Software:Atari 2600 homebrew

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Short description: Video game genre

thumb|Duck Attack! (2010)''

The first hobbyist-developed game for the Atari 2600 video game console was written in 1995, and more than 100 have been released since then. The majority of games are unlicensed clones of games for other platforms, and there are some also original games and ROM hacks. With only 128 bytes of RAM, no frame buffer, and the code and visuals closely intertwined, the 2600 is a difficult machine to program.[1] and many games were written for the technical challenge. Emulators, programming tools, and documentation are available.[1]

Games that have received attention outside the hobbyist community include Halo 2600,[2][3] Duck Attack!,[4] and A-VCS-tec Challenge by Simon Quernhorst (2006), an unofficial port of the 1981 Atari 8-bit family game Aztec Challenge.[5] Others have been included in commercial products.[6]

History

thumb|Thomas Jentzsch's 2600 version of Jeremy Smith's BBC Micro game Thrust (2000)

Atari, Inc. launched the Atari Video Computer System, or Atari VCS for short, in 1977.[7] The system was renamed Atari 2600 in 1982. Hundreds of games from Atari and third-party publishers have been released for the console,[8] with some selling millions of copies, such as Missile Command and Pitfall!.[9] The 2600 continued to be manufactured throughout the 1980s, long past its peak years, until Atari Corporation dropped support in January 1992.[10]

The next year, Harry Dodgson released the first hobbyist-produced cartridge: 7800/2600 Monitor Cartridge.[11] It is a development tool that, after attempting to get Atari interested Dodgson decided to manufacture on his own.[11] He purchased a batch of Atari 7800 Hat Trick games at Big Lots for a dollar or less each and cannibalized the parts. He advertised the cartridge on Usenet and in a catalog for game seller Video 61, ultimately selling around 25 copies.[11]

In 1995 — three years after Atari's withdrawal of the 2600 from the marketplace — enthusiast Ed Federmeyer released SoundX,[12] a cartridge to experiment with the sound capabilities of the system.[13] Federmeyer used the term homebrew to describe hobbyist-driven development, inspired by the California Homebrew Computer Club of the 1970s.[14] After designing the cartridge for his own use, Federmeyer advertised it on Usenet, [15] followed by an unlicensed version of Tetris.[13] Since then, over 100 games have been released,[16] many published by AtariAge.[17]

Games

thumb|left|[[Medieval Mayhem is a version of the 1980 arcade game Warlords.]]

Most hobbyist-developed Atari 2600 games were created for the technical challenge, not as exercises in game design, and are unlicensed clones of arcade and computer games that were popular during the 1980s. Lady Bug, released by John W. Champeau in 2006, is an implementation of the 1981 Universal arcade game.[18] Juno First, released by Chris Walton in 2009, borrows the name and design of the 1983 Konami arcade game;[19] and Thrust, released by Thomas Jentzsch in 2000, is a clone of the BBC Micro game of the same name.[20] Other programmers have implemented Sea Wolf (as Seawolf), Tetris (as Edtris 2600), and Caverns of Mars (as Conquest of Mars). The 2600 version of Star Castle was undertaken because it had previously been said that "a decent version couldn’t be done."[21]

Several releases have expanded upon earlier games. Warring Worms, by Billy Eno (2002), takes the core design of Surround and adds new gameplay modes, such as the ability to fire shots at the opponent.[22] Medieval Mayhem (2006) by, Darrell Spice Jr., is a version of the 1980 arcade game Warlords which includes elements omitted from Atari's official port.[23]

There are also some original designs. In SCSIcide, released by Joe Grand in 2001,[24] the player acts as a hard drive read head picking up color-coded data bits as they fly past.[25] Oystron, released by Piero Cavina in 1997, is an action game in which "space oysters" are opened and pearls collected to earn ammunition.[citation needed] Duck Attack! allows the player to battle giant, fire-breathing ducks in a quest to save the world from a mad scientist.[26]

In 2005, SCSIcide, Oystron, Warring Worms, Skeleton+, and Marble Craze were listed as the "Best 2600 Homebrew Games" in the book Gaming Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools by Simon Carless.[25]

A demake is a port from a system generations past the 2600.[27] Halo 2600 is a 4 KB game inspired by the Halo series of games.[28] It was written by former Microsoft vice-president Ed Fries, who was involved in Microsoft's acquisition of Halo creator Bungie.[29] Other 2600 demakes include the Portal-inspired Super 3D Portals 6 and a demo based on the Mega Man franchise.[30] Princess Rescue is an unofficial 2600 port of Super Mario Bros., while Zippy the Porcupine is a game inspired by the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

ROM hacking modifies existing game programs. This typically includes alternate graphics and colors, but may involve gameplay modifications and the ability to use a different controller than the one for which the game was originally designed.[31] One hack target is the 2600 version of Pac-Man, in which the graphic elements are reworked to more closely resemble the arcade version.[32]

Commercial releases

thumb|Video Euchre by Erik Eid is included in the 2003 Activision Anthology''. thumb|Stay Frosty by Darrell Spice Jr.

