| AtariAge | -Just about everything you every wanted to know about - the Atari 2600 can be found here | -
| Atari Mania | -A comprehensive database/collection of all things Atari-related, - including ROMs, snapshots and instructions, user guides, and more | -
| JStella | -A Java port of Stella which can be run in a web page | -
| Kevin Horton's documents | -Various documents about the 32in1 cart, Atari 2600 easter eggs, and more | -
| Atari 2600 on Wikipedia | -Historical information about the Atari 2600 console | -
Instructions for compiling Stella from source code can be found in the - User's Guide, which vary depending on your operating system. Feel free to - email Stephen Anthony if - you encounter problems, or you wish to contribute in any way to the Stella - project.
- -The latest sourcecode for Stella can always be downloaded using Subversion from - the Sourceforge servers. Instructions for using Subversion on Sourceforge can be - found here.
-Note: Developers can check out from 'trunk' with the following command: -
svn co https://stella.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/stella/trunk/stella- - -
The debugger in Stella may never be complete, as we're constantly -adding new features requested by homebrew developers. However, even in its -current form it's still quite powerful, and is able to boast at least one -feature that no other 2600 debugger has; it's completely cross-platform.
- -Pressing ` (aka backtick, backquote, grave accent) toggles the debugger on -& off. When you exit the debugger, the emulation resumes at the current -program counter, and continues until either a breakpoint/trap is hit, -or the ` key is pressed again.
- -The main debugger window will look similar to the following (note that the -letters here are for reference in the document below; they aren't actually -present in the debugger):
-
For space reasons, the Prompt, TIA, I/O and Audio displays are split into -4 tabs, only one of which is visible at a time. You can use the mouse or -keyboard to select which tab you want to view. Pressing Shift with the left -or right arrow keys cycles between tabs from right-to-left and left-to-right, -respectively. Pressing Tab cycles between widgets in the current tab (except -for in the Prompt area, where 'tab' is used for something else).
- -You can also enter the debugger at emulator startup by giving a breakpoint on the command line: -
- ; will enter the debugger the first time the instruction at "kernel" runs - stella -break kernel mygame.bin - - ; $fffc is the 6502/6507 init vector. This command will break and enter the - ; debugger before the first 6507 instruction runs, so you can debug the - ; startup code: - stella -break "*($fffc)" mygame.bin -- - -
Using the ` key will always enter the debugger at the end of the -frame (scanline 262, for NTSC games). This is because Stella only checks -for keystrokes once per frame. Once in the debugger, you can control -execution by stepping one instruction, scanline, or frame at a time -(or more than one at a time, using commands in the prompt). You can -also set breakpoints or traps, which will cause the emulator to enter -the debugger when they are triggered, even if it happens in mid-frame.
- -The debugger tracks changes to the CPU registers and RAM by displaying -changed locations or registers with a red background after each step, -trace, scanline, or frame advance. This sounds simple, and it is, but -it's also amazingly useful.
- -One clarification about the change tracking: it only tracks when values -have changed. If the ROM writes a value into a RAM location that -already contained the same value, that's not considered a change (old -value was $whatever, new value is the same, so nothing got tracked). This -may change in a future version of Stella.
- - - -This is a command-line interface, similar to the DOS DEBUG command -or Supermon for the C=64.
- -Editing keys work about like you'd expect them to in Windows, but many -Bash-style commands are also supported:
- -| Home | Move cursor to beginning of line |
| End | Move cursor to end of line |
| Delete | Remove character to right of cursor |
| Backspace | Remove character to left of cursor |
| Control-a | Same function as 'Home' |
| Control-e | Same function as 'End' |
| Control-d | Same function as 'Delete' |
| Control-k | Remove all characters from cursor to end of line |
| Control-u | Remove all characters from cursor to beginning of line |
| Control-w | Remove entire word to left of cursor |
| Shift-PgUp | Scroll up through previous commands one screen/page |
| Shift-PgDown | Scroll down through previous commands one screen/page |
| Shift-Up | Scroll up through previous commands one line |
| Shift-Down | Scroll down through previous commands one line |
| Shift-Home | Scroll to beginning of commands |
| Shift-End | Scroll to end of commands |
You can also scroll with the mouse. Copy and paste is not yet supported.
- -To see the available commands, enter "help". Bash-style tab completion is -supported for commands and labels (see below).
- -For now, there are some functions that only exist in the prompt. We -intend to add GUI equivalents for all (or almost all?) of the prompt -commands in future releases. People who like command prompts will be able to -use the prompt, but people who hate them will have a fully functional -debugger without typing (or without typing much, anyway).
- -While entering a command or label, you can type a partial name and -press the Tab key to attempt to auto-complete it. If you've ever used -"bash", this will be immediately familiar. If not, try it: load up -a ROM, go to the debugger, type "print w" (but don't press Enter), -then hit Tab. The "w" will change to "WSYNC" (since this is the only -built-in label starting with a "w"). If there are multiple possible -completions (try with "v" instead of "w"), you'll see a list of them, -and your partial name will be completed as far as possible.
- -Tab completion works on all labels: built-in, loaded from a symbol file, -or set during debugging with the "define" command. However, it does not -yet work on functions defined with the "function" command, nor does it -work on filenames.
- -Almost every command takes a value: the "a" command takes a -byte to stuff into the accumulator, the "break" command -takes an address to set/clear a breakpoint at. These values -can be as a hex constant ($ff, $1234), or as complex as -"the low byte of the 16-bit value located at the address -pointed to by the binary number 1010010110100101" (which -would be "@<\1010010110100101"). You can also use registers -and labels in expressions.
- -You can use arithmetic and boolean operators in expressions. The -syntax is very C-like. The operators supported are:
- -- + - * / (add, subtract, multiply, divide: 2+2 is 4) - % (modulus/remainder: 3%2 is 1) - & | ^ ~ (bitwise AND, OR, XOR, NOT: 2&3 is 2) - && || ! (logical AND, OR, NOT: 2&&3 is 1, 2||0 is 0) - ( ) (parentheses for grouping: (2+2)*3 is 12) - * @ (byte and word pointer dereference: *$80 is the byte stored - at location $80) - [ ] (array-style byte pointer dereference: $80[1] is the byte - stored at location ($80+1) or $81) - < > (prefix versions: low and high byte. <$abcd is $cd) - == < > <= >= != - (comparison: equality, less-than, greater-than, less-or-equals, - greater-or-equals, not-equals) - << >> (bit shifts, left and right: 1<<1 is 2, 2>>1 is 1) -- -
Division by zero is not an error: it results in zero instead.
- -None of the operators change the values of their operands. There -are no variable-assignment or increment/decrement operators. This -may change in the future, which is why we used "==" for equality -instead of just "=".
- -The bitwise and logical boolean operators are different in that the -bitwise operators operate on all the bits of the operand (just like -AND, ORA, EOR in 6502 asm), while the logical operators treat their -operands as 0 for false, non-zero for true, and return either 0 or 1. -So $1234&$5678 results in $1230, whereas $1234&&$5678 results in 1. -This is just like C or C++...
- -Like some programming languages, the debugger uses prefixed characters -to change the meaning of an expression. The prefixes are:
- -"*"
- Dereference a byte pointer. "*a" means "the byte at the address that
- the A register points to". If A is 255 (hex $ff), the result will be
- the value currently stored in memory location 255. This operator
- will be very familiar to you if you're a C or C++ programmer. It's
- equivalent to the PEEK() function in most 8-bit BASICs. Also, the
- debugger supports array-like byte dereferences: *address can be
- written as address[0]. *(address+1) can be written as address[1],
- etc.
