dalves Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I've recently started getting into programming again. I've started out using batari Basic and VirtualbB. These programs have helped me get game building in a short amount of time. That said, I grew up owning an Intellivision and that is the system I want to make games for. I've downloaded intyBasic SDK but find I am very lost in trying to learn the basics to program an Intellivision game and even just how to work with intyBasic SDK. I've been trying to grab shared code to learn from that but it has been very slow in going. I was wondering if there is any information that someone can point me to help me learn more about the code and how it needs to be written? I would like to learn, but it seems like starter resources for intyBasic are hard to find. Thanks for any help. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Have you tried the IntyBASIC SDK :- http://atariage.com/forums/topic/240526-introducing-the-intybasic-sdk/ There is also an IntyBASIC programming contest that you might like to enter :- http://atariage.com/forums/topic/240012-intybasic-programming-contest-rules/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalves Posted August 19, 2015 Author Share Posted August 19, 2015 I do have intyBasic SDK installed. I guess what I was hoping to find was like batari Basic has at the link below. Perhaps this is more starter information out there than I am finding. I'm just trying to find more detailed information on the commands and syntax needed for intyBasic. I know I'll have to do some fumbling around in the dark to find my way, but strangely enough after working with batari Basic and VisualbB, I feel very lost with intyBasic. http://www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-batari-basic-commands.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 (edited) Have you looked in ..\My Documents\IntyBASIC SDK\Documents? In there you can find :- "IntyBASIC Manual (En).txt" - lists all the BASIC commands. "IntyBASIC SDK Tools Usage Guide.rtf" - Tools usage guide. There are also several examples in :- ..\My Documents\IntyBASIC SDK\Examples ..\My Documents\IntyBASIC SDK\Contributions (these are a tending towards full games) Edit: I am also planning to run a tutorial series for the [programming contest. It was supposed to start a few weeks ago but didn't . The first instalment should drop out soon (hopefully). Edited August 19, 2015 by GroovyBee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalves Posted August 19, 2015 Author Share Posted August 19, 2015 Thanks for the info. Apparently I was so eager to jump right in that I must have missed the manual with the basic commands. I'll check that out when I get home tonight. Hopefully I can learn enough to start programming soon. Entering a game into the contest sounds great, but we'll have to see if I can put together something worth while before the deadline. I'm sure I have more stupid newbie questions, but I'll see what I can find out on my own before asking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freewheel Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Take a good read of the manual, and look at the smaller sample programs. Maybe try just modifying those and see what they do. Once you can draw a sprite to the screen and move it around, everything else starts to fall into place. There's a LOT to cover in the latest versions of IntyBASIC - I totally understand where you're coming from. It would be nice to have a simple tutorial that explains the simple commands first, and leaves the rest as "advanced" stuff. The language has a lot of substance to it and a lot of it is pretty complex when you're first starting. Simple and essential commands: CLS WAIT DATA and DEFINE SPRITE PRINT GOTO If you can get those under your belt, you should be able to do "something" useful (so long as you understand things like x=x+1 and whatnot). Then build on that with IF/THEN/ELSE, GOSUB/RETURN/END, FOR/NEXT, etc (most of this should be familiar if you've used any other BASIC). Controller input is what I'd do after that.Things like SCREEN and MUSIC and SOUND will come in time, but you don't need them to get a game started. And the fancier stuff... much of that is new language features and it's all useful, but only a year ago I was making some fairly complex games without half of what exists in the current language definition. The really tricky part is learning all of the register values you need to set in something like SPRITE, and there are helpful CONST definitions for you. I learned the hard way - I just took the samples and slowly figured out what they all mean. But feel free to ask about anything, folks here are extremely helpful and trust me: there ARE no stupid newbie questions. Just questions we've all asked 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the info. Apparently I was so eager to jump right in that I must have missed the manual with the basic commands. I'll