Editing Family BASIC

{{rewrite|Add discontinued release date}}

{{about|the accessory for the Family Computer|the microgame in ''[[WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!]]''|[[Family Basic]]}}

{{system infobox

|generation=Third

|released={{released|Japan|June 21, 1984}}

|discontinued=

'''Family BASIC''' is an accessory for the [[Family Computer]] (Famicom) created by [[Hudson Soft]], [[Nintendo]], and [[Wikipedia:Sharp Corporation|Sharp Corporation]].<ref>https://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2021/03/family-basic-putting-computer-into.html</ref> It allowed users to create programs in the [[Wikipedia:BASIC|BASIC programming language]], more specifically the NS-HuBASIC language which stands for Nintendo, Sharp, and Hudson Soft respectively. This accessory came with a specially designed cartridge and keyboard, similar in function to that of a [[Wikipedia:Commodore International|Commodore computer]] of that era. There was also the Data Recorder peripheral which was sold separately. It was preceded by the nearly identical '''Playbox BASIC''' for the {{wp|Sharp Nintendo Television|Sharp C1 Famicom TV}}. '''Family BASIC V3''' was released on February 21, 1985 as a stand-alone cartridge.<ref>https://themushroomkingdom.net/fb3.shtml</ref>

The keyboard plugs into a 15-pin expansion port on the front of the Famicom and the Data Recorder plugs into the back of the keyboard labeled "SAVE" and "LOAD." If one does not have the Data Recorder or spare cassette tape (or finds cassette tape technology too inconvenient), one can just use the microphone and headphone jacks of a computer or similar device to record the analog signal coming from the keyboard with their preferred audio recording program and then play it back when the game is requesting data to be loaded.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__9VYaKMwQI&t=12m45s</ref>

 

*''[[Wrecking Crew]]''

The Playbox BASIC and Family BASIC were both released in 1984 and came with NS-HuBASIC v1.0. Their initial retail price was the same as the Family Computer. While both included the music and calculator boards, the Playbox BASIC had a {{wp|Biorhythm (pseudoscience)|biorhythm}} board instead of a message board as the C1 TV already came with a message board.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20190915234033/http://www.sara.to/sigure/game/g12/index.html</ref> In the Family BASIC, biorhythm does not have a separate board but can be performed by the computer's fortune telling function.<ref>https://youtu.be/14l2nnT6-bg?t=219</ref> Soon after release, the v1.0 cartridges were replaced with v2.0A cartridges. Customers who bought the v1.0 versions could trade in their old ones for free and most did. As a result, v1.0 cartridges are now rare and Playbox BASIC ones are extremely rare as the only people who bought it were owners of the expensive C1 TV sets. V2.1A later came out with minor bug fixes. The Family BASIC cartridges for v1.0, v2.0A, and v2.1A have an identical black appearance.

 

Family BASIC V3 was sold a separate title with NS-HuBASIC v3.0 in red cartridges. It was marketed to people who already owned a previous version so it did not come with a keyboard and its manual served as an addendum to the previous v2.x manual. As a result of its narrow market, it sold poorly and is now rare. Unlike the previous versions, it did away with the message, calculator, and music boards to concentrate solely on programming. It had double the RAM capacity and came with pre-programmed [[mini-game]]s.

[[File:FamilyBASICsprites.png|thumb|All the available sprites that can be used in Family BASIC]]

*[[Mario]] - from his ''Mario Bros.'' design

*Achilles - a bird-like creature

*Penpen - a [[penguin]] resembling the one from ''Pinball'', this sprite will later be edited and reused for Hudson Soft's Famicom port of ''{{wp|Binary Land}}''.

*[[Fire (100m)|Fireball]] - from [[100m|100 m]] of ''Donkey Kong'', this sprite will later be edited and reused for ''{{wp|Challenger (video game)|Challenger}}''

==Programmable games in the v2.x manual==

Before V3, there were no games available from the start. The v2.x manual gives instructions on how to create eight sample games.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir8jM3otL5w</ref>

*Knight - each player controls a chess knight on a chess board. Any spot that has been landed upon becomes unavailable. The aim is to trap the opposing player. It is similar to other "square-removal" chess variants that utilize the {{wp|knight's tour}}.<ref>https://www.chessvariants.com/other.dir/kchase.html</ref><ref>http://indigo.ie/~gerryq/Joust/Joust.htm</ref>

*Route 66 - an endless top-down driving game like ''{{wp|Speed Race}}'' and {{wp|Color TV-Game|Color TV-Game Racing 112}}.

*Sample program 8 - a turn-based chase game where Penpen has to grab flags while evading a Nitanita. The manual insists that this is not a game but a tech demo for a new command introduced in NS-HuBASIC v2.0A and leaves it unnamed.

==Other official programmable games==

*ファミリーベーシックで遊ぼう！おもしろゾーン２０ (Let's Play with Family BASIC! Fun Zone 20)

*ファミリーベーシックで歌おう！ミュージックワールド (Let's Sing with Family BASIC! Music World)

In addition, Hudson Soft released three cassettes with games on them through ''Shōnen Media'' (少年メディア), a ''{{wp|Shōnen Jump}}'' related publication.

 

==V3 mini-games==

[[File:FamilyBASICV3 Mario World.png|thumb|Mario World]]

Family BASIC V3 came with four mini-games:

*Game 0 "Heart": There is an outline of a heart that can be filled by speaking or breathing into microphone of controller 2. When done, Mario and Lady will come together. This is reproduction of a cutscene from ''{{wp|Sheriff (video game)|Sheriff}}'', [[Nintendo Research & Development 1|Nintendo R&D1]]'s 1979 arcade game.

*Game 2 "Mario World": Mario has to collect numbers sequentially and [[apple]]s through a single screen of platforms, ladders, and springs while avoiding the two Nitanitas. However, collecting all the items does not end the game. The [[Time Limit]] will simply run out, forcing a [[Game Over]].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0or6KaR6N6k</ref>

FBPaulineSprite.png|Lady

PlayboxBASIC.jpg|Playbox BASIC set

PlayboxBASICcartridge.jpg|Playbox BASIC cartridge

FamilyBASICcartridges.jpg|Family BASIC cartridges

*In ''[[WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$!]]'', [[9-Volt]]'s [[microgame]] [[Family Basic]] includes the Family BASIC keyboard, where the objective is to type in the requested numbers or letters.

 

*{{wp|Family BASIC}}

{{MarioGames}}

{{Consoles}}