hp42s (35s) Mancala
This is a mancala program I wrote for the hp42s (Free42). For those not familiar with mancala, its a very achient game that has become repopularized over the last few years in the US. You can now get a mancala board at most stores that sell board games. This particular ‘flavor’ of mancala kahla(6,4), but it seemed to be the one that is most available in my area. This is a fun game to play, but most mathmatical analysis of possible permutations make this game signifigantly harder for Player 2. Whoever goes first is likely to win.
Download mancala.raw
HP 35s Portable
I had originally planned on writting this for the hp35s. I still intend to port it, so I wrote this, basically, in hp35s syntax. The primary listing is in an ‘.asm’ file that I put through a very gentle pre-processor. This is done to keep all the LBL
, XEQ
, GTO
statements synced up since the 35s and 42s handle them different. I also prefer verbose label names, but that has a tendency of poluting your program catalog with all your ‘subroutines’. The pre-processor will take marked-up verbose labels and convert them to 42s local-labels or 35s line-labels. Neither of which will pollute the catalog. I have also choosen to use no named variables for similar reasons. Since I plan to port this to the 35s, I choose to only access registers indirectly. This is the only way that the 35s can access un-named registers, so enforcing this makes the porting a breeze. References to I
, (I)
, J
, and (J)
, are all 35s notation.
Build Process
The build command does the pre-processing with sed
. Once this is done, it feeds the result through txt2raw.pl (by Vini Matangrano). This will both check for syntax errors and produce an hp41s raw-file. My only hp41s is the one simulated through Free42, so no promesses, though I’m not really doing anything special here to cause concern.
Registers
Since a real mancala board uses a counter-clockwise rotation in play, I have configured the phisical registers in a similar fashion. This does make gameplay more natural for Player 1 than Player 2.
; R00 - P2 'Home' pit
; R01 - P1 pit #1
; R02 - P1 pit #2
; R03 - P1 pit #3
; R04 - P1 pit #4
; R05 - P1 pit #5
; R06 - P1 pit #6
; R07 - P1 'Home' pit
; R08 - P2 pit #6
; R09 - P2 pit #5
; R10 - P2 pit #4
; R11 - P2 pit #3
; R12 - P2 pit #2
; R13 - P2 pit #1
; R14 - P1 Display Vector
; R15 - P2 Display Vector
; R16 - Virtual 'I' register
; R17 - Vertual 'J' register
Flags
The flags used are fairly self explanitory. Originally, in the 35s design, I had intended on using the flag indicator as the way for Player 1 and Player 2 to know who’s turn it was. Since the 42s doesn’t have a flag indicator, I had to use GRAD
and RAD
to make that distinction.
; FLAG1 - Player 1 turn flag
; FLAG2 - Player 2 turn flag
; FLAG3 - Winner found flag
; FLAG4 - Bad 'pick' choice flag
Game Display
The game display will show a number between 1-million and 2-million, for both Player 1 and Player 2. The fractional part is the player’s score (0.10 = 10 points). The number in the million’th place is purely for alignment and should be ignored, the other numbers represent your 6 ‘pits’. The ‘pit’ to the far left is ‘pit 1’ the pit to the far right is ‘pit 6’. To move, you specify a pit number to move.
; Game Display
;
; x: Z,DCB,A98.P2
; y: Z,123,456.P1
;
; Where,
; 'Z,' - Ignore the 'millionth' place, its a place holder, nothing more
; 'P1' - The score for Player 1 (in the X vector)
; 'P2' - The score for Player 2 (in the Y vector)
; '1|D' - # of beans in 'pit #1' for P1 and P2
; '2|C' - # of beans in 'pit #2' for P1 and P2
; '3|B' - # of beans in 'pit #3' for P1 and P2
; '4|A' - # of beans in 'pit #4' for P1 and P2
; '5|9' - # of beans in 'pit #5' for P1 and P2
; '6|8' - # of beans in 'pit #6' for P1 and P2
;
; Indicators
; 'GRAD' - Player1's turn when 'GRAD' is displayed
; 'RAD' - Player2's turn when 'RAD' is displayed
Gameplay
To start the game, simply XEQ
the MANCA
program. The game will show the initial board and set the indicator for Player 1 to take his turn. Player 1 can then study the board and pick a pit to move. Thier pick is given by placing the pick in the level 1 (x) on the stack then hit run
(aka R/S
). The game will then move the beans according to the rules and redisplay the board. It is now time for the next move. The GRAD
/ RAD
indicator will light to instruct the players as to whos turn it is. Keep in mind, earning extra turns is a key strategy of the game.
