Cafeman
-
Content Count
8,159 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Cafeman
-
-
DEBRO, I referred to your emailed DLI example and inserted one into my helicopter demo. As is, if I put a $CA on line 10 of my display list to call the dliRoutine pointed to $206,$207 (like yours did) ... all bg graphics stop executing at that line.
I changed it to refer to $200,$201 as I found and referred to above and my bg graphics display, but the bg color doesn't change to red. It looks the same. COLPF0 in your example is $C016 -- are you sure this is correct?
I also thought that I should set the 128 bit, thus adding hex #$80 to my 0A for Antic A -- your example used a "C" instead of an "8" -- C0 is decimal 192, but I don't understand why you used "C". When I try 8A, it doesn't work though either. HELP!
Here is my DLI --
;
; This is the DLI Routine to change the PF0 color to some sort of red color.
;
DLIRoutine
pha ;push accumulator on the stack
TXA
PHA ;Save X-register
TYA
PHA ;Save Y-register
lda #$38
sta WSYNC ; Wait on horizontal sync
sta COLPF0 ; Change color register 0 to red???
pla
tay
pla
tax
PLA ;Restore registers
rti ; Return from interrupt
Here is my display list:
;************* Antic A Display list data ************************
org $b000
dlist .byte $70,$70,$70 ;24 blank scanlines
.byte $4A,$00,$18 ;Mode A and Load memory scan $1800
.byte $0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A ;47 lines mode A
.byte $CA,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A
.byte $0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A
.byte $0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A
.byte $0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A
.byte $0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A,$0A ;for total of 48 lines
.byte $41,$00,$10 ;Jump back to start at $1000
I'm not sure what the problem is yet.
-
If you ever need to repair a glitchy 5200 Trak-ball controller, see my feature here:
http://cafeman.www9.50megs.com/atari/5200t...0trak-ball.html
-
It's one of those Mars/Venus things.
Yeah Tempest, from what I've read into, Ed Logg was really the mastermind coder behind Centipede, and Donna Bailey was the one who came up with the idea. One report stated she couldn't code her way out of paper bag. It seems very evident that her increased involvement was an 'attract females' marketing ploy, and one that worked well.
I don't post this to claim that female coders are inherently worse or more inept than male ones .. but come on, you got Ed Logg there! The guy is a freaking genius game designer and coder, and then you have Donna Bailey -- what else did she do? Then the testimonials and comments .. it seems clear now that Ed Logg was the golden boy once again.
I also like Logg's Xybots -- was playing it on mame last night, first time in years since I'd seen it. Ed said that game basically used character-mode graphics to accomplish its 3D! Got me thinking....
-
There are still some questions of mine that are unanswered, and I assume that only Nukey, Dan Boris, or DEBRO will be able to provide answers. For example, where do I actually put the routine and how do I point to it using $200,$201?
-
You only had to suffer for a lunch hour? Tempest's and my lunch hours are ALL DAY! Pity us!
-
I can't believe that the great Master of Prototypes forgot the best one -- Missile Command!!
-
Wow! That's great. I really wish I could rig up a paddle too, especially for Kaboom! and Super breakout! I'd need to get the parts first, and another 5200 stick. I hope to see some pictures, too.
-
I have not implement one yet, but I am posting what I think I know for you to proof-read first.
Why use a Display List Interrupt?
===> For my purposes, to change color registers on a mode-line basis. In other words, to get more colors than the basic 2 or 4.
How do you invoke a Display List Interrupt?
1. Set the 7 bit of the instuction before the one in the display list you want affected. For example, if on mode line 10 you want to change the background color, and you are using Antic A, you'd add #128(decimal) (or #$80 Hex) to the line 9 instruction. Hence, line 9 would change from ... $0A,...
to ... $8A, ...
