wonderdog

Hi guys, I'm no stranger to programming computers, but I have no idea how to begin working on games for the atari. I don't want to invest quite yet in an EPROM burner/eraser, but I would like to try my hand at coding in conjunction with an emulator to see if I really want to get involved with it. Can anyone point me in the direction I need to go? Is there an API for the Atari? I'm assuming it uses some version of BASIC, but I just don't know where to start. -TC

Hi everyone, I have a Vader 2600 and it has some interesting display issues. I'm not completely sure my carts. aren't the source of the problem, but the distortion is fairly consistent with several different games. The problem occurs on the left side of the screen, and it's usually manifested by a series of horizontal lines that more or less line up with parts of the play screen (such as Ms. Pacman or Frogger). Other games are distorted/blurry or have large segments of the screen shifted to the right (such as Asteroids or Stampede). I'm aware that the 2600 is infamous for it's lack of sharpness, but I feel some of these issues represent problems with the system itself. Also, nearly all of the games, even those that don't suffer from some kind of scrambling, display off center, shifted to the right. I'm not above replacing the deck (in fact, please tell me if you have one), nor am I afraid to attempt a repair. I simply want to get some advice before I spend money or rip it open. So, anyone have any advice? -TC