From ddc9952d79a30824be1b4d56dba2c42c2724f2ed Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "B. Watson" Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2021 16:51:49 -0400 Subject: Reorganize and expand docs --- RUNNING.txt | 80 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 80 insertions(+) create mode 100644 RUNNING.txt (limited to 'RUNNING.txt') diff --git a/RUNNING.txt b/RUNNING.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..87b53d2 --- /dev/null +++ b/RUNNING.txt @@ -0,0 +1,80 @@ +Running Taipan on a real or emulated Atari +------------------------------------------ + +Even though this version of Taipan is written more-or-less in C, +it's not portable to other platforms. You can't compile it for Linux +or Windows. To run it, you have to use an Atari 8-bit computer, real +or emulated. + +Disk Executable +--------------- + +The game binary is called "taipan.xex". It's a standard Atari DOS +'binary load' file, which expects to be run with no cartridges +inserted. It may or may not work with a cartridge in, depending on +which cart (some don't allow disk boots, and it has to be an 8K cart, +not 16K). On XL/XE machines, you don't have to hold down Option to +disable BASIC. + +You can run it on a real Atari computer: any 400/800/XL/XE model should +be fine, so long as it has at least 40K of RAM. Use a SIO2PC cable and +software like Atariserver (Linux) or APE (Windows) to serve the game to +the Atari. If you can come up with a way to actually copy it to a real +floppy disk, you probably want a bootable DOS disk with Taipan renamed +to AUTORUN.SYS. Other options are MyPicoDOS (supports fast SIO if your +drive does) and Fenders 3-sector loader. + +It's also possible to run Taipan in an emulator, such as Atari800, +Atari++, or Altirra. For Atari800, you should be able to do this: + + atari800 -nobasic taipan.xex + +For atari++, use: + + atari++ -image.1 taipan.xex + +For Altirra, try this: + + Altirra /run taipan.xex + +For 64-bit builds of Altirra: + + Altirra64 /run taipan.xex + +[Altirra instructions courtesy of MoparStephen, with thanks] + + +Cartridge +--------- + +The cartridge image is a 32KB XEGS bankswitched cartridge (what +Atari800 and Altirra call "type 12"). Two ROM images are built: + +taipan.cart is a "tagged" cartridge image, for use with emulators that +know how to read the cartridge type from the CAR header. + +taipan.rom is the raw ROM image, exactly 32KB in size. Use this with +emulators that don't understand CAR headers. This is also what you'd +use on real hardware. For burning to an EPROM, you'll need to build +or scavenge a cartridge with the correct banking logic, and burn +taipan.rom (the raw ROM image) to a 32KB chip. You could also use a +multi-cart (flash or similar). + +The cartridge can be run in the Atari800 emulator thus: + + atari800 taipan.cart + +For atari++, use the raw ROM image, since it doesn't support .cart +images: + + atari++ -cartpath taipan.rom -carttype xegs + +For Altirra, one of these should work: + + Altirra taipan.cart + Altirra64 taipan.cart + +Unlike the .xex version, the cartridge will work on a 32KB Atari. + +Coming soon: You will also be able to purchase a Taipan cartridge from +the AtariAge store. Maybe. -- cgit v1.2.3