Mr SQL

Saw another awesome Chess game for the VCS on this thread and played it last night - both are tremendously inspiring:

Awesome NanoChess! I just saw this version linked from Andrews thread last night and I played a game on the SuperCharger - Feedback: Amazingly impressive engine for 1K with a rocking display! The orange is solid on my CRT, the white flickers a bit but is tolerable - you could lower the flicker further with a grey further to the left on RT's NTSC color chart for the white pieces. I would love to see what you could do just filling the remaining 4K or 6K for the SuperCharger with one of your more powerful Chess Engines - I think that you could beat the engine in Video Chess and still stay within 4K 😎 I like the black screen between moves - CRT shows a true black (and true sunlight) where other displays fail and this is creatively refreshing like the colorful mood ring effect in Video Chess and Andrews colorful Chess language effects for Chess fighters. I love Chess and this implementation is tremendously inspiring - I've created a Chess folder on my Ipod for the SuperCharger and on my Harmony cart to hold multiple Atari Chess games, like the Defender and Pacmen genre folders where the fun is multiplied by the number of versions and creative implementations available for Players Github Note: Github is confusing even for some old programmers (like me) - I had trouble navigating to find the SuperCharger version with the venetian blinds; Github presents an older version I didn't want when I opened the page initially and I had to go back and drill down.

Awesome post! When a programmer is inspired to add a cool feature or a creative interpretation to an Atari 2600 game, it really shows and the game shines when you play it - Defender II is awesome but Defender shines with it's outrageous orange and blue building scene and colorful laser bursts instead of the mountain range from the arcade and the alternate greyscale palette, you can tell the programmer was inspired and feel the creativity playing the game. Space Game is similarly inspiring, because it is different. Video Chess is another awesome example - the 70's mood ring "endless screens of color" effect the programmers added coupled with a decent engine make the game shine. Andrews recent excellent Chess game shows similar inspiration with the creative addition of "endless colorful language" and the atarivox peripheral. Use of peripherals is inspiring on it's own because it conjures imagery of 300 baud modems, dot matrix printers and disc drives, and the expansion module.

I stand corrected on the 34K limit, that's only when using a traditional SuperCharger. 9 MB of BASIC can fit in a single Atari 2600 binary on the UnoCart - that's 34*256 for Jag fans doing math, and a Jag sized BASIC game! The UNO Cart get's the prize for Monster BASIC Architecture beating even 64K and 512K DPC+ BASIC by enabling 9 MB of BASIC in their expanded SuperCharger format beyond Harmony capabilities. BASIC is so compact that even 10 lines of code can comprise a great game and while I prefer classic hardware limitations I'm looking forward to seeing multi megabyte BASIC games emerge via the new capabilities for SuperCharging the SuperCharger present in the UNO Cart.

LOL Al I was posting this issue, and saw it was your last upgrade comment... 😄 In some browsers there's no way to turn off that request prompt asking if anyone actually wants more pop-up prompts, but the answer is that nobody ever does, please turn that feature off or make it user selectable; automatic brwoser pop-ups should never happen unless the Player actually clicks on something in the game/page. https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/18/18716041/website-notification-prompts-pop-ups-how-to-stop

That's pretty cool - I remember a feature on the Color Computer being described like that except a command still had to be typed - "DOS" which made it not a self-boot.

Cool thread - I think with discs there was a gap between the ease of play plugging in a cartridge but not so with already familiar cassette Tapes also called cartridges. Both Atari and Commodore were pretty clever turning a Tape recorder into a dedicated expansion device with qualities more like a Cart and less like a Tape player. A disc has a "cartridge" over it too but fails to meet the euphamism for requiring cryptic computer knowledge of commands and symbols just to access the programs on it rather than simply plugging the cartridge in, or plugging a tape cartridge in and pressing a key that instructs you to press Play. Some cartridges, like the Scott Adams adventures for the VIC-20 feel less like cartridges than the auto-loading cassettes do for requiring a cryptic SYS command to a specific address to launch the game program instead of starting right up when you plug the cartridge in.

