Gemintronic

Thank you for the update! Yes, I'd love a switch-er-roo to the SD model. I'd love to play around with all the features local, PlusCart cloud and SD storage!

I'd love a PlusCart SD that recognizes the ROM name autorun.bin from the SD card and automatically boots the 2600 with it. This would make the PlusCart a single game with online features. Maybe fever dreamed concepts like an RPG that queries world data from a server. Or, LAN party style action games.

I find that either I'm in a place without Internet or my own service poops itself. So, I make local copies of web based tools. So, at least try and keep the ability to run locally a thing if you could. I suspect it would also make it easy to include in someones full IDE just by launching a local copy.

mksmith was kind enough to entertain my questions about this: So, it's up to the community to figure out how to hack/mod Visual Studio extensions and make a JagStudio specific option. Unfortunately, the people who are keen for an integrated IDE are exactly the same people who do not have the skills to take a stab at it.. at least not yet! Gives me something to aim for.

Not sure if this is already a feature. But, there's a new title screen editor out for Atari 2600 called Splash-O-Matic. Any chance for integration? https://atariage.com/forums/topic/318350-bb-new-tool-for-creating-48-pixel-title-screens-functional-wip/#comments I think with the extra built in utilities VisualbB users are used to present they might convert faster to modern, jawesome tools

For those who would like to have access to this wonderful tool even without Internet you're in luck: Download the source and extract the folder to somewhere useful on your hard drive. Usually you can click on the index.html contained within and your default web browser will pop up with your now local copy of Splash-O-Matic! https://github.com/kirkjerk/splash-o-matic

I appreciate the sanity check Andrew Davie! Re-reading the original question I realize it was more complicated than I thought. Sounds like TNFS is a feature request (which I conflated into not being able to host locally at all.)

Here is my 2021 list of BASIC-like compilers for consoles. Active indicates a compiler with developers that respond to queries and update their work on a regular basis. Inactive means the project is effectively unmaintained. ACTIVE Atari 2600 batariBASIC https://github.com/batari-Basic/batari-Basic/releases SuperCharger BASIC http://relationalframework.com/Atari2600gamesonline.htm Atari 7800 7800bas http://7800.8bitdev.org/index.php/7800basic Atari Jaguar JagStudio https://reboot-games.com/jagstudio/ Sega Genesis SecondBASIC Studio https://www.sbasic.net/ Intellivision IntyBASIC https://nanochess.org/intybasic.html ABANDONED AND/OR INACTIVE Atari 5200 5200bas ABANDONED (This site has archived copy for download) http://sebastianmihai.com/atari-5200-shooting-gallery.html Gameboy Advance DragonBASIC INACTIVE https://github.com/uli/dragonbasic Nintendo DS DS Game Maker (Site that leads to archived copy) https://gbatemp.net/threads/ds-game-maker-free-version-download.429755/ Sega Master System ZX BASIC PORT https://www.smspower.org/forums/12902-ZXBasicForSegaMasterSystem SegaCD BasiEgaXorz (256k games easy. Full games pretty complicated) http://devster.monkeeh.com/sega/basiegaxorz/ Vectrex Galactic Studios BASIC (Requires Vectrex32 cart available via special request) https://vectrex32.com/ Playstation PSX Chipmunk BASIC (Does not create discs or run on unmodded PSX) https://sourceforge.net/projects/psxbasic/files/ MULTI SYSTEM NES, Atari 2600, Gameboy – All consoles require assembly and support is incomplete TRSE https://lemonspawn.com/turbo-rascal-syntax-error-expected-but-begin/downloads/ PSP, Playstation 2, Dreamcast, XBOX BennuGD (Forum link with sub-sections for console ports) https://forum.bennugd.org/index.php/board,80.0.html

What's the status of BasicVision? I try to keep a list of BASIC or BASIC-like compilers for consoles. Thought I should ask as it has been awhile. UPDATE: Answered. Thank you for the scoop!

