An xLIB for the PRIZM in the near future?

[DJ Omnimaga]

Those who have been wondering if Casio PRIZM BASIC would ever have access to libraries like xLIB on the TI-83 Plus series one day can rejoice: Purobaz is currently working on one: PRGM2!

Currently, it has limited features, but it already supports drawing circles and linking. Some example programs are included. If copying storage files to RAM (temporarily), sprites, tilemapping, rectangle, borders and scrolling support eventually get added (along with the ability to choose when the LCD gets updated), could this eventually be the xLIB of Casio calculators, allowing the creation of BASIC games with near-ASM-quality graphics?

Screenshots of various TI-BASIC games that utilized ASM libraries to allow faster graphics and reading from Flash memory:




From 2004 to 2008, ASM libs for TI-BASIC programmers reached a peak in popularity, also elvolving with the time in speed and capabilities. If PRGM2 elvolves further in graphic capabilities, could it eventually lead to an emergence of hybrid BASIC RPGs like back in the days, but this time in hi-res color, as pictured in the fake Reuben mockup below?



The main topic about PRGM2 is located here (in French), but for now, download links are posted in this one.

An FX-9860G version is also in the works.

[Art_of_camelot]

It'll be nice to see where this goes. If sprite routines and memory manipulationn get added, this will be quite nice indeed!

[Juju]

Hey that would be pretty nice to have some RPGs on the PRIZM.

[Yeong]

How many pics did it needed to get that zelda animation going? O.o

[DJ Omnimaga]

I think it had 40 or so.

[shmibs]

hmm, this could be interesting. i don't think it will be anywhere near as popular as xlib was, though, because prizm basic is so much more handicapped than 8X basic, and because people are much more likely to already know or be willing to learn C than they are asm. still, it's nice to see people adding to the available possibilities.

[leafy]

Just wondering, what's the xLib game in the top left? Looks interesting

[Darl181]

This seems pretty cool, but I'll agree with what shmibs said about being more willing to learn C than Asm.
Also, you're more likely to see/use C outside of calcs, so that might have to do with it?

Regardless can't wait to see what this turns into

Just wondering, what's the xLib game in the top left? Looks interesting

I think it's Metroid II. (gif name )
Edit: http://www.omnimaga.org/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=192

[DJ Omnimaga]

hmm, this could be interesting. i don't think it will be anywhere near as popular as xlib was, though, because prizm basic is so much more handicapped than 8X basic, and because people are much more likely to already know or be willing to learn C than they are asm. still, it's nice to see people adding to the available possibilities.

That said, noticing how the program in the first screenshot ran, I think PRIZM BASIC combined with an xLIB-like language would do the job pretty well. As long as the display speed remains around the same level as homescreen stuff, it will probably have something running at half the speed of Lua on the TI-Nspire for 2D games. Also such language might actually be quite popular because when Lua arrived on the TI-Nspire, its popularity outdid C/ASM and when Axe arrived on the 83+, it got more popular than ASM and BASIC. A lot of people might find C too hard to learn or code and might prefer higher level languages.

And yeah the top left game is an xLIB Metroid clone.

[Juju]

Yeah, that's what people want. Not too high level, not too low, just right in the middle so it's easy to learn while it have the efficacity of lower level languages.

[DJ Omnimaga]

Although I'M glad there are more and more tools for the PRIZM for C/ASM dev now. It will make things much easier. Hopefully this happens with the TI-Nspire too soon. Just as long as there are no groups of elitist ASM/C coders who start trying to prevent anybody from enjoying programming on an higher level, like back in 2003 or so when people suggested stuff like xLIB and people just told them to learn ASM instead.