Now, you have to put the code you want executed somewhere
===> The DLI vector is at $200 and $201. This, I think, is simply a pointer to the address where the DLI code exists. If you want multiple DLI's, you must change/update the values at $200,$201 because this points to where the DLI code is executed.
My question here is this -- do I make a routine in my ASM code, and use 'ORG' to ensure it resides at a specific location, and then store the same value at $200,$201 (low byte, high byte, remember!).
You DLI code must do the following:
1. Save the A,X,and Y 6502 registers by pusing them onto the stack.
2. Execute this statement -- STA WSYNC . This basically waits until the beginning of the next horizontal line, or else you'd change colors mid-modeline!
(Remember Tempest when you asked if you could do this? Well, you can, but it's not gonna look clean doing it this way. You'd need smart, proper timing...)
3. Store new values into the appropriate registers. You can't store using the shadow or they'll be immediately wiped out! So my question is, where are the hardware memory locations on the 5200 for the 4 color registers?
4. Restore the 6502 registers and return, using a RTI instruction (I think!).
--------------
A good description of this and an example of DLI code is at the De Re Atari page, here:
http://www.runtime.demon.co.uk/Systems/Ata...r5.html#SEC0503
Also I think that:
$D40E = NMIEN, the non-maskable interrupt.
$D40F = NMIST, which contains which interrupt actually occurred (it can be a DLI or VBI).
I've included some questions in this text above, if you can answer them!
-
There is the arcade version.
I don't really like the 5200 version much because it's just too watered down compared to the arcade version. Mind you, when I used to play this game, it was at a Pizza Time theater in a sit-down version. The arcade boasted classic ST sound samples, such as Spock's voice.
The 5200 version's main view screen is pretty much worthless to me. The ships don't really grow larger in scale or smoothly come into view; the photons just kill stuff, you don't see that neat little circular explosion; I guess it just seems to me that the 5200 version is too 'flat'. It's nothing like Star Raiders, to me.
Still, I do play it now & then, it isn't horrible or anything, and I don't mean to imply that. It gets tough; I've never gotten to the last stage!
-
http://cafeman.www9.50megs.com/atari/5200defender.html
First, read that -- I put his comments in my site's review of Defender. He still programs Java games -- if you do a Yahoo! search on his name, you'll find his site & email addy.
If you contact him, share!
-
http://pub10.ezboard.com/fretrogamingclass...picID=502.topic
sighhhh, yes I will do all the work.
Tempest, he never responded, but considering the fact that it took him a month to resurrect the thread anyway ... I doubt he's a daily reader of the board.
I didn't want to scare him off or hassle him, but I wanted to ask some questions too! He was the 2nd 5200 programmer I had communication with; the first was Steve A. Baker who did Defender and Stargate.
-
Thanks! I started building it in early spring of 2001 ... keep checking it now & then, I add to it sporadically.
-
I love Joust too. The 5200 version shines.
Centipede was another different version, 5200 from the 8bit. We talked about it a bit in a recent digital press forum thread, and Frank Hausman, the 5200 Centipede coder, responded to us, telling us of all the extra effort behind the superior 5200 version. Go check it out before it sinks too low, the thread is something about the 5200 and I think Tempest started it. The first post was in May, with the last post in July.
-
Gunstar, sorry for not responding to your comments; I must have missed them until now!
Yes, I asked this question over at AGH too a while back.
A sequel to Adventure was the most popular response I got from several retro forums. Marble Madness? I've rarely even seen it, let alone play it much! It's hardly a popular game to me! I bet I could find it on one of them newfangled comp-I-lations...
Besides, Marble Madness, with its perspective, looks a bit difficult for me at this point. Maybe in the future. Adventure 2 seems much easier!
In fact, I don't have the foggiest idea of how to program/implement a 3/4 perspective game like MM, or even Crystal Castles. I'm going to have to stick to a strickly updown/leftright 2D perspective for a while with my homebrews.
