anybody know how to start out with 7800basic

[THE AtariGuy]

I was able to find technical information but am having trouble finding commands and their functions.

Please help

[+Gemintronic]

RandomTerrains web site is always a good start

https://www.randomterrain.com/7800basic.html

 

A tutorial here

 

 

[THE AtariGuy]

thanks. can I use the sprite/tile editor in atari dev studio to create graphics?

 

[+Gemintronic]

14 minutes ago, THE AtariGuy said:

thanks. can I use the sprite/tile editor in atari dev studio to create graphics?

 

 

No idea.  Others can probably answer that better.  I heard GIMP and Tiled are handy for 7800bas.  Should download and install them.  They're useful for many game development languages.

 

TIled

https://www.mapeditor.org/download.html

 

GIMP

https://www.gimp.org/downloads/

[+Karl G]

35 minutes ago, THE AtariGuy said:

thanks. can I use the sprite/tile editor in atari dev studio to create graphics?

 

Yes. It has a built-in sprite editor, and is an easy way to create graphics in the right format as you are getting started.

[THE AtariGuy]

I am following the tutorial. What is the code change I need to make (red text)

[+saxmeister]

@THE AtariGuy which specific tutorial are you following?

 

If you are looking at the 320A tutorial with the basic "Hello World" text, then you would need to update the palette for the text.

The text has: plotchars 'Hello World!' 0 0 0
That sets the colors using palette #0 at position x:0, y:0

 

So, to change the color you would need to change the palette entry. In 320A mode palette entry #2 of palette #0 sets the colors, so you would change P0C2=$0F to P0C2=$34

 

Have you looked up the Atari 7800 color palette and figured out how to get the value of the colors you want? That is where I found the color value for red ($34).

 

Edited April 20, 2022 by saxmeister

[Trebor]

On 3/12/2022 at 1:07 PM, saxmeister said:

That is where I found the color value for red ($45).

$45 leans a bit too pink for red; a value in the lower-half $3x range typically works best.

 

For the retail game Choplifter!, $34 is utilized for the status area, the brick base building, and for the flag.

 

Under Crossbow, $33 is leveraged for the space at the bottom, during path selection, that reads "SHOOT HERE FOR RED PATH".  Also, under homebrew territory, the Donkey Kong remake, Donkey Kong PK, the red for Jumpman's hat and in his clothes is $33 as well. 

 

The lava in Joust as well as the floor in Karateka is $32.

 

Overall $33 is the best bet for red overall.   $32 for a dark red and $34 for a light red.

[+Lewis2907]

Is there a detailed tutorial preferably video on how to properly unpack and load the 7800 Basic program. I tried a few years ago and gave up and just stayed with Bb. Any ideas or help would greatly appreciated, thanks. 

[+Karl G]

8 hours ago, Lewis2907 said:

Is there a detailed tutorial preferably video on how to properly unpack and load the 7800 Basic program. I tried a few years ago and gave up and just stayed with Bb. Any ideas or help would greatly appreciated, thanks. 

Are you on Windows? The process is pretty much the same as setting up bB. Unzip the archive, and run the install_win batch file to setup environment variables that are needed. Details for each operating system can be found on this page. If you run into issues, feel free to post here, and I'm sure they can be figured out.

 

I recommend giving Atari Dev Studio a shot, however. That gives you all of the tools you need including the editor, compiler, sprite editor, and an emulator all on one package, and should make it easier for you getting started once you have it set up.