check that out when I get home tonight. Hopefully I can learn enough to start programming soon. Entering a game into the contest sounds great, but we'll have to see if I can put together something worth while before the deadline. Hi, dalves, and welcome! I also recommend you take a look at the "Inty-B Intro" demo. You can find it in the "Tutorials" folder within the "Documents" folder of the SDK. This is a nice presentation that showcases some of the most commonly used features of the Intellivision, such as displaying text, changing colours, drawing on the screen, and displaying and moving sprites around. Rather than on a video, the presentation was composed as a short IntyBASIC program itself, and it comes with fully commented source so that you can peek behind the magic. I'm sure the Inty-B Intro will give you some ideas as to the capabilities of the Intellivision and the code should provide some guidance as to how to go about getting things done. Of course, there's plenty of short and simple programs in the "Examples" folder that demonstrate one particular feature or another; and the "Contributions" folder contains full-fledged games donated by members of the community, all with full source. Then again, if you get stuck or have a question, do not hesitate to come and ask here. We're all happy to help. The only thing we ask is that you at least give it some effort: make sure to check the manual -- or at least skim through it for instruction on how to use a particular command -- and try it first. I'm sure I have more stupid newbie questions, but I'll see what I can find out on my own before asking. That's the spirit! Remember that there are no stupid newbie questions. P.S. Keep an eye out for the on-line tutorials series that are coming soon. I think GroovyBee is just waiting for me to complete the new version of the SDK. It's coming, I swear! Edited August 20, 2015 by DZ-Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 P.S. Keep an eye out for the on-line tutorials series that are coming soon. I think GroovyBee is just waiting for me to complete the new version of the SDK. It's coming, I swear! Yep! Plus I need to get busy and draw some images to go with the text I have so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalves Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) Thanks for being willing to help a newbie. I work in customer service and I feel there are stupid questions. They are the ones that you can find the answers to yourself with just a bit of research. That said, I have to swallow my pride and ask a few. Please feel free to add a dope slap for me after your response... Looking at the commands and syntax in the manual I realize that it is very similar to the Basic I used to write years ago. So I feel I should be able to get a workable game in short time. My questions are more about using the intyBasic SDK program itself. (Here is where the stupid questions come in) When I run the Command Console I get the following: Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2006] <C> Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp. C:\Documents and Settings\Derek\My Documents\IntyBASIC SDK> Stupid question #1a: I'm assuming I need to get out of the "C:\Documents" line in order to start programming as no matter what I type while that propt is showing comes back as an invalid command. "CLS" will clear the screen, but comes back with the "C:\Documents" propt. Stupid Question #1b: Are there simple commands to save my program code, run the existing program, import the code for an included example? I'm sure there are, but something I've obviously missed. Trust me, as I am typing this, I am hanging my head in shame. The manual has a lot of information and I'm sure in my haste to get creating, I am missing some of the basic information to get going. Any guidance you can provide would be appreciated, even if it's "Look in this area of the manual." Edited August 20, 2015 by dalves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Do you have a favourite editor in which to write the code for your project's *.bas files? Something like Notepad++, Eclipse, UltraEdit or even Windows built in Notepad will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalves Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 I would probably use Notepad to start. So apparently I'm not supposed to type my program code directly into the intyBasic SDK Command Console? (The dunce cap is getting bigger...