"@"
- Dereference a pointer to a word. This is just like the "*" byte deref,
- except it refers to a 16-bit value, occupying 2 locations, in
- low-byte-first format (standard for the 6507).
The following are equivalent:
-- @address - *address+$100**(address+1) - address[0]+#256*address[1] -- -
(TODO: add (indirect),y and (indirect,x) syntax)
-"<"
- Take the low byte of a 16-bit value. This has no effect on an 8-bit
- value: "a" is equal to "<a". However, "<$1234" equals "$34".
">"
- Take the high byte of a 16-bit value. For 8-bit values such as
- the Accumulator, this will always result in zero. For 16-bit values,
- "<$1234" = "$12".
"#"
- Treat the input as a decimal number.
"$"
- Treat the input as a hex number.
"\"
- Treat the input as a binary number.
These only have meaning when they come before a number, not a - label or a register. "\1010" means 10 decimal. So do "$0a" and - "#10". "a" by itself is always the Accumulator, no matter what - the default base is set to.
- -If you don't specify any number base prefix, the number is - assumed to be in the default base. When you first start Stella, - the default base is 16 (hexadecimal). You can change it with the - "base" command. If you want to change the default base to decimal permanently, - you can put a "base #10" command in your "autoexec.stella" file (see - the section on "Startup").
- -Remember, you can use arbitrarily complex expressions with any - command that takes arguments (except the ones that take filenames, - like "loadsym").
-A breakpoint is a "hotspot" in your program that causes the emulator -to stop emulating and jump into the debugger. You can set as many -breakpoints as you like. The command is "break xx" where xx is any -expression. If you've created a symbol file, you can use labels.
- -Example: you've got a label called "kernel". To break there, -the command is "break kernel". After you've set the breakpoint, -exit the debugger ("quit" or click the Exit button). The emulator -will run until it gets to the breakpoint, then it will enter the -debugger with the Program Counter pointing to the instruction -at the breakpoint.
- -Breakpoints happen *before* an instruction is executed: the -instruction at the breakpoint location will be the "next" -instruction.
- -To remove a breakpoint, you just run the same command you used to -set it. In the example, "break kernel" will remove the breakpoint. -The "break" command can be thought of as a *toggle*: it turns the -breakpoint on & off, like a light switch.
- -You could also use "clearbreaks" to remove all the breakpoints. Also, -there is a "listbreaks" command that will list them all.
- -A conditional breakpoint causes the emulator to enter the debugger when -some arbitrary condition becomes true. "True" means "not zero" here: -"2+2" is considered true because it's not zero. "2-2" is false, because -it evaluates to zero. This is exactly how things work in C and lots -of other languages, but it might take some getting used to if you've -never used such a language.
- -Suppose you want to enter the debugger when the Game Reset switch is -pressed. Looking at the Stella Programmers' Guide, we see that this -switch is read at bit 0 of SWCHB. This bit will be 0 if the switch is -pressed, or 1 otherwise.
- -To have an expression read the contents of an address, we use the -dereference operator "*". Since we're looking at SWCHB, we need -"*SWCHB".
- -We're only wanting to look at bit 0, so let's mask off all the other -bits: "*SWCHB&1". The expression now evaluates to bit 0 of SWCHB. We're -almost there: this will be 1 (true) if the switch is NOT pressed. We -want to break if it IS pressed...
- -So we invert the sense of the test with a logical NOT operator (which -is the "!" operator): !(*SWCHB&1). The parentheses are necessary as -we want to apply the ! to the result of the &, not just the first term -(the "*SWCHB").
- -"breakif !(*SWCHB&1)" will do the job for us. However, it's an ugly mess -of letters, numbers, and punctuation. We can do a little better:
- -"breakif { !(*SWCHB & 1 ) }" is a lot more readable, isn't it? If -you're going to use readable expressions with spaces in them, -enclose the entire expression in curly braces {}.
- -Remember that Stella only checks for input once per frame, so a break -condition that depends on input (like SWCHB) will always happen at the -end of a frame. This is different from how a real 2600 works, but most -ROMs only check for input once per frame anyway.
- -Conditional breaks appear in "listbreaks", numbered starting from -zero. You can remove a cond-break with "delbreakif number", where -the number comes from "listbreaks".
- -Any time the debugger is entered due to a trap, breakpoint, or -conditional break, the reason will be displayed in the status area above -below the TIA Zoom display.
- -There is one annoyance about complex expressions: once we -remove the conditional break with "delbreakif" or "clearbreaks", -we'd have to retype it (or search backwards with the up-arrow key) -if we wanted to use it again.
- -We can avoid this by defining the expression as a function, then using -"breakif function_name":
- -
- function gameReset { !(*SWCHB & 1 ) }
- breakif gameReset
-
-
-Now we have a meaningful name for the condition, so we can use it again. -Not only that: we can use the function as part of a bigger expression. -Suppose we've also defined a gameSelect function that evaluates to true -if the Game Select switch is pressed. We want to break when the user -presses both Select and Reset:
- -
- breakif { gameReset && gameSelect }
-
-
-If you've defined a lot of complex functions, you probably will -want to re-use them in future runs of the debugger. You can save all -your functions, breakpoints, conditional breaks, and watches with the -"save" command. If you name your saved file the same as the ROM filename -and place it in the ROM directory, it'll be auto-loaded next time you -load the same ROM in Stella. The save file is just a plain text file -called "filename.stella", so you can edit it and add new functions, etc. -You can also create a file called "autoexec.stella" which will be loaded -when the debugger starts, no matter what ROM you have loaded. This file -should live in the "base directory" (which is the current directory on -Windows or $HOME/.stella on UNIX), not the ROM directory.
- -Stella has some pre-defined functions for use with the "breakif" -command. These allow you to break and enter the debugger on various -conditions without having to define the conditions yourself.
- -Built-in functions and pseudo-registers always start with an _ -(underscore) character. It is suggested that you don't start labels in -your game's source with underscores, if you plan to use them with the -Stella debugger.
- -| Function | Definition | Description |
|---|---|---|
| _joy0left | !(*SWCHA & $40) | Left joystick moved left |
| _joy0right | !(*SWCHA & $80) | Left joystick moved right |
| _joy0up | !(*SWCHA & $10) | Left joystick moved up |
| _joy0down | !(*SWCHA & $20) | Left joystick moved down |
| _joy0button | !(*INPT4 & $80) | Left joystick button pressed |
| _joy1left | !(*SWCHA & $04) | Right joystick moved left |
| _joy1right | !(*SWCHA & $08) | Right joystick moved right |
| _joy1up | !(*SWCHA & $01) | Right joystick moved up |
| _joy1down | !(*SWCHA & $02) | Right joystick moved down |
| _joy1button | !(*INPT5 & $80) | Right joystick button pressed |
| _select | !(*SWCHB & $01) | Game Select pressed |
| _reset | !(*SWCHB & $02) | Game Reset pressed |
| _color | *SWCHB & $08 | Color/BW set to Color |
| _bw | !(*SWCHB & $08) | Color/BW set to BW |
| _diff0b | !(*SWCHB & $40) | Left difficulty set to B (easy) |
| _diff0a | *SWCHB & $40 | Left difficulty set to A (hard) |
| _diff1b | !(*SWCHB & $80) | Right difficulty set to B (easy) |
| _diff1a | *SWCHB & $80 | Right difficulty set to A (hard) |
Don't worry about memorizing them all: the Prompt "help" command -will show you a list of them.
- -These "registers" are provided for you to use in your conditional breaks. -They're not registers in the conventional sense, since they don't exist in -a real system. For example, while the debugger keeps track of the number -of scanlines in a frame, a real system would not (there is no register -that holds 'number of scanlines' on an actual console).
-| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| _scan | Current scanline count |
| _bank | Currently selected bank |
| _fcount | Number of frames since emulation started |
| _cclocks | Color clocks on a scanline |
| _vsync | Whether vertical sync is enabled (1 or 0) |
| _vblank | Whether vertical blank is enabled (1 or 0) |
_scan always contains the current scanline count. You can use -this to break your program in the middle of your kernel. Example:
-- breakif _scan==#64 --
This will cause Stella to enter the debugger when the TIA reaches the -beginning of the 64th scanline.
- -_bank always contains the currently selected bank. For 2K or 4K -(non-bankswitched) ROMs, it will always contain 0. One useful use is:
- -
- breakif { pc==myLabel && _bank==1 }
-
-
-This is similar to setting a regular breakpoint, but it will only trigger -when bank 1 is selected.
- -A watch is an expression that gets evaluated and printed before -every prompt. This is useful for e.g. tracking the contents of a -memory location while stepping through code that modifies it.
- -You can set up to 10 watches (in future the number will be unlimited). -Since the expression isn't evaluated until it's used, you can include -registers: "watch *y" will show you the contents of the location -pointed to by the Y register, even if the Y register changes.
- -The watches are numbered. The numbers are printed along with the -watches, so you can tell which is which. To delete a watch use the -"delwatch" command with the watch number (1 to whatever). You can -also delete them all with the "clearwatches" command.
- -Note that there's no real point in watching a label or CPU register -without dereferencing it: Labels are constants, and CPU registers -are already visible in the CPU Widget
- -A trap is similar to a breakpoint, except that it catches -accesses to a memory address, rather than specific location in the -program. They're useful for finding code that modifies TIA registers -or memory.
- -An example: you are debugging a game, and you want to stop the -emulation and enter the debugger whenever RESP0 is strobed. You'd use -the command "trap RESP0" to set the trap, then exit the debugger. The -emulator will run until the next time RESP0 is accessed (either read -or write). Once the trap is hit, you can examine the TIA state to -see what the actual player 0 position is, in color clocks (or you -can in the future when we implement that feature in the TIA dump!)
- -Unlike breakpoints, traps stop the emulation *after* the instruction -that triggered the trap. The reason for this is simple: until the -instruction is executed, the emulator can't know it's going to hit a -trap. After the trap is hit, the instruction is done executing, and -whatever effects it may have had on e.g. the TIA state have already -happened... but we don't have a way to run the emulated VCS in reverse, -so the best we can do is stop before the next instruction runs.
- -Traps come in two varieties: read access traps and write access traps. -It is possible to set both types of trap on the same address (that's -what the plain "trap" command does). To set a read or write only trap, -use "trapread" or "trapwrite". To remove a trap, you just attempt -to set it again: the commands actually toggle the trap on & off. You -can also get rid of all traps at once with the "cleartraps" command.
- -Use "listtraps" to see all enabled traps.
- -Type "help" to see this list in the debugger.
- -- a - Set Accumulator to value xx - bank - Show # of banks (with no args), Switch to bank (with 1 arg) - base - Set default base (hex, dec, or bin) - break - Set/clear breakpoint at address (default: current pc) - breakif - Set breakpoint on condition - c - Carry Flag: set (to 0 or 1), or toggle (no arg) - cheetah - Use Cheetah cheat code (see http://members.cox.net/rcolbert/) - clearbreaks - Clear all breakpoints - cleartraps - Clear all traps - clearwatches - Clear all watches - colortest - Color Test - d - Decimal Flag: set (to 0 or 1), or toggle (no arg) - define - Define label - delbreakif - Delete conditional break created with breakif - delwatch - Delete watch - disasm - Disassemble from address (default=pc) - dump - Dump 128 bytes of memory at address - exec - Execute script file - frame - Advance emulation by xx frames (default=1) - function - Define expression as a function for later use - height - Change height of debugger window - help - This cruft -+ list - List source (if loaded with loadlist) - listbreaks - List breakpoints - listtraps - List traps - listwatches - List watches - loadstate - Load emulator state (0-9) -+ loadlist - Load DASM listing file - loadsym - Load symbol file - n - Negative Flag: set (to 0 or 1), or toggle (no arg) - pc - Set Program Counter to address - poke - Set address to value. Can give multiple values (for address+1, etc) - print - Evaluate and print expression in hex/dec/binary - ram - Show RAM contents (no args), or set address xx to value yy - reload - Reload ROM and symbol file - reset - Reset 6507 to init vector (does not reset TIA, RIOT) - riot - Show RIOT timer/input status - rom - Change ROM contents - run - Exit debugger, return to emulator -+ runto - Run until first occurrence of string in disassembly - s - Set Stack Pointer to value xx - save - Save breaks, watches, traps as a .stella script file - saverom - Save (possibly patched) ROM to file - saveses - Save console session to file - savestate - Save emulator state (valid args 0-9) - savesym - Save symbols to file - scanline - Advance emulation by xx scanlines (default=1) - step - Single step CPU (optionally, with count) -+ tia - Show TIA state (NOT FINISHED YET) - trace - Single step CPU (optionally, with count), subroutines count as one instruction - trap - Trap read and write accesses to address - trapread - Trap read accesses to address - trapwrite - Trap write accesses to address - undef - Undefine label (if defined) - v - Overflow Flag: set (to 0 or 1), or toggle (no arg) - watch - Print contents of address before every prompt - x - Set X Register to value xx - y - Set Y Register to value xx - z - Zero Flag: set (to 0 or 1), or toggle (no arg) -- - -
Commands marked with a + are partially implemented.
- - - -When selected, this tab shows detailed status of all the TIA registers -(except for audio; use the Audio tab for those).
-
Most of the values on the TIA tab will be self-explanatory to a 2600 -programmer. The top line (with all the hex values) displays the raw -values read from the TIA locations, as they would be seen by the CPU.
- -
Many of the variables inside the TIA can only be written to by the -6502. The debugger lets you get inside the TIA and see the contents -of these variables. These include the color registers, player/missile -graphics and positions, and the playfield.
- -You can control almost every aspect of the TIA from here, too: most -of the displays are editable. You can even toggle individual bits in -the GRP0/1 and playfield registers (remember to double-click).
- -The group of buttons labelled "Strobes" allows you to write to any -of the strobe registers at any time.
- -The collision registers are displayed in decoded format, in a table. -You can see exactly which objects have hit what. These are read-only -displays; you can't toggle the bits in the current release of Stella. Of -course, you can clear all the collisions with the CXCLR Strobe button.
- -To the right of each color register, you'll see a small rectangle -drawn in the current color. Changing a color register will change the -color of this rectangle.
- - - -When selected, this tab shows detailed status of the Input, Output, -and Timer portion of the RIOT/M6532 chip (the RAM portion is accessed -in another part of the debugger).
-
As with the TIA tab, most of the values here will be self-explanatory to a 2600 -programmer, and almost all can be modified. However, the SWCHx registers need -further explanation:
-
SWCHA(W) can be directly modified; here, the (W) stands for write. Similarly, -SWACNT can be directly modified. However, the results of reading back from -the SWCHA register are influenced by SWACNT, and SWCHA(R) is a read-only display -reflecting this result.
-SWCHB cannot be directly modified; it will be indirectly modified by setting -the various difficulty switches, color/BW button, select/reset, etc. SWBCNT -is hardwired as read-only, and is not shown.
- - - -This tab lets you view the contents of the TIA audio registers. In -the current release of Stella, these are read-only displays. This tab -will grow some features in a future release.