Bugs
I have a few features that I haven’t implented yet, aka ‘Bugs’
- Display is base 10, so more than 9 beans in a pit is a problem - For the 35s, I will simply make a modified version of this display in
HEX
. This will allow 15 beans in a pit, which by most game permutations is unlikely. For the 42s, I will have to do someXTOA
commands. This is simple enough, but just a hunk of code I haven’t written yet. - When a player empties all thier pits, the game should end, but doesn’t - This is another simple fix, but something I just haven’t done yet.
Listings
Here are the listings, but do recall that you will likely need to understand that pre-processors are the key here.
LBL "MANCA"
;Main Mancala program
XEQ [INIT] ; Init the game registers
LBL [MAIN] ; Main game loop
XEQ [CHECK-WINNER] ; Check for a winner
FS? 3 ; Flag3 = Winner Found!
GTO [DONE] ; Finished when a winner is found
LBL [REDISPLAY] ; Come here if we pick bad
XEQ [DISPLAY] ; Display the game board
XEQ [PICK] ; Pick a move
FS? 4 ; Invalid move?
GTO [REDISPLAY] ; .. Redisplay
XEQ [MOVE] ; Move the beans
XEQ [SWITCH] ; Swithch players
GTO [MAIN] ; Loop for next move
LBL [DONE] ; This is where we finish
XEQ [CLEANUP] ; Cleanup we are done
RTN
;
; .Init registers
LBL [INIT] ; Init the game registers
CF 1 ; Clear our flag regs
CF 2
CF 3
CF 4
13.0 ; For i in 13..1
STO I ; i
4.0 ; st-x = 4
LBL [INIT-LOOP]
STO (I) ; 4->(i)
DSE I ; DSE i
GTO [INIT-LOOP]
0.0 ; i now equals zero
STO (I) ; 0->(i), i = 0
7.0
STO I
X<>Y
STO (I) ; 0->(i), i = 7
SF 1 ; P1'S Turn
GRAD ; 42s Only, P1 indicator
RTN
;
; Check for winner
LBL [CHECK-WINNER]
CF 3 ; Clear winner found flag
0
STO J ; j
7
STO I ; i
24.0
RCL (I) ; (i)
X>=Y?
GTO [P1-WINNER]
X<>Y
RCL (J) ; (j)
X>=Y?
GTO [P2-WINNER]
GTO [WINNER-RTN]
LBL [P1-WINNER]
"Player 1 won!"
GTO [WINNER-DONE]
LBL [P2-WINNER]
"Player 2 won!"
LBL [WINNER-DONE]
SF 3 ; Set winner found flag
PROMPT
LBL [WINNER-RTN]
RTN
;
; Display the board
LBL [DISPLAY]
1.006
STO I ; i
14
STO J ; "$(j)" == "$(14)"
1000000.0
STO (J) ; (j)=1,000,000
LBL [P1-BOARD]
;STOP
10.0 ; WARN Base 10 for now
6
RCL I ; i
IP
-
Y^X ; i^(6-ip(i))
RCL (I) ; (i)
x ; i^(6-ip(i)) * $(i)
STO+ (J) ; @(j) += i^(6-ip(i)) + $(i)
ISG I ; i
GTO [P1-BOARD]
15
STO J ; j = P2-vector
1000000.0
STO (J)
13.007
STO I
LBL [P2-BOARD]
;STOP
10.0 ; WARN Base 10 for now
RCL I
IP
8
-
Y^X
RCL (I)
x
STO+ (J)
DSE I
GTO [P2-BOARD]
14
STO I ; i = P1-vector
; ; 42s only code begin
FIX 2
RCL 7 ; P1 SCORE
100
/
STO+ (I) ; P1 VECTOR
RCL 0
100
/
STO+ (J) ; P2 VECTOR
; ; 42s only code end
RCL (J) ; P2
RCL (I) ; P1
STOP
RTN
;
; Pick a pit to move
LBL [PICK]
CF 4
IP
1
X<>Y
X<Y?
