> > 4. Is this list about games on the 2600, or about the art of programming
> in
> > the tightest environment? I love the latter, because the knowledge
> enables
> > some great game experiences and because it's all about working with the
> > hardware. Honestly, I see the continued focus on the minimal environment
> > getting in the way of some great games using supercharger, ram carts,
> 7800,
>
> Basically it's just the sum of it's members :-)
Precisely. This list is about whatever its members want it to be about, and
over the past year-and-a-half, the topics of discussion have shifted with
the current, but have always remained very technical.
That's what drew me to the list in the first place. I had no delusions of
grandeur. No desire to "get a game out there." I had quite accidentally
stumbled onto some technical material about the Atari 2600 hardware on the
Internet, and was instantly intrigued by its primitive architecture. When I
began lurking on this list and scouring the archives, I knew I had found
something very special...
My personal interest in the list isn't to talk about games on the 2600. The
2600 _is_ the game, and I'm learning how to play it using the same rules as
the programmers of yore. A wonderful side effect of this is the eventual
production of a game that can be shared with other people, but discussion
about that final product typically migrates to the AA forums where it can
enjoy a broader audience.
Now that I've finally made the leap from high level programming languages to
assembly, I think I understand the ambivalence some of the core members are
feeling towards bB. And although I occasionally get schooled on my
knowledge of assembly (Manuel!), I know this list isn't about teaching it.
"I'm probably going to get a mix of praise and criticism for this."
- Fred's first sentence in his first post about bB
Fred, I don't think people are criticizing you. Most of us probably just
hope new members embracing bB will continue to exercise the same level of
discretion in their posts as we have in the past.
If people really want to know what this list is about... please, do what I
did: lurk and scour the archives.
-Lee
Archives (includes files) at http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/archives/
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