The original development platform?

[lord_mike]

I was wondering if any of you guys knew what software/hardware platform was used to compile Atari games at the time of release? For example, the creators of VisiCalc for the Apple II (the first ever spreadsheet program) actually used a DEC PDP minicomputer to assemble, compile, and debug their program with an interesting interface to the Apple II's memory chips to run it. Bill Gates and Paul Allen wrote their first version of the BASIC programing language for the Altair 8800 on a PDP as well using an emulator (without ANY access to the original hardware).

 

I guess i'ts possible that the original developers compiled the assembly language by hand (not entirely imposible to do, but a big pain in the rear), but I would imagine that they had some higher leel computing machinery help...

 

Anyone know the platform that they used? I wonder if they had any tools to help with debugging and what not.... I've looked everywhere and have not found any info that would suggest how the orignal atari developers programmed their software.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[djmips]

Apple II was a relatively common development system. A downloader from the II parallel port to a RAM cart plugged into the 2600. I have used this same technique to cross develop from PC to C64 and Amiga to C64. From MAC to Super Nintendo and MAC to Sega Genesis. These systems were all developed in house and were not terribly difficult to create, it's just a matter of needing them to justify the time and expense.

[supercat]

I was wondering if any of you guys knew what software/hardware platform was used to compile Atari games at the time of release?

 

I exchanged email with Warren Robinett awhile ago; he said Atari used an in-circuit emulator. Such a thing would have made development more convenient than burning EPROMs, except that I would expect it to have been shared among several programmers. Even an ICE would not be as handy as today's emulators, however, because a TV's electron beam won't sit still while stepping through code.

[mos6507]

You have to define 'original'. Coding was taking place on the VCS before the Apple II even came out. Atari did cross-assemble on timeshare systems back in the day and then dumped the results to tape which was then loaded into the breadboard VCS proto almost like loading a 4K ROM into a primitive Supercharger hooked up to a PC.

 

Atari eventually bought their own minicomputers and a lot of development took place on them, at least in coinop (just ask Curt about this--he's archived some of the tapes).

 

The development methods kept evolving over time. In the Tramiel era they used Atari STs. Fox used Atari 800s. Starpath used Apple IIs. Imagic actually wrote some utilitity software for the Atari 800 to help write VCS games. Doug Neubauer built his own custom dev system on an ISA card for the IBM PC. That surely played a big part in his ability to write big games like Solaris.

[mos6507]

several programmers. Even an ICE would not be as handy as today's emulators, however, because a TV's electron beam won't sit still while stepping through code.

 

BTW, VCRs were used to debug graphical glitches. They wouldn't give you the contents of the computer's state, but it was better than nothing.

Edited May 1, 2006 by mos6507