Xenomech

When it comes to programming for the Atari 2600, I think it's safe to say that there definitely are no dumb questions -- even the simplest thing can be extremely difficult to figure out. Just for reference, here's a quote from the Stella Programmer's Guide: Really, the simplest and most straight-forward way to implement horizontal movement is to implement the SetHorizPos subroutine that Kiwi mentioned above. Lots of people use that subroutine (or a variation thereof).

Thanks! I'll definitely check it out.

Hello. I used to have a 2600 when I was a kid, and have many great memories playing it for hours on end. As a .NET programmer in adult life, I read Racing the Beam a few years ago (which was great!) and figured I'd finally give programming hardware that's as old as I am a shot. I've spent the past month reading up on Atari 2600 programming, mostly following Andrew Davie's great (if sometimes buggy) tutorials. I've attached my first Atari 2600 program. I coded it all by hand in assembler (no batari Basic for me -- I wanted as raw an experience as possible). All it does is display a Canada flag on the screen, but I feel it's an achievement given the arcane intricacies and complexities involved in Atari 2600 programming -- it's all so very different from the modern programming I'm used to. I hope to continue to learn how to tame this ancient beast to do my will, with the ultimate goal being the creation of a simple, two player game (probably spaceships shooting each other or something). canflag0.zip