Welcome to the first Glenside Color Computing Challenge in 2024! We welcome all people who are interested or new to the platform to consider submitting a Mad Lib entry for the challenge.
The TRS-80 Color Computer, affectionately known as the CoCo has been around since 1979 when it was first announced as a 4K RAM, Motorola 6809 CPU and grew into several variants until its final commercial release of the Color Computer 3 with options up to 512K in its initial release, with a multitasking OS in Microware’s OS-9 and many, many additional options and upgrades from 3rd-Party sellers since.
The rules are simple:
THE PLATFORM
Submissions need to run in a virtual CoCo or in hardware. MS BASIC, BASIC-09, Assembly Language, or another option on the platform. Please submit it so the program/submission can run in a Virtual Environment like XROAR, VCC or CoCoPi/MAME.
Take your own pick on the target platform. This is a general guide of what you might choose (just remember it should be usable via the emulators listed above).
– Color Computer 1, 4K or MC-10, with Color Basic
– Color Computer 2, Extended Color Basic, BASIC09 under OS-9 Level I
– Color Computer 3, Extended Color Basic on the CoCo 3 with additional capabilities.
BASIC09 under OS-9 Level II.
Our goal in this and upcoming challenges is to bring interest to the TRS-80 Color Computers for someone who might already have an interest in other similar 8-bit computing platforms, someone young looking to find a retro-challenge, or anyone who loves the CoCo.
Since this is our first whack at a challenge like this, and based on the feedback and participation we have plans for other future challenges, we may modify the judging (if in person at the CoCoFEST!), the prizes and timelines.
THE CHALLENGE
Create a MadLib program that allows a user to enter the fields/options for a MadLib style word game to produce a resulting ‘story’.
We ask that any resulting Mablibs be respectful of the community and platform; we are all here to enjoy and have fun, not at the expense of one another. Keep the MadLibs short enough that it isn’t a novel. Plenty of examples can be found online (but a 10-15 word fill-in seems about right).
If you are new to the platform, there are resources to get you up-to-speed in BASIC on the CoCo, and many useful examples of BASIC code at the Color Computer Archive. You can navigate through the Books, Manuals, or other resources there to get you started. Those who knew the computers from the start used the “Getting Started with …” books as a great introduction to BASIC programming and widely touted as the best introduction to BASIC written.
WINNERS will be announced at the 32nd Annual “Last” Chicago CoCoFEST! Submissions are due by April 15, 2024 by 11:59pm. Submit your entries as an email to newsletter@glensideccc.com. Please include a shirt size with your submission if that is the winning prize for your category.
PRIZES may include vintage computing T-Shirt, a Color Computer 2, CoCoSDC (an SD card reader that emulates drives for easy use and loading of software), and more!!! We are waiting to see the initial response to determine what prizes will be available for this first challenge!
Are you ready, player one?!
For this challenge we will have two age groups.
Group 1 is ages 12 and under
Group 2 is for ages 13+
Details on judging and awards will follow…
An example of MadLibs and what can be done is demonstrated with this mobile app and there are printable examples: https://www.madlibs.com/printables/
