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Trs-80 Model 1 Checkers Game?

S

ScanDisk

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Niagara Falls, Canada Eh?
So reading the magazine/news letter I got wit h my recent Model 1 acquisition, it appears there was also a Checkers game made for the Trs-80, due to the popularity of the chess game.

I have tried searching for it on google, but I could not find it, I could only find stuff for the Color Computer.

I'm sure it must be out there somewhere, but I am having trouble finding it myself.

Has anyone had any better luck? or does anyone have a real copy of it, and would be willing to make it into a .wav or . cas file?
 
The Willus DOT COM Big List of TRS-80 Software shows 22 Checkers programs though many of those may be alternate versions. The most likely to match the original newsletter would be in Games Pack 1 which was sold by Radio Shack.

Those are in a convenient packaging there.
 
Would it be in this listing:
│ ├── Checkers (1980)(Instant Software)[BAS].zip
│ ├── Checkers (19xx)(Author Unknown)[BAS].zip
│ ├── Checkers (19xx)(Breeze Computing)[BAS].zip
│ ├── Checkers (19xx)(Creative Computing)[BAS].zip
│ ├── Checkers (19xx)(Jeff Vavasour)[CMD].zip
│ ├── Checkers (19xx)(Jim Campbell)[BAS].zip
│ ├── Checkers v2.1 (19xx)(Simutek Ent)[BAS].zip

│ ├── Mean Checkers Machine v1.0 (1979)(Lance Micklus)[CMD].zip
│ ├── Mean Checkers Machine v1.0D (1979)(Lance Micklus)[CMD].zip
│ ├── Mean Checkers Machine v1.3t (1980)(Lance Micklus)[CMD].zip
│ ├── Mean Checkers Machine v2.1 (1981)(Lance Micklus)[a][CMD].zip
│ ├── Mean Checkers Machine v2.1 (1981)(Lance Micklus)[CMD].zip

│ ├── Micro-Checkers (1979)(Radio Shack)[CMD].zip

│ │ ├── Checkers (1984)(Mike Orr)[CMD].zip

Larry
 
Thanks for the responses, I did originally look at that willus.com list, but originally I only saw some autorun and debug dmk files, I never saw other file types to download, due to your responses, I did look a second time and found more file types of download.

However, I cannot seem to find any .wav or .cas file versions to download, only stuff that can be put on a floppy disk. I do not have a disk drive though, I can only use "cassette" at the moment.

I have no idea how to convert any of the text file types, bas file types, or cmd file types, etc to .cas or .wav files that I can "play" from my computer, while the trs-80 is thinking it's coming from a cassette.
 
Willus has a complete disk images but if you look all the way to the right side, files in CAS, CMD, or BAS formats will be shown. It may be necessary to scroll towards the right.

Game Pack 1 is shown in CAS format. Searching on CAS will show about 400 cassette entries that could be used later.
 
Last edited:
krebizfan said:
Willus has a complete disk images but if you look all the way to the right side, files in CAS, CMD, or BAS formats will be shown. It may be necessary to scroll towards the right.

Game Pack 1 is shown in CAS format. Searching on CAS will show about 400 cassette entries that could be used later.
Click to expand...

Thank you, and yes I have found Game Pack 1, and the checkers.cas file, but it leads to this page, where I cannot seem to find a way to download it in .cas form.

 
The file is in the disk05543.dmk image and can be accessed by trstools ver 1.13 by Matthew REED.

See Attached Files

Larry
 

Attachments

  • checkers.zip
    117.7 KB · Views: 2
ldkraemer said:
The file is in the disk05543.dmk image and can be accessed by trstools ver 1.13 by Matthew REED.

See Attached Files

Larry
Click to expand...
Thank you.

I should probably download that tool, for future use.

Edit: seems my TRS-80 Model 1 won't recognize it, when I type CLOAD and press play on my CAS player software nothing happens, not even the "*" in the top right corner of the screen show up, but it does work with other files I have like hangman and seadragon.

Mine has Level II Basic, this checkers game appears to be for level 1 basic, could that be the issue, or should it not be?
 
Last edited:
ScanDisk said:
That's a bummer. I guess backwards compatibility was not a thing at that time.
Click to expand...

Backward compatibility - No, not as you are thinking. Level 1 was entry level and gave way to level 2 relatively quickly. Some cassette games sold by Radio Shack, like checkers, would come with a Level 1 version on one side and a level 2 version on the other. Microchess was sold that way

MC1 20230627_111144.jpg

MC2 20230627_111205.jpg

As I recall, Checkers 80 was sold that way as well - see here, for example. I don't know where my Checkers-80 tape is or if I even still have it, but my recollection was that it was typically sold with L1 on one side and L2 on the other.

I think you just need to locate the version that will run on your machine. BTW, as has been mentioned, there were many checkers programs for the TRS80. RS versions were not generally "stellar". For example, Microchess was relatively easy to beat. Sargon, on the other hand, was not too easy to beat - and at the upper levels would take several hours to make a move.

You may want to get hold of "Flying Saucers" that was another, widely distributed TRS80 game at Radio Shack stores.
 
I searched my Hard drive for CHE*.CAS and located these two files.

5443 Apr 12 2001 CHESS.CAS
5259 Apr 12 2001 CHESS1.CAS

They are attached in a zip file.

Larry
 

Attachments

  • TRS-80-Cassettes.zip
    6.6 KB · Views: 1
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