- - - -In the upper left of the debugger, you'll see the current frame of -video as generated by the TIA. If a complete frame hasn't been drawn, -the partial contents of the current frame will be displayed up to the -current scanline, with the contents of the old frame (in black & -white) filling the rest of the display. Note that if 'phosphor mode' -has been enabled for a ROM, you will see the effect here as well. That -is, no flicker will be shown for 30Hz display, even though a real -system would alternate between drawing frames (and hence produce -flicker).
- -You can use the "Scan+1" button, the prompt "scan" command, or the -Alt-L key-combo to watch the TIA draw the frame one scanline at a time.
- -You can also right-click anywhere in this window to show a context menu, -as illustrated:
-
The options are as follows:
-To the right of the TIA display (E) there is TIA information, as shown:
-
The indicators are as follows:
-Below the TIA Info (F) is the TIA Zoom area. This allows you to enlarge -part of the TIA display, so you can see fine details. Note that unlike -the TIA display area, this one does generate frames as the real -system would. So, if you've enabled 'phosphor mode' for a ROM, it -won't be honoured here (ie, you'll see alternating frames at 30Hz display, -just like on a real system).
-You can also right-click anywhere in this window to show a context menu, -as illustrated:
-
These options allow you to zoom in on the image for even greater detail. -If you click on the output window, you can scroll around using the cursor, -PageUp/Dn and Home/End keys. You can also select the zoom position from -a context menu in the TIA Display.
- - - -Below the TIA Zoom (G), there is a status line that shows the reason the -debugger was entered (if a breakpoint/trap was hit), as shown:
-
The output here will generally be self-explanatory. Due to space concerns, -conditional breakpoints will be shown as "CBP: ...", normal breakpoints -as "BP: ...", read traps as "RTrap: ..." and write traps as "WTrap: ...". -See the "Breakpoints" section for details.
- - - -This displays the current CPU state, as shown:
-
All the registers and flags are displayed, and can be changed by -double-clicking on them. Flags are toggled on double-click. Selected registers -here can also be changed by using the "Data Operations" buttons, further -described in (J).
-There's not much else to say about the CPU widget: if you know 6502 -assembly, it's pretty self-explanatory. If you don't, well, you should -learn :)
- - - -These buttons can be used to change values in either CPU Registers (I), or -the RIOT RAM (K), depending on which of these widgets is currently active. -
Each of these buttons also have a keyboard shortcut (indicated in square -brackets). In fact, many of the inputboxes in various parts of the debugger -respond to these same keyboard shortcuts. If in doubt, give them a try.
-- 0 [z] - Set the current location/register to zero. - Inv [i !] - Invert the current location/register [toggle all its bits]. - Neg [n] - Negate the current location/register [twos' complement negative]. - ++ [+ =] - Increment the current location/register - -- [-] - Decrement the current location/register - << [< ,] - Shift the current location/register left. - >> [> .] - Shift the current location/register right. - - Any bits shifted out of the location/register with << or >> - are lost (they will NOT end up in the Carry flag). -- - - -
This is a spreadsheet-like GUI for inspecting and changing the contents -of the 2600's RAM. All 128 bytes of RAM are visible on the screen at -once. You can navigate with either the mouse or the keyboard arrow keys. -To change a RAM location, either double-click on it or press Enter while -it's highlighted. Enter the new value (hex only for now, sorry), then -press Enter to make the change. If you change your mind, press Escape -and the original value will be restored. The currently selected RAM cell -can also be changed by using the Data operations buttons/associated -shortcut keys (J).
-
The 'Undo' button in the upper right should be self-explanatory; it will -undo the most previous operation to one cell only. The 'Rev' button is -more comprehensive. It will undo all operations on all cells -since you first made a change.
-The UI objects at the bottom refer to the currently selected RAM cell. -The 'label' textbox shows the label attached to this RAM location (if any), -and the other textboxes show the decimal and binary equivalent value. -The remaining buttons to the right are further explained in section (L).
- - - -The RIOT RAM widget also lets you search memory for values such as lives or remaining -energy, but it's also very useful when debugging to determine which -memory location holds which quantity.
-
To search RAM, click 'Srch' and enter a byte value into the search editbox (0-255). -All matching values will be highlighted in the RAM widget. If 'Search' is clicked -and the input is empty, all RAM locations are highlighted.
- -The 'Cmp' button is used to compare the given value using all -addresses currently highlighted. This may be an absolute number (such as 2), -or a comparitive number (such as -1). Using a '+' or '-' operator -means 'search addresses for values that have changed by that amount'.
-The 'Rset' button resets the entire operation; it clears the highlighted -addresses and allows another search.
-The following is an example of inspecting all addresses that have -decreased by 1:
-The ROM Widget is a disassembly of the current bank of ROM. If a symbol -file is loaded, the disassembly will have labels. Even without a symbol -file, the standard TIA/RIOT labels will still be present.
-
Each line of disassembly has four fields:
-The 6502 mnemonic will be UPPERCASE for all standard instructions, -or lowercase for "illegal" 6502 instructions (like "dcp"). Since there's -no way to tell code from data, you'll likely see a lot of illegal opcodes -if you scroll to a data table in ROM.
- -Beware: the cycle counts don't take into account any penalty cycles -for crossing page boundaries. All branches are shown as 2 cycles, which -is how long they take if the branch isn't taken. Branches that are -taken will actually take 3 cycles (plus a penalty cycle if they cross -page boundaries).
- -You can scroll through the disassembly with the mouse or keyboard. To -center the display on the current PC, press the Space bar.
- -Any time the Program Counter changes (due to a Step, Trace, Frame -or Scanline advance, or manually setting the PC), the disassembly will -scroll to the current PC location.
- -Even though ROM is supposed to be Read Only Memory, this is an -emulator: you can change ROM all you want within the debugger. The hex -bytes in the ROM Widget are editable. Double-click on them to edit -them. When you're done, press Enter to accept the changes or Escape to -cancel them. Any time you edit ROM, there may be a short pause while -the ROM Widget disassembles the current bank again.
- -Speaking of banks: Above the disassembly there's an indicator for the -current bank and total number of banks. If there's more than one bank, -you can manually switch banks by double-clicking the bank number and enter -a new number (or using the shortcuts keys for inputboxes as described -in section (J). This won't work if the ROM only has one bank, of course.
- -The ROM listing also contains a context menu, accessible by right-clicking -anywhere in the listing:
-
Currently, there are two options:
-These limitations will be addressed in a future release of Stella.
- - - -There are also buttons on the right that always show up no matter which -tab you're looking at. These are always active. They are: Step, Trace, -Scan+1, Frame+1 and Exit.
-
When you use these buttons, the prompt doesn't change. This means the -status lines with the registers and disassembly will be "stale". You -can update them just by pressing Enter in the prompt.
- -You can also use the Step, Trace, Scan+1 and Frame+1 buttons from anywhere in -the GUI via the keyboard, with Alt-S, Alt-T, Alt-L and Alt-F.
- - - -Here is a step-by-step guide that shows you how to use the debugger to -actually do something useful. No experience with debuggers is necessary, -but it helps to know at least a little about 6502 programming.
