Getting into 8-bit Demos

[wh5k]

I only recently decided I wanted to be a programmer. I know I'm going to have to be just a hobbyist for a long time, and I'm the artsy type, so I figured that 8-bit demos might not be a bad place to start. I think I have the fundamentals of BASIC down, though most of what I've done is in QBASIC and VBScript, and I'm wondering how to start. I downloaded an Atari 800 emulator the other day but am still trying to figure out how to work the disk and tape emulation.

 

I was hoping someone could answer my questions:--

1) How hard is it to dive into 6502 Assembly straight from BASIC? Am I wasting my time with old type-in programs like 101 BASIC games, etc? Alot of the books I've found seem to want you to go straight to Assembly from BASIC. Should I detour into C?

2) Is there a better emulator than this one: http://atari800.sourceforge.net/?And are there ROMs online of a different implementation of BASIC? And Assembler? Or C?

[Stormtrooper of Death]

If you want to use BASIC, i advice you to use Turbobasic for Atari 8bit. Its faster and has more commands to play with.

 

For demos, 6502 assembly on Atari is almost a must. I programmed in Atmas II, but there are many other good (or even better) assemblers for Atari 8bit.

[wh5k]

For demos, 6502 assembly on Atari is almost a must. I programmed in Atmas II, but there are many other good (or even better) assemblers for Atari 8bit.

But if you're just starting out? Like programming in general. I really don't have much beyond the fundamentals. Demos are something I want to work up to.

Edited August 16, 2016 by wh5k

[FifthPlayer]

You may want to read the book "Machine Language for Beginners" by Richard Mansfield.

 

https://archive.org/details/ataribooks-machine-language-for-beginners

 

Written back in the 80s, this is a popular intro to 6502 programming that assumes you are a BASIC programmer.

[popmilo]

Thumbs up for a nice goal you set yourself up to !

Don't know about basic but for assembly you could start from Wudsn tutorials:

http://www.wudsn.com/index.php/ide/tutorials

 

Downloads here: http://www.wudsn.com/index.php/ide

 

Best emulator is probably Altirra (atari800 is not bad also).

http://www.virtualdub.org/altirra.html

 

Best compiler is Mads (http://mads.atari8.info)

Wudsn + altirra + mads compiler work like miracle.

 

Most important - don't be afraid to ask, and don't wait too long to ask

 

Demos are complex topic and you'll probably need help to get over first obstacles. Once you get something on the screen and make it move, you'll be infected by it and won't stop till it works as you planned