Programming Like It's 1977
The article explores programming games on the Atari VCS, a pioneering hardware platform from the 1970s with constraints that inspired creativity. Coding in 6502 assembly language offers a retro experience. The Atari 2600+ release supports old hardware for modern gaming. Learning on the Atari VCS reveals early programmers' challenges and solutions, fostering creativity.
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The article delves into the author's exploration of programming games on the Atari VCS, a hardware platform known for its constraints like limited RAM and sprites. The Atari VCS, designed in the 1970s, was a pioneer in the gaming industry, inspiring creativity due to its limitations. The author highlights the importance of understanding the platform's hardware to code effectively, opting for 6502 assembly language for a retro experience. The article discusses the release of the Atari 2600+ as a modern version supporting old hardware, enabling a seamless gaming experience on modern TVs. Learning to code on the Atari VCS provided insights into the challenges faced by early programmers and the innovative solutions they devised. The author recommends exploring the Atari VCS as a nerdy yet enjoyable hobby that fosters creativity and innovation through constraints. Overall, the article emphasizes the unique learning experience and historical significance of coding on the Atari VCS.
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1 commentsI come from a C64 origin, cracking games and writing crack intros, where I’d use sprite multiplexing to do top and bottom border sprite scrollers. You could do side borders too if you timed it correctly.
Either there were sprites moved or textual data rotated through an array of sprites.
Arcade games would often use a similar approach of multiplexing to do attack waves of baddies moving along the x-axis. Obviously, they were constrained in y-axis.
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