- -Since we just want to get rid of the instruction, we can replace it with - NOP (no operation). From looking at the disassembly, you can see that - "DEC $ba" is a 2-byte long instruction, so we will need two one-byte - NOP instructions to replace it. From reading the prompt help (the "help" - command), you can see that the "rom" command is what we use to patch ROM. - -
Unfortunately, Stella doesn't contain an assembler, so we can't just - type NOP to put a NOP instruction in the code. We'll have to use the - hex opcode instead. - -
Now crack open your 6502 reference manual and look up the NOP - instruction's opcode... OK, OK, I'll just tell you what it is: it's $EA - (234 decimal). We need two of them, so the bytes to insert will look like: - -
$ea $ea- -
Select the line at address $f236 and enter 'ROM patch' mode. This is done - by either double-clicking the line, or pressing enter. Then delete the bytes - with backspace key and enter "ea ea". Another way to do this would have been - to enter "rom $f236 $ea $ea" in the Prompt widget. -
Now, try the same techniques on some other ROM image (try Pac-Man). Some -games store (lives+1) or (lives-1) instead of the actual number, -so try searching for those if you can't seem to make it work. Also, -some cartridge types include their own RAM. The debugger doesn't (yet) -know how to access on-cartridge RAM, so you'll have to use the "bank" and -"ram" commands to manually search the address space for the value you're -looking for (future versions of the debugger will be smarter about this).
- -If you successfully patch a ROM in the debugger, but the saved version -won't work, or looks funny, you might need to add an entry to the -stella.pro file, to tell Stella what bankswitch and/or TV type to use. -That's outside the scope of this tutorial :)
- -Of course, the debugger is useful for a lot more than cheating and -hacking ROMs. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility, -so you have no excuse to avoid writing that game you've been thinking -about for so long now :)
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- In the early 1970's, video arcade games gained commercial success for the
- first time. The American public was introduced to Pong, Tank, and other
- interactive video games which populated amusement parks, bars, and arcades.
- The games were successful enough to create interest for home versions, so in
- 1975 Atari released Home Pong and it was a smash hit. Other companies such as
- Magnavox and Coleco followed suit and released their own dedicated console
- games. Then in 1976, Fairchild Camera and Instrument introduced the Channel F
- system, the first cartridge based home video game system. The industry
- recognized that cartridge systems were the future of video gaming, and began
- development in that direction. In January 1977, RCA released the Studio II,
- another cartridge based system, although it only projected in black and white
- and seemed to be focused on educational titles. Then, in October 1977, Atari
- released the Atari VCS (Video Computer System) with an initial offering of nine
- games. This system, later renamed the Atari 2600, took the industry by storm
- and dominated the marketplace for years to come.
-
- Because of oversupply, the Christmas season of 1977 was very rough on the
- video game industry, and the Atari 2600 was the only system that managed to
- emerge unscathed. Atari enjoyed strong sales in 1978 and a fantastic holiday
- season, as Atari released more games such as Outlaw, Spacewar, and Breakout.
- Internally however, Atari was at odds. Nolan Bushnell, the inventor of pong and
- founder of Atari, wound up leaving the company and purchased Pizza Time Theater,
- which later became the successful Chuck E. Cheese! In 1979 Atari continued
- their trend and released 12 more games which met with continued success.
- However, Atari was now facing some stiffer competition from the Mattel
- Intellivision and the Magnavox Odyssey2.
-
- Atari needed a mega-hit in 1980 in order to squash the competition, and they
- found it in the home version of a game from Japan called Space Invaders. It was
- so popular that people were buying the Atari 2600 just so they could play Space
- Invaders at home. Following that, Atari released Adventure, which was the first
- video game to contain an Easter Egg - placing an object in a certain area
- revealed the programmer's name, Warren Robinett. 1980 was important for another
- reason - the creation of the first ever third party software producer, Activision.
- The company was formed by four Atari employees who were unsatisfied with the
- working conditions at the company. They released four games initially: Dragster,
- Fishing Derby, Checkers and Boxing. The games were very well received by the
- public, and revealed that the Atari 2600 was capable of better games than
- Atari themselves had been producing. Atari tried to prevent Activision from
- selling games, but they failed and Activision grossed $70 million that year.
-
- By 1981, the video game industry was basically a horse race between the 2600 - and the Intellivision. While the Intellivision was technologically superior in - some respects, the 2600 continued to lead in sales. Atari released the home - version of Asteroids, which was a huge success. Inspired by the success of - Activision, another software development group called Imagic was formed. They - would not release any games until 1982 however. Another company, Games by Apollo, - was formed in Texas and released several games that year. -
- -- Coleco entered the market in 1982 with the release of the graphically - superior Colecovision. To combat this new system, Atari produced the 5200, - a technologically comparable system. The 2600 dropped $100 in price in order - to remain competitive. Then a company called Arcadia released a peripheral - called the Supercharger which played games in an audio cassette medium. This - allowed for multiple loads and expanded the 2600's capabilities. -
- Atari released Pac-Man and E.T. that year, two incredibly hyped games which
- were critical flops.
- Although Pac-Man sold many copies, it was considered to be a poor
- translation of the arcade hit. However, there were many fantastic games
- produced for the 2600 during this period, and it was still selling strong.
-
- Ever since the inception of Activision, Atari had been fighting to keep third - parties from producing cartridges which they felt were stealing profits from - them. Finally the issue was settled when Atari agreed to allow third party - manufacturing in exchange for a royalty. Suddenly software companies began - popping up all over, and 1982 saw releases from companies like Venturevision, - Spectravision, Telesys, CBS, 20th Century Fox, US Games, M Network, Tigervision, - Data Age, Imagic and Coleco. There was even a company that released a line of - X-Rated games for the 2600 called Mystique. The year was financially successful - for Atari, however there seemed to be a glut of software. Although there were - many quality titles still produced, there was an increasing number of rushed - games as manufacturers attempted to cash in on the craze. -
- -- More companies jumped on the band wagon in 1983. Zimag, Ultravision, Amiga, - and others were also producing games and peripherals. It seemed as if there was - just too much product to meet the demand, and as it turned out there was. By - the end of the year, companies began folding. US Games, Data Age, Games by - Apollo, Telesys and others all closed their doors from poor sales. A video - game crash was occurring, and all companies were taking it on the chin. -
- -- 1984 was a much more subdued year for the Atari 2600, and the price of the - system had now dropped to $40-$50. Many were saying that the video game - industry was dead. However, Atari surprised everyone by announcing the release - of the 7800, and also promising more 2600 games with improved graphics and - sound. Unfortunately, neither of these things happened in 1984 because Atari - sold their home video game division to Jack Tramiel who believed that home - computers would replace video game systems. No further mention of the 2600 or - 7800 was made that year, and it appeared that they might be dead. -
- -- 1985 was another very quiet year for Atari and video games in general, and only - a few games were released for the 2600. Activision produced Cosmic Commuter and - Ghostbusters, but with little fanfare or marketing, these games did not sell - well. However, because of the huge game library and cheap price, Atari still - sold over a million 2600 consoles in 1985. -
- -- There were very few plans for home video game systems by any company in 1986, - since the market appeared to be dead. Then, to most people's surprise, Nintendo - brought the NES to America and it was a smash hit, proving that video games - still had a place in the US. Atari decided that maybe it would be a good idea - to release the 7800 units it had in storage, and produce some more 2600 games. - The 7800 was released with only 3 games initially available, although it was - compatible with the 2600 library. They also redesigned the 2600 as the 2600 Jr., - a machine with the same abilities, but a new look and marketing campaign. It - was sold for less than $50. -
- -
- Video games were once again selling phenomenally in 1987. Atari released
- several new titles, including Jr. Pac-Man, and also licensed a number of games
- from other companies such as Donkey Kong and Q*Bert. These new titles sold for
- $10-$15. Interestingly, a number of titles began appearing again from third
- part companies such as Epyx, Froggo, and Exus. It seemed that the 2600 was not
- dead yet!
-
- In 1988, Atari rehired Nolan Bushnell and announced a number of new
- titles, including Secret Quest, a game written by Mr. Bushnell himself. Atari
- continued to manufacture these games even until 1989. However, it was apparent
- that the 2600, after its introduction over a decade ago, was finally at the end
- of its run. Although it was still produced and marketed outside of the US, the
- Atari 2600 finished its run in America. No other console has had such a long
- history or sold as many systems in the U.S.