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I would probably use Notepad to start. So apparently I'm not supposed to type my program code directly into the intyBasic SDK Command Console? (The dunce cap is getting bigger...) LOL! No worries. I suggest you take a look at the SDK Usage Guide (in the "Documents" folder of the SDK) for information. The IntyBASIC SDK is not an "Integrated Development Environment" (IDE) like BatariBASIC or VisualStudio, but a set of command-line tools. They run like old "DOS" programs, where you type in commands to compile and run your programs. This may change in the future, but for the moment it's just such a primitive system. The "SDK Command Console" is nothing more than a regular Windows/DOS command prompt that conveniently starts in the SDK installation folder, so everything is close by and convenient. As GroovyBee suggested, start with your favourite text editor. You can use the INTYNEW tool to create a new project, then use Notepad or any other editor to edit the initial program file created for your project. So you'll probably have to keep the command console and the editor opened side-by-side, one to edit code, the other to compile and run. Does this make sense? Again, I refer you to the Usage Guide for more information on what tools are available, what they do, and how to use them. P.S. I used to work in customer service a long, long time ago. We used to say, "there are no stupid questions, only stupid people asking them." (Just kidding!) dZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalves Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 Thanks for the help... and as for the "Stupid people" line DZ, I resemble that remark. I knew I saw a list of "inty" commands before but didn't see them in the user guide when I looked. It was from another post that I found this morning. Below were the commands that were listed. I had used the INTYNEW command a couple days ago to create a new project, but didn't realize I would then open it up in Notepad to enter code. I'm assuming this is a list of the main commands to use within intyBasic SDK to get going? INTYNEW INTYBUILD INTYRUN INTYDBUG INTYTEST INTYEXEC Again, thanks for all the information and help. I'm hoping I'll be able to contribute something positive in the near future. I was even thinking once I have a better idea what I'm doing, maybe I should make a "Getting Started" video for the other newbies to help cut down on the stupid questions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Yes, that is the list. All of them are described in the "IntyBASIC SDK Usage Guide" document. There should also be a shortcut to it from the Start Menu group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Now I'm almost tempted to see what it'd take to make an INTYDIRECT batch file that takes 1 line of code - probably a PRINT or a POKE - which it then compiles and assembles and starts the emulator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalves Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 Thanks DZ. This is why I need to put these programs on a laptop and bring them to work. So I can do my investigating while getting paid. Looking forward to getting home tonight and try some stuff out. 4 day weekend coming up so hopefully I can get something done. Thanks again for all your help and insight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Now I'm almost tempted to see what it'd take to make an INTYDIRECT batch file that takes 1 line of code - probably a PRINT or a POKE - which it then compiles and assembles and starts the emulator. How about an INTYMAKECOOLGAME command that automatically makes a new project, writes a cool game, compiles it, and runs it? With the new RANDOM function we could have it make new cool games every time it runs! dZ. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 How about an INTYMAKECOOLGAME command that automatically makes a new project, writes a cool game, compiles it, and runs it? Read the insanity that was the NES ROM maker maker maker :- http://atariage.com/forums/topic/161545-if-the-powerpak-will-work-on-an-nes-emulator-it-will-work-on-an-noac-clone/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Read the insanity that was the NES ROM maker maker maker :- http://atariage.com/forums/topic/161545-if-the-powerpak-will-work-on-an-nes-emulator-it-will-work-on-an-noac-clone/ Hmm... He does has a point. Nanochess could you please make a Kiwi Colecovision Game-> Kiwi Intellivision Game convertor. I don't feel like writing code, redoing the graphics, and other things to make my games work on Intellivision due to my lack of attention span and my super crippling laziness. Could you write automatic sprite multiplexer routines if my Colecovision games uses more than 8 sprites? I'm sure the hardware acceleration provided on the cartridge can run my horribly complicated box collusion detection routine that would bring the Intellivision CPU to it knee. Thank you in advance. I'm only kidding. That thread is pure gold. