Willsy Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I use notepad++ for everything, but each to their own. It's just what you're familiar with, I suppose. notepad++ has syntax colouring for C/C++ plus a myriad of other languages, and there are also syntax files available for TI assembly language, extended basic and Forth. The assembly language and Forth allow folding of subroutines etc. See the development resources thread, bottom of section 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesD Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I use Notepad++ and have even created custom language highlighting for a couple CPUs. I just wish it had some of the split screen options some other editors I've used have had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lee Stewart Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I use Notepad++ and have even created custom language highlighting for a couple CPUs. I just wish it had some of the split screen options some other editors I've used have had. It does!: View-->Move/Clone Current Document ...unless I miss your point. ...lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willsy Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 It does!: View-->Move/Clone Current Document ...unless I miss your point. ...lee Yeah - I use it all the time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesD Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 The editor I used to use could split the screen left and right, top and bottom, or a combination of the two. For example, I could have the left side of the screen full height but the right side split top and bottom. It was pretty handy for some things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+adamantyr Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Any particular reason why nobody is proposing writing M.U.L.E. in assembly? Without actually sitting down and writing it, I'd guess that Extended BASIC would have enough memory to implement the game, but you'd have to simplify the interface and drop the music and cut scenes. I agree that bitmap is not really necessary. Graphics were not a huge requirement of the game, although the interface that has you moving your player into separate stores would be a challenge to implement in Extended BASIC efficiently. Also, the frequent screen changes would mean you would have to store the game map and redisplay it, something Extended BASIC isn't that good at without using the sluggish DISPLAY AT. The original game was designed for up to four players, which could be tricky on the TI. You'd have to separate reading the two joysticks from the left and right keyboards, or split the keyboard into four sets of keys for each player to use. Does anyone know if there is source code available? I've learned the hard way that re-implementation really requires COMMENTED source code if you want an accurate version. Adamantyr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesD Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 There is a disassembly of the Atari version out there but it has almost no comments through most of the code. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+adamantyr Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 There is a disassembly of the Atari version out there but it has almost no comments through most of the code. Ugh... yeah, I had a partially commented listing of Eastern Front 1941 to work off of... The good part was that it was the original Chris Crawford work, so the variables had sensible names and there was a comment or two which gave you a rough idea of what the code section was doing. The problem was trying to reverse-engineer the algorithms being used, which was really difficult to do. It's kind of like trying to see the forest by assembling all the leaves and branches in a pile to try and assemble a tree. If you can find the disassembly of the Atari version in 6502 code, post a link here. Adamantyr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesD Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I'd start here: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/83483-mule-decompilation/ http://www.worldofmule.net/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hloberg Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 I'd start here: http://www.atariage....-decompilation/ http://www.worldofmule.net/ book marked the 'world of mule' looks like i can get a bunch good info there. thanks, HLO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hloberg Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 (edited) Any particular reason why nobody is proposing writing M.U.L.E. in assembly? Without actually sitting down and writing it, I'd guess that Extended BASIC would have enough memory to implement the game, but you'd have to simplify the interface and drop the music and cut scenes. I agree that bitmap is not really necessary. Graphics were not a huge requirement of the game, although the interface that has you moving your player into separate stores would be a challenge to implement in Extended BASIC efficiently. Also, the frequent screen changes would mean you would have to store the game map and redisplay it, something Extended BASIC isn't that good at without using the sluggish DISPLAY AT. The original game was designed for up to four players, which could be tricky on the TI. You'd have to separate reading the two joysticks from the left and right keyboards, or split the keyboard into four sets of keys for each player to use. Does anyone know if there is source code available? I've learned the hard way that re-implementation really requires COMMENTED source code if you want an accurate version. Adamantyr From my experience with 6502 Atari assembler its not much like the 9900 TI-99 assembler. How the Atari handles video would be the biggest rewrite. The Atari relies a lot on bit-map graphics and the TI on character graphics. The Atari uses DLIs something TI couldn't do easily and has several character sizes to the TI one, only 5 sprites (player/missles) to the TI 32 and video memory access is also very different. Having all said that, someone did manage to do a direct translation of PITFALL! to