-
- Today, the 2600 still has a large number of fans who remember the countless - games played over the years, and the years to come. There are even games being - produced by hobbyists, some of them quite professionally, being released on - newly burnt cartridges with labels and manuals. And the recent trend in - retrogaming has brought many more video game fans to rediscover the 2600, and - it continues to live on 22 years after its release! -
- -Alexander Bilstein
February 1999
- Stella is a freely distributed multi-platform Atari 2600 VCS emulator; originally - developed for Linux by Bradford W. Mott. Stella allows you to enjoy all of - your favorite 2600 games once again by emulating the 2600's hardware with - software. Stella is written in C++, which allows it to be ported to other - operating systems and architectures. Since its original release Stella has - been ported to AcornOS, AmigaOS, DOS, FreeBSD, Linux, MacOS, OpenStep, OS/2, - Unix, and Windows, as well as consoles such as Sega Dreamcast, GP2X, Nintendo - DS and Playstation Portable (among others). -
- --
The following sections outline the basic system requirements for running - Stella under various operating systems. -
- -Note that for this version of Stella, you are not required to have a - stella.pro file. ROM properties are built in, and defaults will be used - whenever necessary.
- --
-
The Linux version of Stella is designed to work on a Linux Workstation with - the following:
--
The Mac version of Stella is designed to work on a Power Macintosh with - the following:
--
The Windows version of Stella is designed to work on Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista - with the following:
- --
Stella is extremely portable, and in its lifetime has been ported to almost every - platform where the SDL library exists. It is 32/64 bit clean in Linux/Unix and Windows - (Win32/Win64), and is expected to be compatible with 64-bit OSX as well. The Stella - team is interested in hearing about any problems you may encounter with diverse - operating systems and CPU types.
- - - -Stella is distributed in both source and binary form. In general, you should always - download and install the appropriate binary version. Compiling from source is only - recommended for developers, or if the binary version doesn't work for some reason. - Once you have a Stella distribution you should follow the instructions for your - operating system given below.
- -If you have a supported joystick and driver installed and SDL can access the device, - you can play games using joysticks.
- -Currently, sound is supported using SDL. As long as SDL can detect your sound card, - Stella will be able to produce sound.
- --
dpkg -i stella-release-1_arch.deb
rpm -Uvh stella-release-1.arch.rpm
tar zxvf stella-release-src.tar.gz
./configure (--help for list of options)
make
make install
-
-
Stella allows you to play games using ROM images of cartridges and cassettes.
- --
Most games for the Atari 2600 came on cartridges. A cartridge usually - consists of a single Read Only Memory (ROM) chip which contains the data and - code for the game. Plugging a cartridge into the Atari 2600 allows the 2600's - microprocessor to access the program stored on the cartridge.
- -In a similar way you must "plug" a copy of a cartridge into Stella when you - want to play it. Having a ROM image, BIN file, of the cartridge allows you to - do this. A ROM image is a file, which contains the actual data and code read - from the cartridge. There are several ways to obtain a ROM image of a - cartridge:
- -WARNING: It is illegal to use ROM images of games that you do not - actually own since these games are still copyrighted.
- --
Supercharger games were not stored on cartridges instead they were stored - on cassette tapes. The Supercharger, which plugged into the Atari 2600's - cartridge slot, loaded games into its 6K of Random Access Memory (RAM) using a - standard audio cassette player. The Supercharger also supported multi-loading, - which allowed games to be broken into several segments and loaded at different - times. This was useful for large games which had distinct parts such as role - playing games.
- -Most of the available Supercharger ROM images are stored in 8448 bytes files. - However, ROM images of multi-load games are sometimes stored in a set of 8448 - byte files. The names of these files have a two character sequence number in - them which indicates what load they are. The sequence starts with zero, skips - a few numbers and then increments by one.
- -Stella supports multi-load games, however, the set of ROM images must be - combined into a single ROM image file. For example to create a multi-load ROM - image file for Survival Island you would do the following under Unix: - -
% cat survivl0.bin survivl6.bin survivl7.bin > survivl.bin- - or to create it under DOS you would: - -
% copy /b survivl0.bin+survivl6.bin+survivl7.bin survivl.bin- -
Once you have the multi-load ROM image file, survivl.bin in this case, you - can play the game using it.
- - - -Once Stella is installed and you have some ROM images you're ready to start - playing.
- --
Stella contains an integrated GUI for all ports. Commandline support is also - available for those who want to use it.
- -If you start Stella and do not specify a ROM image, it will start in
- 'ROM Launcher' mode:
- 
If this is your first time starting Stella, you'll probably want to set the locations - for ROM files, snapshots, and other external paths. These items are accessible by clicking - the Options => Config Files buttons. Many other options can be set here, - but for now we'll concentrate on Config Files only:
-Config Files dialog:
- |
- - |
-
|
-
If you include the '~' character at the beginning of a path, it will be expanded - to your home directory. For Linux/UNIX, this corresponds to your $HOME directory, - but for Windows it means your 'My Documents' folder.
- -Selecting a new path for an item is done by clicking the appropriate button(s) - (in this case, 'Rom path' was selected). Note that although the rom path - was '~/src/stella', it expands to '/home/stephena/src/stella' in the browser:
-
Once you've changed your settings, you can start emulation by selecting a ROM - and pressing 'Enter' or clicking 'Select', or double-clicking a ROM. Note that - some games require you to 'Reset' the console before you start playing. In this - case, you need to hit the virtual reset switch, which by default is the F2 key. - Also, some games may require that you press the joystick fire button to begin, - which by default is the Left Control/Cmd or Space key(s). If a game uses a - more complex controller, see Section 7 - Keyboard Layout - for more information.
- --
Stella can also be used from the commandline (assuming your operating system - has a commandline).