In 2003, Activision selected several homebrew 2600 games for inclusion in the Game Boy Advance version of its Activision Anthology: Climber 5 by Dennis Debro (2004), Okie Dokie by Bob Colbert (1996), Skeleton+ by Eric Ball (2003), Space Treat Deluxe by Fabrizio Zavagli (2003), Vault Assault by Brian Prescott (2001), Video Euchre by Erik Eid (2002), and Oystron.[33]

In May 2018 it was announced that the Retron 77, a clone of the Atari 2600 console, would include four homebrew pack in-games: Astronomer,[34] Baby,[35] Muncher 77,[36] and Nexion 3D.[37]

Development

The Atari 2600 is generally considered to be a very demanding programming environment, with a mere 128 bytes of RAM and no video frame buffer at all. The programmer must prepare each line of video output as it is being sent to the television. The only sprite capabilities are one-dimensional 1-bit and 8-bit patterns; creating a two-dimensional object requires changing the pattern between each line of video.[1] Games are often developed using Atari 2600 emulators such as Stella and Z26.[24]

Unlike later consoles, the 2600 will run any properly configured cartridge without checking for a digital signature or performing any other type of authentication.[38] It was this aspect of the system that enabled third-party companies such as Activision and Imagic to develop Atari 2600 games without Atari's consent in the 1980s.[1] This led Atari to incorporate authentication features in its later console, the Atari 7800, to prevent other companies from creating and selling their own 7800 games without Atari's permission.[38]

With third-party hardware such as the Cuttle Cart and Harmony Cartridge, developers could load in-progress games onto a physical Atari console to test.[39][40] The Cuttle Cart, developed by Chad Schell in the early 2000s,[41] was designed to be compatible with the Starpath Supercharger, and allows ROM images to be loaded via an 1/8" minijack audio interface such as a cassette tape or CD player.[42]

