[ANN] 8-bit Atari Elite Demo
Mark Keates
is a work-in-progress, 1st release of an Elite Demo for the 8-bit Atari.
The demo comes as an ATR disk image which can be run through
most emulators under XL/XE mode, e.g. A800Win.
The demo starts with the rolling Cobra screen and by pressing the
Start key (F4 on A800Win) you'll move through the various
game screens, the demo cycles through 4 planets to exercise
the galaxy/local maps and planet description screens.
That's it for now, I'm off for a couple of weeks holiday!
Plans for the next demo...
Loading screen (I'm looking for a good 3 colour logo with black background).
Introduce the console readings (maybe the scanner objects too).
Add the other ships/objects and cycle through them as a second intro screen.
Thanks go to:
Ian Bell and David Braben for the original (and for Ian hosting the Demo)
(although I did grow up on the ST version, owning an 8-bit Atari
originally... ;-)
Ullrich von Bassewitz for the CC65 development tools (CA65 in particular)
Christian Pinder for inspiration through his work on 'Elite -The New Kind'!
Paul Barker
All I can say is that I've waited many, many years ! I always knew it was
possible, through the rumours that there was an A8 conversion coming and
through all my BBC, speccy and C64 owning pals ranting on about how great it
was, and finaly playing and playing it on my Amiga 500.
Please, make it play on a *REAL* Atari !
Cheers
Paul
"Mark Keates" <ma...@mkeates.f9.co.uk> wrote in message
news:h8tV6.70$_T.10641@wards...
Vidar "Hawk" Olavesen
"Paul Barker" <pba...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:ZFwV6.22276$m4.4...@news6-win.server.ntlworld.com...
ColinR
How much ram does an Atari 800 have? Not enough, I'll wager.
"Vidar "Hawk" Olavesen" <ola...@online.no> wrote in message
news:iOEV6.6321$qR5.5...@news01.chello.no...
RHamiIton5
with a 4K gap at $C000 and no RAM under the OS from $D000 to $FFFF.
They were kind of flexible with user accessible slots for memory cards;
originally came with 8K and the largest mod I saw was the 1088K 800. Anything
over 48K was a banked situation requiring special hardware and/or software to
utilize it.
>"ColinR" col...@ntlworld.com asks:
>C? On an Atari?
>
>How much ram does an Atari 800 have? Not enough, I'll wager.
-Ron
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
Mark Keates
> C? On an Atari?
Well, cross-compiled using CC65, but Elite
is written in assembler and built using CA65
to assemble it to position independent object files
which are then linked using LD65.
> How much ram does an Atari 800 have? Not enough, I'll wager.
The demo started out using page flipping but the performance
isn't so good and so I reverted to the XOR redraw method.
In theory the demo could work in 48K but I left in the display
flipping code to prepare the other screens and display them
when they're ready. The full game with all the objects and
extra code will require an XL/XE. Presumably bank switching
carts aren't possible on the 400/800s?
Regards,
Mark
Winston Smith
RE: Re: [ANN] 8-bit Atari Elite Demo
BY: ColinR to ColinR on Wed Jun 13 2001 17:33:04
CR> C? On an Atari?
Three versions. Deep Blue C / ACE C / CC8 (a Small-C A LA BYTE MAG.)
Lightspeed C (a commercial 6502 C). CC65 (John Dunning 6502 C, quite nice.)
%%%
* Synchronet * Pony's Corral BBS - telnet://thecorral.darktech.org(1:101/805)
FamilyNet <> Internet Gated Mail
http://www.fmlynet.org
Jindrich Kubec
> The full game with all the objects and
> extra code will require an XL/XE. Presumably bank switching
> carts aren't possible on the 400/800s?
The left cartridges are same for all the models. Thus bankswitching is
model independent.
--
Jindroush (kub...@asw.cz)
See http://www.asw.cz/~kubecj for best Atari 8-bit utilities...
RHamiIton5
There is no RAM for bank switching unless you have a modified machine...
> "Mark Keates" ma...@mkeates.f9.co.uk responded:
>> How much ram does an Atari 800 have? Not enough, I'll wager.
>
>The demo started out using page flipping but the performance
>isn't so good and so I reverted to the XOR redraw method.
>In theory the demo could work in 48K but I left in the display
>flipping code to prepare the other screens and display them
>when they're ready. The full game with all the objects and
>extra code will require an XL/XE. Presumably bank switching
>carts aren't possible on the 400/800s?
-Ron
Kieran Farrell
What's RAM?
--
Kieran Farrell
:wq
Paul Irvine
>> How much ram does an Atari 800 have? Not enough, I'll wager.