- -To run Stella from the commandline, use the following format:
- -stella [options ...] ROM_FILENAME- -
Options ('0' or 'false' indicates false, '1' or 'true' indicates true, - others are self-explanatory):
- -| Argument | -Description | -
|---|---|
-video <soft|gl> |
- Use SDL software or OpenGL rendering mode. | -
-gl_lib <filename> |
- OpenGL mode only. Specify the OpenGL library to use (only use - this if you know what you're doing). For OSX, this should - probably be left blank. | -
-gl_filter <nearest|linear> |
- OpenGL mode only. Use GL_NEAREST or GL_LINEAR filtering. - GL_NEAREST results in a scaled, pixelated image, while - GL_LINEAR introduces blurring. | -
-gl_aspectn <number> |
- OpenGL mode only. Specify the amount (as a percentage) to scale the - TIA image width in NTSC and PAL mode. Since many video modes do not - use square pixels, you can reduce width until the pixels appear square. - Allowable values are 80 - 120; I find 85 - 90 gives the most authentic - look for NTSC, and 105 - 110 for PAL. | -
-gl_fsmax <1|0> |
- OpenGL mode only. Stretch TIA image while in fullscreen mode. | -
-gl_vsync <1|0> |
- OpenGL mode only. Synchronize screen updates to the vertical blank - period. This can result in smoother updates, and eliminate tearing. | -
-gl_texrect <1|0> |
- OpenGL mode only. Enable GL_TEXTURE_RECTANGLE extension. This causes - problems for some people using ATI video cards. | -
-tia_filter <filter> |
- Use the specified filter while in TIA/emulation mode. Currently, - this can be zoomZx, where Z={2..10}. | -
-fullscreen <1|0> |
- Play the game in fullscreen mode. | -
-fullres <auto|WxH> |
- Use the given resolution in fullscreen mode. If 'auto', let Stella decide - which resolution to use. | -
-center <1|0> |
- Centers game window (if possible). | -
-grabmouse <1|0> |
- Keeps the mouse in the game window. | -
-palette <standard|z26|user> |
- Set the palette to either normal Stella, the one used in the z26 - emulator, or a user-defined palette. | -
-colorloss <1|0> |
- Enable/disable the PAL color-loss effect. | -
-timing <sleep|busy> |
- Determines type of wait to perform between processing frames. - Sleep will release the CPU as much as possible, and is the - preferred method on laptops (and other low-powered devices) - and when using GL VSync. Busy will emulate z26 busy-wait - behaviour, and use all possible CPU time, but may eliminate - graphical 'tearing' in software mode. | -
-framerate <number> |
- Display the given number of frames per second. Normally, Stella - will determine framerate based on number of scanlines. - Setting this to 0 automatically enables auto-frame - calculation (ie, framerate based on scanlines). | -
-sound <1|0> |
- Enable or disable sound generation. | -
-fragsize <number> |
- Specify the sound fragment size to use. Linux/Mac seems to work - with 512, Windows may need 2048 (but newer versions work with - 512 as well). | -
-freq <number> |
- Set sound sample output frequency (0 - 48000). - Default is 31400. Do not change unless you experience sound - issues. | -
-tiafreq <number> |
- Set sound sample generation frequency (0 - 48000). - Default is 31400. Do not change unless you experience sound - issues. | -
-volume <number> |
- Set the volume (0 - 100). | -
-clipvol <1|0> |
- Enable volume clipping (eliminates popping). Do not change - unless you experience sound issues. | -
-cheat <code> |
- Use the specified cheatcode (see Cheat section for description). | -
-showinfo <0|1> |
- Shows some game info on the commandline while Stella is running. | -
-joydeadzone <number> |
- Sets the joystick deadzone area for analog joysticks. - Accepts a number from 0 - 29, and uses the formula - 3200 + number * 1000. So the possible deadzone values - range from 3200 to 32200. | -
-pspeed <number> |
- Speed for digital emulation of paddles (1-15). | -
-sa1 <left|right> |
- Stelladaptor 1 emulates specified joystick port. | -
-sa2 <left|right> |
- Stelladaptor 2 emulates specified joystick port. | -
-autoslot <1|0> |
- Automatically switch to the next available save state slot after - saving a ROM state file. | -
-audiofirst <1|0> |
- Initialize the audio subsystem before video when emulating a - ROM. This seems to be required when using ATI video cards - in OpenGL mode in Windows. Since it doesn't hurt other - systems, the default is 1. | -
-ssdir <path> |
- The directory to save snapshot files to. | -
-sssingle <0|1> |
- Generate single snapshot instead of many, overwriting - any previous snapshots. | -
-ss1x <0|1> |
- Ignore any scaling applied to the TIA image, and save - snapshot in unscaled (1x) mode. | -
-rominfo <rom> |
- Display detailed information about the given ROM, and then exit - Stella. | -
-listrominfo |
- Prints relevant contents of the Stella ROM database, one ROM per line, - and then exit Stella. This can be used for external frontends. | -
-launcherres <WxH> |
- Set the size of the ROM launcher. | -
-launcherfont <small|medium|large> |
- Set the size of the font in the ROM launcher. | -
-launcherexts <allfiles|allroms|LIST> |
- Specifies which files to show in the ROM launcher - ('allfiles' is self-explanatory, 'allroms' is all files - with valid rom extensions (currently: a26, bin, rom, - gz, zip), 'LIST' is a ':' separated list of valid rom extensions. | -
-romviewer <0|1|2> |
- Hide ROM info viewer in ROM launcher mode (0), or use the - given zoom level (1 or 2). | -
-uipalette <1|2> |
- Used the specified palette for UI elements. This isn't yet - complete. | -
-listdelay <delay> |
- Set the amount of time to wait between treating successive - keypresses as a single word in list widgets (value can range - from 300-1000). | -
-mwheel <lines> |
- Set the number of lines a mousewheel will scroll in the UI. | -
-romdir <dir> |
- Set the directory where the ROM launcher will start. | -
-statedir <dir> |
- Set the directory in which to save state files. | -
-cheatfile <file> |
- Set the full pathname of the cheatfile database. | -
-palettefile <file> |
- Set the full pathname of the user-defined palette file. | -
-propsfile <file> |
- Set the full pathname of the ROM properties file. | -
-eepromdir <dir> |
- Set the directory in which to save EEPROM files. | -
-avoxport <name> |
- Set the name of the serial port where an AtariVox is connected. | -
-help |
- Prints a help message describing these options, and then - exit Stella. | -
The following are useful to developers. Only use them if you know what - you're doing! Note that in all cases, the values supplied to the arguments - are not case sensitive.
- -| Argument | -Description | -
|---|---|
-debuggerres <WxH> |
- Set the size of the debugger window. | -
-break <address> |
- Set a breakpoint at specified address. | -
-debug |
- Immediately jump to debugger mode when starting Stella. | -
-holdreset |
- Start the emulator with the Game Reset switch held down. | -
-holdselect |
- Start the emulator with the Game Select switch held down. | -
-holdbutton0 |
- Start the emulator with the left joystick button held down. | -
-stats <1|0> |
- Overlay console info on the TIA image during emulation. | -
-tiafloat <1|0> |
- Set unused TIA pins to be floating on a read/peek. | -
-bs <type> |
- Set "Cartridge.Type" property. See the Game Properties section - for valid types. | -
-type <type> |
- Same as using -bs. | -
-channels <Mono|Stereo> |
- Set "Cartridge.Sound" property. | -
-ld <A|B> |
- Set "Console.LeftDifficulty" property. | -
-rd <A|B> |
- Set "Console.RightDifficulty" property. | -
-tv <Color|BlackAndWhite> |
- Set "Console.TelevisionType" property. | -
-sp <Yes|No> |
- Set "Console.SwapPorts" property. | -
-lc <type> |
- Set "Controller.Left" property. See the Game Properties - section for valid types. | -
-rc <type> |
- Set "Controller.Right" property. See the Game Properties - section for valid types. | -
-bc <type> |
- Sets both "Controller.Left" and "Controller.Right" properties. - See the Game Properties section for valid types. | -
-cp <Yes|No> |
- Set "Controller.SwapPaddles" property. | -
-format <format> |
- Set "Display.Format" property. See the Game Properties section - for valid formats. | -
-ystart <number> |
- Set "Display.YStart" property (0 - 64). | -
-height <number> |
- Set "Display.Height" property (210 - 256). | -
-pp <Yes|No> |
- Set "Display.Phosphor" property. | -
-ppblend <number> |
- Set "Display.PPBlend" property, used for phosphor effect (0-100). - Default is 77. | -
-
Normally, one would use the keyboard shortcuts for controlling the - 'virtual' switches in Stella (ie, the commands associated with the - function keys as described in Section 7 - Keyboard Layout. - However, another alternative is available. Pressing the '\' key toggles - a command menu dialog as follows:
-
This dialog contains a set of buttons that represent the same functionality - as the function keys. You may find this useful if you cannot remember all - the function key events, or you wish to use Stella without a keyboard (ie, - in a standalone gaming system).
- - - -All settings can be changed within the integrated Options UI while Stella is - running (unless otherwise noted - some settings require an application restart). - The Options menu can be accessed from the ROM launcher by clicking the - Options button, or in-game by pressing the 'Tab' key.