Batari Basic

As the 2600 uses the 6507, a variant of the MOS Technology 6502 processor, most games are written in 6502 assembly language. In 2007, developer Fred X. Quimby released the Batari Basic compiler allowing developers to write games in BASIC, a high-level programming language.[1] Game designer and Georgia Institute of Technology associate professor Ian Bogost has used Batari Basic in his classes to teach students video game concepts and history.[1] An integrated development environment for Microsoft Windows, Visual Batari Basic, is also available.[43][44]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Bogost & Montfort 2009.
  2. ↑ Melanson, Donald (August 3, 2010). "Former Microsoft VP brings Halo to the Atari 2600". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2010/08/03/former-microsoft-vp-brings-halo-to-the-atari-2600/. 
  3. ↑ Beschizza, Rob (August 3, 2010). "Former Microsoft VP brings Halo to the Atari 2600". Boing Boing. http://boingboing.net/2010/08/03/halo-for-atari-2600.html. 
  4. ↑ Duck Attack! references:
  5. ↑ Doctorow, Cory (July 10, 2006). "New Atari 2600 game cartridge released". Boing Boing. http://boingboing.net/2006/07/10/new-atari-2600-game-.html. 
  6. ↑ Carless 2005, p. 22.
  7. ↑ "Atari VCS (Atari 2600)". A Brief History of Game Console Warfare. Business Week. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/10/game_consoles/source/3.htm. 
  8. ↑ Yarusso, Albert. "Atari 2600 Companies". AtariAge. http://www.atariage.com/company_list.html?SystemID=2600. 
  9. ↑ Buchanan, Levi (August 26, 2008). "Top 10 Best-Selling Atari 2600 Games". http://retro.ign.com/articles/903/903024p1.html. 
  10. ↑ Gray, Frank (July 25, 2010). "Ducks roam new game for old Atari". The Journal Gazette. http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100725/LOCAL0201/307259917/1002/LOCAL. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Herman, Leonard. "New Blood for Orphaned Systems". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. p. 2. http://videogames.gamespot.com/features/universal/new_blood/page2.html. 
  12. ↑ Yarusso, Albert. "Rarity Key Explained". AtariAge. http://www.atariage.com/common/rarity_key.html. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Herman 1997, p. 251.
  14. ↑ Herman, Leonard. "New Blood for Orphaned Systems". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. p. 1. http://videogames.gamespot.com/features/universal/new_blood/. 
  15. ↑ Herman, Leonard. "New Blood for Orphaned Systems". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. p. 3. http://videogames.gamespot.com/features/universal/new_blood/page3.html. 
  16. ↑ Yarusso, Albert. "Atari 2600 Rarity Guide". AtariAge. http://www.atariage.com/software_list.html?SystemID=2600. 
  17. ↑ Caylor, Bob (August 18, 2010). "Atari revival". The News-Sentinel. http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100809/BUSINESS/8090325. 
  18. ↑ Template:AtariAge title
  19. ↑ Walton, Chris (May 6, 2008). "Juno First - Final Version (Atari 2600)". AtariAge. http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/125269-juno-first-final-version-atari-2600/. 
  20. ↑ Template:AtariAge title
  21. ↑ "Star Castle 2600, the Story". http://starcastle2600.blogspot.com/p/star-castle-2600-story.html. 
  22. ↑ Template:AtariAge title
  23. ↑ Template:AtariAge title
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Wen, Howard (May 20, 2004). "Inside the Homebrew Atari 2600 Scene". http://linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/05/20/atari_2600_homebrew.html. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Carless 2005, p. 21.
  26. ↑ McGinnis, Jeff (August 4, 2010). "Tech-savvy fans programming, developing on classic console". Toledo Free Press. http://www.toledofreepress.com/2010/08/03/tech-savvy-fans-programming-developing-on-classic-console/. 
  27. ↑ Snow, Jean (September 12, 2008). "Portal, Retrofitted for Atari 2600". Wired. https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2008/09/portal-demade-i. Retrieved August 28, 2010. 
  28. ↑ Bogost, Ian (August 1, 2010). "Halo 2600: Ed Fries demakes Halo for Atari". http://www.bogost.com/blog/halo_2600.shtml. 
  29. ↑ Bishop, Todd (January 14, 2004). "The game is over for Xbox's Ed Fries". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://www.seattlepi.com/business/156473_msftgames14.html. 
  30. ↑ Winterhalter, Ryan (April 29, 2011). "31 Homebrew Games Worth Playing". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/features/31-homebrew-games-worth-playing. 
  31. ↑ Yarusso, Albert. "Atari 2600 Hacks". AtariAge. http://www.atariage.com/software_hacks.html?SystemID=2600. 
  32. ↑ Yarusso, Albert. "Atari 2600 Hacks: Pac-Man". AtariAge. http://www.atariage.com/hack_page.html?SystemID=2600&SoftwareHackID=5. 
  33. ↑ Kohler 2005, p. 378.
  34. ↑ "Astronomer 2600 Official website". http://pietrow.net/atari/astronomer/. 
  35. ↑ "Baby 2600 Official website". https://robsomestudios.itch.io/baby. 
  36. ↑ "Muncher store website". http://www.packratvg.com/muncher.html. 
  37. ↑ "Nexion 3D on AtariAge". 28 October 2016. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/258469-nexion-3d-a-fps-for-the-vcs-was-berzerk-3d/. 
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "The Atari 7800 ProSystem". AtariMuseum.com. http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/7800/7800menu/. 
  39. ↑ George, Gregory D. (April 12, 2005). "Cuttle Cart 2". The Atari Times. http://www.ataritimes.com/article.php?showarticle=464. 
  40. ↑ Borys, Michael (November 18, 2015). "The Harmony Cartridge". Boing Boing. https://boingboing.net/2015/11/18/the-harmony-cartridge.html. 
  41. ↑ Grand, Joe. Game Console Hacking: Having Fun While Voiding Your Warranty. pg. 393. ISBN:978-1-931836-31-9.
  42. ↑ Carless, Simon. Gaming Hacks. pg. 16. ISBN:978-0-596-00714-0.
  43. ↑ Wierer, Jeff (April 5, 2008). "Visual bB 1.0 - a new IDE for batari Basic". http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/123849-visual-bb-1-0-a-new-ide-for-batari-basic/. 
  44. ↑ "Visual batari Basic Guide". http://www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-batari-basic-vbb.html. 
  • Bogost, Ian; Montfort, Nick (2009). Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System. MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-01257-X. 
  • Carless, Simon (2005). Gaming Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools. O'Reilly Media. ISBN 0-596-00917-8. 
  • Herman, Leonard (1997). Phoenix: The Fall & Rise of Videogames. Rolenta Press. ISBN 0-9643848-2-5. 
  • Kohler, Chris (2005). Retro Gaming Hacks: Tips & Tools for Playing the Classics. O'Reilly Media. ISBN 0-596-00917-8. 

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