Slogging through some slow going stuff - so my first thought is, I need to invest some time in doing a tool chain, so things aren't quite so slow.

But some issues are solved already.

What has been done so far:

setup real Atari 800XL with 1050 disk drive & sio2pc

PC software being used: Aspeqt, Altirra, Gimp.

Atari software: Assembler Editor Cartridge & Built-in Atari Basic*

Set up a custom display list with 56 lines graphics 15 ("header"), then 17 lines of Graphics 0 ("body")

Plotted the half circle, and word "Atari" to the header section, wrote some text to the body section.

Then created an improved mockup, which is attached here.

Wrote down this list of next steps.

*still under consideration, is using Action! for this project

Next steps - all related to setting up graphics

1. set register so background color for "header" is grey.

2. create basic data statements for

REM Inner White Circle

REM Outer Blue Circle

REM Blue Word "Atari"

REM Orange Word "Age"

REM White Dashed Line

REM Plot-Drawto Bottom Solid White Lines

REM Plot-Drawto Bottom Solid Blue Lines

REM White Menu Words with Separators

REM Left half joystick

REM Right half joystick

REM Firebutton

REM Scrollbar

REM Selected Item Triangle

3. Use basic to draw the screen

4. copy contents of screen memory.

a. This is to determine how screen memory needs to be configured

b. Also this will serve as a copy of this screen.

5. Setup screen again, this time in Assembly - by directly placing the values in screen memory.

6. set up player graphics (static for now), left half joystick, right half joystick, fire button, scrollbar, Selected Item Triangle

7. Modify the display list, so that it has this format:

48 lines of Graphics 15 (White, Blue, Orange, Light Grey)

8 lines of Graphics 8, ((1 color: Blue - Hue of Blue and Whitish). + DLI

17 lines of Graphics 0 (1 color: White - Hues of Light Grey and Black) *

*at some point the screen will be further modified to appear as this:

43 lines of Graphics 15 - (White, Blue, Orange, Light Grey) + DLI

2 lines of Graphics 15 - (White, Blue, Red, Dark Grey) + DLI

3 lines of Graphics 15 - (White, Blue, Orange, Light Grey)

8 lines of Graphics 8 - (1 color: Blue - Hue of Blue and Whitish) + DLI

136 lines of Graphics 8 - (1 color: White - Hues of Light Grey and Black)

8. Create a bootable disk image that someone can load in their emulator or real atari.

Although this particular image will do nothing but display the screen, this is just to have the workflow of creating a bootable disk image understood.

9. Write down new list of tasks. The next task list will be primarily be about getting the first real data down from AtariAge to the program,

and therefore, will allow for the first live data, proof of concept.