Timeslip 2020 (48KB)

[Wrathchild]

@Nojeee how were these written at the time? Was code assembled natively or cross-developed and transferred? Did you have disk drive(s) or had to use tape units?

[Nojeee]

1 hour ago, Wrathchild said:

@Nojeee how were these written at the time? Was code assembled natively or cross-developed and transferred? Did you have disk drive(s) or had to use tape units?

Jet Boot Jack was written on my 800 - initially using a 410 tape deck before moving up to a single 810 drive. I used disk based Synassembler with the object files written to disk ... which then had to be loaded and run. If there were any major problems I'd have to reboot everything. It was a very slow way of working.

 

My first computer was the original Commodore PET and I'd experimented with the bi-directional User Port. When I was asked to write for the C64, I realised I could stay using the 800 and transfer the code via Joystick ports 3 & 4. I cobbled together a link using two joystick cables and a connector for the C64 User Port. I wrote a system that allowed Synassembler to output the code to a Z: handler with some code on the C64 that did the handshaking and sent the code to the target address. This was later updated so I could also transfer data from the C64 to the 800 (I wrote a few editors that ran on the C64 and sent packed data for inclusion into the assembly).

 

I used the same system for my C16 / Plus 4 games and when it came to doing Timeslip on the Atari bought an 800XL as a target machine. It certainly made it much quicker to develop ... and by then I had to use two floppy drives. 

 

I used the system for many years until PC cross development was more common.

 

Happy days

 

[_The Doctor__]

24 minutes ago, Nojeee said:

Jet Boot Jack was written on my 800 - initially using a 410 tape deck before moving up to a single 810 drive. I used disk based Synassembler with the object files written to disk ... which then had to be loaded and run. If there were any major problems I'd have to reboot everything. It was a very slow way of working.

 

My first computer was the original Commodore PET and I'd experimented with the bi-directional User Port. When I was asked to write for the C64, I realised I could stay using the 800 and transfer the code via Joystick ports 3 & 4. I cobbled together a link using two joystick cables and a connector for the C64 User Port. I wrote a system that allowed Synassembler to output the code to a Z: handler with some code on the C64 that did the handshaking and sent the code to the target address. This was later updated so I could also transfer data from the C64 to the 800 (I wrote a few editors that ran on the C64 and sent packed data for inclusion into the assembly).

 

I used the same system for my C16 / Plus 4 games and when it came to doing Timeslip on the Atari bought an 800XL as a target machine. It certainly made it much quicker to develop ... and by then I had to use two floppy drives. 

 

I used the system for many years until PC cross development was more common.

 

Happy days

 

This is the stuff we'd love to see, the code for both, even the cable/setup... that would be killer!

 

[Nojeee]

2 hours ago, _The Doctor__ said:

This is the stuff we'd love to see, the code for both, even the cable/setup... that would be killer!

 

I don't still have the cable but I do have some of the original source. The two machines had to handshake which took a couple of the data lines - each byte was therefore sent in nibbles by the master and combined by the slave. This source is really old, clunky and has minimal comments ... excuse the formatting as I have to convert from the tokenised Synassembler files to a standard text file. 

 

Ports_12.asm is the only file I can find that relates to the master - this isn't the version I was using but gives you the idea. I created an Autorun.sys file so the handler was automatically loaded when Syanassembler was booted up. My code would then output using .TF"Z:" rather than .TF"D:FILENAME.O".

 

PS. My source code is much tidier nowadays ... honest!

 

Ports_12.asm Atari_Atari.asm CBM_50000.asm

[_The Doctor__]

hey folks this was on the 800 ports 3 and 4 like was stated. fun!

[Guest]

On 4/12/2020 at 1:42 PM, Nojeee said:

I've recently been converting some of my old A8 games to the 5200 and have just finished Timeslip. I made so many changes and improvements to the game that I thought a new A8 version would be good too.

That is absolutely awesome! Thank you so much Jon, as I only had a 2600 of all the Atari machines I can experience these and the originals 'fresh' (just recently got a lovely refurbished 800XL)

 

I did have a Commodore plus 4 but I never saw this at the time. There wasn't much choice in the way of C16 software and I would have got this for sure.

 

_

Do you have any recommendations for books or tips for someone who codes on the 64 but would like to convert one of his games to the A8?

On 4/14/2020 at 4:07 AM, adam242 said:

Plays great on my hybrid 800, loaded from Ultimate Cart. Thank you, Jon! Always enjoyed this one BITD.

What's a hybrid 800 ?

