6 replies to this topic

[midnight8]

Forgive me if this has been covered before, but is it possible to use an 800xl or xegs to do any kind of programming for the 2600? and if so where could I find info on it. Only programming I have ever done was several years ago using power basic and power basic for windows and very little borland c++. that has been many years though

[Random Terrain]

midnight8, on Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:43 PM, said:

Forgive me if this has been covered before, but is it possible to use an 800xl or xegs to do any kind of programming for the 2600? and if so where could I find info on it. Only programming I have ever done was several years ago using power basic and power basic for windows and very little borland c++. that has been many years though

Have you checked out batari Basic:

http://bataribasic.com/

It's a BASIC-like language for making Atari 2600 games.


Here is the batari Basic forum:
http://www.atariage....hp?showforum=65


And be sure to check out the new IDE for batari Basic:
http://www.atariage....howtopic=123849

[Nukey Shay]

Cross-assembly would be quicker using a modern computer instead...where it takes just a couple of seconds to save your assembly text file, use Dasm to create the binary from it, and test it on an emulator of your choice. A few seconds longer to use Makewav to pipe a converted .wav of the binary to a Supercharger (or similar method) for machine testing.

If you are referring to executing the actual code on the machine...only in the most basic sense. The 6507 in the VCS uses the same instruction set that other 6502-based computers use (8-bit Atari, Commodore, Apple, etc). Natually, machine-specific addresses that deal with I/O (console input, controller input, sound, and gfx) would be different from platform to platform. It's been mentioned that the code for Arcadia games were developed using an AppleII (to do the assembly and pipe it's binary file out of it's speaker jack to the Supercharger hardware to test it on the actual machine). Also, certian undocumented opcodes' effects may vary from system to system for any program or routine that makes use of them...and the 13-bit address line of the 6507 makes the upper 3 bits of 16-bit addressing irrelivant.

[Wickeycolumbus]

midnight8, on Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:43 PM, said:

Forgive me if this has been covered before, but is it possible to use an 800xl or xegs to do any kind of programming for the 2600? and if so where could I find info on it. Only programming I have ever done was several years ago using power basic and power basic for windows and very little borland c++. that has been many years though

Im sure that it is possible, but it would be really hard. You could probably use a regular assembler for the 800 probably, but you would have to memorize the TIA register Locations, and the only way to test would be to use an ancient, slow EPROM programmer for the 800, and then put the eprom on a cart, which would take like a half hour. Your best bet is to just develop using a regular pc and an emulator.

[midnight8]

Random Terrain, on Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:01 PM, said:

midnight8, on Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:43 PM, said:

Forgive me if this has been covered before, but is it possible to use an 800xl or xegs to do any kind of programming for the 2600? and if so where could I find info on it. Only programming I have ever done was several years ago using power basic and power basic for windows and very little borland c++. that has been many years though

Have you checked out batari Basic:

http://bataribasic.com/

It's a BASIC-like language for making Atari 2600 games.


Here is the batari Basic forum:
http://www.atariage....hp?showforum=65


And be sure to check out the new IDE for batari Basic:
http://www.atariage....howtopic=123849

I have read about that. I just kinda thought it would be fun to do on one of my 8 bit computers.

[batari]

midnight8, on Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:22 PM, said:

I have read about that. I just kinda thought it would be fun to do on one of my 8 bit computers.

I know some 2600 games were developed on 8-bits back in the day, but I don't think it would be that fun.

Nostalgic maybe, but only in the same way that having a tooth pulled without Novocaine is nostalgic of the old days of dentistry.

[midnight8]

batari, on Mon Apr 7, 2008 7:06 PM, said:

midnight8, on Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:22 PM, said:

I have read about that. I just kinda thought it would be fun to do on one of my 8 bit computers.

I know some 2600 games were developed on 8-bits back in the day, but I don't think it would be that fun.

Nostalgic maybe, but only in the same way that having a tooth pulled without Novocaine is nostalgic of the old days of dentistry.

Sounds painful! I will just do some more reading and try my luck on my laptop. Thanks for all your input.