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Atari Projects

Fun projects for your Atari 8-bit home computers and video game consoles

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Category: Programming

Read the Book “Atari BASIC” (1-2 hours)

July 21, 2019 moorejh Books, Programming

Task: Read the Book “Atari BASIC” Needed: Atari Basic by Albrecht et al. (1979) Time: 1-2 Hours Introduction My first two books were Your Atari Computer and Atari BASIC. They are still a great way to get familiar with the Atari 400 and 800 if

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Explore KSquiggle’s Atari 8-bit Programming Shrine (15-30 mins)

April 28, 2019 moorejh Programming, Web Resources

Task: Explore KSquiggle’s Atari 8-bit Programming Shrine Needed: Web browser Time: 15-30 mins Introduction Bill Lange pointed me to this awesome Atari 8-bit programming resource developed and maintained by Kevin Chase (aka KSquiggle). I had seen this before but it was great to get it on

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Fun With The Atari Touch Tablet (15-30 mins)

March 31, 2019 moorejh Graphics, Hardware, Programming

Task: Fun With The Atari Touch Tablet Needed: Atari Touch Tablet Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction I got an Atari Touch Tablet along with the Atariartist cartridge for Christmas back in the early 1980s. This was one of my favorite Atari gifts ever. I had so

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Try Player-Missile Graphics in BASIC (30-60 mins)

March 25, 2019 moorejh Demos, Graphics, Programming

Task: Try Player-Missile Graphics in BASIC Needed: BASIC Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction Player-missile (PM) graphics helped make the Atari the premier arcade and graphics machine in its day. A key feature of PM graphics is the ability to draw players and missiles on the screen

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Compile Assembly Code for the Atari 2600 (10-15 mins)

January 20, 2019 moorejh 2600 VCS, Programming

Task: Compile Assembly Code for the Atari 2600 Needed: DASM cross-compiler, assembly code Time: 10-15 mins Introduction I had an Atari 2600 in the late 1970s before we got our first Atari 400 and 800 computers. I recall standing in line at Sears to purchase

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Learn About Display List Interrupts in BASIC (1-2 hours)

November 23, 2018 moorejh Programming

Task: Learn About Display List Interrupts in BASIC Needed: BASIC  Time: 1-2 hours Introduction Atari was far ahead of its competitors when it was released with superior graphics. This was largely due to the ANTIC chip that served as a graphics processor with its own

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Read the Book “De Re Atari” (3-6 hours)

November 17, 2018 moorejh Books, Programming

Task: Read the Book “De Re Atari”  Needed: De Re Atari  Time: 3-6 hours Introduction When the Atari 400 and 800 computers were released in 1979 they were a closed system. That is, only Atari personnel knew the details of the hardware that were necessary

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Celebrate Halloween with Atari BASIC (10-15 mins)

October 31, 2018 moorejh Graphics, Programming

Task: Celebrate Halloween with Atari BASIC Needed: BASIC Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction When Halloween was approaching I went on to the web to see if there were some fun BASIC programs designed specifically for the haunted day. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any. There are a

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Try BASIC Programs from a Micro Adventure Book (1-2 hours)

October 28, 2018 moorejh Books, Programming

Task: Try BASIC Programs from a Micro Adventure Book Needed: BASIC, Micro Adventure Book #2 Time: 1-2 hours Introduction When I was a kid I loved the ‘choose your own adventure books‘. It was really fun to participate in how the story took shape. I didn’t

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Create a Custom Display List in BASIC (30-60 mins)

October 21, 2018 moorejh Graphics, Programming

Task: Create a Custom Display List in BASIC Needed: BASIC Time: 30-60 mins Introduction When the Atari 400 and 800 were released in 1979 they were far ahead of their competitors in terms of computer graphics and sound. The advanced graphics were the result of

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Save an ATR File from Altirra to Your PC (10-15 mins)

October 21, 2018 moorejh Emulators, Programming, Software

Task: Save an ATR File from Altirra to Your PC Needed: Altirra emulator Time: 10-15 mins Introduction When I first started using the Altirra 8-bit emulator I decided I wanted make ATR floppy disk images that I could then save to my hard disk for

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Try GTIA Graphics Modes in BASIC (30-60 mins)

October 12, 2018 moorejh Graphics, Programming

Task: Try GTIA Graphics Modes in BASIC Needed: BASIC Time: 30-60 mins Introduction When the Atari 400 and 800 first shipped they included the Color Television Interface Adaptor or CTIA chip that creates the signal that goes to the television for display. The CTIA is

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Make a Playfield in BASIC Using Character Sets (30-60 mins)

September 23, 2018 moorejh Programming

Task: Make a Playfield in BASIC Using Character Sets Needed: BASIC Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction I programmed a game called Gene Medic in assembly language for the Atari 2600 in 2017 and am interested in porting it to the Atari 800. I am starting this

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Mad Magazine BASIC Program (10-15 mins)

September 11, 2018 moorejh Magazines, Programming

Task: Load and Run a BASIC Program from Mad Magazine (1985) Needed: BASIC, ATR File, Altirra Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction I remember reading Mad Magazine as a kid as many did during that time. What I didn’t know until recently is that there was a

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Read the Book “Racing the Beam” by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (3-6 Hours)

September 3, 2018 moorejh 2600 VCS, Books, Games, Programming

Task: Read the Book “Racing the Beam” by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (3-6 Hours) Needed: The book Time: 3-6 hours Introduction I had an Atari Video Computer System (VCS) or 2600 before I owned an Atari 400 and then 800 computer. The 2600 was

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Sound Effects in BASIC (30-60 mins)

September 1, 2018 moorejh Programming, Sound

Task: Program Sound Effects in BASIC Needed: BASIC Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction The Atari 8-bit computers had a pretty decent sound chip called the POKEY. POKEY is an acronym for Pot Keyboard Integrated Circuit. The POKEY generated four-voice sound and had some other functions such

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Copyright (c) 2021 Jason H. Moore, Ph.D.