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ChristopherJam
Registered: Aug 2004
Posts: 1409 |
How did you get started?
I noticed a lot of reminiscing on PAL's "I want to code" thread, which was interesting to read, but pretty off topic so I'm starting a new topic over here :)
I, too, got my c64 coding off the ground with a copy of the Commodore 64 Programmer's Reference guide (pdfs of which can now be found at http://www.commodore.ca/manuals/c64_programmers_reference/c64-p.. ). Initially I was assembling by hand, and entering the code as BASIC DATA statements - I don't miss those days at all.
I switched to FASSEM as soon as I got hold of a copy (in 1986 IIRC), and did a lot of debugging of my own code and examining of others' using my brother's Final Cartridge, before eventually graduating to an Action Replay (don't ask me to remember which versions!) I particularly remember spending hours poring over a disassembly of Walker's music routine as extracted from Armalyte, and printed out on sheets of green and white paper.
My fastload coding bible was and still is Immers & Neufeld's "Inside Commodore DOS" - one of the few paper books I still refer to.
How did you guys get going?
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Peiselulli
Registered: Oct 2006
Posts: 81 |
Like Martin Piper, with poking and hex-to-dec calculation.
And with this book:
http://www.c64-wiki.de/index.php/Das_Maschinensprache_Buch_zum_..
After 1 Month I got a monitor program (I didn't remember the name, but it wasn't S-Mon). And from 1986 on this monitor that i found on tape again in the last days:
Turbo-Macks System 64
The first time I used a source code assembler was on Amiga, the K-Seka :-)
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algorithm
Registered: May 2002
Posts: 705 |
My first experience with machine code based terminology was when I was born however asking myself to issue a cry opcode by many processes such as commanding mouth muscle then air through vocal cords etc :-) |
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Cruzer
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 1048 |
My graddad taught me the basics of BASIC on his C64 back in 1986. Just a few commands like print, input, if/then and goto, and I was ready to make my first adventure games.
Then I went through everything they had in the library about BASIC, and later machine code, as well as tutorials in computer mags and of course the PRG. I also disassembled a lot of other people's stuff in mc-mon, learned tricks from others by word of mouth, got hints about routines in scrolltexts, etc. And much later I was able to finetune my knowledge with all the great info on the internet.
I guess what's most important if you wanna become a coder is to have your own drive, and keep believing you can do it, even when you discover how hard it really is to put together a lot of small instructions to a big working program.
When something doesn't work like you thought it would, you can either give up and take it as an indication that you've got no talent for coding, or be curious about why it doesn't work, and keep trying until it does. The ones who take the latter approach are the ones who succeed. |
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algorithm
Registered: May 2002
Posts: 705 |
Certainly it takes motivation and perseverence but having the mindset for it is the important thing. All these combined make the difference between a good coder and bad one |
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Bitbreaker
Registered: Oct 2002
Posts: 508 |
I started to help out my elder brother after he got his first c64 where he also wanted to code a bit. First i calculated and drew sprites on squared paper by hand, and i wanted to get my hands on that new toy whenever possible. that was around the age of 9 or 10.
However soon my brother lost interest on all the c64 stuff and i was happy to borrow that and misuse it for my purposes. First i had a monitor loaded by tape, no idea which one it was, it was located @ $c000, so much i remember. In the beginning i started to mix basic and assembler stuff. Later i also got hands on a C16 that had luckily a built in monitor. Here i learned more about 6502. Some later i bought my own c64 + amber-monitor (the graphicians in climax hated me for that, as i always ignored any colorscheme) + a 1541. Now nothing could stop me. It was the time i did my first very ugly intros and the time i got into contact with my first group climax. In 1993 i was at Eggmans place to meet up and fiddle around for a demo for a whole weekend. Besides some insane boozing event of which i can't remember much details, Danzig showed up and tought me a few important things, like opening the sideborders. That gave me a pretty boost again. Interesting enough at that meeting another coder tried his luck with a VSP but failed as his c64 seemed to be prone to the now solved bug :-)
After obtaining an AR6 i finally had my built in monitor that i used until the end of the 90s. Then i switched to TASS. Since around 3 years i finally do crosscompiling with acme.
Most of my initial knowledge i obtained by others and by trying to understand some of the mnemonics by myself. I have the programmers reference guide as a book. But also that book named c64 intern or so, helped a lot.
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Glasnost
Account closed
Registered: Aug 2011
Posts: 26 |
I learned coding basic on boarding school 1988/1989 and soon after machine language by my good friend Mikael, better known as Spinx in 1989 and started immidiately programming some game that i never finished. The reason was probably that one of our schoolmates, Skyhigh, was a big time swapper, who introduced me to demos and from that time i was hooked. Especially the amiga demo from humanoids with the big almost meditative plasmapart inspired me, and was copied to c64 in "The Mist II". C64 programmers reference was an invaluable help to learn to master the machine. My c64 had a built in fault that somehow was so lucky for me.. The TV output changed the colour just slightly at badlines and whenever the VIC jacked buscontrol, making it rather easy for me to find out how various VIC tweaking effects were made. The funny thing is that im still learning tricks making this good old breadbox one of my favourite toys.. |
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Cruzer
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 1048 |
Quoting radiantxit was actually Cruzer's tutorial over at C64.ch that got me started with the first baby steps. So happy to hear that! I remember that tutorial as quite a failure, since I never finished it or even got to the interesting parts about demo effects, but glad to hear that it wasn't completely in vain! :) |
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Pantaloon
Registered: Aug 2003
Posts: 124 |
am i the only one who allready knew machine code when i was born ? |
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chatGPZ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11386 |
you are crossbow? |
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PAL
Registered: Mar 2009
Posts: 292 |
Mom got a abc80 machines with some fantastic gear to put into the machine... you put this into the machine and you had pole that you could put in something and it peasured the ph value of what it were in. That got me interested in computers... then the dragon32 and then finally the c64 with all the cool dudes that were a bit elder in the neighboorhood having one and all... ohhh... I got heros on the c64 just like the rock and pop stars and then I wanted to be as they. And I liked doing the stuff on the machine and loved to swapp floppys and all. |
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