How can I make source file of the game from atari ?

[Volt3r]

How can I make source file of the game from atari ?

[Nukey Shay]

Through a lotta sweat and patience.

 

While it's easy to make a straight disassembly (by just running a disassembler and loading the binary file), to re-create a source code you would have to track down jump destinations (turn them into labels), Ram addresses (turn them into variables) and tables (labels again). OS locations would also need to be changed to their names, if you want to be able to port the code from 8-bit to 5200 or visa-versa (at least this step is often done by the disassembler). The whole idea of source code is to be able to take the program and put it anywhere you want (or add more to it) and still have it function. This is impossible as long as there are parts that are "set in stone" so to speak.

 

This makes re-creating source code more difficult than coding the actual game at times.

 

In short--

-Whenever you see JMP or JSR, change the address to a label (and put the label at the destination)

-Wherever you see a "write" instruction, change it into a variable.

-Wherever you see a "read" instruction, change it into a label (except if it conflicts with the second step...which would take priority).