Converting from 86 to 83
The programs under the 86 menu will also work for the 83 if you take note of a few differences. But not all the games on the 83 will convert to 86. This is because games like HERO use a function that erases lines, which is not available on the 86. The main differences are as follows:

TI-86

getKy
ClLCD
Outpt(
PxTest(


TI-83

getKey
CLrHome
Output(
pxl-Test(

Equasions:
The 86 uses two equal signs for functions such as:
:If A==1
The 83 only requires one. Thus, converting it to:
:If A=1

The Menu Command:
The structure for the MENU functions are a little different as well.
An example of the 86 menu looks like this:
:Menu(1,"choice 1",A,2,"choice 2",B

Where the numbers 1 and 2 are the position numbers, and A and B are Labels.

The menu's for the 83 are structured like this:
:Menu("title","choice 1",A,"choice 2",B

Variables:
The last major difference is the variables. On the 86, you can have variables that are up to 8 characters long, making it possable to have hundreds of different variables. One the other hand, for the 83 you are limited to 27 varaibles, all which are one character in length. These include the whole alphabet, plus the greek letter Theta which comes after Z on the keypad. If you were to change the code from 86 to 83, you would need to change any variables that are too long.
For an example, one game on the 86 might have your players health as HEALTH, which is six characters long. You would need to change it to a single letter, such as H. But if H is already used for something else you'll need to choose another letter.

If there is anything you may be unsure of, feel free to ask me at mhawkinson@juno.com.

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