"Hamurabi"
By Bruce De Vries.
CURSOR 2, no. 6 (March 1981): 95-96.


This is a Bally BASIC game for the Bally Arcade/Astrocade.

Game Instructions from the "Cursor" newsletter:
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Here are the rules for Hamurabi. After you answer each question press 'GO'

1.  At the start a person needs 10 bushels of grain per year to live. Farm worker strikes can change this. They may accept up to 2 less bushels than they demand. If your offer is rejected there will be no harvest. Strike amount equals 10 plus your settlement.

2.  55% of the people must be fed or your term of office may expire.

3.  You may buy or sell land at prices from 17 to 26 bushels per acre.

4.  It takes 3 bushels to plant an acre and 1 worker to plant 10 acres.

5.  Term of office is twenty years. If you can make it.

NOTE: It would help to have a calculator close at hand if you want to win!


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On January 10, 2025, I said this to ChatGPT, "This is a Bally BASIC listing of Hamurabi. Provide a brief background/story summary of the game."  The summary seems accurate to me, but remember that this is coming from an AI language model; it may have errors.

It replied:

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Hamurabi: Story and Gameplay Summary

Background/Story Summary: "Hamurabi" is a strategic resource management game where you assume the role of a ruler governing an ancient Sumerian city. Your task is to ensure the survival and prosperity of your people over a twenty-year reign. Inspired by the historical figure Hammurabi, the game challenges you to balance the delicate interplay of land, grain, and population while dealing with unpredictable events such as plagues, strikes, and natural disasters.

As king, your performance will be evaluated based on how well you feed your population, grow the city, and manage resources. Failing to meet the people's needs or mismanaging resources may lead to starvation, strikes, or even your removal from office. Success requires careful planning and adaptation to the unexpected.

Key Elements of the Game:

* Feed your people with available grain.
* Buy or sell land to optimize resources.
* Plant crops to harvest grain for future years.
* Navigate disasters such as rat infestations, droughts, and plagues.
* Maintain enough food to prevent strikes and ensure the population's survival.

Victory Conditions:

Successfully complete your twenty-year reign with a healthy population and strong resource management. If you fail to provide for your people, you may face impeachment, exile, or worse.


Archiving Notes from Adam Trionfo:
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The archiving of this program began in a thread in May 2024 called "Hamurabi BASIC Program Typed with ChatGPT," here:

https://groups.io/g/ballyalley/topic/106382692

The type-in listing was converted to Bally BASIC using the txt2prg and WinKCS utilities.

This game needs more playtesting, but it seems to work okay.  Paul Thacker and I have played it, but I just don't think I can play a complete game of 20 rounds, not because the game is boring and not fun, but it's quite challenging.

Paul did find and correct a programming error on line 100 in the original printed type-in listing in the newsletter that would crash the game.  It has been corrected here.

The included AI-assisted Program Analysis is an experiment and should be taken lightly, as it likely includes errors.

Enjoy!

Adam
