by single pane of glass smartphone dinosaurs. The mammals scuttling between the feet of the ossifying giants.

And, my precious children, it delivered. And the ZX81 birthed the Spectrum; the Spectrum laid the ground for the Psion 3 and 5mx.

And then the Single Pane of Glass extremists stole that future from us.

But we can - we must! - restore what was lost! #ReadTheALT

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A screenshot of the Psion Series 3a emulator for MS-DOS, running under DOSBox. Dragonfell has been installed, its icon showing at the top left of the emulated Psion's display. The resolution of the Series 3a is 480x160; most of the 640x480 DOS screen is therefore blank. Although Dragonfell is designed for the original Series 3 with its 240x80 resolution, the Psion Series 3a runs it fine, scaling up the graphics to fit the Psion Series 3a's bigger screen.

You can emulate #Dragonfell on modern systems via DOSBox and a free #Psion Series 3a emulator for #msdos. There's an emulation package with setup instructions and a version of the game packaged specifically for emulation. Get it from cyningstan.itch.io/dragonfell-p...