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Well, if you write out all the 0's and 1's in the binary code that makes up for e.g. an Intellivision game, you will get one long binary string. It could be represented in decimal instead, which means every program will equal an unique, yet very large integer number. If only INTYMAKECOOLGAME has a heuristic method for constructing that large integer number based on a smaller random seed, you will have your instant game maker! (I'm both serious and joking at the same time) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalves Posted August 21, 2015 Author Share Posted August 21, 2015 Hey guys, hopefully one last stupid question. (And I'm sorry to be a pain in the ass) Does anyone have examples of how the "INTY" commands need to be written out. Other than INTYNEW I haven't gotten anything else to work. I'm almost positive it is my error but I'd like to be sure. I also can't get jzintv to launch either and again I'm not sure if it's something I'm doing wrong. I get an error saying that jzintv cannot find the SDL.dll even though the .dll file is right next to it in the folder. I use Nostalgia and MESS as my emulators most of the time. I downloaded a Colecovision emulator recently that shanghied a bunch of ROMs and I just want to be sure there isn't a conflict here. Again, sorry to be a pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Hey guys, hopefully one last stupid question. (And I'm sorry to be a pain in the ass) Does anyone have examples of how the "INTY" commands need to be written out. Other than INTYNEW I haven't gotten anything else to work. I'm almost positive it is my error but I'd like to be sure. Have you looked at "..\My Documents\IntyBASIC SDK\Documents\IntyBASIC SDK Tools Usage Guide.rtf"? All the INTYxxx commands are documented in there. I also can't get jzintv to launch either and again I'm not sure if it's something I'm doing wrong. I get an error saying that jzintv cannot find the SDL.dll even though the .dll file is right next to it in the folder. I use Nostalgia and MESS as my emulators most of the time. I downloaded a Colecovision emulator recently that shanghied a bunch of ROMs and I just want to be sure there isn't a conflict here. Use Windows Explorer to find all the instances of SDL.dll on your machine. Rename all of them to SDL.dll.old, apart from the one in the IntyBASIC SDK and try to launch the emulator again. If it works then you potentially have a problem in your PATH environment variable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Hey guys, hopefully one last stupid question. (And I'm sorry to be a pain in the ass) Does anyone have examples of how the "INTY" commands need to be written out. Other than INTYNEW I haven't gotten anything else to work. I'm almost positive it is my error but I'd like to be sure. I also can't get jzintv to launch either and again I'm not sure if it's something I'm doing wrong. I get an error saying that jzintv cannot find the SDL.dll even though the .dll file is right next to it in the folder. I use Nostalgia and MESS as my emulators most of the time. I downloaded a Colecovision emulator recently that shanghied a bunch of ROMs and I just want to be sure there isn't a conflict here. Again, sorry to be a pain. The SDL.dll should have been registered during the SDK installation. Did you go through the installation process successfully? Also, everything you need to know about the INTY tools is in the "IntyBASIC SDK Tools Usage Guide" document which should be in the "Documents" folder of the SDK. Also, there is a shortcut to it from the Start Menu. You're not being a pain at all, we're glad to help; but if you don't check out the "IntyBASIC SDK Tools Usage Guide" there is little we can do. dZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Use Windows Explorer to find all the instances of SDL.dll on your machine. Rename all of them to SDL.dll.old, apart from the one in the IntyBASIC SDK and try to launch the emulator again. If it works then you potentially have a problem in your PATH environment variable. Also, open the "SDK Command Console" and type "set" and hit <ENTER>. You should see a list of environment variables. Please post here the output so that we may verify the settings of the SDK. The variables of interest are: PATH and INTYBASIC_INSTALL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalves Posted August 21, 2015 Author Share Posted August 21, 2015 I have read the Usage Guide and that is why I was wondering if I was still doing something wrong. Here's a brief description of the test I'm running. I open intyBasic SDK. I type INTYNEW Test, which creates a Test folder in the projects folder. I open up the Test.bas with Notepad then copy and paste the working code from one of the "Controbution" .bas files. I save the Test.bas file and then in the Command Console type INTYBUILD Test "Quick Test" and hit enter. I then get the error below. IntyBASIC Build Script (INTYBUILD.BAT) Created by: DZ-Jay Last updated: 07/13/2015The system cannot execute the specified program.IntyBASIC compilation failed.Program build aborted. DZ, below is the set information you asked for. INTYBASIC_INSTALL=C:\Documents and Settings\Derek\My Documents\IntyBASIC SDK Path=C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Oracle\Java\javapath;% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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