iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Mark Moxon

RISC OS London @rougol.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Join us in the pub (or online) on Monday 21st to chat with Mark about how he added two player duels to the original Elite. We will have a Beeb there so you can test your flying skills against others! rougol.jellybaby.net/meetings/ind...

rougol.jellybaby.net

RISC OS User Group Of London | Meetings

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

If you’re a fan of Revs, Geoff Crammond’s epic Formula 3 simulation for the #BBCMicro and #Commodore64, then this is absolute gold. It’s a modern launcher for the original game, and it adds so much - upscaling, controller support, track mods, telemetry, race view… It’s amazing. 👏 #retrogaming

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Wow, look at this - it’s Revs on the #BBCMicro with telemetry, a track view showing all the other drivers, and brand new tracks! What wizardry is this? 🤯 Well done @racesimcentral.net, this looks epic. #simracing #retrogaming

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Two bona fide academic papers on #BBCMicro Elite have just been presented at the IEEE Conference on Games in Madrid I'm a co-author, alongside Michael Fairbank from the University of Essex They're a great read! And free to download Details in thread… #retrogaming #retrocomputing #elitedangerous

The papers, listed on the IEEE CoG website at https://cog2026.org/acceptedpapers

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

For #BBCMicro fans, the mode 7 teletext Acornsoft loading screen is iconic So I've been adding customised versions to some of my more sophisticated Elite hacks That's better - I should have done this ages ago! See elite.bbcelite.com/hacks/ for more hacking goodness #retrocomputing #acorn

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I am thrilled to announce the release of my latest Elite hack: Two-player Elite for the #BBCMicro This is the original 1980s Acornsoft Elite, but with split-screen, two-player, deep-space combat See the thread for links, downloads and details (1/10) #retrocomputing #retrogaming #elitedangerous

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Status check for two-player #BBCMicro Elite: Development… [Done] Testing… [Done] Website… [Done] Technical deep dive… [Overdone] Code repository… [Done] Document all mods… [Done] Confirm date… [Done] Releasing this Thursday, 3 September Get your twin joysticks ready! #retrogaming #retrocomputing

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I love it when projects include side quests Two-player #BBCMicro #Elite (releasing next week) was having Delta 14B joystick issues, so I built a test tool This proved the hardware was bad, not the code (phew!) And I've released the code for others to use A fun detour! github.com/markmoxon/de...

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

This is brilliant - it’s a conversion of David Braben’s classic game Lander for the Game Boy Advance. github.com/jmcd/lander-... Do yourself a favour and read John’s project explanation in the README. It’s fascinating! Exceptional stuff. 👏 #retrocomputing #retrogaming #arm #archimedes #gameboy

github.com

GitHub - jmcd/lander-gba

Contribute to jmcd/lander-gba development by creating an account on GitHub.

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Two-player Elite on the #BBCMicro is finally feature-complete. Phew, that was a long road! Got a few bugs to fix, but the Acorn team at @tnmoc.bsky.social have road-tested and given it a thumbs up, so that's a good sign. September release, I hope... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit #elite

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Two years ago I released Elite 3D - the #BBCMicro classic, in anaglyph 3D (for red-and-cyan glasses) But I failed to give the project a repository, so here it is, only 22 months late: github.com/markmoxon/el... So you now can see every change I made to Elite to drag it into the third dimension 🚀

github.com

GitHub - markmoxon/elite-3d: Anaglyph 3D version of the classic BBC Micro game Elite

Anaglyph 3D version of the classic BBC Micro game Elite - markmoxon/elite-3d

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Two-player #BBCMicro Elite has just become the first game ever to support all the buttons on twin Delta 14B joysticks So two players can dogfight in Elite without either of them needing the keyboard For some of us, this is a dream come true! And it justifies all this hardware I keep buying... 😀

Key legend for the Delta 14B in two-player Elite

One Delta 14B joystick and the 14B/1 adaptor box

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Happy memories from my days as a magazine editor - this issue was definitely a high point of my tenure at Acorn User! I still can’t believe I had a job that combined all my favourite hobbies into one. I mean, writing about Elite and Acorn computers for a living? It’s all been downhill since then. 🤣

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Missiles are now working in two-player #BBCMicro Elite. This clip shows player 1 firing a missile at player 2 (in the bottom view) and then player 2 retaliating (in both views). This was really difficult to build! But it's important; see the thread for details. #retrocomputing #retrogaming (1/3)

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

This is quite wonderful. James has taken Level7’s epic disassembly of #BBCMicro Exile and has not only converted it into TypeScript so it runs in browsers, but he’s also annotated the disassembly with notes on the TypeScript conversion *and* started writing a bunch of deep dives. Amazing work! 🫡