SF 4
6
X<>Y
X>Y?
SF 4
FS? 4
GTO [PICK-DONE]
STO I ; i=PICK
FS? 1
GTO [CHECK-PICK]
14
X<>Y
-
STO I ; i
LBL [CHECK-PICK]
RCL (I) ; (i)
X=0?
SF 4
LBL [PICK-DONE]
RCL I ; i
RTN
;
; Move beans from selected pit
LBL [MOVE]
0
X<> (I) ; (i)= 0 (MOVE BEANS OUT)
STO J ; j=VALUE PREVIOUSLY IN (i)
LBL [MOVE-LOOP]
; INCI SUBROUTINE-INLINE
1.0
RCL+ I ; i++ (MOVE REGISTER FORWARD)
14.0
MOD
STO I ; i=(i+1)MOD(14)
FS? 1 ; P1?
XEQ [SKIP0] ; SKIP0 IF P1
FS? 2
XEQ [SKIP7] ; SKIP7 IF P2
; INCI END-SUBROUTINE-INLINE
1.0
STO+ (I) ; (i)=(i)+1
DSE J ; j--
GTO [MOVE-LOOP]
1.0
RCL (I)
X=Y?
XEQ [WIN-BEANS]
RTN
;
; SKIP0
LBL [SKIP0]
X=0?
ISG I
CF 0 ; NOP
RTN
;
; SKIP7
LBL [SKIP7]
7
X<>Y
X=Y?
ISG I
CF 0 ; NOP
RTN
;
; WIN-BEANS
LBL [WIN-BEANS]
;STOP
7
RCL I
FS? 1
GTO [P1-WINBEANS]
FS? 2
GTO [P2-WINBEANS]
RTN
LBL [P1-WINBEANS]
7.0
STO J
Rv
X>=Y?
RTN
GTO [DONE-WINBEANS]
LBL [P2-WINBEANS]
0.0
STO J
Rv
X<=Y?
RTN
LBL [DONE-WINBEANS]
14.0
X<>Y
-
STO I
0
X<> (I)
STO+ (J)
RTN
;
; Switch to other players turn
LBL [SWITCH]
7
RCL I ; i contains the final register of move
X=Y? ; if i=7, landed in a bank, free move
RTN
X=0? ; if i=0, landed in a bank, free move
RTN
FS? 1
GTO [SWITCHTO-P2]
CF 2
SF 1
GRAD
GTO [SWITCH-DONE]
LBL [SWITCHTO-P2]
CF 1
SF 2
RAD
LBL [SWITCH-DONE]
RTN
;
; Clean up after game
LBL [CLEANUP]
CF 1
CF 2
CF 3
CF 4
FIX 4
DEG
RTN
END
#!/bin/env bash
get-label() {
grep 'LBL \[' $1 | awk '{print $2}' | sort | uniq | sed -s 's/\[//g;s/\]//g'
}
make-sed() {
local ivar=16
local jvar=17
local i
echo "s/^\s\+;.*//g"
echo "s/\s(I)/ IND $ivar/g"
echo "s/\s(J)/ IND $jvar/g"
echo "s/\<I\>/$ivar/g"
echo "s/\<J\>/$jvar/g"
echo "/^\s*$/d"
echo "/^\s*;.*$/d"
while read line
do
i=$((i+1))
echo "s/\(\[$line\]\)/$i\t;\1/g"