TI so I guess it could be done. My plan is to do most in 'C' or FORTH and assembler. Your right, XB would only get me about 80% of the way there. I do have a copy of the some notes made by the programmers so that should help. Also, I plan to limit the game to 2 humans and 2 computer (I believe that was the way the C64 had it). Interesting story, i once read that when when the Atari programmers were given a game to translate from another company (arcade, another computer) all Atari ever gave them was the machine (or cartridge) and a copy of the instructions and said 'go to it', which frustrated the programmers to no end since Atari always did have the rights to the code but was too lazy to get it from the source. Edited January 9, 2013 by hloberg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesD Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 book marked the 'world of mule' looks like i can get a bunch good info there. thanks, HLO The disassembly was pointed to by a link in the thread I linked to. The site seems to be offline at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hakogame 箱亀 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Here's some graphics I put together for fun. The map screen is partly based on the NES version of mule, but with the graphics improved and made compatible with the TI video chip. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willsy Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 HI Racoon Lad, is that bitmap mode or character mode? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+retroclouds Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 HI Racoon Lad, is that bitmap mode or character mode? I suppose this is character mode. Raccoon Lad is very talented in doing graphics. He did the Tutankham graphics for me (level maps, sprites and bit-map titlescreen) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sometimes99er Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I suppose this is character mode. Yep, seems to fit character mode. Raccoon Lad is very talented in doing graphics. He did the Tutankham graphics for me (level maps, sprites and bit-map titlescreen) Hmmm, here I thought it was you, retroclouds. Racoon Lad, just into graphics or did you have a TI-99/4A at some point ? Do you program too ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hloberg Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Here's some graphics I put together for fun. The map screen is partly based on the NES version of mule, but with the graphics improved and made compatible with the TI video chip. Wow. Well, now I have a bench mark. If you have a listing or how you created the graphics that would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hloberg Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Here is a guy who has reverse engineered MULE. I downloaded his stuff. http://bringerp.free.fr/RE/index.php5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willsy Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Check out magellan, a nice tool (so I'm told) for designing graphics for the TI VDP chip. Sometimes also has a number of nifty tools for designing sprites, and has a collection of hundreds of fonts an associated tools. Check out section 4 of the utilities thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hloberg Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 (edited) Check out magellan, a nice tool (so I'm told) for designing graphics for the TI VDP chip. Sometimes also has a number of nifty tools for designing sprites, and has a collection of hundreds of fonts an associated tools. Check out section 4 of the utilities thread. Looks to be a broken link. Someone got a copy they could send me. Edited January 11, 2013 by hloberg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+retroclouds Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 (edited) Looks to be a broken link. Someone got a copy they could send me. Hmmm, seems that codex took it down. Here's a link to my (unofficial) updated version. While working on Tutankham I found some bugs in Magellan and I fixed those. Hence the "unoffical" updated version. http://www.atariage....50#entry2302456 Seems that I need to update the Development Resources thread. Crazy how stuff breaks after a while Edited January 11, 2013 by retroclouds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hloberg Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Hmmm, seems that codex took it down. Here's a link to my (unofficial) updated version. While working on Tutankham I found some bugs in Magellan and I fixed those. Hence the "unoffical" updated version. http://www.atariage....50#entry2302456 Seems that I need to update the Development Resources thread. Crazy how stuff breaks after a while Thanks. FYI, also looks like grapefruit is also a broken link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hakogame 箱亀 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Racoon Lad, just into graphics or did you have a TI-99/4A at some point ? Do you program too ? I never had a TI-99/4a, but I have a fondness for the TMS-9918a. Making TI/Coleco/Sg-1000/MSX graphics is fun and challenging, and every so often I get the bug to make art with the 16 colors 2 colors per line / character limitations. I poke me head in here every so often because I love to see people making games. That's probably the main reason I hang around AA is for the homebrew scene. Anyway, for graphics, I use ProMotion. It's kind of expensive for the average user, but I got a copy for free some years back while doing professional game art. When I do tms9918a graphics, I usually just turn on the 8x8 pixel grid, zoom in and try to remember to keep the colors to 2 per character. Here's graphics for the other primary screens in the game. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hakogame 箱亀 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Almost forgot this one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hloberg Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Almost forgot this one. thanks, they look great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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