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

To help me test two-player #BBCMicro Elite, I’ve added “AI Pilot” as an option It uses the game’s 1984 tactics routines to fly player 2 (bottom view) It’s really interesting to watch Elite’s original “AI” from inside the other ship’s cockpit - in this case, an NPC Python #retrocomputing (1/3)

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Two-player #BBCMicro Elite will be a deep-space dogfight game The rest of Elite wouldn’t be that exciting with two players, so I’m sticking to the core combat experience When you fire it up, you can choose what kind of contest you want Here's the all-new config screen 🚀 Game on! #retrocomputing

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

I’ve been beavering away at two-player #BBCMicro Elite These videos show the most recent improvements: laser beams, hit counters, two-player dashboard, planets, suns and more accuracy It’s quite difficult to film! See the thread for a tour of what’s new… (1/6) #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Two-player #BBCMicro Elite now has a two-player dashboard Each player has their own set of indicators: speed, attitude control, fore and aft shields, laser temperature, energy, missiles and compass They share the scanner, which works well It’s starting to feel like a proper game! #retrocomputing

Two-player Elite with a two-player dashboard

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Two-player #BBCMicro #Elite is coming along nicely. It now supports two pilots in two ships with two controllers and a split-view screen Here are some work-in-progress videos - see the thread for an explanation There’s lots to fix, but at least we have a proof-of-concept… (1/6) #retrocomputing

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

People ask me how I do my software archaeology projects So when I spent 7 months documenting Geoff Crammond’s epic game The Sentinel, I kept a diary It’s not exactly Samuel Pepys, but it does explain how I disassembled an #8bit classic: bbcelite.com/disassembly_... #retrocomputing #BBCMicro #C64

bbcelite.com

About my disassembly diary for The Sentinel - Mark Moxon's Software Archaeology

An overview of my disassembly diary for The Sentinel on the BBC Micro

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

My favourite game: Elite (picture 1) My latest purchase: Twin joysticks (picture 2) My plan: Squish ’em together to see what happens (picture 3) This should be a fun project! Note: Picture 3 is a genuine in-game work-in-progress screenshot, but it’s VERY early days… #retrocomputing #BBCMicro

Elite on the BBC Micro with 6502 Second Processor

Delta 3B twin joysticks for the BBC Micro

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

As promised, I've created a flicker-free version of the Elite Demonstration Disc for the #BBCMicro. It contains both flicker-free ships and planets. Play in browser: bbc.xania.org?autoboot&dis... Download disc image: elite.bbcelite.com/hacks/flicke... More info: elite.bbcelite.com/demo/ Enjoy!

elite.bbcelite.com

About the Elite Demonstration Disc - Elite on the 6502

An article about the source code for the Elite Demonstration Disc for the BBC Micro

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

How cool is this? It's the #BBCMicro Elite Demonstration Disc, converted to run on the #Atari 8-bit machines. youtu.be/WHVVO3sUvFw?... Great work from Atari guru Wrathchild, who inspired me to look at the demo code in the first place! More details on AtariAge: forums.atariage.com/topic/389923...

youtu.be

A8 Elite - BBC Demonstration Version port - 2026-04-28

YouTube video by a8converterman

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

I've just published a deep dive into the Elite Demonstration Disc, Acornsoft's self-playing #BBCMicro Elite demo from 1984 This links to a second deep dive that analyses every code difference that makes the demo the demo I'll make it flicker-free next, because why not! 😀 #retrocomputing

elite.bbcelite.com

The Elite Demonstration Disc - Elite on the 6502

A deep dive into the Elite Demonstration Disc in Elite on the BBC Micro

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

We have a new addition to the 6502 Elite Source Code Family Tree! Turns out the Elite Demonstration Disc is a fork of the cassette version, but incorporates the docking computer routines from the disc version for the self-flying combat AI. Welcome to the tree, demo. 🫡 #bbcmicro #c64 #nes #apple2

The 6502 Elite Source Code Family Tree, now incorporating the demo

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

I've just released a web version of the documented source code for the Elite Demonstration Disc, the 1984 self-playing demo from Acornsoft. elite.bbcelite.com/demo It's got syntax colouring, hyperlinked labels, code maps, indexes, stats and more. Deep dive coming soon. #bbcmicro #retrocomputing

elite.bbcelite.com

About the Elite Demonstration Disc - Elite on the 6502

An article about the source code for the Elite Demonstration Disc for the BBC Micro

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

This game is absolutely amazing. Take the 8-bit classic Chuckie Egg and wrap it around a tower like Nebulus- and the result is Chuckulus. It's a bit of genius, beautifully coded by @snuggsy187.bsky.social Seriously, take a look. It’s that good. 🫡 #BBCMicro

