Getting started in writing homebrew software.

[DetectiveOnTheHunt]

It's been a while since I  last posted, but I still lurk around these forums.

 

Anyways, I wanted to start developing video games for old consoles. I have experience in C and Rust, but I would like to program in assembly(My biggest problem with assembly programming is wrapping my head around Hexadecimal). I started with the NES, simply because it seems to have the most documentation. I followed this tutorial for a bit, but it seems like a lot of the links to various required assets are broken. This thread was originally going to be a request for a tutorial similar to FamicomParty. But I wondered if it would be better to start on a different console. What console would you recommend, and what tutorial would be best?

 

Preferably a platform with at least some music making capabilities.

 

 

Edited September 24 by DetectiveOnTheHunt

[CapitanClassic]

It's too broad of a question. What games have you written so far? What kind of game are you interested in making? Why do you want to make games for old consoles?

 

Lots of older consoles have tutorials written for them. Many have frameworks that write all the display logic, anf you only need to write the game code.

[DetectiveOnTheHunt]

1 hour ago, CapitanClassic said:

It's too broad of a question. What games have you written so far? What kind of game are you interested in making? Why do you want to make games for old consoles?

 

Lots of older consoles have tutorials written for them. Many have frameworks that write all the display logic, anf you only need to write the game code.

I've written a pong clone, an infinite runner, and a RISK clone. But I have written plenty of proof of concept systems, such as a basic RPG battle system.

 

I wanted to make a game similar to La-Mulana or Hydra Castle Labrinth.

 

Writing for a low powered device is a great way to learn how hardware works, I feel like limitations will help me keep a project focused. Also, I just like old consoles.

Edited September 24 by DetectiveOnTheHunt

[CapitanClassic]

A side-scrolling platformer might be difficult to pull off on the 2600. You could do individual screens, that display after you move off to the left or right (like Pitfall, or the numerous bBasic games by vhzc)

 

If you want scrolling, the 7800 and the Atari Dev Studio might be a useful tool (ADS supports both bBasic (2600) and 7800Basic, which are frameworks that handle a lot of the display code, where you need only worry about game logic code.)

[DetectiveOnTheHunt]

1 hour ago, CapitanClassic said:

A side-scrolling platformer might be difficult to pull off on the 2600. You could do individual screens, that display after you move off to the left or right (like Pitfall, or the numerous bBasic games by vhzc)

 

If you want scrolling, the 7800 and the Atari Dev Studio might be a useful tool (ADS supports both bBasic (2600) and 7800Basic, which are frameworks that handle a lot of the display code, where you need only worry about game logic code.)

Does the 7800 have a more complex architecture compared to say, the Master System, or NES?

[carlsson]

I believe there are C compilers that generate NES binaries too, if assembly language is a bit hard to chew at a start. Generally, aim for a system that you have feelings towards. I would not recommend anyone who is not already interested in Atari systems, to try to develop for one. They tend to have their own complexities like following the beam, counting drawn pixels or copper lists.

 

The Pong clone, infinite runner and RISK clone, which system(s) were those for?

[DetectiveOnTheHunt]

22 minutes ago, carlsson said:

The Pong clone, infinite runner and RISK clone, which system(s) were those for?

Modern PCs, Using cross platform graphics libraries.

[carlsson]

Anyway, if you're using a cross assembler, you don't have to do as much hexadecimal though most addresses and constants tend to come in that format and are easier to understand as a nybble 0-F always equals four bits grouped together while the decimal notation would be far more cumbersome. I think that should be the least of your worries.

 

If you would consider CC65 for NES and various other 6502 based systems, you'll get rather far in a short period of time. Then you can try to improve parts of the code with your custom assembly language. While it can be fun to piece together the program in assembly language only, it also has a far longer development time.

[DetectiveOnTheHunt]

Thankfully, I already have the CC65 tools. But I have managed to find a tutorial for what I needed: https://www.assemblytutorial.com/