XEGS for the living room, disable Missile Command/Basic, Gamedos?

[gozar]

I want to put an XEGS in the living room with an SIO2SD adapter, all ready to boot into a menu of games. But I don't want to have to have the keyboard hooked up. This gives me two problems:

1. The XEGS immediately launches Missile Command and doesn't boot off of the SD drive when the keyboard isn't attached. If I hold down Select it will boot, but I don't want to have to do that. Is there a pin I can pull up on the PIA to disable Missile Command? Looks like I can pull out pin 11 and it will always disable Basic.
2. When using MyPicoDos, it requires the keyboard to back out of directories or switch drives. Is there another "gamedos" that would give me a menu that can be totally driven from a controller?

[+MrFish]

2. When using MyPicoDos, it requires the keyboard to back out of directories or switch drives. Is there another "gamedos" that would give me a menu that can be totally driven from a controller?

 

I'd make a suggestion to Hias to add the ability to back out of directories using the joystick. I've always thought it should have that ability too, similar to how the SIDE Loader works.

[BillC]

 

I want to put an XEGS in the living room with an SIO2SD adapter, all ready to boot into a menu of games. But I don't want to have to have the keyboard hooked up. This gives me two problems:

1. The XEGS immediately launches Missile Command and doesn't boot off of the SD drive when the keyboard isn't attached. If I hold down Select it will boot, but I don't want to have to do that. Is there a pin I can pull up on the PIA to disable Missile Command? Looks like I can pull out pin 11 and it will always disable Basic.
2. When using MyPicoDos, it requires the keyboard to back out of directories or switch drives. Is there another "gamedos" that would give me a menu that can be totally driven from a controller?

 

It sound like a Maxflash cartridge might be a better option. Being a cartridge it should take precedence over BASIC/Missile Command, it can be used for 8k ROM Images, Executable Files (EXE/COM/XEX binary load files) and ATR Disk Images (Single, Enhanced and Double Density up to 720k), while it can't be used with >8K ROM files most of these can probably be found in the other 2 formats. OS(800 or XL/XE RevC) and BASIC are selectable for each menu entry.

[Rybags]

In theory if you disconnect the pin for bit 6 of PORTB on the PIA it should disable Missile Command then attempt to boot disk without Basic if a keyboard isn't present.

 

The cartridge idea might be better. Might need a custom built flasher to bypass the normal Atarimax menu system - unsure if the menu allows using the joystick to select programs.

The cart solution could simply run a program which then disables the cart and forces a disk boot attempt.

[BillC]

In theory if you disconnect the pin for bit 6 of PORTB on the PIA it should disable Missile Command then attempt to boot disk without Basic if a keyboard isn't present.

 

The cartridge idea might be better. Might need a custom built flasher to bypass the normal Atarimax menu system - unsure if the menu allows using the joystick to select programs.

The cart solution could simply run a program which then disables the cart and forces a disk boot attempt.

The Maxflash cartridge menu does support the port 1 joystick for selection, up/down work normally and left/right move up/down by page.

[Marius]

In that case you'd better go for a MyIDE ][

That one can run almost any game, and since it does also play ROM games, you have enough memory with the stock 64K.

 

Another thing: I think the XEGS should be modified so it thinks there is a keyboard connected. Some games go nuts (especially older games, which support 4 joysticks) when there is no keyboard connected (like Basketball)

[Rybags]

Best option actually might be to make a dongle to plug into the keyboard slot which is wired such that the keyboard sense is activated. Connecting the TRIG2 pin to GND should achieve that.

 

Then it'll boot from disk although with Basic present but many games menus will just disable Basic for you. Of course your problem then becomes that you need the menu system that allows joystick.

[atari8warez]

Best option actually might be to make a dongle to plug into the keyboard slot which is wired such that the keyboard sense is activated. Connecting the TRIG2 pin to GND should achieve that.

 

Then it'll boot from disk although with Basic present but many games menus will just disable Basic for you. Of course your problem then becomes that you need the menu system that allows joystick.

 

I was just about to suggest that and I've seen your post.