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

I've finished adding comments to my #BBCMicro Elite Demonstration Disc disassembly: github.com/markmoxon/el... Turns out the AI code is essentially the docking computer routines, which might explain why the ship in the demo is so rubbish at hitting things. :-) Web version & deep dive coming soon.

github.com

GitHub - markmoxon/elite-demo-source-code-bbc-micro: Fully documented source code for the Acornsoft Elite Demonstration Disc on the BBC Micro

Fully documented source code for the Acornsoft Elite Demonstration Disc on the BBC Micro - markmoxon/elite-demo-source-code-bbc-micro

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Here's a new repository for the Acornsoft Elite Demonstration Disc. I haven't documented all the changes yet, but I have marked them up. Search the main source file for "Mod:" to see what Bell and Braben changed to turn the #BBCMicro cassette version into the demo... github.com/markmoxon/el...

github.com

GitHub - markmoxon/elite-demo-source-code-bbc-micro: Source code for the Acornsoft Elite Demonstration Disc on the BBC Micro

Source code for the Acornsoft Elite Demonstration Disc on the BBC Micro - markmoxon/elite-demo-source-code-bbc-micro

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

I've started disassembling the #BBCMicro Elite Demonstration Disc. Acornsoft sent this out to shops in 1984. It flies itself and contains rudimentary pilot AI. Did anyone see this back in the day? It’s fun to watch! You can run it in your browser: bbc.xania.org?autoboot&dis... #retrocomputing

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

This is pretty amazing. Draw accurate landscapes from The Sentinel on a pen plotter? And animate them? I'm definitely in! newsletter.revdancatt.com/p/085-the-se... I do my projects for a lot of reasons, but seeing what people do with them? Yeah, that's a big one. 😀 #bbcmicro #c64 #retrocomputing

newsletter.revdancatt.com

📙 #085 - The Sentinel, adventures in animation

Mark Moxon, as of four days ago has finished his incredibly deep dive into the 1986 BBC Micro game The Sentinel - and to call it an “incredibly deep dive” is to undersell it an almost unforgivable amo...

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

It's finished! The Sentinel, Geoff Crammond's epic game, is now fully documented. * 41,902 lines of lovingly annotated source code * 51 deep dives (116,240 words) * Buildable repository * 100% handcrafted AI-free content * 7 months’ work thesentinel.bbcelite.com #retrocomputing #C64 #BBCMicro

Generating the landscape in The Sentinel

A panorama of landscape 0000 in The Sentinel

A contour map of the landscape in The Sentinel

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Time for my last batch of deep dives into The Sentinel, Geoff Crammond's epic #BBCMicro game. This one's a mixed bunch of miscellaneous topics, from anti-cracker code to hidden snippets of original source code. Short and sweet! thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives Enjoy… #retrocomputing #c64

thesentinel.bbcelite.com

Index of all deep dive articles - The Sentinel on the BBC Micro

Index of all deep dive articles about The Sentinel

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

What links The Sentinel with "Every Breath You Take"? Why, it’s the minor added 9th chord, of course! And the fact that they’re both 1980s classics Find out more in batch #10 of my deep dives: thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives Batch #11 (last one!) soon Enjoy! #retrocomputing #c64 #bbcmicro

The cover of the "Every Breath You Take" single

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Find out how the Sentinel thinks with my latest deep dives Batch #9 covers enemy tactics, and following the gaze vector to work out what the player and enemies can see in the 3D world thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives Batch #10 (sound & music) coming soon Enjoy! #retrocomputing #c64 #bbcmicro

thesentinel.bbcelite.com

Index of all deep dive articles - The Sentinel on the BBC Micro

Index of all deep dive articles about The Sentinel

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

I just wrote word number 100,000 of my deep dives into the epic game The Sentinel. I know quantity <> quality, but milestones are important in projects this long. I started this project in September! Seems like a lifetime ago. Here's my progress chart. Nearly there… #retrocomputing #c64 #bbcmicro

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

New release: deep dives #37 to #40 for The Sentinel, Geoff Crammond's epic #BBCMicro game This batch (#8) is a small release, covering the title screens, energy icons and scanner thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives Batch #9 is still in the oven, coming soon Enjoy! #retrocomputing #c64 #8bit

thesentinel.bbcelite.com

Index of all deep dive articles - The Sentinel on the BBC Micro

Index of all deep dive articles about The Sentinel

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

I've just completed 70% of my planned 50+ deep dives into The Sentinel, Geoff Crammond's epic #BBCMicro game Batch #7 is now ready: 4 new articles about drawing the 3D landscape, ray-casting and quadrants thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives Batch #8 coming soon Enjoy! #retrocomputing #c64 #8bit

thesentinel.bbcelite.com

Index of all deep dive articles - The Sentinel on the BBC Micro

Index of all deep dive articles about The Sentinel

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Left: The Sentinel and four sentries, from the landscape preview in the classic game. Astonishingly, these are not sprites. They are fully rendered 3D objects, using the same code as the game. Right: a robot, drawn by the same routine. Micro *and* macro excellence! #retrocomputing #c64 #bbcmicro

