Jump to content
Have You Played Atari Today?
2600|5200|7800|Lynx|Jaguar|Forums|Store  

Ripdubski

+AtariAge Subscriber
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    1,397

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Ripdubski

  2. Posted

    Can the CX50 keyboard controllers be used on the computers? If so, are they read the same way as a joystick, or would they be more like a paddle? 12 buttons on the controllers which exceeds the number of joystick values, unless "invalid" joystick values are returned for some buttons. Just curious how it would be read?

     

    I found this in a Stella programming guide (image since the text wouldn't paste the table correctly):

     

     

    post-37823-0-35358600-1468723728_thumb.png

     

    Thanks

  6. Posted

     

    You haven't posted the first episode of the Atari ST podcast yet, right Rob Wade? I don't see any links on your Inverse Atascii site.

     

     

    ^Fixed that for you. No I haven't. That's was I tried to edit with GarageBand. I'm hesitant to do it with Audacity away from my desktop Mac, because I feel like the paths to the project files will be broken when I move it over. Then again, I have yet to re-open one from IA, so maybe it doesnt matter.

  7. Posted

    As an experiment I tried using GarageBand to piece things together for the podcaST, instead of Audacity like I normally use. It was working fine for me until I needed to edit an imported audio segment. I couldn't figure out how to cut pieces out, and I didn't feel like researching something that should be simple.

  19. Posted

    Update:

     

    Well I've managed to put together a prelim schematic for the 1090XL Prototype board as far as the expansion part is concerned. It does not include the power supply part. I leave that to someone else :twisted: (hint....hint....)

     

    I didn't do this alone. James (sup8pdct) was gracious enough to verify my crude attempt at a beginning schematic and correct my errors. :thumbsup:

     

    To date this appears to be the only known schematic in the wild. Curt supposedly has the full schematic as well as additional info, but he has not responded to either an IM or a email to the address on his website. So take that for what it's worth. It may mean nothing. :)

     

    Prelim 1090XL Schematic.pdf

     

    My idea is this:

     

    I would like to recreate the purpose of the 1090XL, not necessarily the physical box, with a modern well filtered and mannered power supply. . With the advent of SMD technology and MCU's of the modern era, there should be no need for the big hulking box the actual 1090XL was. I know too much modern here. :D

     

    I propose a open framework box that will be compatible with the Atari 600XL/800XL with PBI's and 130XE with ECI through an adapter. This framework will function as a standard interface to the computer's parallel port. Much like the original design of the 1090XL this framework will provide power and signals to allow at least five and possibly the full eight individual pbi devices allowed in the original Atari OS design specs.

     

    Of the known PBI devices so far, it seems most can be easily converted to the framework standard interface. This will in some cases simplify their design and parts count and eliminate the problem of housing the device for the developer. For new designs as well.

     

    Right now I know this is long on idea, but short on facts. I wanted to gauge the interest. And get input on what signals will need to be present on the individual PBI slots for the greatest range of expansion cards. Keep in mind this is not a hack job on the inside of the computer. At most we would be picking signals off the pbi/eci bus for manipulation. ie on the 800XL running an adapter to pick off the cartridge signals.

     

    Now you say what about the Black Box.....? .... what about the MIO? ..... what about XYZ? These are all fine interfaces in and of themselves, but they are not open. And are mired in legacy restrictions of the original design and bios of their time. Expansion is problematic as well. I don't believe the Black Box is being made anymore, and while MetalGuy66 is still trying to keep the MIO alive again it is a closed system with a steep price tag for an unboxed/unpopulated version. Not to gain say MetalGuy66, he has put a lot into the production of that system and should be able to recoup his costs. ;-)

     

    Let me know what you think.

     

    Dropcheck

     

    This sounds very cool. Agree that cards like USB or Ethernet, or drive interfaces could be useful.

  21. Posted

    Seems to me that both options have a "place". Depends on your needs. Ultimately, you may end up with both to serve different needs. Which is more important to start with? Go that route.

     

    I don't have SIDE2, but have MyIDEII and 10502PC. I use both. Which do I use more? Both about the same amount. For general gaming, MyIDEII. For other stuff and peripheral emulation, the 10502PC.

  22. Posted

    * ACTris! 1.2 by Hayden Doan *

     

    Introduction:

     

    Finally! It has been quite a few years since I have been able to get back to programming on the beloved Atari 800. During a brief moment of inspiration, I continued working on my CTetris program. I think that the new name ACTris! 1.2 is the most appropriate for the program. It's short for Atari Tetris in Action! (my favorite Atari language). Since the program already has one of the best and most responsive gaming engine (IMHO) for the Atari 8-bit Computers, I concentrated on making the refinements that have been on my list for a long time now. There are quite a bit of history in the previous release notes below. But, I'll highlight the important points here for quick reference.

     

    So when you have the urge to get into some solid Classic Tetris action and stack endless falling Tetriminos to set a new high score, please give the new ACTris! 1.2 a spin for a fun and exciting challenge :)

     

    Thanks:

     

    ACTris! 1.2 was developed on the excellent Altirra 2.80_test38_x64 Emulator which substantially improved compilation time with the CPU = 65C816 (21.48MHz) and other various acceleration options. Thank you, phaeron for your dedication to the Atari community and for your great support. You're the best!

     

    Thanks to pps for his suggestion to adjust the Game Speed to NTSC/PAL computer systems way back in 2009!

     

    http://atariage.com/forums/topic/147244-ctetris4d-release-pre-final-version/?do=findComment&comment=1794690

     

    And, thanks to flashjazzcat for his prompt help with my PAL detection questions.

