Introduction: Simple Clicker Game for TI83 Family of Calculators
The TI-83 family of calculators has been the standard calculator for highschools for a while, and mastering them can be very rewarding. Many people know about the additional stat functions, and some know about the extra functions for statistics. However, something that most people don't realize is that there is a full coding language built into it. This guide will walk you through the steps of creating a simple clicker game on your calculator.
Supplies
TI 83 or higher. This guide was made for a TI-84 plus specifically, but it should work on any of them.
Computer (optional)
TI charging cable (optional)
Step 1: Setting Up the Environment
The first step is getting to the area to code. If you are using a computer, you will have to install the TI connect app. Once it is installed, click on the three squares in the toolbar on the left, and click the plus symbol under "New Program."
If you are using the calculator, turn it on and click on the PGRM button in the middle of the calculator. Once the menu opens, navigate to the NEW tab by hitting right twice, or left once. Hit enter or 1, and enter the name using the letters on the calculator. Once you have done that, a new file should open, with one colon in it.
Step 2: Basics of the Game
This is the basic game, and it does a few things. The first line, ClrHome, clears the calculator screen so that we can print to it cleanly. The next one is an infinite loop of While 1, which will never be false. This means that the game can keep running indefinitely. The next two lines are the declaration of prices for upgrades. I chose to make them quadratic for balancing, but they can be linear, cubic, exponential or even factorial if you wanted to make them that way. The lines with Output( on them show the player how much money they have, the prices of upgrades, and how much money they make per cycle/click. After that, the other lines are devoted to detecting clicks of the 2nd key, which gives you money, and purchasing upgrades to the autoclicker and the manual clicker. Put this all together, and you have a clicker game that works at a base level.
ClrHome
While 1
round(0.5⌊CLIC(3)^2+6⌊CLIC(3)+20,0→A
round(4⌊CLIC(2)^2+12⌊CLIC(2)+80,0→B
getKey→K
Output(1,1,"⁺:
Output(1,3,⌊CLIC
(1 Output(3,1,"C⁺:
Output(3,4,A
Output(4,1,"A⁺:
Output(4,4,B
Output(5,4,⌊CLIC(4
Output(7,1,"C:
Output(7,3,⌊CLIC(3)⌊CLIC(4
Output(8,1,"A:
Output(8,3,⌊CLIC(2)⌊CLIC(4
If K=21
Then
⌊CLIC(3)⌊CLIC(4)+⌊CLIC(1→⌊CLIC(1)
End If K=22 and ⌊CLIC(1)≥A
Then
⌊CLIC(1)-A→⌊CLIC(1
1+⌊CLIC(3→⌊CLIC(3
ClrHome
End
If K=23 and ⌊CLIC(1)≥B
Then
⌊CLIC(1)-B→⌊CLIC(1
1+⌊CLIC(2→⌊CLIC(2
ClrHome
End
⌊CLIC(1)+⌊CLIC(4)⌊CLIC(2→⌊CLIC(1
End
Step 3: (Optional) Add a Prestige Option!
However, I find that one more addition is needed to make this s real clicker game: the option to give it all up with the promise of a better start next time. This is done by adding another counter that gets added to every time you buy something, so that it is the total amount of money you've had that run. You can reset using the STO key, and it gives you a small fraction of your wealth back as a multiplier. If you want this version, you can copy it here and use TI connect to beam it directly onto your calculator. Happy clicking!
ClrHome
While 1 round(0.5⌊CLIC(3)^2+6⌊CLIC(3)+20,0→A
round(4⌊CLIC(2)^2+12⌊CLIC(2)+80,0→B
getKey→K
Output(1,1,"⁺:
Output(1,3,⌊CLIC
(1 Output(3,1,"C⁺:
Output(3,4,A
Output(4,1,"A⁺:
Output(4,4,B
Output(5,1,"*⁺:
Output(5,4,⌊CLIC(4
Output(7,1,"C:
Output(7,3,⌊CLIC(3)⌊CLIC(4
Output(8,1,"A:
Output(8,3,⌊CLIC(2)⌊CLIC(4
If K=21
Then
⌊CLIC(3)⌊CLIC(4)+⌊CLIC(1→⌊CLIC(1)
⌊CLIC(3)⌊CLIC(4)+⌊CLIC(5→⌊CLIC(5
End If K=22 and ⌊CLIC(1)≥A
Then
⌊CLIC(1)-A→⌊CLIC(1
1+⌊CLIC(3→⌊CLIC(3
ClrHome
End
If K=23 and ⌊CLIC(1)≥B
Then
⌊CLIC(1)-B→⌊CLIC(1
1+⌊CLIC(2→⌊CLIC(2
ClrHome
End
⌊CLIC(1)+⌊CLIC(4)⌊CLIC(2→⌊CLIC(1
⌊CLIC(5)+⌊CLIC(4)⌊CLIC(2→⌊CLIC(5
If K=91
Then
⌊CLIC(4)+round(⌊CLIC(5)/(100000*(1.02⌊CLIC(4))),2→⌊CLIC(4
0→⌊CLIC(1
0→⌊CLIC(2
1→⌊CLIC(3
0→⌊CLIC(5
ClrHome
End
End
