80 column support without hardware

[danwinslow]

I am planning on messing around with my fujinet some, and there's a mostly text-based game I wrote that I'd like to try and hook the Atari up to. My question is, what are my options for software 80 columns? (Note - this is not something that ICE-T can handle, it's not TELNET either). I am going to write a custom client, and I'd like to know what my options are for software 80 columns and whether it would be able to keep up with a lot of text, say a screenful of 80 column text every few seconds. Thanks.

[+Nezgar]

Check out the E80 driver from this post:

https://atariage.com/forums/topic/315818-software-80-columns/?do=findComment&comment=4726615

It's an early disk version of ACE-80, supposedly scrolls faster than 40 columns.

[danwinslow]

Good info in that thread, thanks.

[+videofx]

A lot of us bought ACE-80 column carts so if you can make it compatible with that, then that would be awesome!

[danwinslow]

OK, I just bought one too. I will experiment with it, hopefully I can support both it and a software E:/S: driver.

[+DrVenkman]

If you used SpartaDOS X, there’s also an existing software Gr.8 80-column driver you can try.

[flashjazzcat]

The Fast BASIC approach is the most flexible; use standard CIO screen output at all times, and derive the screen dimensions from RMARGN and BOTSCR. Everything should then automatically work regardless of the driver in use.

[danwinslow]

2 hours ago, DrVenkman said:

If you used SpartaDOS X, there’s also an existing software Gr.8 80-column driver you can try.

Yep, is definitely an option.

[danwinslow]

1 hour ago, flashjazzcat said:

The Fast BASIC approach is the most flexible; use standard CIO screen output at all times, and derive the screen dimensions from RMARGN and BOTSCR. Everything should then automatically work regardless of the driver in use.

Noted, thanks Jon.