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Csonicgo

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Posts posted by Csonicgo

  5. Posted · Edited by Csonicgo

    With 128 bytes of RAM on the 2600 you'd have a hard time to use it as a stack, compiler temporary storage, software parameter stack and your own program variables all at the same time. I suspect that for any non trivial program you'd spend most of your time looking at the assembly language produced by your "C" code to see what it was doing to the extent that you might as well have written it in assembler in the first place ;).

     

    Does not the Harmony allow for 8KBytes Accessible RAM? That may help in this case. I may not be well-read on the harmony setup but it's very tempting.

  8. Posted

    Here's an interesting one...

    My dad was watching me play some of the Atari 2600 games I had cleaned up (Mostly the Activision ones) I was playing Spider Fighter at the time. And he said, "can't you use the paddle?"

    I said, "Yeah, that would be a pretty cool idea."

     

    Since that game moves so fast, a paddle would really fit for it, especially in maneuvering around the spiders.

     

    Which games do you wish used the paddle or other controls? Or are you content with joystick controllers?

  9. Posted · Edited by Csonicgo

    "Demons to Diamonds. Demons to Diamonds. Good lord, Demons to Diamonds.

     

    I heard a LOT about this title. It looked really boring, and I never liked it when demoed at the store. Yet, Atari would not shut up about it. Months and months of promotional brochures of this "game" that looked really crappy to me compared to the Activision games coming out that year.

     

    To this day, I have no idea how to play it."

  11. Posted · Edited by Csonicgo

    You replaced the power switch recently on the first one, and the switch is still bad?

     

    Yeah. So I gave up on it. I'm using my "non-used" one now.

     

     

    I found out what the ghosting was. It was the signal being a little weak and my TV trying to correct it. Simply put, this TV was putting a lot of post-processing on the signal. it's amazing I was seeing anything in the first place. Thank you, Samsung.

     

    I simply need a new RF connector. I tested this theory by plugging my NES into the switch and it was just as ghosty as the Atari. I should still clean it up though, just in case. I do like that the NES and the Atari use the same connector!

  13. Posted · Edited by Csonicgo

    EDIT: SIGH. Opera messed me up, I thought I posted in the main forum. Can a mod move this thread to 2600 General? THANKS.

     

    My parents surprised me with a new LED TV (replacing my 20 year old CRT monster, thanks!) and an AC adaptor for my Atari 2600! Finally, I can dust it off and start playing again! Then I realized how poorly I treated my stuff when I was a teenager, and I'm starting to clean everything up (cleaning paddle pots, joysticks, console, etc)

     

    This might turn into a "help me fix it" thread, but I don't care. I have two 2600s, both from Pizitz department store. one was a unit behind glass (so it wasn't touched), the other was an open unit that has "DEMO UNIT" red sticker. It also has red paint instead of orange, although I think that's typical from the Taiwan factory units.

     

    Anyway, the first 2600 I have (the open one) has a very finicky power switch. it was switched on and off every day for months in a store full of grubby-handed kids, so I'm amazed it's held up this much. It's also the one I ripped all the shielding off to replace it once (and cut myself BADLY doing so).

     

    The second 2600 is the dream unit, not a scratch, or a problem... EXCEPT some weird ghosting. I expect it's always been this way, but certain colors (like blue) will ghost really bad. Yars revenge title screen on boot is really mushy looking, but everything else is fine. Is this just NTSC being an abomination to the planet, or is this something I can fix? I think it might be a number of things, from my old Computer/Antenna switchbox to the fact that this thing is 5 years older than I am. I want to be sure that I'm not missing anything.

     

    Note that this is the ONLY problem with the unit. there is no static in the signal whatsoever, not even an occasional stray white dot.

  15. Posted

    Brushed steel is coming back, too. in fact, my dad just renovated the kitchen, and it's brushed steel/chrome look. that's FROM THE 1950s!

     

    Trends don't really die anymore, they just circulate. The "all black" trend defined the 2000's and early 2010s, it's time to put some color back!

  16. Posted

    I'm collaborating with the Android developer, to rework some of the codebase to better support those ports don't won't be using SDL (Stella mainline currently uses this, but the Android port doesn't). The Blargg stuff is part of the things he isn't using ATM. Technically, there's no reason that code couldn't be used, since it's generic OpenGL, not specific to SDL. But I guess it's up to him if he wants to incorporate it. Speed of the devices could also be a consideration.

     

    From what I've seen concerning SDL on Android, Pain, pain, pain. It's so damn slow and choppy (even on recent RAZRs and Galaxy phones) that the DOSBOX port can't even play ZZT properly (and that's a TEXT-BASED game!)

     

    I have a very love-hate relationship with SDL, as in: I love to hate it.

  19. Posted · Edited by Csonicgo

    Not even GCC will compile code for it anymore.

    Are you sure about that? According to the manual, all of the x86 processors from the 386 on are still supported by the most recent version of GCC. I'd be surprised if they completely drop support for older processors like the 386; there is still a lot of code which won't support optimizations for more recent processors. And believe it or not, a lot of original Pentium hardware is still in active use.

     

    sadly, they have. if the Processor (X86 family) doesn't have Conditional Move, it won't compile at all. GCC 3 was the last version to support the 586. any attempts to compile will have programs to crash hard with a SIGILL.

     

     

    And it's really a shame. This could be fixed, but after all the folks at the DJGPP newsgroup found that it wouldn't be fixed in the main source tree, they were devastated.

  21. Posted

    I've always wondered what old IBM PC clones fit into the "classic" computer zoo.

     

    They're different than most other computers, but they also had video games, like Duke Nukem II , Doom, and others.

     

    I have been working on one of these IBM clones for a while (Dell Stinger) and wondered if anyone else collects these IBM PC Compatible computers like I do. I have about 8 of them.

     

    The best one I had was an IBM PC300, but it died a few years back.

  24. Posted

    If it's only one side that doesn't work, you probably have a bad cord. If you have a continuity tester, you can make sure it's the cord and not something else. The good news is that controller cords are easy to replace. The bad news is that Advantage cords are somewhat hard to come by. You can also use two cords from standard NES controllers, but it won't look stock.

     

    eh, I'm not caring about stock, I just want both sides to work. I'll check it with that.

  25. Posted

    After being a huge fan of Team Fortress Classic for Half-Life, this sequel was nothing but disappointing.

     

    I still fire up TFC from time to time.

     

    I like TF, and I like TF2, it's more of a simplified version of TF, with a wider appeal. Personally, I think its simplified play is what makes it so fun. it's one of those games that do NOT need a manual. you can just grab a controller and "play".

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