Rastignac Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 (edited) See it: http://appshopper.com/reference/2600-magic Other apps coming soon. The Atari® Video Computer System™ started it all. There were other early game systems, but the Atari® VCS (also known as the 2600) was the first commercially successful programmable home game player. Why was it so successful? What was the secret of its longevity? How does it do the things it does? Inside the 2600 lives an elegantly simple video circuit, far less capable than the circuits in other game systems. But this very simplicity made it possible for game designers to invent thousands of games. 2600 Magic, Volume One of David Crane’s Technical Wizardry Series, is designed to answer these questions. With detailed descriptions and interactive diagrams, this iPhone App explains the internal video circuitry of the 2600 and shows how it is used to display the game playfields from many of the classic Atari games. You will be amazed by the lengths to which game programmers had to go just to put an object on the screen. Edited January 23, 2010 by Rastignac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Neat find - I wasn't expecting interactive bits. In this one you can slide the tank image up/down to see how the resulting scan line output changes. The next example shows the full tank Then another with the missile bouncing around The interface works like an Atari too - slide the switches down to activate them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Oops - the interactive playfield page in incorrect. Perhaps they felt the changing bit order was too advanced to cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rastignac Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 Now, volume 2 is available: http://appshopper.com/reference/dragster-magic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 It's as interesting as the first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 No way, how cool is that! I'm gonna get out my iPod Touch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPIKE Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 just downloaded both!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+rdemming Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I would love to see David Crane's 2600 programming apps but I'm not gonna buy an iPhone for that. I hope to see a version for a regular PC. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youki Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I hope also. Or may be a book version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 (edited) Would love to see these as well in an alternative format, especially the Dragster App. Edited February 12, 2010 by Christophero Sly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ls650 Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 That looks extremely cool! I will have to check it out.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 What amazes me is that we're still talking about and playing with the Atari 2600 33 years after it was released! I don't see any apps like that for the ColecoVision, Intellivision, or Odyssey. There's definitely something special about the 'ole Stella! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 indeed, that is some cool stuff. I think people are always more impressed when someone makes something amazing from something much more primitive and hard to work with (kinda like someone who can carve a perfect mobius strip out of a block of solid wood.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveD Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 I'm surprised that this even exists. I mean the audience for this must be pretty limited at best. Then to release it as an iPhone only app? Confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 I'm surprised that this even exists. I mean the audience for this must be pretty limited at best. Then to release it as an iPhone only app? Confusing. My guess it is due to the ease of distribution and relative security against piracy. Just a guess. It is a bit odd though, as I'm sure they'd sell a lot of a computer-formatted version as well. The data from these iPhone apps will no doubt eventually turn up in some other form whether the authors release it that way or not, unfortunately. I have read through the 2600 Magic one (on my iPod touch), and it did help me to better understand many of the concepts that I didn't quite grasp before. It's very well presented, if not extremely in-depth as someone previously pointed out. The Dragster Magic one (that I haven't read, just flipped through) is longer and apparently goes into more depth, even offering assembly code listings, so maybe that's where it fills in some of the technical gaps. Looks like Pitfall! is the next subject they will be releasing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveD Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Yeah, I could see this as a web based subscription sorta thing. Seems to me you'd get a bigger and more targeted audience online. Imagine these lessons being offered through AtariAge! That would be cool and worth subscribing to! It also makes me look into the not so distant future when iPhone emulators are offered and you can browse through these apps on your PC/Mac/Tablet/Chip Implant/Holograph Machine/Color Etch-a-Sketch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ls650 Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 My understanding is that Crane and Kitchen are planning on publishing some new games for the iDevice, and these tutorials were just to get their "feet wet" with programming and development for these devices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoTonah Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Any idea when we can see more of these? Loving 'em! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorien Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Just grabbed both of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcoltrane Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 I'd love to see it on my PC, because I'm not going to buy an iPhone just because of that. Other Activision programmers should join Crane's team to release info about other great Activision games, such as my favorite one H.E.R.O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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