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Retro Game Coders’ Part 11 tutorial expands its Commodore 64 BASIC dungeon crawler from one map to five levels. Players must collect every chalice before using the stairs, while surviving characters keep their equipment and stats and receive basic upgrades between levels.
Retro Game Coders’ Part 11 tutorial adds a five-level progression system to its Commodore 64 BASIC dungeon crawler, replacing the earlier single-map structure. Players must collect every chalice on a level before taking its stairs, while a surviving character carries hit points, stats, gold, keys and magic into the next map.
Each level uses the map generator introduced in Part 10, with additional rules for placing objects. The number of chalices rises across the five levels: one on levels 1 and 2, two on levels 3 and 4, and three on level 5. A chalice remains worth 10 gold. Once the required items are collected, the game log tells the player to find the stairs; trying to use them too early produces a message showing how many chalices remain.
The stairs appear in a randomly selected corner room, while the player starts in the centre room. The tutorial says the existing map rules make the rooms reachable from one another, and places the stairs in the centre cell of an open room. On the fifth level, taking the stairs ends the run with a win. The end screen also reports the level reached and gold collected.
The code separates character setup from level generation. INITPLAYER runs once at the start of a game, while BUILDLEVEL runs for each new map and resets the player’s position without erasing the character’s ongoing resources. The tutorial also gives a basic level-up: each new level adds hit points equal to half the character’s constitution, rounded down, and raises strength on even levels or dexterity on odd levels. Armour class is recalculated after the stat change.
A Longer Run Through the Dungeon
The update changes the project from a short, single-map game into a run with five linked stages. That gives players a reason to manage health and other resources beyond the current room: surviving matters because a character’s existing condition carries forward rather than being reset whenever a map is rebuilt.
The tutorial also shows how to distinguish a new game from a new level in a small BASIC program. Separating character initialization from level construction is the practical mechanism behind persistence. For readers following the coding series, the feature is both a playable objective loop—collect, unlock, descend—and an example of organizing game state across repeated map generation.
The author describes the stat increases as an initial demonstration, not a balanced final system. The rewards establish a progression mechanic, while leaving room for later work on which bonuses make the game more engaging or fair.
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From One Map to Five
Before this installment, the crawler had one playable map. Finding its chalice ended the game with a win message and an option to play again; starting again generated a new character and map, clearing the previous run’s progress. Part 11 changes that reset behavior by building another level while retaining the living character.
The article continues the project from Part 10, whose map rules are reused here. It also points readers to an Online Retro IDE, which the source says allows the tutorial code to be edited in a browser without downloads or configuration. The current installment is a tutorial update rather than an announcement of a commercial release or a finished game.
““The feeling of progress is a huge part of a game’s enjoyability.””
— Retro Game Coders
How Progression May Change
The article presents the stat rewards as provisional. It does not specify whether later installments will revise the level-up formula, add new abilities, or change how difficulty increases. The source also does not give a publication date or say whether the tutorial’s code has been tested on particular hardware or emulator versions.
Chalices are placed by repeated attempts to find empty floor, with the routine stopping after 200 failed tries. The tutorial says the game counts only chalices successfully placed, so a level can still be completed if placement attempts fail. It does not report how often that situation occurs in play.
Further Tuning and New Levels
Part 11’s implemented path ends when the player takes the stairs on level five. The article does not announce a release date or detail the next installment. Its stated next area for thought is the usefulness of the stat bonuses, which the author says can be considered during a later polishing phase.
Readers can follow the tutorial and edit the BASIC code through the browser-based IDE described by Retro Game Coders. Any later changes to difficulty, character development or the level structure remain unconfirmed in this installment.
Key Questions
How many levels does Part 11 add?
The tutorial sets the dungeon at five levels, with a new map generated each time the player descends.
What must players do before using the stairs?
Players must collect every chalice placed on the current level. Attempting to use the stairs earlier returns a message showing how many chalices remain.
Does the character keep progress between levels?
Yes. A surviving character carries hit points, stats, gold, keys and magic into the next level. The player’s position is reset for the new map.
How does the level-up system work?
Each new level adds hit points equal to half the character’s constitution, rounded down. Strength increases on even-numbered levels and dexterity on odd-numbered levels; the tutorial presents these bonuses as examples that may be adjusted later.
What ends the game?
Taking the stairs out of level five ends the run with a win. The end screen also shows the level reached and the gold acquired.
Source: retrogamecoders.com
