> I'm a new STELLAlist subscriber. My name is Ray Zschau and I just recently started re-collecting for the 2600 and other classic systems.
You might want to fix your email program so it isn't sending
extra-looooong lines of text like that :)
> I am very interested in designing and programming my own 2600 and
> vectrex games. I've spent the past month overloading myself with info
> from all over the 'net reading anything I can on developing for the 6500
> series processor, as well as checking annonated source code for the more
> basic games like Combat and Adventure.
>
> The main problem is that I don't have a background in computer
> programming, and I want to know if it would be easier to learn assembly
> by writing a few games/demos for the C64, Apple II, or other 6502 based
> systems before getting started on the 2600?
It's certainly very difficult to leap straight into arguably one of the
hardest systems of all time to program as your first foray into any sort
of programming. If you've never done concepts such as arrays, loops,
subroutines in any other programming environment, assembler isn't friendly
towards learning them, and the 2600 even less. Definitely do _some_
assembly before starting on the 2600... most guys around here had some
previous C64 or Apple II experience. I didn't, but had done quite a bit
of x86 assembler.
> I also would like to know what tools/information other list users found
> most useful to them when they first started programming. Any
> recommendations would be very helpful.
Well, when I first started programming was with stuff like "Teach Yourself
BASIC on Your TI-99" in something like third grade :) ... you may want
something more recent, though that really isn't a bad place to start. If
you mean for the 2600, all I needed was a 6502 reference card and the
system's memory map and Stella docs and ran with it from there.
> Lastly, does the list have a FAQ yet? I recall someone was talking
> about it in an archived post, but I still have 2 years worth of posts to
> look at! Thanks a lot for the help, I have a ton of questions and will
> try and space them out instead of posting them all at once. I'll try to
> get up to speed as quickly as I can.
I don't think we have a FAQ, no. The closest thing we've got is Nick
Bensema's page with lots of collected resources. (dont have the URL handy)
Well, welcome aboard, and hope you do get up to speed with the rest of us,
but it will take a lot of learning, to be sure.
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