Re: [stella] Atari 2600 programming

Subject: Re: [stella] Atari 2600 programming
From: Eckhard Stolberg <Eckhard_Stolberg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 05 Apr 1998 14:07:07 +0200
At 06:12 05.05.98 -0700, you wrote:

>I want to learn to program for the atari 2600. What do i need as far as
>documentation, utils, languages, etc????

You will find most of the things you need at Nick Bensema's site at
http://www.primenet.com/~nickb/atariprg.htm

You should get the 'stella programmer's guide', which explains
all the registers in the VCS's chips.

Also get a cross assebler for you operating system. If you are using
a PC, I would recommend DASM, which is what most of us here use.

A VCS emulator, so that you can test your code.

If you have a Supercharger, you should get MAKEWAV by
Bob Colbert, which will convert your VCS programs into
an audio file. This audio file can then be played to the
Supercharger, which lets you use your program on a real VCS.

Also get the 'How to draw a playfield' source code, which
is nicely documented and shows you the basics of any VCS
program.

The only thing, that you won't find there is an introduction
to 6502 assembly language. If you know assembly language,
you could search the web for an instruction table for the 6502.
Otherwise you could try to find a book on assembly language
for the 8bit computer lines of Apple, Atari or Commodore,
which used the same processor.


Ciao, Eckhard Stolberg



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