TI Basic in C with Gaming Orientation (TIBiC/GO)

TIBiC/GO is a C library that provides a TI-BASIC style "API" for game programmers. TIBiC/GO creates a setting that most TI-BASIC programmers will find quite familiar, and includes facsimiles of both TI-BASIC functions and powerful graphical functions found in xLIB and Celtic. However, it's not just straight up TI-BASIC-on-PC. TIBiC/GO adds a little extra "oomph" to the mix by allowing richly multi-color graphics, "permanent" data storage, the brilliance of sound, and much more.

There's actually a really good reason for this. As you know, working with TI-BASIC is a *great* way to get your feet wet in the programming pool. However, TI-BASIC is exactly that: basic. Real-world applicable programming languages are, quite honestly, nothing like TI-BASIC. They may share the same general procedural structure but TI-BASIC and languages like C or Java are worlds apart. Suffice it to say, it wouldn't be strange for somebody transitioning from calculator to computer programming to have a bit of a struggle adjusting. TIBiC/GO is designed to provide a sort of "training wheel" layer between TI-BASIC and ANSI C that gives programmers the comfort of TI-BASIC, a good taste of C, and the ability to go beyond TI-BASIC and into the world of true C programming whenever they want.

Originally just a concept, an idea, I'm actually going to be working on this alongside Yume (I'll be focusing on Yume more right now but during the summer I'll be splitting my focus 50-50 give or take). So far, I can confirm this for functionality:

 - Akin to TI-BASIC, you will have access to 26 numeric variables, 10 string variables, 10 lists, and 10 matrices with having to hassle with declaration and initialization.

 - Variables (or, more accurately, memory-allocated pointers) will be dynamically managed with simple function calls so the user never has to hassle with memory allocation. A simple function call frees all allocated memory at the end.

 - You are NOT limited to the presets and can easily add your own. You may, however, have to do any scope or memory management yourself the hard way.

 - Users have access to TIBiC/GO facsimiles of TI-BASIC functions like text(), Horizontal, Pxl-On(), Pxl-Off(), and Pxl-Change(); facsimiles of xLIB and Celtic functions like sprite drawing and tilemapping; and much more

 - Easily integrate color and even sound into programs to go above and beyond!

Yeah, I'll be using Allegro for the graphical aspects. I could write the graphical routines from scratch but then this library would take >9000 years to finish
I'll definitely be getting this finished and I think I can finish it in one summer assuming I have very few interruptions.

Also, for those wondering, my primary inspiration for TIBiC/GO was porting epic TI-8x+ games to the PC and playing them without needing an emulator and perhaps even upgrading their graphics and giving them sound. I also had an idea for a Steam-like application that let you browse these games, download and play them, and even submit your own. I call it GECGEAR (Graphically Enhanced Calculator Game Emulating Application for Retrogaming).

Well, I guess if Freyaday thinks it's "sweetness" I *have* to finish it now

I'm thinking 192x128 pixels as the standard window size (2x a typical TI-8x+ screen resolution). What do y'all think?

I'd say it's going to be pretty much true-color but I think, for simplicity's sake, I'll also include a handful of "preset" color options (e.g. "red" for #ff0000) for those who are hex code illiterate or only want a few simple colors.

Don't forget to add error handling!

Well, yeah. This isn't Python.
But I think everything other than syntax errors should be recoverable

/0
Err:Data Type
Err: Invalid Dim
Err: Break
There's more, but I can't think of any atm

Do we need Allegro?

!