Edited April 15, 2020 by Guest
removed duplicate point

[Guest]

Sorry to question bomb you and this thread, but do you have any intention of converting Legend of the Knucker-Hole to A8, Jon?

[Wrathchild]

3 hours ago, Nojeee said:

Happy days

Thanks for those memories, I did something not to dissimilar. Whilst at Uni I had a 1040STE and the MadMac assembler and could send code from the ST's printer port to my 800XL's joystick ports.
Between the Atari and C64 was not as neat though as I used a single cable to transfer nibbles but had to hand type the 64 side into a Replay cartridge's monitor in hex ?

Edited April 15, 2020 by Wrathchild

[Nojeee]

2 hours ago, ∞ Vince ∞ said:

 you have any recommendations for books or tips for someone who codes on the 64 but would like to convert one of his games to the A8?

 

 

I always used De Re Atari and Mapping the Atari for reference when I was writing for the Atari. The machines are similar enough to make conversions fairly straightforward ... once you've got your head around the Atari's graphics modes and display lists. When I converted the Berks games from Commodore to the Atari the majority of the game code worked without major changes (generally just working around the lack of a separate color memory.

 

2 hours ago, ∞ Vince ∞ said:

Sorry to question bomb you and this thread, but do you have any intention of converting Legend of the Knucker-Hole to A8, Jon?

 

It's still on the cards ... I don't think it would be a straight conversion but something along the same lines.

 

[Nojeee]

2 hours ago, Wrathchild said:

Thanks for those memories, I did something not to dissimilar. Whilst at Uni I had a 1040STE and the MadMac assembler and could send code from the ST's printer port to my 800XL's joystick ports.
Between the Atari and C64 was not as neat though as I used a single cable to transfer nibbles but had to hand type the 64 side into a Replay cartridge's monitor in hex ?

 

That's how I had to get the original transfer code running on the C64 - by entering it by hand into the monitor and saving it to disk. Once I had a simple version running I could transfer updated versions from the Atari. It reminded me that my very first assembler code was on the Commodore PET - I wrote the code on an A4 pad, manually converted it into hex using opcodes from my 6502 reference book (including working out branches) and typed it into the monitor. 

 

(This does sound more and more like the 4 Yorkshire Men sketch from Monty Python!  )

 

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, Nojeee said:

 

I always used De Re Atari and Mapping the Atari for reference when I was writing for the Atari. The machines are similar enough to make conversions fairly straightforward ... once you've got your head around the Atari's graphics modes and display lists. When I converted the Berks games from Commodore to the Atari the majority of the game code worked without major changes (generally just working around the lack of a separate color memory.

I've got Mapping the Atari , it's the expanded version which features the XL/XE machines. It's a good 90 maybe 100 pages more than the first edition and although I've not had chance to have a good read of it yet, that does sound pretty comprehensive additional coverage.

 

I've also got Mapping the Commodore 64 so they sound like a good fit. I'll find De Re Atari, thanks for the recommendations.

 

Quote

 

It's still on the cards ... I don't think it would be a straight conversion but something along the same lines.

 

Maybe you could do a new version and then port it back to the 64? ?

[adam242]

7 hours ago, ∞ Vince ∞ said:

What's a hybrid 800 ?

 

That's how I refer to my US-spec (NTSC) 800 with a PAL ANTIC chip swapped in. I won't hijack the thread with details, but it allows me to run most European software. It's a fairly common mod and there are other threads here on AA about the subject.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, adam242 said:

 

I won't hijack the thread with details, but it allows me to run most European software. 

Well, no, that's all I needed ? Thanks.

I'm always impressed by the ingenuity of coders and the way you can 'think around a problem'.

The first time I heard about someone creating a cable to effectively let you 'inject' code into a target computer, I was knocked out!

The time saver it must be!

[SectorWars]

Great game - thanks Jon.

 

The intro sequence and selection screens are also awesome.   You can't overdo an intro screen in my opinion .  I remember in Jet Boot Jack you also had a really good intro sequence with Jack towing on the titles, etc. and then the catchy music as the selection screens scrolled into view for the player to make his selections.  Quality.

[Nojeee]

2 hours ago, SectorWars said:

Great game - thanks Jon.

 

The intro sequence and selection screens are also awesome.   You can't overdo an intro screen in my opinion .  I remember in Jet Boot Jack you also had a really good intro sequence with Jack towing on the titles, etc. and then the catchy music as the selection screens scrolled into view for the player to make his selections.  Quality.

Thanks for the kind words ... I see we're both fans of traditional Atari rainbows on our front ends 

 

PS. I've been having fun playing Sector Wars - I just have to get better at it.