Raising Atlantis!

[The Codex]

Yeah, VIC BASIC was relatively smoking. Commodore did things right there. I wrote games in C64 BASIC that played as well as a cart.

[InfernalKeith]

OK, I've written a small TI BASIC program to open the CS1 data file, open an identical file on DSK1, and just dump all the information into the DSK1 file. If I can then copy that into Classic99's DSK1 folder and modify the listing to read from DSK1 instead of CS1, we may already be home free!

[Opry99er]

I'm still interested in seeing a console BASIC game on cartridge. It's totally plausible... Can't put an XB game on cart, though, because of the need for the XB cart to be plugged into the cart port... But console BASIC is definitely do-able.

[InfernalKeith]

OK, still don't have the file properly parsed, stuff's not loading correctly from the tape into the disk file. Gotta put it down for now, but will get it sorted later this afternoon and hopefully we'll be in business.

[+retroclouds]

Excellent stuff! Looking forward seeing how this continues

[Opry99er]

When you get this done, I'd love to see a re-release with manual and all. Ideas?

[InfernalKeith]

When you get this done, I'd love to see a re-release with manual and all. Ideas?

 

I thought about doing that, actually... I have a few other UK games that I got when I picked Atlantis up, and I'd love to make a "best of the UK" package (on tape and disk!) with manual. It'd be good practice for making my own manuals and packages for my stuff, should I ever actually finish any of it. Let me file that idea away for now... it's all moot if I don't get this @#%^ thing to work!

 

Oh, and completely off topic, but y'all might be interested. I had to break from this at 2 to interview the guys from the "American Pickers" show on the History Channel. As an ebayer and lifelong flea market/yard sale junkie, I definitely feel some kinship with those guys. I'm doing a story on them for our local weekly paper. Unfortunately, my phone was being wonky, so ten minutes into the interview I lost 'em, and now we have to reschedule the whole thing. I didn't even get to ask them to look out for TI stuff for me!

[InfernalKeith]

Here's a glimpse of what it's like in my head, and why it takes me so long to get stuff done.

 

The entire problem of moving Atlantis into XB is the lack of character sets 15 and 16, right?

 

So I loaded Atlantis from CS1, into XB, deleted most of it and resequenced the part between "OPEN #1" and "CLOSE #1." Then I added in an OPEN #2:"DSK1.ATLDATA" to save the info, as it's being loaded from tape, onto DSK1.

 

It was almost finished moving everything over, and I got a *BAD VALUE. Why?

 

Because I'd left in the CALL CHAR line where it was trying to use the BASIC data to redefine characters XB doesn't have.

 

*beating head on desk*

[Opry99er]

Why not save it all into BASIC in segments... Just standard TI BASIC... That way you'll have it all in the proper format and you can edit it in Notepad or the like... I might have missed the reason why you couldn't do that... But that way you will not get any BAD VALUES and whatnot and it'll be there to edit when you need to edit it.

[InfernalKeith]

Why not save it all into BASIC in segments... Just standard TI BASIC... That way you'll have it all in the proper format and you can edit it in Notepad or the like... I might have missed the reason why you couldn't do that... But that way you will not get any BAD VALUES and whatnot and it'll be there to edit when you need to edit it.

 

I got the whole program saved in one piece. It loads variables from side two of the tape, and I need to extract THAT information into a disk file (or, eventually, just hard-wire it into the program and eliminate the need for a data file). I was just using the program's own code to pull the data from the tape, then save it to a disk file. The problem was, in the normal game process, it redefines each character in the same FOR-NEXT loop it uses to load the chardata from tape.

[Opry99er]

Man that's fascinating!!! Hope you're video documenting this process. What a cool video this would make

[InfernalKeith]

Man that's fascinating!!! Hope you're video documenting this process. What a cool video this would make

 

 

I've run into a stumbling block of sorts. I seem to have a total mental block when it comes to TIDir -- I can't get this program to do jack squat. I get stuff from my TI to my CF7, but I can't copy files back and forth, and I don't know why. I've resorted to listing programs, then copy-and-pasting them into Classic99 to get them to work, but that's not gonna work for a data file. I'm embarrassed because I feel like I'm missing something totally obvious, but this program doesn't seem intuitive to me at all, and I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

 

Can someone point me to a previous OLUG thread or a website with good docs or a tutorial on how this thing works?