I thought there was the capability to set up your own nextCloud for local use. Could have sworn I read Andrew Davie saying it was a thing people could do. Not complaining. Just confused. I too would really, really like to use this locally as well as participate in the PlusCart cloud.

You can think of the CPU as an artist with a small set of crayons labeled player0, player1, missile0, missile1, ball and playfield. The artist can only draw by dragging a crayon line by line across the paper. When he reaches the far end of the page he can go down a row and start draggin' those crayons again. To further constrain him each crayon can only be dragged so far. So, if he runs out of player0 crayon he must choose another available crayon for a longer run. Any other action by the artist makes the crayon stop dragging BUT the next place he could draw still moves across the page. That includes the thought process to switch crayons. The bB score kernel switches between player0 and player1 to get 6 digits. It also needs to start drawing the score as close to the center as possible. All this requires the CPUs full attention before even trying to process game logic. This is a bad explanation by someone who doesn't understand what he's talking about. Should check out this book: https://www.amazon.com/Racing-Beam-Computer-Platform-Studies/dp/026201257X More accurate description here: https://atariage.com/forums/topic/32481-session-21-sprites/

There are still tools inside the VisualbB IDE that Atari Dev Studio doesn't yet have. So, I keep finding ways to run VisualbB. Running through WINE is possible but a pain in the ASCII. You might try Virtualbox. Make a virtual Windows 7 machine and dedicate it to VisualbB and Stella. There's a seamless mode that makes it look like VisualbB is running like any other app. I realize it's yet another thing to learn how to use.. but, it's the only working solution now and in the future. https://www.virtualbox.org/

I don't get it. Same compliments. Same complaints. Website from the 90's. We all know this and still get into Internet fights over it.

The far left and right columns of the score font can sometimes bleed into other digits. It's a safety padding thing

To be safe I always keep my score related math to: "score = score + var" or "score = score - var". Basically, perform your more complicated math on var beforehand.

I just revisited the English patched Phoenix and it's faster and less crashy than in previous years. That being said, Virtual Jaguar is the standard in Jag emulation.

I wouldn't mind a PaperCart that actually loads the ROM into your real 2600. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk6jVk7t4i4 Digital download would be taking a photo of a QR code. Or, even neater: buying a pack of trading cards with games on them

//** FAKTS **/ RCA Studio II is better than both Jaguar and Saturn: * 1802 is greater than 64 or 32 * More buttons on the console than Jaguar or Saturn joysticks * CPU is rated at 1.78megabtyes which when multiplied by 8 is another number. * Combined 512 memory for both display and cloud computing. * Hard coded to only work with RCA TVs. None of this PAL60 nonsense! * Impossible to pirate with time tested “security through obscurity” technology

THANK YOU very much for your work. I'd very much like to use my MiSTer with 7800bas. My PC and MiSTer are literally a matter of feet from eachother!

There are people who take pirating very seriously. Also, repro makers who think less than zero about a developers effort: they think they are performing some sort of justice by selling others work. Even this month I've had people contact me trying to get digital copies of small, limited release titles. These aren't normal retro enthusiasts. These are people who want their "crew" to be the first with the most r4r3 releases. From there unaware people buy eBay repros and wander random download sites to find games never meant to be published in such a way.

I think that goes for game dev in general. Unless you want to sell your soul to EA or Zynga types.

I guess the real question is: how do you incentivize a developer to enhance existing emulators or make a new one?

Probably back to the piracy issue. I've tried to convince Paulo to add encryption to Javatari but I'm my charisma stat is busted My "party favors" are on Itch: https://theloon.itch.io/ ..and, I agree. I think most retro enthusiasts purchase digital downloads as a "thank you". Since many of my games are already in ROM packs I know it's entirely optional.

The compromise is to use the pfheights kernel option to shrink and grow playfield row heights. So, you can use smaller rows for text and larger rows for areas that don't need detail like buildings or the sky.

My experience with digital downloads is that they are a very hard sell even at $2.00. Digital downloads also kill sales of physical carts. I am trying digital downloads for small games that don't take 6 months to make. Maybe small steps are needed for both developers and retro gamers.