done
}
show-list() {
sed -f /dev/stdin $1
}
get-label $1 | make-sed | show-list $1 > $1.txt
perl txt2raw.pl $1.txt
00 { 476-Byte Prgm } 40 CF 03 80 STO+ IND 17 120 X<>Y 160 GTO 11 200 14
01>LBL "MANCA" 41 0 81 ISG 16 121 X<Y? 161 1 201 X<>Y
02 XEQ 07 42 STO 17 82 GTO 12 122 SF 04 162 RCL IND 16 202 -
03>LBL 09 43 7 83 15 123 6 163 X=Y? 203 STO 16
04 XEQ 02 44 STO 16 84 STO 17 124 X<>Y 164 XEQ 26 204 0
05 FS? 03 45 24 85 1E6 125 X>Y? 165 RTN 205 X<> IND 16
06 GTO 05 46 RCL IND 16 86 STO IND 17 126 SF 04 166>LBL 21 206 STO+ IND 17
07>LBL 20 47 X>=Y? 87 13.007 127 FS? 04 167 X=0? 207 RTN
08 XEQ 04 48 GTO 14 88 STO 16 128 GTO 19 168 ISG 16 208>LBL 23
09 XEQ 18 49 X<>Y 89>LBL 15 129 STO 16 169 CF 00 209 7
10 FS? 04 50 RCL IND 17 90 10 130 FS? 01 170 RTN 210 RCL 16
11 GTO 20 51 X>=Y? 91 RCL 16 131 GTO 01 171>LBL 22 211 X=Y?
12 XEQ 10 52 GTO 17 92 IP 132 14 172 7 212 RTN
13 XEQ 23 53 GTO 28 93 8 133 X<>Y 173 X<>Y 213 X=0?
14 GTO 09 54>LBL 14 94 - 134 - 174 X=Y? 214 RTN
15>LBL 05 55 "Player 1 won!" 95 Y^X 135 STO 16 175 ISG 16 215 FS? 01
16 XEQ 03 56 GTO 27 96 RCL IND 16 136>LBL 01 176 CF 00 216 GTO 25
17 RTN 57>LBL 17 97 О 137 RCL IND 16 177 RTN 217 CF 02
18>LBL 07 58 "Player 2 won!" 98 STO+ IND 17 138 X=0? 178>LBL 26 218 SF 01
19 CF 01 59>LBL 27 99 DSE 16 139 SF 04 179 7 219 GRAD
20 CF 02 60 SF 03 100 GTO 15 140>LBL 19 180 RCL 16 220 GTO 24
21 CF 03 61 PROMPT 101 14 141 RCL 16 181 FS? 01 221>LBL 25
22 CF 04 62>LBL 28 102 STO 16 142 RTN 182 GTO 13 222 CF 01
23 13 63 RTN 103 FIX 02 143>LBL 10 183 FS? 02 223 SF 02
24 STO 16 64>LBL 04 104 RCL 07 144 0 184 GTO 16 224 RAD
25 4 65 1.006 105 100 145 X<> IND 16 185 RTN 225>LBL 24
26>LBL 08 66 STO 16 106 э 146 STO 17 186>LBL 13 226 RTN
27 STO IND 16 67 14 107 STO+ IND 16 147>LBL 11 187 7 227>LBL 03
28 DSE 16 68 STO 17 108 RCL 00 148 1 188 STO 17 228 CF 01
29 GTO 08 69 1E6 109 100 149 RCL+ 16 189 Rv 229 CF 02
30 0 70 STO IND 17 110 э 150 14 190 X>=Y? 230 CF 03
31 STO IND 16 71>LBL 12 111 STO+ IND 17 151 MOD 191 RTN 231 CF 04
32 7 72 10 112 RCL IND 17 152 STO 16 192 GTO 06 232 FIX 04
33 STO 16 73 6 113 RCL IND 16 153 FS? 01 193>LBL 16 233 DEG
34 X<>Y 74 RCL 16 114 STOP 154 XEQ 21 194 0 234 RTN
35 STO IND 16 75 IP 115 RTN 155 FS? 02 195 STO 17 235 END
36 SF 01 76 - 116>LBL 18 156 XEQ 22 196 Rv
37 GRAD 77 Y^X 117 CF 04 157 1 197 X<=Y?
38 RTN 78 RCL IND 16 118 IP 158 STO+ IND 16 198 RTN
39>LBL 02 79 О 119 1 159 DSE 17 199>LBL 06
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