30th Anniversary tribute using Batari BASIC

[+atari2600land]

I'm trying to make a version of Combat using Batari Basic, and there's this weird thing that goes on. If you put in line 3:

3 set kernel_options no_blank_lines

player0 can't fire, but if you take it out, player0 can fire. What's the problem here?

combatari.bas

Edited September 23, 2006 by atari2600land

[SeaGtGruff]

I'm trying to make a version of Combat using Batari Basic, and there's this weird thing that goes on. If you put in line 3:

3 set kernel_options no_blank_lines

player0 can't fire, but if you take it out, player0 can fire. What's the problem here?

If you use no_blank_lines, you lose missile0. That is how batari designed it. There is only so much time that you can do things on the 2600, and if you want to add one option to the kernel, you may need to lose another option due to timing restraints. Adding the no_blank_lines option uses the time cycles that would otherwise be used for drawing missile0. If you have the 0.99b patch (which we're all calling 0.99c), there should be a patchdox.txt file that came with it. That document tells you which features you lose if you use one of the new options, and it says "no_blank_lines - no gaps in PF blocks. Cost: loss of missile0."

 

MR

[+atari2600land]

What I'm trying to do here (and hopefully I'll get some help with this) is trying to recreate all the 1977 Atari 2600 games on Batari BASIC. Of course, I'm not going to sell them because I'm trying to go with some degree of accuracy. Here's what I have with Combat (or "Combatari") so far. You'll have to change the score_graphics2.txt file to an ASM file (in Notepad, just click "save as" and add an .asm to the end of the file name. There are some shooting issues with player1, which I'd also like help with. So, what do you think of my idea?

combatari3.bas.bin

combatari3.bas

score_graphics2.txt

[SeaGtGruff]

What I'm trying to do here (and hopefully I'll get some help with this) is trying to recreate all the 1977 Atari 2600 games on Batari BASIC. Of course, I'm not going to sell them because I'm trying to go with some degree of accuracy. Here's what I have with Combat (or "Combatari") so far. You'll have to change the score_graphics2.txt file to an ASM file (in Notepad, just click "save as" and add an .asm to the end of the file name. There are some shooting issues with player1, which I'd also like help with. So, what do you think of my idea?

It's an ambitious idea. If you want Combatari to be more accurate (more faithful to the original), you'll need to work out a way to move the tanks by steering them-- up to move forward, down to back up, left to rotate toward the left, and right to rotate toward the right. I can't help you with that right now, but hopefully someone else can. Anyway, it looks pretty good so far, especially the way you've modified the score to show both the left player's and right player's scores. But you might want to do something different with the playfield, like drawing buildings or walls that the tanks have to move around, or can hide behind. And the tanks' missiles should either be stopped by the obstacles, or bounce off. Is that what you meant by "some shooting issues"?

 

MR

Edited September 22, 2006 by SeaGtGruff

[+atari2600land]

After playing the original and then this, I think I like my idea of steering better. What I meant by shooting issues is that sometimes player1's shots stop when player0 fires & player1 can't fire for a little bit after player0 fires, and I think there's a couple more problems that I don't know about player1 yet.

Edited September 22, 2006 by atari2600land

[Piggles]

I suggest you check out spin16.bas, one of the demo programs for batari basic for an example on implementing diagonal movement and diagonal fire in the combat game.