Subject: Re: [stella] compiler? From: "nj bloodline" <njbl00dline@xxxxxxxxxxx> Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 16:43:11 -0400 |
That's exactly what I am talking about! It could evolve into more.. eventually a full fledged piece of software. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ben Larson" <wazzapfool@xxxxxxxxx> To: <stella@xxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2001 4:00 PM Subject: Re: [stella] compiler? > OK I did some more thinking about this at work. :) I > started thinking that the whole text-based console > kernel might not be as easy as I thought. For one, > I'm pretty sure it would have to involve some trickery > with the player graphics to get any decent text > resolution...inputting numbers would be kinda > difficult to do too with a joystick. :) > > Maybe something more useful would be a compiler that > would support 'real' graphics, but just support a > fairly simple display kernel (at first anyway) - i.e. > two player sprites that can be positioned anywhere > on-screen, a ball that can be positioned anywhere, and > a symmetrical playfield. Then everyone could make > their own Combat clone in a high(er) level language! > ;) > > Ben > > P.S. Sorry if I'm offending any assembly-language > purists with all this talk of high-level languages :) > > --- Ben Larson <wazzapfool@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > Has anyone ever considered making a compiler that > > generates Atari 2600 code? I know it sounds like a > > pretty farfetched idea, but I was thinking maybe > > something scaled down at first. Obviously creating > > a > > compiler that would be able to abstract all the > > nasty > > details of making a really graphically-intense game > > (like Pitfall for instance) would be > > near-impossible. > > That's not what I had in mind. What I had in mind > > was > > something that would just let you do console > > text-based stuff a la old DOS text-based programs, > > or > > that 2600 game 'Dark Mage'. > > > > I already have a simple C-esque scripting language I > > wrote with some other guy for a class in college, > > which I was thinking might be a starting point. The > > implementation was done in C++ and is completely > > object-oriented (the implementation, not the > > language > > we wrote). Right now it's interpreted, but it would > > be easy (knock on wood) to convert it into a > > compiler > > because of the object oriented structure. All that > > would need to be done would be to write a new > > 'virtual > > machine' class (one of the 3 C++ classes that > > comprises it) which would take the > > pseudo-instructions > > given to it from the parser and generate 6502 > > assembly > > language code instead. > > > > Anyway the language itself is kinda cool - supports > > integer variables and arrays, string constants, as > > well as 'for' and 'while' loops, procedures, > > (pseduo) > > local variables, arbitrarily complex conditional > > statements, order-of-operations, etc. I (or someone > > else) would just need to come up with a 'console > > kernel' to retrive text information from RAM and > > display the characters on-screen, and I think the > > whole thing might be pretty feasable. Obviously the > > limited processing power of the 2600 might be a > > problem, but I suppose if all of a given program's > > calculations couldn't be done in one screen blank, > > then it could just be spread over multiple screen > > blanks...maybe. The compiler would likely have to > > count cycles when generating the code, and always > > assume worst-case scenario in order to determine > > whether code would fit into 1 screen blank. If not, > > it could generate the appropriate subroutine calls > > to > > draw the screen, and then go on generating code. > > > > Anyway just a thought, I don't know if anyone would > > be > > interested in such a thing, since its usefulness, > > like > > I said, would probably be limited to fairly static > > (text-based) stuff. > > > > Ben > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant > > messaging with Yahoo! Messenger > > http://im.yahoo.com > > > > - > > Archives (includes files) at > > http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/archives/ > > Unsub & more at http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/ > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger > http://im.yahoo.com > > - > Archives (includes files) at http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/archives/ > Unsub & more at http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/ > - Archives (includes files) at http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/archives/ Unsub & more at http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/
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