But thanks again for all the comments, and feel free to add more and to talk in detail about what you would like to see. Once I get that 'hot' idea, I'll know it and start working solely on that game, whatever it is. Tempest is lucky, he has an definite idea already; I have several half-ideas, none of which at the moment seem to be that exciting to me.
In fact, Adventure 2 seems the most exciting idea to me right now.
A certain reader of this board sent me a title for my Adventure 2 box mock-up ... I'll incorporate it into a new mock-up and post it here soon. Vic, what's your alias here?
(edited to correct the 101 spelling/grammar errors. Must be the English student in me.)
[ 07-24-2001: Message edited by: Cafeman ]
-
Tron the arcade game? That seems harder than Adventure 2 to me. The only control I could imagine would be to either disallow the rotary aim mechanism, and just make Tron shoot in the direction he's facing. Control would be compromised, that's for sure.
THe cycle and tank scenes would probably be much easier.
ECM over at GameGO said he wouldn't mind seeing a Disks of Tron. I don't want to make that one though. What kind of game exactly did you have in mind?
-
The screen shots currently look like blocky crap!
I did it in Antic mode A, and I think I'd like to switch it over to E for the higher resolution. The cloud is currently 2-color gray and looks like a missile command explosion, not a cloud. The lightening bolt is yellow and is a player. The Trees are background graphics. I have not implemented any Display LIst Interrupts yet, so it's only 4 colors as of now, in other words, crappy looking.
But eventually I will show you it, okay?
-
Adventure was a 4k game on the 2600. Adventure 2 would be a 32K game on the 5200. (shudder). Just think of the possibilities!
-
one idea of mine was called Firefighter. I probably will finish this eventually. It involves a helicoptor in an electrical storm over forests. You catch water to fill up the tank of the helicopter, then drop it on forest below which catches fire by random-like lightning bolts. This grew from my prior helicopter demo. I'll have flame FX on it too, as well as lightning and rain FX.
Getting back to Adventure 2, it will definitely be more than 2600 Adventure with a different map and visuals. I'd have to play through Adventure again, taking notes as to exactly what I liked & didn't like about it.
I know for a fact I'd have the character finding keys to get into castles, and have dragons and other creatures to battle/avoid. The mazes would be hedge mazes and rock mazes. I'd no doubt throw in several secrets, such as the 2600 Duck Dragon, just for kicks.
But I'd add to the premise without making it too complicated, that's for sure. It'd have to be fun. I'd stick to the medieval fantasy setting. I haven't mapped it all out yet though because I'm not sure it's what I'll do. I'd take suggestions too.
Keep the comments coming!
-
-
I'm still shopping around for a good game to be my first 'real' game on the 5200. I tried to start of just making demo's, to learn the tricks of the trade, but I quickly grew bored with that approach. If I had a great game idea, it would make me want to work at it all the more.
A sequel to Adventure seemed to garnish interest. I'd be interested in doing this, actually, using the same screen-flip kind of gameplay. I saw that someone else is busy working on a 5200 Airworld Swordquest game (yes, for the 5200!!). That would give us two RPG/Adventure games!
I'm not going to do any arcade ports though. People suggested Disks of Tron, and Tron the arcade game, and some others. If ever, those will be later projects for me.
Anyway, please give me some more suggestions for possible 5200 games.
-
Actually, I was thinking about doing an Adventure sequel on the 5200. Interest seems high in it. Just don't expect it anytime soon!
I'd love to see ASM code examples using DASM for 5200 bin files -- can this be done?
-
Ken, this compilation sounds outstanding!!
Everything you've mentioned sounds better than what I'd have ever expected.
The one thing I have to bring up though is the emulation itself -- I hope that it is a different and/or better emulator than what we've seen on Activision Classics, because many of those games suffered from poor collision, omitted sound FX, and overall watered down gameplay.