How much K is there in BASIC? discussion thread... The VIC-20 advertisments cultivated the identity of this 5K Home Computer as a user programmable Atari 2600. Sure enough Microsoft BASIC was awsome and colorful and relatively roomy at 5K, but the BASIC games all fell short of the amazing 2K and 4K Atari 2600 games that kept being released, why did we have to use ML instead? (ML = Machine Language games) More details on the updated BASIC Fx programming thread here including a previously unreleased Sillyventure Breakout Laserbeams ROM with 5K more BASIC! This thread is for related discussion on how much BASIC can fit in the SuperCharger - Turns out 34K is the maximum size BASIC listing for a SuperCharger game. The SuperCharger only has 6K but we can fit 34K of BASIC into it using SuperCharger BASIC which is specially optimized to fit maximum BASIC into the SuperCharger. Primer - how compiled BASIC programs get compressed into a much smaller binary when the game ROM is created Compiled BASIC programs are much smaller than their BASIC listing because there is no intrepreter overhead required to hold the uncompiled BASIC listing like there is with the Atari 400/800, VIC and other Home Computers with interpreted BASIC's. BASIC discussion - what is the maximum size bB program that will fit in the SuperCharger? I would bet this would be close to 2/3 the SuperCharger BASIC capacity or 24K for not using the third bank, but there was at least one specially modified bB program that did use the extra 2K bank, curious what the filesize on the BASIC listing for that game is and if it filled the 3rd bank to capacity. It would also be interesting to see a dedicated SuperCharger kernel for bB, I think this has been requested before and I would be glad to help with ideas and source code from SuperCharger BASIC if anyone has an interest. SuperCharger BASIC is also close enough bB users can comfortable use it to create a maximum size SuperCharger game with enhanced performance via double gameloops - SuperCharger BASIC expands the concept of having a BASIC gameloop for each vertical blank to double the processing power available to BASIC.

Great question Preppie! Stella is an excellent Atari 2600 emulator for windows that will run the breakout, you can also run the game online at http://javatari.org/ Note: If you use the online 2600 emulator or Stella, make sure to go full screen after loading the ROM so you don't see mixed Hz on the screen. If you have a real 2600 you can put the BIN on a multicart or load the .wav audio file into an old school SuperCharger flashcart from cassette tape or your iPhone. I forgot to share the .wav, here it is if you have the SuperCharger. The SuperCharger is a 6K RAM board that loads from an audio cassette recorder like the RAM board for the 1975 Altair which enabled Microsoft BASIC and BASIC programs to be loaded from tape. Because this BASIC is compiled there is no BASIC interpreter which allows a lot more room for the game code. The BASIC program listing is 32K which is pretty big for a BASIC program (and the maximum size) but compiles to a 6K binary. Just saw your demo as I was responding - really cool 8-way scrolling demo, looking forward to seeing this one! BRKOUT2002.wav

Yes totally agree - I played a few rounds last night and this morning, also something about the missiles, they feel more like missiles in the Atari version. Gauntlet was also better than the C64 renditions for similar reasons. I love having both versions of them though and the SID gets the treasure room melody right. I had the atr version of Archon II working without needing the R16 recoding, but I didn't care for this sequel as much on either the Atari or the C64; the original Archon feels more like the Star Wars Chess game the Wookie played with C3P0 on the Millenium Falcon. I'd like to check out the other Archon sequels and homebrews too if someone has a link for them

