can batari basic display text?

[midnight8]

in a game?

Edited April 26, 2008 by midnight8

[jbs30000]

I don't think the 2600 has text built in. You have to use sprites or playfield pixels to create letters and numbers.

[midnight8]

I don't think the 2600 has text built in. You have to use sprites or playfield pixels to create letters and numbers.

 

thats what I thought. just wanted to make sure

[Fort Apocalypse]

I don't think the 2600 has text built in. You have to use sprites or playfield pixels to create letters and numbers.

 

thats what I thought. just wanted to make sure

 

There are actually a few ways to write text, but nothing really super easy.

 

* write text using playfield - this is what I usually do. can scroll it too

* write text using player sprites, or a really tall player sprite

* override the definition of the numbers/digits displayed for score and use it to display characters

 

There may be other ways as well, but those are the ones I know of.

[+Random Terrain]

When we get more bB users, maybe one of them will create a minikernel that will make it easier to display text.

[+batari]

There is a 12-digit x 12 line text kernel waiting for integration into bB, and the way to integrate it has been worked out, IIRC. It's just waiting for me to spend the time to do the work (but... if the multisprite kernel is any indication, it will be a painful process.)

[Gorf]

There is a 12-digit x 12 line text kernel waiting for integration into bB, and the way to integrate it has been worked out, IIRC. It's just waiting for me to spend the time to do the work (but... if the multisprite kernel is any indication, it will be a painful process.)

 

 

Good luck on that Fred...its never easy adding something new to code and I can imagine

it's no easier on the 2600.

[MausGames]

I can't wait for that batari, it sounds awesome! Do you think it will be something we can use to create text adventure games? Will it be usable in tandem with the standard kernel, for example to add a start menu to a game?

[+batari]

I can't wait for that batari, it sounds awesome! Do you think it will be something we can use to create text adventure games? Will it be usable in tandem with the standard kernel, for example to add a start menu to a game?

Yes to all. It will likely be a function that takes over the screen for as many frames as you wish, and will work with the standard kernel or independently (though if used with the std. kernel, it will clear your playfield if invoked, since it needs to use memory there for the text.) You get 12 lines of text, 11 of them can only be changed a whole line at a time, but one (and you pick which one) can change individual characters of the text.

 

With the multisprite kernel, however, it will clear all player definitions, locations and other parameters, so you'd need to reset everything after you finish with the text.

 

I don't want to get everyone too excited, as it will probably take a while.

[+Random Terrain]

I don't want to get everyone too excited, as it will probably take a while.

It's still nice to know that someone is working on it, even if it might take few extra years.

[supercat]

Any possibility of 13 chars/line?

[+batari]

Any possibility of 13 chars/line?

That could work. What are the RAM and ROM requirements of that kernel compared with 12 chars?

[jbs30000]

Actually, I completely forgot about the Atari Basic Programming cartridge. It had text.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b...programming.png

[smartkitten26]

When we get more bB users, maybe one of them will create a minikernel that will make it easier to display text.

 

Well i'm working on an DOS for the 2600, but it doesn't really use a minkernel