Atari 2600 programming.

[liquidcross]

Hopefully this isn't opening too big of a can of worms...

 

I was thinking of getting into programming my own 2600 games, and/or making hacks of existing ones. I see the PCBs and other components around. What else would I need in order to get started?

 

I know this is a tall order, but any help you guys could offer would be most appreciated.

[OldGuru]

Hi,

Before you get to use the PCBS and other equipment you'll need some assembly language programming skills, a PC that has a text editort, 6502 assembler (DASM is commonly used for that purpose) and an emulator.

You'll need some basic files such as vcs.h and the stella tutorial to figure out how to write your program.

A very good source of information is the Stella mailing list where you can get many of your questions answered by some top notch 2600 programmers.

Once you have your code up and running on the emulator, you should start testing it on the real system. To do that you'll need a standard 4KB PCB and an EPROM. To burn your EPROMS with the code that you just developed, you'll need an EPROM programmer (and UV eraser as well).

At this stage, you'll program your own EPROMS, plug them into the PCB and test them on your console.

There are also 8KB PCB designs available now if your code requires more than 4KB.

If you are looking for a reasonable jump start, you may want to consider looking into a deign kit for the Atari 2600 offered by www.vgwiz.com/products.html. This design kit contains a socketed 4KB PCB with a 4KB EPROM, a socketed 8KB PCB with an 8KB EPROM and a CD containing a design-guide which explains how bank-switching works and sample 4K/8K test code.

I'm now working on a new design that will allow you to develop your code on the PC, download it to a special development cartridge and test it on the real system.

 

Hope that helps,

OG.

[liquidcross]

Ack! Assembly language...the bane of my existence. Do any GUI-based programming tools exist yet? Ones that don't involve poring through line upon line of code.

 

Getting that EPROM programmer's going to be the tough part, as they're rather expensive.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Ack! Assembly language...the bane of my existence. Do any GUI-based programming tools exist yet? Ones that don't involve poring through line upon line of code.

Sorry, but you have to go the hard way. Assembler and nothing but Assembler.

[Nukey Shay]

Assembly language...nothing else. The 2600 simply does not have the resources to use anything else.

And don't even worry about eprom programmers...that's one of the very last steps you need to do, really. With the emulators around, you can use those to test your routines.

 

@OldGuru...

I think that Cafeman has been asking around about you

[+Cafeman]

@OldGuru...

I think that Cafeman has been asking around about you

 

I have? Old Guru and I just talked over at DP.

[Nukey Shay]

Huh...I thought that his name popped up a bit ago. Or maybe I'm just a confused mug?

 

Nevermind

[Nukey Shay]

I must have gotten him confused with Lady Jaye :?

http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=22186

 

No offense, Senior Guru

[Christopher Tumber]

Do any GUI-based programming tools exist yet? Ones that don't involve poring through line upon line of code.

 

No and unlikely to happen any time soon. Atari 2600 code tends to be very task specific and highly optimised. Abstracting it out would introduce serious limitations and you might as well take it one-step further and do a Game Maker type program. The results of which would likely resemble first generation 2600 games.

 

If you need GUI, do yourself a favour and stick to Visual Basic (&etc). There's really no reason to be writing code for classic systems unless you really, really love assembly language (or you're some kind of masochist [smile]).

 

But if really do want to shed the training wheels, the 2600 is actually a really tough way to learn assembly. You might want to consider starting with something like the ViC-20 or Apple II where the CPU is (basically) the same but the hardware is a lot easier to deal with and there's tonnes of documentation. Learning on the 2600 you will be taking on both learning assembly and some pretty unforgiving and esoteric hardware.

 

(That being said, for anyone well versed in asm and particularly if you're used to real-time, cycle count specific IO handling (ie: Vectrex, raster interupts on anything from C64 to Gameboy) the transition to the 2600 is not really as horrible as everyone makes it sound. Going from VB to 2600 though - Ouch!)

 

Since no one's mentioned it, you should join the Stella mailing list at:

 

http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/

 

The mailing list archives are a huge resource as well.

 

Getting that EPROM programmer's going to be the tough part, as they're rather expensive.

 

Not really, well under $100 if you get a used one (ie: eBay).

 

 

Chris...

[EricBall]

I wouldn't recommend the Apple ][ since it had a non-linear graphics memory map. And instead of an EPROM burner, pick up a Supercharger. It will handle 4K carts (as long as you don't read address $FFF8).

[Nukey Shay]

Yup...that's all the space you need to begin with, since larger games are even trickier to make.

[Dan Iacovelli]

I wouldn't recommend the Apple ][ since it had a non-linear graphics memory map.  And instead of an EPROM burner, pick up a Supercharger.  It will handle 4K carts (as long as you don't read address $FFF8).

 

thats my thought exactly eric, it's much easier to burn a cd or make a tape

then burn an eprom.

Also I think someone on the stella list(not sure who) made Java based web site that will let you do playfield and/or player graphics by clicking on the field and pressing a button that will produce a code that you can cut and paste into your source code. I used it it works good. there was also

a gui thing called graphx(or soemthing) that does the same thing.

I would suggest go to the dig site http://www.neonghost.com/the-dig/index.html it should have most of the information you are looking for.

Dan Iacovelli

[Christopher Tumber]

I wouldn't recommend the Apple ][

 

I learned assembly in high school on an Apple IIe...

 

since it had a non-linear graphics memory map.

 

Well, okay, but pretty much everything has some quirk or other and compared to the 2600, Apple's are pretty straightforeward.

 

And instead of an EPROM burner, pick up a Supercharger.  It will handle 4K carts (as long as you don't read address $FFF8).

 

Yeh, the Supercharger is a good way to go. However, if you really get into it, particularly if you plan on ever manufacturing carts, you're going to eventually need an EPROM programmer anyway. So unless you can get a Supercharger cheap you almost might as well go right for the programmer - If you're going to be paying eBay prices for a Supercharger, an EPROM programmer's not a lot more.

 

The Supercharger is really handy for quickly testing stuff though, much more convenient than burning and erasing ROMs. If you're not afraid to spend a little money, getting both is not a bad idea. Even once you get past 4K the Supercharger's still really handy for testing in the early stages of a project, testing new ideas, running chunks of code... (Obviously a Cuttle would be ideal, but...)

 

thats my thought exactly eric, it's much easier to burn a cd or make a tape then burn an eprom.

 

You don't even need to do that much! I plug my Supercharger right into my computer speaker's headphone jack.

 

 

Chris...