Shane's Blitz Basic Page

I bought Blitz Basic 3D in December 2003 because I needed to convert one of my programs into 3D for a publishing company (more details to follow). After using it for a few weeks I decided that I could use the language for several projects as it is easy to learn, fast at displaying graphics and has a large user base.

As it's name suggests Blitz is a BASIC (Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) language and has similarities with other languages that I have used (Commodore Basic, AMOS, AMOS Pro and to some extent Visual Basic). Because of the similarities I was able to create a few simple programs in a relatively short amount of time and so this page is being used as a showcase for my current work in progress.

Click on any screenshot to see a larger version.

All images and files on this site are copyright Shane Kennedy.

Please ask if you wish to use anything for your own projects or if you have any questions about anything featured (email: dpw-shane@blueyonder.co.uk ). Thank you.

Updated September 2009

I have had an interest in Chaos and Fractals ever since reading James Gleick's Chaos while at college in 1989. The subject has moved me to create simple Fractal Generation programs in almost every language that I have owned and Blitz is no exception. This is probably the most comprehensive Fractal program that I have created as it brings together several different types of Fractals and includes brief notes on each.

One of the problems with Blitz Basic is that it doesn't have native support for "double" floating point numbers and so the amount of time that you can zoom into each Fractal type is limited.

I still have lots of work to do on the GUI (graphical user interface) which I will hopefully get the chance to rectify shortly but the program has lots of features already - seven different Fractal types, zoom using the mouse, bitmap save function, changeable iteration levels.

Information & Download

First release: 24/01/04 (v0.1)

Last Updated: 16/09/09 (v0.57 New Symmetric Fractals Fractal type)

Download:chaos.zip (1.21mb - includes some source code for the drawing routines)

For more information about some of the Fractals displayed click here: http://website.lineone.net/~s_kennedy/mathematics.htm

A game created for the BlitzCoder March 2004 "One-Key" Competition based on the game Blitz for the Vic-20. As it's name suggests the competition was to produce a game that could be controlled using only one key on the keyboard or one button on the mouse.

Information & Download

First release: 03/04/04 (v1.00)

Last Updated: 18/08/04 (v1.02 Now includes different coloured backgrounds and time taken to land has been shortened)

Download:AlienBlitz(onekey).zip (1.06mb - includes source code for version 1.00)

A game created for the BlitzCoder March 2004 "One-Key" Competition based on a game called Nibble for the Vic-20 (as far as I can remember Nibble was only available as a type in listing via a computer magazine in the early 1980's). As it's name suggests the competition was to produce a game that could be controlled using only one key on the keyboard or one button on the mouse.

Information & Download

First release: 05/04/04 (v1.00)

Last Updated: 11/07/04 (v1.01 fixed a minor bug, added simple particle effects)

Download: DamBreach(OneKey) (954kb - includes source code for version 1.00)

I was feeling ill one afternoon and didn't want to work on my larger projects so decided to set myself a mini challenge and see how few lines it takes to write a version of pong. This is a fully working 2-player version without sound that took just 51 lines of code (without cheating - no multiple commands on the same line). It isn't very challenging and could be improved upon no end but that wasn't the point.

Controls: Player 1 uses A and Z, Player 2 uses the up and down cursor keys

(Updated 17/04/04 - the game now only uses 37 lines of code thanks to Andreas from BlitzCoder)

(Updated again 17/04/04 - the game now uses 33 lines of code and includes a 1 player version)

(Updated 19/04/04 - the game now uses only 25 lines of code - less than half of the original version I created. It's amazing how much can be accomplished in so short an amount of source code. Click here for the source code if you don't have access to Blitz Basic)

Information & Download

First release: 16/04/04 (v1.00)

Last Updated: 19/04/04 (now 25 lines of code)

Download: Pong51.zip (394kb - includes full source code)

Download: Pong33.zip (787kb - includes 1 player and 2 player games with source code)

Download: Pong25.zip (396kb - includes 1 player game with source code for a 2 player game and also Pong in 27 lines which may run smoother but you'll need Blitz to compile it)

A simple game of code breaking (very similar to but not an official release of the game called Mastermind). The computer will choose a code of colours (between 3 and 6) and the player has to break the code in a certain number of guesses.

This version contains all of the elements for a full game but does not yet include sound, a help file, or customisable game resolutions (they will be included in a later release).

Information & Download

First release: 14/12/04 (v0.80)

Last Updated: 25/01/05 (v0.84 added Undo command, Dialog Messages and some improvements to the menu and in-game graphics)

Download: CodeBreaker.zip (1.89mb)

A sneak peek at a SuDoku program that I am currently working on that will help you solve the SuDoku puzzles that are so popular at the moment.

The program will act as a simple receptacle that will allow you to input a puzzle that you want to solve and will give you a hand with the possibilities for each cell or if you need it the program will show you hints and tips for how to solve or finally it will attempt to solve any puzzle that you supply and let you know if any problems are encountered.

The screenshots show the main screen and board (update: the latest screenshot shows the save dialog that I've been working on)

Information & Download

First release: Not released yet

This program will not be fully released as a free download on this website but a demo version will probably be available for download with an option for registration for a small donation.

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