MacrosCode

Thanks for your comments. This encourages me! I will have to trust that everything will be fine.

Don't be disappointed! Maybe most people didn't have seen it so far (as me). I have looked the video and also think it's very useful! Badly I don't have an Android device. So is there something similar on the web?

Please let us know if it was also successful! After reading the comments I think it's all OK ordering even if batari does not reply at the moment.

WOW 5 days is really fast! Can you tell me what you have ordered? Harmony or Hamony Encore? I guess you ordered via "Prioritity Shipping", isn't it?

Thanks for the info! Great news! If you have got another conversation, please them to look after their AtariAge-Messages. On the harmony webpage there stands: "Need to know more? Send a PM to batari on the Atariage Forums (preferred), or send an email to c9r over at hotmail with subject: harmony." So I think if they advice us to contact them via the forum they should keep an eye on it.

Is there a disassembly of H.E.R.O.? Would be glad to take a look behind the curtain.

I agree! With todays CPUs this is no more real fun! Also it is impossible to control the hardware directly. You only have the API of the driver. And not to forget: Hardware changes so fast you don't have the time to invent special tricks. When you are familiar with some hardware, then it is obsolete because of a newer one! Cycle exact coding... Racing the beam by counting the cycles... Rasters by switching backgound color... On todays hardware? - Forget it!

The steering of the car is really good! Looking forward to the next steps!

No reply! Anyone heard of batari last time? Is he still here in the forum?

Is there some kind of "Making of Boulder Dash"? Would be interesting to read what's behind it.

I also tried to reach batari here at the forum... Whats the actual status? Did you reveived your card? If so: how long did it take?

Is there any hardware shop in europe where you can get one like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-2600-7800-Composite-Video-Mod-Upgrade-Kit-DIY-/300592126324?hash=item45fcafd974:m:mjyZk3U_a7jYA4o6YoJN0Cg

Well, if it's equvalent to an AND of CPU- and CARD-output, then of course this means: it does not work. Before I thought the $FF-output of the CPU is needed to prevent overheating or hardware damage.

After reading much about bus stuffing, I got another idea of how to use or maybe could be used for (if possible). The problem I would focus on are the different color codes of NTSC and PAL (maybe also SECAM). The (maybe possible solution) without modifying all the rom code: When the CPU executes the following: LDX #$2A STX COLUPF Now when the card detects that a color register (like COLUPF) is written, then it gets the code from the bus ($2A) and overrides it with the correct color of the system (maybe a $4A). In theory it should work but... maybe there are some problems: 1.) normally the CPU must output $FF to the bus before overriding it, so overriding another value could be heat up or even damage the CPU. 2.) the detection and reaction of the card has to be very fast, to get bus stuffing running. Somebody ever tried something like this?

Commodore? Shame on me, you are right! I did no read carefully enough! Interesting article of Random Terrain about that topic.

Please don't beg me! As a newbie my mission was to write about this topic again to keep the frequency.

Thats true! Good point!

EDIT: OK, as Thomas said below, this topic is not new. But I leave it anyway here, so you can see my point of view ) (Maybe this is a little off topic, so I apologize for this) But what also comes to my mind when I read the articles on bus stuffing: When a new hardware degrades the VCS only to be a co-processor for audio/video/io then the complete system isn't a 2600 any more. So when somebody asks: is XXXXXXXXXX possible on a 2600, then the true answer is NO... YES only with hardware extensions which were much more powerful than the whole VCS. This finally leads to the question: is Pitfall II a 2600 game when it uses DPC? My personal opinion is YES, because the VCS is the main processor and the DPC is his helpful slave. With bus stuffing these roles were changed, so in my opinion thats not a real 2600. Also the system is much more complex to understand and to progam. I has it's reason that there are not so much programs using DPC/DPC+. The more the VCS expands the more it looses it's simplicity, which makes it in fact most attractive to play with it (in the mean of coding). ... and when you think even more radical: you could plug an extension card to the VCS with its own HDMI-output, that only the IOs (joysticks etc.) where delivered by the 6507. So should that system also be called a VCS? I think no! To clear this: The upper should not be meant as criticism... I like the idea of expanding the system, don't get me wrong!! It's more a philosophical discussion.

I read the linked infos carefully. Now I have an idea of whats going on with bus stuffing! Thanks for the hints! It's really interesting that the guys of Atari invented this (The Graduate). So this should be working... The extension of Stella is surely a good idea to prevent damaging the hardware. Maybe also the hardware could first check the bus, if $FF is on it before overriding it? Looking forward to the new Draconian!

Nope?! Anyway now I understand the difference (BRK vs. JSR). You are right. That has some even more limitations! For very special circumstances it may be working, but JSR is far more flexible.

TestColors.zip is an amazing demo of what could be done from a technical point of view! If transformed into a real picture with many colors then it would be REALLY impressive. But I think that needs a very good graphic artist to take care of all limitations.

BRK? Can you give me an example of how to use it?

This idea has potetial to do far more. With no other assembly command you can change 2 registers so fast. I looked at your example.. if you did not tell me i would have suggested to do this 2 colors like the one in the star castle title screen. As you wrote: there is a lot more behind as you could see. Really intersting stuff!

Oh that's new for me. So designers itself thought of that possibilities... very clever!!