Awesome post Bunsen! I love seeing the different versions of games on all the different systems particularly when the ports are different; fitting something into 10 lines virtually guarantees the port will have them and often more abstracted differences too which makes them really interesting to play and enjoy. Another fun BREAKOUT that is different - Here's an Atari 2600 SuperCharger BASIC program to share that would have been in the Wild category - this breakout is a demo, and also a game and well, it's different... I'm sure everyone on this thread will enjoy it 😎 This program is not written using the old-school mode where SuperCharger BASIC works just like classic BASIC, there are a few interesting differences: if you check out the listing you will see there are two gameloops, one for each vertical blank - why? For twice as much BASIC power on the VCS because it programs a TV! The Atari 2600 has no ANTIC just CTIA (with no c even) so it must program the TV screen directly. Wait - there's a third gameloop too. Yes this BREAKOUT has 3 gameloops for BASIC, the third one is called the "kitchen sink" because it steals an entire frame and surfaces a larger processing time for the 3rd gameloop where more magic happens, in this fun breakout There's also a Chiptunes section for the tracker-sequencer with soft-synth Fx the BASIC has. https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=84257 https://www.pouet.net/prod_nfo.php?which=84257 Extra features - ASCII art GUI designers for BASIC: There is also the ability to draw the large panoramic BITMAP with ASCII art and the sprites too! The SuperCharger has unique capability not present if recompiling as Flashback BASIC - it can provide an extra BITMAP image initially via "static RAM" like properties. The contest version features an extra initial mega-board via this feature. Here's some more fun with classic BASIC from bitd where I wrote an article teaching folks how to add ASCII art GUI designers to BASIC - in the 80's Using ASCII Art designers in BASIC; the editor becomes an IDE: https://archive.org/details/rainbowmagazine-1989-11/page/n38 And also the ability to add digitized sound clips and resequence them in BASIC Here's the BREAKOUT 2002 official contest version ROM binary and WAV from SillyVenture, the unreleased attached version of the BREAKOUT has a slightly different ball and invisible rows that was also interesting; I don't know where that code branch is, but I have the binary to share here! The attached BASIC listing, is for the contest version. Hope everyone enjoys this BREAKOUT, the previously unreleased variation, and the fun BASIC listing! My other entry for SillyVenture 2019 will be familiar here as well - Fluid City has a 10 line "BLITZ" BASIC core from the 2016 BASIC 10 liners contest coupled with a text scroller rating system and speed controls; like Breakout VIC-20 BLITZ is another favorite game to rewrite over, and over, and over again, with many different versions, on many different systems... for endless BASIC fun! Code on everyone! BRKOUT2002.BIN BREAKOUT2002_LASERBEAMS_PAL_R3.txt

Me too! We'll have fun competing again next year and tons of fun looking at all the cool entries this year - really liked the smooth parallex scroller tons of awesome programs over the years in this contest. Really amazing what BASIC can do, sad for kids today with their text book examples that no one can just type in and run on a computer. Yes they are pure BASIC programs though it is possible to mix in Assembly statements using the concatenator operator like the feature in BBC BASIC. They cross compile as either a 6K SuperCharger BIN with the WAV file for loading from Tape, or a nonstandard 7K BIN using CBS RAM format. Both compilers are available here for anyone who wants to enter an Atari 2600 game in the BASIC contest next year: http://relationalframework.com/Atari2600gamesonline.htm

Six years later I did a search for this again, found Mr Atari's advice and finally visited the AtariMax forums and I'm playing Archon on my 800XL Gameplay is even better than the c64... R16 is really cool, I think it's a straight binary image format.

Rene Descarte wrote a book a long time ago, Microbes Terraria, with advice that is still helpful in fighting the Corona virus today: Breaks in the terrain, can allow Corona to bypass our natural defenses more easily - Wear chapstick Inhale through your nose, not your mouth. Play Atari, every day

Very cool I can't wait to play!! I may turn the volume down depending what friends are over

The Graphics in this Chess game are awesome Andrew! Really nice feel. Played a fast round - some feedback to help the engine, it let me advance on the Knight with a pawn, and then let me keep pushing the pawn to take a Rook: Also it moves really fast - Video Chess takes a lot longer but protects against those moves. I'm enjoying this one as a player because I really like Chess and not looking closely at the engine design just the performance.

