171K subscribers • 1 video on Hallway
Intermediate. Assumes working knowledge.
2M views2 years ago3 recommendations
Game developmentHistory and cultureRetro games and consolesGame programmingRendering
Alexander the ok explores how David Braben and Ian Bell fit a 3D space game into 22KB on the BBC Micro.
Elite may be the most complex 8-bit game ever produced. And it was arguably the most groundbreaking game ever released for its time. Back in the early 1980s when arcade-shooters reigned supreme, two undergraduates at Cambridge redefined what computer games even were. In this video we'll look at some of the technical aspects of how David Braben and Ian Bell were able to construct an entire universe, economy, 3D engine and backstory in 22KB on a 2MHZ processor. This story is well known in the UK, but computer games history is largely told through the lens of the US and Japan....so overseas viewers may not be familiar with the impact Elite had on gaming, and the wider world. For anyone that wants to give Elite a try, you can play it online here: bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=366 Though, I recommend downloading the disc image from that page and running it in 'beebem' (free BBC micro emulator). That way you can save your game. All footage of Elite is taken directly from my BBC Micro via a capture card. Blender was used for 3D animations VSCode with the Beeb VSC extension was used to develop my assembly code BeebEm was used to run 6502 assembly scripts within the BASIC interpreter Sources: Mark Moxon's incredible Elite website, complete with fully annotated source code: bbcelite.com/ Elite source code on github (annotated by Mark Moxon): github.com/markmoxon/cassette-elite-beebasm The BBC Micro user guide (an excellent manual - remember when things came with good manuals?): bbc.nvg.org/doc/BBCUserGuide-1.00.pdf Another useful reference for the BBC Micro: primrosebank.net/computers/bbc/documents/2339_001.pdf BBC Micro memory map: area51.dev/bbc/bbcmos/memorymap/ Interesting paper about Elite and it's impact: gamestudies.org/1302 An excellent guide to 6502 assembly: youtube.com/watch?v=WEliEAc3ZyA&t=258s ‘Middle aged men roasting video games’: youtu.be/iweTvbi0_8w?si=eacThQG2gaXCKbWI Original requirements for the BBC Microcomputer: bbcbasic.co.uk/bbcbasic/beebspec.html Intro music credit: Music: Evan King - Fetch Quest youtube.com/ContextSensitive contextsensitive.bandcamp.com/ End music credit: Krayzius & Brainstorm - Virtual Boy Intro Some Context The BBC Micro Elite and its Creators Hardware 6502 Assembly Innovations: an Overview Innovation #1: split-screen Innovation #2: backface culling Innovation #3: Procedural Generation Innovation #4: the Radar Elite's Impact Lasting Impact on GamingWhat people say. Recommended as an excellent historical and technical overview of how Elite achieved 3D graphics on 8-bit hardware.
hyperbraineron Hacker News • Recommends
On “Elite on the 6502: The original 6502 assembly source, heavily commented”
maxbondon Hacker News • Recommends
On “Oolite: An open source open-world space opera”
kragenon Hacker News • Mentions
On “Ask HN: Why did consumer 3D printing take so long to be invented?”