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I'm seeking the source code for an old Atari ST game STFBalls1 a.k.a STBalls a.k.a. Balls which was released as shareware back in the early '90s. According to the author, anyone making a shareware donation would get a copy of the game's STOS Basic source code. Does anyone know where the source code might be found today, know how to contact the author (Simon Carter), or have a copy of it lying around?

If I can find a copy of the source code I'd like to try porting it to something more modern (probably HTML/Javascript). The levels and graphics would be pretty easy to extract from the binary version; determining the behavior of the various "widgets" in the game would need either the source code, a disassembler, or playing the game all the way through ;^).2

1The binary, levels file, and readme are available as a floppy disk image on the linked site; the source code is not.

2 Reverse engineering by editing the levels file might also work but only if all of the widget behavior is deterministic and not context-dependent.

Screenshots:

Title screen Level 1

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  • You can use emulator to run the game. What is the purpose of endeavour?
    – Anonymous
    Nov 15, 2018 at 11:52
  • Well, I'd like to run it on my phone for one. I've tried it under an emulator there and it was too wonky to be usable. Plus would be fun to port and might even be a bit of challenge.
    – Alex Hajnal
    Nov 15, 2018 at 11:54
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    This: twitter.com/bbbscarter "Brainfarts from an ageing games coder" would be high probability hit. Google search rules :)
    – Anonymous
    Nov 15, 2018 at 12:05
  • I think that's him. Maybe he still has the code. Thanks!
    – Alex Hajnal
    Nov 15, 2018 at 12:17
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    Just one word of caution. Shareware doesn't mean free-for-all, porting is not necessarily allowed, even if you paid. It was a way to allow you to run something before comitting to payment but the right to create derivative works are not necessarily part of that. The copyright will still be retained by the author. So any avenue that doesn't explicitly license you to create derivatives (and this can only come from the copyright holder) will not be kosher (so to speak).
    – user6464
    Nov 16, 2018 at 4:36

1 Answer 1

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Per an anonymous commenter, the author (Simon Carter) appears to be on Twitter as @bbbscarter with a blog at bbbscarter.wordpress.com The person who did the graphics (Dene Carter) also appears to be on Twitter as @Fluttermind with a website at www.fluttermind.com

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    Yeah, except he never responded to my postings :(
    – Raffzahn
    Nov 20, 2018 at 0:37
  • I've been too busy to ask myself (I'm not on twitter)
    – Alex Hajnal
    Nov 20, 2018 at 0:39

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