The Sentinel and four sentries, drawn very small

A high-resolution robot, drawn in-game in The Sentinel

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

This is my first time using a memory heatmap to analyse #BBCMicro code Here's The Sentinel calculating landscape visibility (b-em emulator) Look: ray-casting radar patterns matching the landscape layout, right there in memory! The algorithm revealed! I love this #retrocomputing meta-level stuff 🤯

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Documenting The Sentinel is really growing my collection of disassemblies at bbcelite.com Five projects: Elite, Aviator, Revs, Lander, The Sentinel 1,038,891 words of source code commentary 507,016 words of deep dives All Shakespeare's plays? 835,997 words #retrocomputing #bbcmicro #c64 #8bit

bbcelite.com

Mark Moxon's Software Archaeology

Reverse engineering, code disassemblies and a healthy dose of retrocomputing nostalgia

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Time for some more deep dives into The Sentinel, Geoff Crammond's epic #BBCMicro game! Batch #6 is now ready: 3 new articles about screen buffers, panning, scrolling and dithering thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives Batch #7 (drawing the landscape) coming soon Enjoy! #retrocomputing #c64 #8bit

thesentinel.bbcelite.com

Index of all deep dive articles - The Sentinel on the BBC Micro

Index of all deep dive articles about The Sentinel

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Brand new weekend reading: even more deep dives into The Sentinel, Geoff Crammond's #BBCMicro epic Batch #5 covers the unique equirectangular projection system, drawing filled polygons, the screen mode and more thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives Batch #6 soon… Enjoy! #retrocomputing #c64 #8bit

thesentinel.bbcelite.com

Index of all deep dive articles - The Sentinel on the BBC Micro

Index of all deep dive articles about The Sentinel

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

I'm (slowly!) releasing 50+ deep dives into The Sentinel, Geoff Crammond's epic #BBCMicro game Batch #4 is now ready: 5 new articles about 3D objects (defining, drawing, managing) thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives Batch #5 (drawing polygons) coming on Friday Enjoy! #retrocomputing #c64 #8bit

thesentinel.bbcelite.com

Index of all deep dive articles - The Sentinel on the BBC Micro

Index of all deep dive articles about The Sentinel

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Just released: 6 brand new deep dives into The Sentinel on the #BBCMicro and #C64 This is where it gets interesting! Generating 10,000 3D landscapes; tile data and shapes; enemies and trees; secret codes thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives#latest Batch #4 coming soon Enjoy! #retrocomputing

thesentinel.bbcelite.com

Index of all deep dive articles - The Sentinel on the BBC Micro

Index of all deep dive articles about The Sentinel

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

This is pretty cool. It's a visualisation of the internals of The Sentinel on the #BBCMicro. This is it generating the game landscape for the first level from 256 pseudo-random numbers. Next week I'll be releasing a deep dive into exactly how this works. #retrocomputing #retrogaming #c64 #8bit

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

I'm (slowly!) releasing 50+ deep dives into The Sentinel, Geoff Crammond's epic #BBCMicro game Batch #2 is now ready: 7 new articles about maths, geometry, trigonometry… and Revs thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives Batch #3 (landscape) coming soon Enjoy! #retrocomputing #retrogaming #c64 #8bit

thesentinel.bbcelite.com

Index of all deep dive articles - The Sentinel on the BBC Micro

Index of all deep dive articles about The Sentinel

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

I'm releasing over 50 deep dives into The Sentinel, Geoff Crammond's epic #BBCMicro game. Batch #1 is now ready: 6 new articles about memory maps, program flow and interrupts, all at thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives Batch #2 (maths!) coming soon. Enjoy! #retrocomputing #retrogaming #c64 #8bit

thesentinel.bbcelite.com

Index of all deep dive articles - The Sentinel on the BBC Micro

Index of all deep dive articles about The Sentinel

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Mark Moxon @markmoxon.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

I've started writing a series of deep dives into Geoff Crammond's epic #BBCMicro game The Sentinel. Here's the to-do list. I will post a link here whenever I add a new one to thesentinel.bbcelite.com It's going to take a while! But it should be worth it... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #c64 #8bit

The list of deep dives that I am working on

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