The Retron77 is great fun and so are the Flashback consoles but if you play them side by side to a classic Atari and Television setup they cannot match it yet. Emulating Electron Guns and Phosphor and subtle control of these elements via the TIA are not yet within the realm of emulation, Altirra shows great promise with artifacting which is also not emulated yet, but it could be. Current implementation of phosphor emu simply merges frames which causes incompatibility with certain games though there is room to improve this. A classic setup has none of these limitations.

Awesome feedback on this thread and via PM - I'm in the process of adding the Power Punch move for Agent Rogers! The full release will probably include both versions of the game, one with and without the Power-up to illustrate Field Agent Rogers doesn't act any differently even with s*** weapons and no Super Soldier Serum...

The biggest problem for captain America is that he's a man out of time so he usually doesn't know the score Today, but he has a special move that always tells him the score: When the action is frantic and everything is in motion Cap can simply stop moving to reveal which Agents are Nazi's - they will start Goose Stepping to a faster pace when this move is performed - anyone with the ROM can confirm this move is cool Now there's one more move I am adding to the game that goes along with this special move when Agent Rogers is stationary - It's the Nazi power punch shown above! Rogers is a master Nazi Puncher, having punched Hitler over 230 times in the face - you can see from the pic no one can punch Nazi's like Captain America - he's even taught the world and his DoD wife how to punch Nazi's. Everyone that has the pre-release ROM already, will recieve the Punch-a-Nazi countermeasure update for Agent Rogers as soon as the move has been added to the game; I wanted to give the awesome folks who qualified for this pre-release a chance to play with only the s*** weapons first

Yes! This scenario takes place after being given the Super Soldier Serum so you play with the highest APFT ever:

Sure, glad you liked the action

Great thread! I think there is more possiblity with the very early 400/800 games that didn't use ANTIC like Basketball, it is possible to port these with more code reuse. Does anyone know any other examples of Atari 8-bit games that don't use ANTIC or have a commented dissembly of one?

BERZERK FRIENDLY FIRE pre-release This pre-release is free to anyone who was injured protecting people. Scenario: You play as Patriotic Field Agent Steve Rogers assisted by a Battalion of other Field Agents that either stab you in the knee, or are completely useless and don't shoot anyone. Naughty Blue Policemen who bribe the junior field Agents and Green Armymen with Head Injuries round out the ensemble in this F***** up Military Trainer from the Far Side! Weapons: You're all armed in this scenario with unconventional unpredictable weapons that nobody wants to use and you'd give your right eye to get your hands on a real Gun from the 80's! Anti-graft Gameplay/Goal: It's always Cloak & Dagger so nobody really knows, but it's imperative the Young Impressionable Field Agents are taught to fight GRAFT. BERZERK FRIENDLY FIRE youtube preview: https://youtu.be/x_wJCdFSVwc Availability: The ROM pre-release is available free to anyone who has sustained injuries protecting, PM me for the ROM! Limited production run comming soon: Scheduled for release later this year from a French Company along with a Coffee Table Book! Anyone who wants a copy of the production run please post on this thread to be on the list; I don't have any other details about the release package or the price but I know the shipping will be from France.

Great question - I think so more peple can play, it's a fun portable and most classic Atari games run on it and batari BASIC seems very compatible too without the enhancements. Unfortunately there is no Starpath emulation which motivated me to write a cross-compiler to translate supercharger RAM (squeeze) into CBS RAM which was a lot of fun and enabled many of my SuperCharger games to run on the portable. Maybe Bill can get the spec sheet and someone can find a way to hook the internal ARM for more compatibility

Yes Nintendo is a great example with fantastic games for small children and toddlers The trouble we see is with the control design - below age 6 children are having difficulty reaching the buttons: https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-the-nintendo-switch-4148184 This issue was solved with Violins by making smaller Violins; this same approach could be used with the Nintendo but cost factors are prohibitive.