Features

Everything you need for indie game development and educational programming

🎮

Game Development

Built-in sprite sheets, animation support, graphics commands, and seamless Phaser 3 integration for modern 2D game development.

  • Sprite sheet support with LOADPNG
  • Frame-based animation with FRAMECOUNT
  • Drawing commands (LINE, CIRCLE, POLYGON, PSET)
  • Modern canvas-based rendering
⚡

Multi-Threading

Advanced concurrent programming with CALL TIMER and CALL THREAD for responsive game loops and background processing, now with thread-safe variable locking and independent thread execution.

  • CALL TIMER for scheduled execution
  • CALL THREAD for background tasks
  • Thread-safe variable locking (implicit & explicit)
  • BEGIN LOCK/END LOCK for manual control
  • Independent thread contexts prevent deadlocks
  • Automatic resource cleanup
🎨

Multi-Layer Graphics

Professional 2D graphics system with multi-layer support, frame buffering, and 256-color RGBA palette for advanced visual effects.

  • CREATE LAYER for multi-layer composition
  • Frame buffering with BEGIN/END FRAME
  • 256-color RGBA palette with transparency
  • Per-layer scrolling for parallax effects
📝

Modern IDE

Professional development environment with Monaco editor featuring syntax highlighting, autocomplete, and integrated debugging.

  • Monaco editor with IntelliSense
  • Syntax highlighting and validation
  • Integrated help and documentation
  • Error dialogs with line numbers for easy debugging
📁

Multi-File Programming

Modular programming with IMPORT statements, automatic main.bas entry points, and seamless multi-file project management.

  • IMPORT "module.bas" statement support
  • Automatic main.bas entry point creation
  • Visual .bas file management in resource panel
  • Auto-save with file-specific change tracking
🔧

Custom Types & Data

Advanced data management with QBasic-compatible custom types, dynamic objects, and JSON serialization for game state persistence.

  • TYPE...END TYPE custom structures
  • Dynamic Object types with dot notation
  • SERIALIZE$/DESERIALIZE$ for data persistence
  • Complete structured programming (SUB/FUNCTION)
  • Fixed local variable scoping and negative integer handling
🎵

Audio System

Web Audio-based sound system with chiptune support and modern audio format compatibility.

  • PLAY command with chiptune sounds
  • MP3 and WAV file support
  • SOUND command for tone generation
  • Web Audio API integration

Code Examples

See CrashBasic in action with these simple examples

Hello World

REM My first CrashBasic program
PRINT "Hello, World!"
PRINT "Welcome to CrashBasic!"

name$ = "Developer"
PRINT "Hello, "; name$; "!"
END

Multi-Layer Graphics

REM Multi-layer graphics example
SCREEN 320, 200

REM Create layers
CREATE LAYER 0, 320, 200  ' Background
CREATE LAYER 1, 320, 200  ' Sprites
CREATE LAYER 2, 320, 200  ' UI

REM Draw to different layers
SET LAYER 0
CLS 1
SET LAYER 1
CIRCLE (160, 100), 50, 14
SET LAYER 2
PRINT "Score: 100"
END

Multi-File Programming

REM main.bas - Program entry point
IMPORT "lib/math.bas"
IMPORT "lib/graphics.bas"

PRINT "Multi-file program!"
result = Calculate(10, 20)
CALL DrawBox(50, 50, 100, 100, 14)
PRINT "Result:", result
END

REM lib/math.bas - Math library
FUNCTION Calculate(a, b) AS INTEGER
    Calculate = a * 2 + b
END FUNCTION

Custom Types & Serialization

REM Custom types and data persistence
TYPE PlayerType
    name AS STRING
    level AS INTEGER
    health AS SINGLE
END TYPE

DIM player AS PlayerType
player.name = "Hero"
player.level = 15
player.health = 100.0

REM Save game state
saveData$ = SERIALIZE$(player)
PRINT "Saved:"; saveData$
END

Pixel-Perfect Text Positioning

REM Advanced text positioning with LOCATE ORIGIN
SCREEN 320, 200

REM Standard grid positioning
LOCATE 10, 15: PRINT "Standard positioning"

REM Pixel-level fine tuning with ORIGIN
LOCATE 12, 15 ORIGIN(5, 3): PRINT "Fine-tuned +5,+3"
LOCATE 14, 15 ORIGIN(-2, 8): PRINT "Offset -2,+8"

REM Perfect alignment for game UI
LOCATE 20, 10 ORIGIN(16, 0): PRINT "Score: 1000"
END

Getting Started

Start programming with CrashBasic in minutes

1

Launch the IDE

Click the "Launch IDE" button to open the CrashBasic development environment in your browser.

2

Write Your Code

Use the Monaco editor to write your CrashBasic programs with full syntax highlighting and autocomplete.

3

Run & Debug

Press F5 to run your program, use the integrated debugging tools, and see your games come to life.

4

Share!

Export your programs as bundles and share them with friends. Your games can run anywhere with just a web browser.

Keyboard Shortcuts

F5 Run Program
Ctrl + S Export Bundle
Ctrl + O Import Bundle
Ctrl + N New Bundle
F1 Help
Escape Stop Program
Ctrl + Space Autocomplete

Current Version: 0.15.0

Latest features and improvements - Performance optimizations and bulletproof thread termination

✅ Multi-File Programming (NEW v0.7.0)

  • IMPORT statement for modular programming
  • Multiple .bas file support with auto-save
  • Enhanced resource panel with .bas management
  • Backwards compatible legacy bundle conversion

✅ Enhanced Palette System (NEW)

  • 256-color RGBA palette system
  • Enhanced PALETTE command with transparency
  • Semi-transparent colors and effects
  • Backward compatible with 16-color CrashBasic

✅ Custom Types & Serialization (NEW)

  • QBasic-compatible TYPE...END TYPE
  • Dynamic Object types with dot notation
  • SERIALIZE$/DESERIALIZE$ functions
  • JSON data persistence for game saves

✅ Complete WAV Audio Support (v0.7.2)

  • LOADWAV command for loading WAV audio files
  • PLAYWAV command with loop and volume parameters
  • STOPWAV command for audio control
  • Complete Phaser 3 audio system integration

🚀 Version 0.15.0 Highlights

  • Bulletproof Thread Termination: Implemented global shutdown manager ensuring threads terminate immediately when program ends
  • Performance Optimizations: Streamlined thread architecture with OptimizedThreadManager as the single thread management system
  • Memory Leak Fixes: Enhanced audio cleanup for both PLAYWAV and PLAYMP3 to properly destroy Phaser sound objects
  • Cross-Instance Communication: GlobalShutdownManager singleton enables shutdown propagation across all interpreter instances
  • Enhanced Thread Control: All threads now receive AbortController for proper cancellation support

Get In Touch

Questions, feedback, or want to contribute? We'd love to hear from you!

Why Contact Us?

  • Feature Requests: Suggest new BASIC commands or IDE improvements
  • Bug Reports: Help us improve CrashBasic's reliability
  • Educational Use: Discuss using CrashBasic in classrooms
  • Game Development: Share your indie game projects
  • Contributions: Join our development community