>
>What's RAM?
Seriously?
RAM = Random Access Memory
It's the chip based storage media that the programs use to run in.
Most people know it these days as DIMM's for the PC although it's still RAM
in a different package.
--
As long as you remember them they will always be with you..
Kieran Farrell
>
> Seriously?
>
> RAM = Random Access Memory
>
> It's the chip based storage media that the programs use to run in.
>
> Most people know it these days as DIMM's for the PC although it's still
RAM
> in a different package.
Sorry I was being sarcastic, It's hard to write sarcasticly *8)
ila...@cix.compulink.co.uk
kjfa...@ozemail.com.au (Kieran Farrell) wrote:
> > How much ram does an Atari 800 have? Not enough, I'll wager.
>
> What's RAM?
Random Access Memory - memory as in 48K, 32K, 16K etc
Andreas Magenheimer
I am one of those "original" atari 8-bit users and I have downloaded the
Elite demo. Unfortunately the unzipped ATR had a length of 33kbytes,
still converted it to single density and downloaded it to the XL, but:
the demo is a little short !! I can only see the title screen, where a
vector-graphic (and very flickery!) space ship appears. I guess the
flickering comes from my PAL system (50Hz), allthough I have seen much
better -flicker free- vector graphics in various commercial games (like
Mercenary, F15-Strike eagle, thomahawk, fighter pilot, etc.) and polish
demos (dozens of demos, to many to count!). Maybe you should use a
vector routine, that works well on both NTSC and PAL systems...
Next, whenever I press any key (console button, keyboard) the demo
crashes - or the rotating vector graphics stops and nothing else
happens. the only thing I can do is pressing the Reset key and the
vector graphic rotates again. But thats all. - Maybe your zipped ATR
has some bugs (or my downloaded version has) ??? I do hope, that this
demo version will not only work on an emulator, but also on the real
machines. Unfortunately it doesn`t at the moment...
-andreas
Mark Keates schrieb:
Mark Keates
"Andreas Magenheimer" <mage...@mail.uni-mainz.de>
wrote in message news:3B2F460A...@mail.uni-mainz.de...
> Well,
> I am one of those "original" atari 8-bit users and I have downloaded the
> Elite demo. Unfortunately the unzipped ATR had a length of 33kbytes,
Atr's under the emulator don't appear to be required to a fixed size.
The remainder is simply 0's but I'll make the atr 96K next time.
> still converted it to single density and downloaded it to the XL,
> but: the demo is a little short !! I can only see the title screen, where
a
> vector-graphic (and very flickery!) space ship appears. I guess the
> flickering comes from my PAL system (50Hz), allthough I have seen much
> better -flicker free- vector graphics in various commercial games (like
> Mercenary, F15-Strike eagle, thomahawk, fighter pilot, etc.) and polish
> demos (dozens of demos, to many to count!). Maybe you should use a
> vector routine, that works well on both NTSC and PAL systems...
Mercenary uses page-flipping to achieve the smoothness, I've tried
this but reverted back to the original game's XOR redraw method.
The main reason behind this is that I need to get the main game engine
working first before I can see how to incorporate the page-flipping.
I'll try it again later, but for now this slows the rotation speed down
the intro screen compared to the C64 original. I'll also try leaving
the undraw pass until the vblank to see if that helps the flicker.
> Next, whenever I press any key (console button, keyboard) the demo
> crashes - or the rotating vector graphics stops and nothing else
> happens. the only thing I can do is pressing the Reset key and the
> vector graphic rotates again. But thats all. - Maybe your zipped ATR
> has some bugs (or my downloaded version has) ??? I do hope, that this
> demo version will not only work on an emulator, but also on the real
> machines. Unfortunately it doesn`t at the moment...
The instructions did say use the Start key ;-)
I'm afraid I did put in a replacement key handler routine since I've swapped
out the OS. When I'm back from my hols I'll set up a web page and re-release
the demo with the key-press fixed and page-flipping enabled as a comparison.
Regards,
Mark
P.S. I've made a loading screen from the C64 loading screen
but if anyone can do a front-on logo...
Andreas Magenheimer
the Demo version -as is- does not work very good. You can only see the
start screen. Even on emulators and on real ataris, the demo then
crashes (no matter if you press start or another key). the rotating
starship is very flickery and not very fast animated (I cannot do it any
better - I cannot program! Still I do not say that every program is
good, simply because I cannot do it better; I always tell my opinion,
subjective, but my opinion!) maybe someone should do it all in
Assembler. hey Polish coders, where are you ?? -Andreas.
