Thread overview
Empire, Living Computer Musuem, and DEC-10
Nov 02, 2012
Dan Olson
Nov 20, 2012
Walter Bright
Mar 18, 2013
Dan Olson
November 02, 2012
Just a note.  The Livinig Computer Museum

http://www.livingcomputermuseum.org/

has running DECs from PDP-7 to PDP-12.  They have several DEC-10s and offer user accounts with login over the internet.  I visited last weekend and mentioned the old PDP-10 fortran sources for empire.  They are actually trying to build Walter's old empire, but have a newer (still antique though) fortran compiler, so its not there yet.  But soon, you may be able to login and run empire on TOPS-10 and real DEC 10 h/w - as it was meant to be played!

P.S. If anybody is interested, I updated the D version of empire to uses curses and a recent version of D.  I run it on my Mac in a terminal window.  Still needs some work with things like help but it will still make you forget to go to sleep.

-- 
dano
November 20, 2012
On 11/2/2012 10:34 AM, Dan Olson wrote:
> Just a note.  The Livinig Computer Museum
>
> http://www.livingcomputermuseum.org/
>
> has running DECs from PDP-7 to PDP-12.  They have several DEC-10s and
> offer user accounts with login over the internet.  I visited last
> weekend and mentioned the old PDP-10 fortran sources for empire.  They
> are actually trying to build Walter's old empire, but have a newer
> (still antique though) fortran compiler, so its not there yet.  But
> soon, you may be able to login and run empire on TOPS-10 and real DEC 10
> h/w - as it was meant to be played!
>
> P.S. If anybody is interested, I updated the D version of empire to uses
> curses and a recent version of D.  I run it on my Mac in a terminal
> window.  Still needs some work with things like help but it will still
> make you forget to go to sleep.
>

That is pretty cool!
March 18, 2013
Walter,

I have done minor fixs ups to the pdp-10 fortran source code so it will compile and run in a DEC-10 simh.  I had to make up some missing subroutines (a missing file perhaps) and learn some PDP-10 macro assembler in the process.  The 5 binary map files were missing and expected on a GAM: device, so I generated some from the D empire source code (mapdata.d I think?) and changed the device.

It runs, however I don't have a terminal emulator that works with it. That is the next thing.  I will see if I can figure it out term codes being used and get an emulator, or I may drop in alternate cursor routines that will work with ansi/vt-100 stye codes.

Anyway, I want to know if after I get a working version, if I can contribute it back to classic empire, perhaps along with the dsk image that can be used directly with simh?  Then anyone can play the original empire.  I was also going to let the folks at livingcomputermuseum know so they can add it to their real DEC-10.

. execute @empire

EMPIRE, VERSION 3
COPYRIGHT 1978 BY WALTER BRIGHT
DIRECTIONS ARE ON HLP:EMPIRE.HLP
FOR QUESTIONS OR BUGS SEND MAIL TO [29970,WBG]

PLEASE WAIT 7 DAYS FOR CREATION OF WORLD.(ABOUT A MINUTE OR 2)
YOUR CITY IS AT 1469


  +++
  +O+
  +++


WHAT DO YOU DEMAND THAT THIS CITY PRODUCE? A

-- 
Dan Olson

P.S. I am local in Seattle.  We met briefly when you presented at C++ users meeting in Feb.