Any compilation I want, I want perfect replications of those great old Activision games, and no amount of extra goodies will really make up for substandard ROMs. I can play on my PC the Stella roms, they are pretty nearly perfect from what I can tell, so surely it can't be that difficult to aquire a better emulator is it??
I don't want to end this message on a negative though -- your efforts are greatly appreciated by all of us retro gamers!
-
quote
Could someone PLEASE video the show or at least this forum??!? I really wish I could attend.You desperation shows, DEBRO. But, same feeling here. I can't fly out west to attend this show, too tied down with life right now. Here's hoping the show is documented properly!!!!
-
I think that Star Trek has pretty bad graphics. The gameplay is okay, but I easily tire of it, it's just not as much fun as the sit-down arcade version by far. IN fact, you can't even really use the main view-screen which takes up most of the screen, you really have to just watch the radar all the time.
I never played Buck Rogers, but considering the superior Sega hardware of the coin-op, I wouldn't be surprised at a lackluster conversion. Congo Bongo is pretty crappy too, come to think of it.
Many of the Atari games had great gameplay and visuals, such as:
Defender -- It's very close to the arcade version. great action game! Tons of explosions, particles, and ships everywhere. I think Steve Baker did a great job on this and Stargate.
Joust -- Also nearly identical to the arcade version, given the hardware differences.
Zaxxon -- graphically awesome for the day, but the gameplay is watered down from the arcade version because there are NO land-to-air missiles in the fortress. Still a great game, I'd have freaked out to own it back in 1984! (I just bought it in the spring of 2001).
Pac Man -- it's a bit stretched across the screen, but it's got solid no-flicker visuals and the intermissions! Great game.
Ms Pac Man -- another awesome port, but its got some flickering ghosts that you will need to get used to. Still nothing as bad as the 2600 flickering.
Jungle Hunt -- good amount of detail in the bgs. Plus you get the points on-screen for kills/jumps, which were always omitted in 2600/Intellivision games it seemed.
Galaxians -- very good visuals, but the gameplay is boring IMO.
Centipede -- The fatter graphics of the 5200 version are great, as is the excellent animation of the points, spider, fleas, and centipede itself. Frank Hauseman did this one, I think.
Berzerk -- minimalist graphics just like the coin-op, but AWESOME title.
Qix -- the best version of the day! I've heard that this game is in a different graphics mode than the Atari 8bit version, and that this is why the game is so much faster than that version. Minimalist graphics, but then again, just like the coin-op. The worst thing is the 2-Qix flickering.
Kangaroo -- good visuals, but the gameplay is frustrating (jumps!) and a bit poor in its design, IMO.
Activisions games were simple updates from the 2600 games, with more detail in the objects/bgs. For example, Megamania looks much better on 5200 than on 2600. River Raid's main difference (visually) is the 2-layer jagged riverbed. River Raid is difficult to play on 5200 due to the controller. Pitfall2 looks very similar to the 2600 version. HERO has more detail.
Other than those, Miner 2049er is a great game, and you'll need to play it to really admire the game. Lots of variety, good visuals, many different color schemes.
Okay, I'm done. I have other games but I can't recall them very well. To be honest, there are few games that I find down-right bad or ugly on the 5200. Kangaroo is pretty frustrating and not fun to me (bad music and sounds), and Realsports Soccer is dull to me (though I used to love it). Forget RS Football unless you have a 2nd player, as there is NO 1-player mode at all. Baseball is quite good though, and it talks.
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Atari 5200 Display List Interrupts
in Atari 5200 / 8-bit Programming
Posted
SUCCESS!!!
It all came down to one line of discrepancy.
I had: lda #$40 ;Enable NMI
You had: lda #$C0 ;Enable NMI
Once I changed mine to be #$C0, it worked! I'm not sure why .. NMI enable, the value of #$C0 must tell it that its a DLI interrupt? SOmething like that?
Anyway, the last line of my cloud turned to a godawful pink .. it was so pretty!
Thanks Dennis. You da man!