Paul Barker schrieb:
Paul Irvine
>Yep,
>the Demo version -as is- does not work very good. You can only see the
>start screen. Even on emulators and on real ataris, the demo then
>crashes (no matter if you press start or another key). the rotating
>starship is very flickery and not very fast animated (I cannot do it any
>better - I cannot program!
Guess who didn't read the release notes ;-)
The demo is JUST that, if you hit START it cycles thru a series of Elite
screens from within the game. It's not meant to play and says so in the
docs :-)
carmel
atari hummy
Anyhow's, Re: RAM's Dimms and suchlike
I allway's though that RAM was an Animal you usually saw on farms and
zoo's, forget it i'm being sarcy!!!
I thought that DIMMs went out with the sinclair c5 and the speccy,
nowadays it's sdram and ddr ram (for 266 mhz mainboards like asus)
Getting back to thang's atari wise, didn't atari invent the concept of
the plug in memory module (aka dimms,simms, ddr ram, sdram) remember
the 800 and the 400, and also the cartridges that you got with the
2600, isn't that plug in memory
Also I remember a news article in Database Publications "Atari User"
Mag (earlier editions) or was it an artcile in the mailbag section
stating that firebird (ex bt software) was supposed to be working on
an Atari version of Elite, but Acorn or someone high up, scrapped the
a8 version, apparently, according to the article, it was just too good
(the a8 version that is)
When Mark pulls the preverbial finger out, lets see some screen shots
of the full version of elite, on the internet
Yours Atarily
carmel A>>>>>>>
ColinR
"carmel" <carmel_...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:6912483e.01062...@posting.google.com...
> Anyhow's, Re: RAM's Dimms and suchlike
> I thought that DIMMs went out with the sinclair c5 and the speccy,
> nowadays it's sdram and ddr ram (for 266 mhz mainboards like asus)
DIMMs are the packages that the memory comes in. DDR ram still comes on a
DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module). It just has its notches in a different
place to SDRAM DIMMs so you can't plug the wrong type into the wrong slots.
> Getting back to thang's atari wise, didn't atari invent the concept of
> the plug in memory module (aka dimms,simms, ddr ram, sdram) remember
> the 800 and the 400, and also the cartridges that you got with the
> 2600, isn't that plug in memory
Not in the same sense as ram. And back in the days of the Atari, upgrading
memory was as easy as plugging in a Megadrive (Genesis) cartridge -
therefore easier than today.
> Also I remember a news article in Database Publications "Atari User"
> Mag (earlier editions) or was it an artcile in the mailbag section
> stating that firebird (ex bt software) was supposed to be working on
> an Atari version of Elite, but Acorn or someone high up, scrapped the
> a8 version, apparently, according to the article, it was just too good
> (the a8 version that is)
Unlikely. The reason was probably costs against sales. Doing C64,
Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC versions were justifiable (C64 was a pretty basic
port over - bar the graphics. The Spectrum had a massive customer base.
And the Amstrad version would be a basic port over of the Spectrum.
Andreas Magenheimer
but I even cannot see these "other" screens !!! Only the title screen,
thats all! The demo then crashes (no other screens but the title screen
is visible). Ok ?!?
-Andreas
Paul Irvine schrieb:
Guess who didn't read the release notes ;-) I did !!!
>
> The demo is JUST that, if you hit START it cycles (no, it crashes on my atari!) thru a series of Elite screens (-> not on my PAL Atari!) from within the game. It's not meant to play and says so in the docs :-) (I knew that it was not meant to play...)
Paul Irvine
>Yeeesss,
>but I even cannot see these "other" screens !!! Only the title screen,
>thats all! The demo then crashes (no other screens but the title screen
>is visible). Ok ?!?
>-Andreas
>
Then it's not a problem of the demo but what you are looking at it on as I
see the screens fine on Atari800winplus.
ok!?!
:-)
Mark Keates
OK, I'm back off holiday now and so will try hooking
up my old 8-bit at some time. I'm looking to get a
friend to knock me up an EPROM emulator so that
I can develop the thing direct to cartridge from the PC,
but don't hold your breaths ;-)
Sorry Andreas that you've had trouble running this on a
real 8-bit, I've done the development so far through the
emulator as I wasn't anticipating many differences between
the two due to the quality of A800Win. Plus it makes
debugging a lot easier! Anyone else tried a real 8-bit yet?
Finally, ALL of the code is in assembler EXCEPT for
the ship structures which are in C (which don't count
because they aren't code ;-) The line drawing routines
are a variation on those in the original C64 version
which are actually pretty efficient and after the mods
are a few cycles shorter than the C64 code.
Let me see how I get on over the next week or two
(normal work + family issues coming first naturally).
Regards,
Mark