[Vectrex32 Smartcart]

Excuse me - but this is getting absurd.

STOP WHINING!

If you want to program the vectrex just do it - whatever way you like.

If you are able to PROGRAM decent basic programs, you will be able to program the vectrex in
assembler if you invest 2 hours of your time.
(really! - 6809 combined with the Vectrex BIOS IS that simple)

There are tutorials, step by step introductions available that will guide you.
(and quite a few emulators around - and using VIDE you get your own program running in 10 minutes!)

Having no BASIC is no excuse not to program vectrex!

Now having BASIC - the excuse is "oh god I must have a vectrex connected".
Yeah sure, you want to program but don't want to use a vectrex.

You have a text editor, right? Use it! There you can program without any attachments at all, you
might even try a pen and paper style if you do not want to use any electronic device while programming.

What is that about a "playback only module"?
People do you THINK befor you write?

It is like I want a car, but I only want to be driven, not drive myself - so it should cost less than a "real" car...


That said - while I think the vectrex32 is a very cool piece of engineering, it fails at being fantastic.

Why?

1) Be what it may be - BASIC is an introduction to progamming, so should (IMHO) be a BASIC module.
Introduction, not some complete stand alone thing. An introduction that leads you to "real" programming
(aka in this context probably assembler).

Some stuff that you must "forget" that you learned while you did BASIC - like:
- absolut and relative positioning
- X <-> Y and Y <-> X
- others
Learning it the "wrong" way hinders you later on.

2) I have a super cool card, with a processor on it, connected and communicating with vectrex - but the ONLY way
I can access it is via doing BASIC?

Why - can't I use the device to upload my assembler programs and run them? Than I could use it also as a general
development tool? Now I have to wait for VecFever to do just that!

Why can't I use the processor as a "coprocessor" of some sort from my assembler programs.
E.g. If it had some sort of library usable from vectrex and I could call a "jsr rotate VLIST 29 degress" - than I could use
that from my own assembler programs.
(btw. while VecFever does not per se offer any "subroutines", it is open in the way
that it COULD - you can already access the card thru register programming, since it has mapped registers to the vectrex memory region)

Now I have to do BASIC, can't resuse stuff of my own and am hindered by the authors implementation of his own "main loop".
I can not do any "tricky" stuff at all, like curved vectors, output samples, use other hardware additions at all, because I am
caught in the BASIC trap.

What also would be cool if the "OS" of the device was open source - that way one could add, tweak the device perhaps even to be usable in
above mentioned ways, but no, the actual BASIC is top secret (sorry about being rude).

The device is great, but it could easily have been so much more!
And - don't get me wrong, while being mad at some things said here and at missed opportunities a device like the Vectrex32 might have had,
Bob is a nice guy, really responsive with his help.

But above were things that needed to be said (from my point of view).

So - all interested in programming - stop reading and whining - just do it!

Malban

[New: VECTREX Joystick Kit for sale]

@Rolo:
I'd order one :-)....

 

Regards

 

Malban

 

PS

But priority airmail is a bit to much - I live in Düsseldorf...

[Vide V1.0 released]

Hi,

just came by to say hello and post the news that Vide V1.0 is released as of now.

 

More information at: http://vide.malban.de/

 

Regards

Malban