Mr SQL Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 (edited) Atari Flashback BASIC is here! ATARI_FLASHBACK_BASIC.zip Write simple games in BASIC with awesome graphics! Flashback BASIC features display lists like Atari BASIC and a blitter chip like the Amiga to reposition moving objects as you pan the camera(s) around. Because the blitter is entirely in software, no modern chips are required as with DPC+ games. Here is a demo and a few games to illustrate some of the things you can do in Flashback BASIC: Flashback_BASIC_DLI_Demo.bin Defender_III_Trainer_v1.bin Defender_III_v1.bin WARPDRIVE_AFP.bin Tron_Lightcycles_Demo.bin Scrollanoid_AFP.bin Get started today - the full source code to Defender III, Defender III Trainer, WarpDrive and the Display List demo are all included! The listings are all pure BASIC - no Assembly required. Download the zip and checkout the quickstart guide and the manual; the Flashback BASIC compiler uses the powershell IDE already installed on Windows. Alternately, you can use any text editor and the command line if you're running Linux. Hope Atari fans enjoy creating games in Atari Flashback BASIC!!! Also there is a BASIC contest ending April 15, 2017 open to Atari Flashback BASIC games! Atari Flashback BASIC is cross compatible with Virtual World BASIC for the SuperCharger and the ROM's are compatible with all Atari consoles. Edit: Added a missing file and another BASIC demo, Tron Light Cycles. Edited March 10, 2017 by Mr SQL 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Does it only make 2600 games, or can it be used to make games like the special version of Frogger, play to the hardware's strengths, not only to the 2600's limitations? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Does it only make 2600 games, or can it be used to make games like the special version of Frogger, play to the hardware's strengths, not only to the 2600's limitations? Not the definitive answer by any means. So far this seems to make real Atari 2600 ROMs using instructions that play nice with the Flashback emulation software. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr SQL Posted March 14, 2017 Author Share Posted March 14, 2017 (edited) Does it only make 2600 games, or can it be used to make games like the special version of Frogger, play to the hardware's strengths, not only to the 2600's limitations? Not the definitive answer by any means. So far this seems to make real Atari 2600 ROMs using instructions that play nice with the Flashback emulation software. Yes Flashback BASIC will build real Atari 2600 game ROM's that run on any Atari console. Flashback BASIC games exceed the 2600's typical limitations by using a soft blitter chip for enhanced graphics manipulations and Display lists like the Atari home computers. There is some "real" extra hardware present but it's minimal; the ROM and RAM used to create the soft blitter chip comes from real hardware provided by CBS or SuperCharger technologies from 1983 and 1982 (you can recompile Atari Flashback BASIC games to run on the SuperCharger). Because the blitter is constructed from legacy hardware and software algorithm, the games will run on a stock Atari, or an Atari virtual machine that properly emulates both the Atari and the legacy hardware expansion. Stella has some trouble running the SCROLLANOID prototype above (and the Tron_Light_Cycles demo) though it ran fine in Javatari; also the color attributes being available in the top 1.5 rows allows turning off all the row and sprite colors by kocking those bricks out or blasting them - this version works fine in Stella and those bugs are corrected: SCROLLANOID_v2.bin SCROLLANOID.txt Planning to revise it to use Display Lists; here is a screenshot of Flashback BASIC IDE showing the game launching in Stella: Edited March 14, 2017 by Mr SQL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lewis2907 Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Mr. SQL, Setting up----------Extract the files to c:\vwBASIC(You can create a different folder but you will have to edit the paths in the compiler script).Now just edit the program.txt file, it's loaded with a sample program you can modify or use as a guide to write new programs. Do you have more explict directions or a video. Without the video I found at tinkernut, I would have never gotten Batari Basic to work. If you have something like this it would help me load the program. Another question: virtualworldX.....................................X...X..X.........X..XXXX.....XXXXXX......XXXXXXXXXXXXX.X.......XXXXX........................X...X..X.........X..X..X....X......X.....X..........XX..XX.........X........................X...X...X...X...X...XXXXX..X..X..X..X....X...XXXXXXXXX....X........X.........................X.X.....X.X.X.X....X....X.X........X....X.................X.......X..........................X.......X...X.....XXXXXX.X.X....X.X....XXXXXXXXXX.........X......X..........XXXXXXXXXX...............................X..XXXX..X.............X..........X......X..................X................................X......X..............X...........X.....X..................X.................................XXXXXX...............X............X.....X.............X...X..............................................XXXXXXXXX.............X...X..............X...X.....................................................................X.X...............X...X..................................................XXXXXXXX............X................X...XXXXXXXXX........................................XXX......XX............................X....................................................X........X.X.......XXXXX...............XXXXXXXXXXXXX........................................X...XXXXXX..XX.........X........................................................................X.........X........X........................................................................X..........X.......X........................................................................X...........X......X........................................................................X............X......X.......................................................................X.....X.......X.....XXXX....................................................................XXXXXX Does that mean you can make a very very long level if you have the bytes? Thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr SQL Posted October 4, 2017 Author Share Posted October 4, 2017 Mr. SQL, Setting up ---------- Extract the files to c:\vwBASIC (You can create a different folder but you will have to edit the paths in the compiler script). Now just edit the program.txt file, it's loaded with a sample program you can modify or use as a guide to write new programs. Do you have more explict directions or a video. Without the video I found at tinkernut, I would have never gotten Batari Basic to work. If you have something like this it would help me load the program. Another question: virtualworld X.....................................X...X..X.........X..XXXX.....XXXXXX......XXXXXXXXXXXXX .X.......XXXXX........................X...X..X.........X..X..X....X......X.....X..........XX ..XX.........X........................X...X...X...X...X...XXXXX..X..X..X..X....X...XXXXXXXXX ....X........X.........................X.X.....X.X.X.X....X....X.X........X....X............ .....X.......X..........................X.......X...X.....XXXXXX.X.X....X.X....XXXXXXXXXX... ......X......X..........XXXXXXXXXX...............................X..XXXX..X.............X... .......X......X..................X................................X......X..............X... ........X.....X..................X.................................XXXXXX...............X... .........X.....X.............X...X..............................................XXXXXXXXX... ..........X...X..............X...X.......................................................... ...........X.X...............X...X..................................................XXXXXXXX ............X................X...XXXXXXXXX........................................XXX......X X............................X....................................................X........X .X.......XXXXX...............XXXXXXXXXXXXX........................................X...XXXXXX ..XX.........X........................................................................X..... ....X........X........................................................................X..... .....X.......X........................................................................X..... ......X......X........................................................................X..... .......X......X.......................................................................X..... X.......X.....XXXX....................................................................XXXXXX Does that mean you can make a very very long level if you have the bytes? Thanks. Lewis, Yes you can create a level 5 times as wide as the screen and twice as high with the large virtual world! Flashback BASIC lets you define a second virtual world as well - this is an extra feature that SuperCharger vwBASIC does not have but the code is otherwise cross compatible for both compilers. Here is the quickstart guide for setting up the IDE, which is already installed on your pc - I reccommend you use the IDE instead of the comand line - you just click play in the IDE and your BASIC program compiles and launches in Stella. The instructions are for vwBASIC compiler but are the same except that you are using Flashback BASIC compiler. Both compilers install to the same directory (c:\vwBASIC) to allow you to easily cross compiler your code - the compilers snap into the IDE so you can even load them both and cross compile the same code as you work on it. I did that with SuperCharger Space Invaders until it got too large for the SuperCharger - Flashback BASIC gives you a little extra room. vwBASIC_quick_start_guide.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lewis2907 Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 Mr. SQL, Thanks once I get it running. The 5 times as wide and twice as tall in Virtual World allows to create huge levels (I think). More to follow as I learn this program, thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_chase Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Hi. Forgive me for resurrecting this topic, but...uh...you said I could use Atari Flashback Basic in any text editor, correct? I know it's been a long time since this has been brought up, but I couldn't help but to be curious about this. Especially when I'm a Linux user and stuff. However, I do wonder how do I make a rom with this. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr SQL Posted November 13, 2020 Author Share Posted November 13, 2020 4 hours ago, r_chase said: Hi. Forgive me for resurrecting this topic, but...uh...you said I could use Atari Flashback Basic in any text editor, correct? I know it's been a long time since this has been brought up, but I couldn't help but to be curious about this. Especially when I'm a Linux user and stuff. However, I do wonder how do I make a rom with this. What do you think? Hi r_chase! Yes you may use any text editor and compile the ROM binary from the command line in Linux using PowerShell 3.0 or higher. Here's info on the latest PowerShell for Linux: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/install/installing-powershell-core-on-linux?view=powershell-7.1 If you use WINE or Windows, you can also use the PowerShell ISE as an IDE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_chase Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 9 minutes ago, Mr SQL said: Hi r_chase! Yes you may use any text editor and compile the ROM binary from the command line in Linux using PowerShell 3.0 or higher. Here's info on the latest PowerShell for Linux: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/install/installing-powershell-core-on-linux?view=powershell-7.1 If you use WINE or Windows, you can also use the PowerShell ISE as an IDE. Okay, thanks. Kinda wish there was a Raspberry Pi version of Atari Flashback BASIC tbh. Though, I will try it on my Linux ThinkPad instead when I get around to it. Again, thanks for letting me know about PowerShell working on Linux and stuff. Note: I looked in that link and saw that PowerShell was available for Raspbian, but it's an experimental release. So, I'm not quite sure about this anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr SQL Posted November 14, 2020 Author Share Posted November 14, 2020 I think the experimental PowerShell release should work too, please let me know how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_chase Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 27 minutes ago, Mr SQL said: I think the experimental PowerShell release should work too, please let me know how it goes! Maybe it will. Thanks. I'll try it and see how the installation of PowerShell on my RPi goes. If it doesn't, I'll try it on my ThinkPad instead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_chase Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 Okay...so...turns out, PowerShell is only available on an older version of Raspbian. Specifically, Stretch. And I don't think Stretch repositories are available anymore. RIP. Anyway, I guess I'll try it on my ThinkPad Instead. Thanks for your help though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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