[The Codex]

Do you have the data as a TI disk file (the kind with TIFILES as the starting chunk)? If so, I can rip the values from it directly in Java if you want. Up to you man, just let me know if I can help out.

[InfernalKeith]

Getting the values isn't the issue right now. I want to just change the program to load from DSK1 instead of CS1, and make sure it actually works with the BXB modifications in Extended BASIC. Only THEN am I gonna cut-and-paste all those variables into the code itself and make it one standalone program.

 

It's frustrating because I know my issue with TIDir is something little and stupid, and once I figure it out, or have it explained to me, I'm gonna feel like the world's biggest doofus.

 

More later this afternoon.

[Opry99er]

Keith, are you using TIDir, or Ti99Dir. The first of these is an older version which has very few features in comparison to the newer version. TIDir is several years old... And while it's great for converting and viewing TIFILES files, it lacks many wonderful features--- you should upgrade

[InfernalKeith]

Keith, are you using TIDir, or Ti99Dir. The first of these is an older version which has very few features in comparison to the newer version. TIDir is several years old... And while it's great for converting and viewing TIFILES files, it lacks many wonderful features--- you should upgrade

 

TI99Dir, v5.2 (I think).

[GratedTopping]

Any updates?

[The Codex]

Yah, I wanna play man!

[InfernalKeith]

Mea culpa!!

 

I'm sorry, you guys. I haven't so much as set foot on AtariAge, much less fired up Classic99 or my 99/4A, in weeks. My temporary bump in work has turned into a sustained, ridiculous daily amount of extra crap to do -- great for paying bills, not so much for having any fun or pursuing my hobbies.

 

Now that some bigger projects are out of the way, I'm ***hoping*** to devote at least one evening a week to undivided TI time. I'm really close to having Atlantis working, I think -- I just need to spend some time with TIDir, actually, and I should be good to go. Once it's finished, I will post the whole sordid story, and the files, here. I'm also hoping to put in some quality time on my Enemy Lines boardgame this week - I think a few uninterrupted hours could finish it off. Then it'll be off to finally finish the 30-level version of Herding Cats and sort out what other projects I want to polish off.

 

I'm really embarrassed that this isn't done yet. Bryan Roppolo's probably about ready to mail me a box of skunks for repeatedly missing the deadline to write about this project on Retrogaming Times Monthly, too. It's definitely not due to lack of interest, or laziness, on my part -- if I wasn't "making hay while the sun shines" and socking away cash for real life, I'd be on my TI all day and night. I feel like one of thise "vaporware" software guys from the late 80's and early 90's right now... but I promise, Atlantis is not far from my thoughts, and I WILL have something for you guys soon.

 

K

[GratedTopping]

Well, I'm 'raising' this again 'cause I still wanna know if we might get a chance to try...or has it been given up. )-:

[GratedTopping]

Back again over a month later....looks like that the guy's gone away and "Raising Atlantis" is forever sunk. )-:

 

No responses to private messages and it's too bad.

[InfernalKeith]

I have a very full plate these days. I will work on it as soon as I'm able.

 

Sorry to ruin your day, dude.

[The Codex]

Glad to hear you're still on it Keith, and sorry about the workload. Equally busy here, which is why there haven't been many updates from me either.

 

Looking forward to this one when you get it done, and thanks again for archiving this lost treasure!

[InfernalKeith]

Hey, Codex!

 

I apologize for the snippy tone of that last message. Believe me, any disappointment you feel about the lack of progress on Atlantis is felt a hundredfold here. I've literally been trying for months to get to a place where I can set aside one evening a week for uninterrupted TI work. Rather than playing for sympathy with a laundry list of my responsibilities, or constantly repeating "real soon now!" I figured the best course of action was to lay low till I had something concrete to show.

 

I'm annoyed with the situation, I feel bad for not having this game as promised, and I'm frustrated that my own projects (not to mention my website) are gathering dust. Know that it's not for lack of desire. The bit of work I've done in the last year on the 99/4A, as tentative as it's been, has been incredibly rewarding, and I will find a way to get back on the horse and integrate some meaningful TI time into what's become a very weird and hectic life.

 

So, in conclusion... "real soon now!"

 

Keith

[jchase1970]

Man, you are not alone, I wanted so much to finish worm wars this weekend but I couldn't fine anytime to work on it. At work we are getting ready for a 6 week 7 day a week shut down. So that means no TI time at all for about 2 months. Fall is always hectic.