     

    What's New in ACTris! 1.2:

     

    * Improved the Title Screen

    * Improved the High Score Screen

    * Muted the Bass Pedal Notes which can cause disharmonies with the Bass Lines

    * Two consecutive identical Tetriminos are now allowed by the improved Random Generator

    * Adjusted Joystick Auto-Repeat Delay and Repeat Rate for a faster response

    * Added some new Sound Effects for even a better gaming experience

    * 2x Draw Speed improvement of the Game Screen & the Atari Fuji Logo Segments

    - Nothing will slow the game down now!

    * NTSC/PAL computer detection for automatic Game Speed adjustment

    - It should work for standard build computers by reading the PAL Register at address $D014

    - You must restart ACTris! for the program to recognize an NTSC/PAL system change

    - Speed adjustment is not perfect since PAL systems are by design 12% slower than NTSC

    - I learned from flashjazzcat and phaeron that a more robust method is to use VCOUNT

    - But, I'm not going further with the VCOUNT method at this time

    * The Atari Fuji Logo Segments can now only be completed with the exact number of Lines

    - For example, if there are three segments left on the Atari Fuji Logo,

    - exactly three lines of connected Tetriminos will be needed to complete the logo.

    - If Sound Effects are On, a "Chirp" alert will sound when the Atari Fuji Logo is four or less segments within completion

    - A Bonus of 500 points will be awarded for the completion of the Atari Fuji Logo

    - Once the Atari Fuji Logo is completed, the (P)ause command will display a "Rainbow" effect for the Atari Fuji Logo :)

    - If Sound Effects are On, a "Warble" sound that I borrowed from "Fill'Er Up" by Tom Hudson will also play

    - The "Rainbow" effect is one of my favorite graphic effects on the Atari

    - Also, the "Warble" sound is one of my favorite sound effects on the Atari

    * Fixed the memory reservation for the Custom Fonts which may have caused a program crash

    * Please experiment with the Color Palette Presets (on Emulators) for the best color results

    - I prefer the "Authentic NTSC" Palette Preset on the Altirra Emulator

     

    Key Features:

     

    * Ultra Fast & Responsive program written mainly in OSS Action! with emphasis on game playability

    * Some graphics subroutines were written in OSS MAC65 Assembly for optimum speed and performance

    * Automatic High Scores Load & Save (Please leave disk in drive for updates)

    * Full Color with Sound Effects & Background Music

    * "Dissolve" graphics effect for connected line(s) in the color of the last played Tetriminos

    * Keyboard Commands for Program Options

    * Automatic Joystick recognition (by Joystick movement detection) for additional Joystick Configurations

    * Automatic NTSC/PAL computer detection for automatic speed compensation

    * Game Pause / Resume feature

    * Custom Fonts

     

    Minimum System Requirements:

     

    * 48KB RAM Atari Computer with GTIA Chip for Graphics Mode 10 support

    * Disk Drive for saving High Scores

    * Joystick (Recommended)

     

    Controls Summary:

     

    Move Left - Keyboard: 'Left' | Joystick: Left

    Move Right - Keyboard: 'Right' | Joystick: Right

    Rotate - Keyboard: 'Up' | Joystick: Up

    SoftDrop - Keyboard: 'Down' | Joystick: Down (Configurable as 'Hard Drop' or 'Soft Drop')

    HardDrop - Keyboard: 'Space' | Joystick: Fire Button (configurable as 'Rotate' or 'Hard Drop')

    HardDrop - (Continued) | Joystick: <Down & Fire Button> (at the same time)

     

    Joystick "Rotate" is user configurable as 'Single' or 'Auto-Repeat'

     

    Pause - Keyboard: 'P' or 'Esc' (Toggles Pause / Resume)

    Next - Keyboard: 'N' (Toggles Next Block Display)

    Quit - Keyboard: 'Q'

     

    Drop Sound - Keyboard: 'D' (Toggles Object Drop Sound On/Off)

    Sound Effects - Keyboard: 'E' (Toggles Sound Effects On/Off. A 'Chirp' sound indicates Sound Effects are 'On').

    Background Music - Keyboard: 'M' (Toggles Background Music On/Off.)

     

    Notes:

     

    1) The Default Sound settings are: Music ('On'), Sound Effects ('On'), and Drop Sound ('Off').

    2) Setting Music 'Off' will also turn both Drop Sound & Sound Effects back to 'On'. You can still use the "D" and "E" keys to individually set your sound effects preferences.

    3) The user input cursor will wrap around from End to End (instead of remaining at the End positions).

    4) The "Next" object window is defaulted to 'On'. Use the "N" key to toggle the "Next" object display window On/Off.

    5) The High Score Screen will flash the "HALL OF FAME" text ONLY if the the player sets a new High Score.

     

    Scoring Summary:

     

    Maximum possible points for the Tetriminos:

     

    |Levels | 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9|

    |Points | 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42|

     

    One point is subtracted for each timed drop (Beep) and also for each SoftDrop. Therefore, the sooner you HardDrop the blocks into place, the more points you'll get for that block.

     

    Bonus Points:

     

    When three or four lines are connected at one time, you will hear chime sounds counting the number of connected lines and receive the following Bonus Points:

     

    Three Lines - 50+50+50 = 150 Bonus Points

    Four Lines - 50+50+50+100 = 250 Bonus Points

     

    Also, the completion of the Atari Fuji Logo will yield 500 Bonus Points.

     

    Level Changes:

     

    |Levels | 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9|

    |Lines | 0 10 10 10 15 15 15 20 20 20|

     

    The number of connected lines needed for the next game level is displayed within the "[ ]" brackets.

     

    Have Fun!

    Hayden

     

    Well done!

    • Like 1
AtariAge
Forums
Store
General
Follow AtariAge

Copyright ©1998-2021 AtariAge

×
×
  • Create New...