Due doubts that may generate the point in the BASIC games category rules which restricts the use of aditional hardware; we have compiled a list (by no means complete or exhaustive) of different maximun hardware configurations we consider standard for each platform.
Note: these restrictions mainly apply for the BASIC game category, check the end of this post for details about restrictions for graphic and music categories.
Apple II & compatibles (excludingIIGS):
- Up to 128KB RAM
- Tape unit or disk unit compatible with the Disk II controller
- Joystick
Atari
400, 800, 600XL, 800XL:
- Up to 64KB RAM
- Tape unit or 810/1050 compatible disk drive
- Up to 2 joysticks
65XL, 130XL:
- Up to 128KB RAM
- Tape unit or 810/1050 compatible disk drive
- Joysticks
Commodore
PET:
- Up to 32K RAM
- Datasette or 4040 compatible disk drive
VIC-20:
- Up to 21KB RAM
- Datasette or 1540 compatible disk drive
- Joystick
C16, Plus/4:
- Up to 64KB RAM
- Datasette, 1551 disk drive or 1541 compatible disk drive
- Joysticks
C64:
- No memory expansions allowed
- Datasette or 1541 compatible disk drive
- Joysticks
C128:
- No memory expansions allowed
- Datasette or 1541 / 1571 compatible disk drive
- Joysticks
MSX:
MSX1:
- Up to 64KB RAM
- 16 KB VRAM
- Only PSG sound
- Only TMS 9918 graphic modes allowed
- Tape unit or MSX standard compliant disk drive
- Joysticks
MSX2:
- Up to 128KB RAM
- Up to 128 KB VRAM
- Only PSG sound
- Graphis modes up to V9938
- Tape unit or MSX standard compliant disk drive
- Joysticks
Sinclair:
ZX80-ZX81 & compatibles:
- Up to 16KB RAM
- No sound
- Only tape unit allowed.
ZX Spectrum, Spectrum+ & compatibles:
- Up to 64KB RAM
- Only beeper sound
- Tape unit or microdrive commands compatible disk drive
- Sinclair or Kempson Joystick
ZX Spectrum 128, Spectrum+2 and Spectrum+3:
- Up to 128KB RAM
- Beeper or AY-3-8192
- Tape or disk unit
- Joystick
Texas Instruments:
TI-99/4a:
- Up to 32KB RAM
- Tape or disk unit
- Joysticks
About graphics and music categories:
These hardware restrictions apply only to the BASIC game category.
This allows, for example, to submit a music entry created on a ZX-81 with a ZonX compatible expansion or a MSX graphic for the GFX9000 video card.
However not everything is allowed. The hardware to be used needs to be suficiently supported as to be included in emulators. This way even those without the specific hardware configuration needed to display/play your entry will be allowed to enjoy it.
If you’re going to use the full expansion power of the VIC20, there’s no reason not to use a C64. It’d be more competitive if you allow only the stock 3.5k >:)
It could have been worse. We could have allowed full 64K of RAM 😛
After a little further investigation, I found the largest RAM cartridge manufactured by Commodore for the VIC-20 is the 16K VIC-1111.
Therefore, max. RAM will be changed to 21KB.
TI-99/4a:
Up to 32KB RAM
Tape or disk unit
Joysticks
– The builtin TI Basic is not capable of using the 32KB, but the cartridge Extended Basic can. Actually it becomes less than 16K for TI Basic and almost 24K for Extended Basic.
Thank you, TI Extended BASIC is allowed in the BASIC game compo.
We choosed the actual amount of installed RAM instead of the ammount available under BASIC to make it less confusing.
Also, although I don’t know to what extent it can be done on the TI, the rules allows to use all the RAM available on the system to store extra game data if needed.
In the C64, there’s 38KB of RAM free for BASIC program and variables, but there’s 20KB extra that can be used to store graphic data (sprites or character sets) for example.