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@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@ +This is the source to the 2600 game Poker Squares. + +The game was released back in 2005. You can buy a copy, or just download +the ROM image and manual, at the AtariAge store: + +https://www.atariage.com/software_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=2724 + +During development, I posted sources to the old stellalist, but never +did get around to releasing the source to the final version. So here it +finally is. + +File list: + +pokersquares.dasm - The main source file, 6502 assembly with DASM syntax. + +pftitle.inc - Playfield data for the scrolling copyright message. + +pokersol.inc - Playfield data for the instructions. + +vcs.h - From the old mailing list. defines the standard VCS labels. + An old version of vcs.h, before all the fancy macros got + added. + +pokersquares.release.bin - The released binary. Can be downloaded + from AtariAge. This copy is the one I sent to + them in the first place (not that it matters; + they're identical). + +pokersquares.pal.bin - PAL binary. Untested, never released, sitting on + my hard drive for the past 10+ years. + +README - You're reading it. + +LICENSE - The WTFPL. Applies to all files except vcs.h. + +The first 4 files are the original source. I replaced my gnarly old +Makefile with a cleaned-up and simpler one, and added the "make check" +target to verify that the assembled binary matches the one downloaded +from AtariAge. + +Building: + +The Makefile expects a more-or-less UNIX-like environment. This could be +Linux, *BSD, Mac OSX, or Windows with msys or cygwin tools... or something +else entirely (anyone still use BeOS? How about MinT on an Atari ST?) + +If you have GNU make and dasm installed and available on your $PATH, you +should be able to just run 'make' (or maybe 'gmake'). The result is a 4K +binary file called 'pokersquares.bin', which you can run with e.g. stella +or z26, or burn to an EPROM and play on a real 2600. Also an assembly +listing (pokersquares.list) and a symbol table dump (pokersquares.syms) +are generated. + +To build the PAL version, 'make pal'. I've no idea if it'll work on +real PAL hardware (never got a chance to test it), but at least Stella +emulates it OK. + +If your dasm binary isn't installed on your $PATH, you can use a +command like: + + make DASM=/path/to/your/dasm + +If you don't have GNU make (maybe you're on a user-hostile OS that +doesn't ship development tools, or maybe you don't like GNU), but you +do have DASM, you can probably build with: + + dasm pokersquares.dasm -opokersquares.bin -f3 -v1 + +Notes: + +The *.inc files were generated with a perl script, which I seem +to have lost (or maybe just forgotten the name of) in the last 10 +years. Basically, I "drew" the playfields in ASCII art with a text editor, +then ran that through the perl script, which turned it into labels and +.byte declarations for DASM's consumption. + +After the assembler does its thing, the newly-built binary is checked +against either pokersquares.release.bin or pokersquares.pal.bin using +the *nix 'cmp' command. If it complains that the files differ, the mostly +likely cause is your DASM version. + +You might run into assembly errors with versions of DASM newer than +about 2005. I used version 2.20.07 during development, and have just +successfully built with 2.20.09. Note that these old versions of DASM +can't be compiled as 64-bit code (or, they can be compiled, but crash +when you try to run them). + +At the time of this writing, DASM development has just started back +up. One of the developers' goals is compatibility with historic versions, +so you might be able to use a very recent version. + +License: + +The file vcs.h came from the old stella mailing list. It's a collaborative +work, added to by many list members. I don't recall there ever being a +formal license for vcs.h, but it's considered a public domain work to +the best of my knowledge. If I'm wrong on this, please correct me! + +Everything else in this directory is my own original work, released +under the WTFPL. License terms can be found in the file LICENSE or at: + +http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ + +Author: + +B. Watson, <yalhcru@gmail.com>. I can also be reached as Urchlay on +FreeNode IRC in the ##atari channel. |