- -Options Menu dialog:
- 
-
-
Video Settings dialog:
- |
- - |
-
|
-
Audio Settings dialog:
- |
- - |
-
|
-
Input Settings dialog:
- |
- - | This dialog is described in further detail in Section 8 - - Event Remapping. |
-
UI Settings dialog (3 tabs):
- |
- - | This tab is described in further detail in - Section 9 - ROM Launcher. |
-
 |
- - |
-
|
-
 |
- - |
-
|
-
Audit ROMs dialog:
- |
- - | This dialog is described in further detail in - Section 10 - ROM Audit Mode. |
-
Game Properties dialog:
- |
- - | This dialog allows you to change all ROM properties - as described in Section 16 - Game Properties. - |
-
The Atari 2600 console controls and controllers are mapped to the computer's - keyboard as shown in the following tables. However, most of these events can be - remapped to other keys on your keyboard or buttons on your joystick (see Section 8 - - Event Remapping). The tables below show the default - settings.
- -Console Controls (can be remapped)
- -| Function | -Key (Standard) | -Key (OSX) | -
|---|---|---|
| Exit emulator | -Control + q | -Cmd + q | -
| Exit game mode/enter launcher mode | -Escape | -Escape | -
| Enter/exit options mode | -Tab | -Tab | -
| Enter/exit command mode | -Backslash (\) | -Backslash (\) | -
| Enter/exit debugger | -Backquote (`) | -Backquote (`) | -
| Select Game | -F1 | -F1 | -
| Reset Game | -F2 | -F2 | -
| Color TV | -F3 | -F3 | -
| Black/White TV | -F4 | -F4 | -
| Left Player Difficulty B | -F5 | -F5 | -
| Left Player Difficulty A | -F6 | -F6 | -
| Right Player Difficulty B | -F7 | -F7 | -
| Right Player Difficulty A | -F8 | -F8 | -
| Save state to current slot | -F9 | -F9 | -
| Change current state slot | -F10 | -F10 | -
| Load state from current slot | -F11 | -F11 | -
| Save PNG snapshot | -F12 | -F12 | -
| Pause/resume emulation | -Pause | -Pause | -
Joystick / BoosterGrip Controller (can be remapped)
- -| Left Joystick (Joy0) | -Right Joystick (Joy1) | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-
|
-
-
-
|
-
Paddle Controller digital emulation (can be remapped independently of joystick controller)
- -| Left Paddles | -Right Paddles | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-
|
-
-
-
|
-
Driving Controller (cannot be remapped, always associated with joystick controller)
- -| Left Driving | -Right Driving | -||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-
|
-
-
-
|
-
Keypad Controller (can be remapped)
- -| Left Keypad | -Right Keypad | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-
|
-
-
-
|
-
Developer Keys in TIA mode (cannot be remapped)
- -| Function | -Key (Standard) | -Key (OSX) | -
|---|---|---|
| Set "Display.YStart" to next larger value | -Alt + PageUp | -Shift-Cmd + PageUp | -
| Set "Display.YStart" to next smaller value | -Alt + PageDown | -Shift-Cmd + PageDown | -
| Set "Display.Height" to next larger value | -Control + PageUp | -Cmd + PageUp | -
| Set "Display.Height" to next smaller value | -Control + PageDown | -Cmd + PageDown | -
| Toggle frame stats (scanline count/fps/bs type/etc) | -Alt + l | -Shift-Cmd + l | -
| Toggle TIA Player0 object | -Alt + z | -Shift-Cmd + z | -
| Toggle TIA Player1 object | -Alt + x | -Shift-Cmd + x | -
| Toggle TIA Missile0 object | -Alt + c | -Shift-Cmd + c | -
| Toggle TIA Missile1 object | -Alt + v | -Shift-Cmd + v | -
| Toggle TIA Ball object | -Alt + b | -Shift-Cmd + b | -
| Toggle TIA Playfield object | -Alt + n | -Shift-Cmd + n | -
| Turn all TIA objects off | -Alt + . | -Shift-Cmd + . | -
| Turn all TIA objects on | -Alt + / | -Shift-Cmd + / | -
Other Keys (cannot be remapped, except those marked with '*')
- -| Function | -Key (Standard) | -Key (OSX) | -
|---|---|---|
| Switch to next larger zoom level | -Alt + = | -Cmd + = | -
| Switch to next smaller zoom level | -Alt + - | -Cmd + - | -
| Toggle fullscreen/windowed mode | -Alt + Enter | -Cmd + Enter | -
| Decrease volume (*) | -Alt + [ | -Shift-Cmd + [ | -
| Increase volume (*) | -Alt + ] | -Shift-Cmd + ] | -
| Grab mouse (keep mouse in game window) | -Control + g | -Cmd + g | -
| Toggle display palette (NTSC/PAL/SECAM) | -Control + f | -Cmd + f | -
| Save current properties to a new properties file | -Control + s | -Cmd + s | -
| Set mouse to emulate paddle 0 | -Control + 0 | -Cmd + 0 | -
| Set mouse to emulate paddle 1 | -Control + 1 | -Cmd + 1 | -
| Set mouse to emulate paddle 2 | -Control + 2 | -Cmd + 2 | -
| Set mouse to emulate paddle 3 | -Control + 3 | -Cmd + 3 | -
| Reload current ROM (TIA mode) | -Control + r | -Cmd + r | -
| Reload ROM listing (ROM launcher mode) | -Control + r | -Cmd + r | -
| Emulate 'frying' effect (*) | -Backspace | -Backspace | -
| Toggle 'phosphor' effect | -Alt + p | -Shift-Cmd + p | -
| Toggle palette | -Control + p | -Cmd + p | -
| Toggle PAL color-loss effect | -Control + l | -Cmd + l | -
UI keys in Text Editing areas (cannot be remapped)
- -| Key | Editor Function |
|---|---|
| Home | Move cursor to beginning of line |
| End | Move cursor to end of line |
| Delete | Remove character to right of cursor |
| Backspace | Remove character to left of cursor |
| Control-a | Same function as 'Home' |
| Control-e | Same function as 'End' |
| Control-d | Same function as 'Delete' |
| Control-k | Remove all characters from cursor to end of line |
| Control-u | Remove all characters from cursor to beginning of line |
| Control-w | Remove entire word to left of cursor |
| Control-Left | Move cursor to beginning of word to the left |
| Control-Right | Move cursor to beginning of word to the right |
| Control-c | Copy entire line to clipboard (not complete) |
| Control-v | Paste clipboard contents (not complete) |
Almost every event in Stella can be remapped to another key on the keyboard or - to buttons on up to eight joysticks/gamepads (see Section 7 - - Keyboard Layout for those events which can/cannot be - remapped).
- -Note that there are currently two separate event modes in Stella; emulation - mode and user-interface (UI) mode. Each mode has separate mappings, so (for example) - while in emulation mode, the left arrow could mean 'joystick 0 left', while in UI - mode it could mean 'move cursor left'. Emulation mode occurs whenever you're - actually playing a game. UI mode occurs whenever a user interface is present - (ROM launcher, debugger, settings menu, etc). Because of these different modes, - there are two separate mapping areas. - -
To remap an event: -
The following screenshots illustrate the event remapping process:
- 
- 
-
-
Virtual devices can be configured under the 'Virtual Devs' tab, shown below:
- 
Stelladaptor devices can be configured to either the left or right virtual - ports. See Section 11 - Stelladaptor Support - for further information.
- -Joystick deadzone area for analog joysticks can be set here. The deadzone - can be adjusted in an interval from 0 - 29, which internally is converted to - the range 3200 - 32200 using the formula '3200 + DEADZONE * 1000'.
- -Paddle settings are also configured here. The mouse can emulate either paddle - 0, 1, 2, or 3. Note that some paddle games don't default to paddle 0. In those - cases, the ROM properties will automatically set the mouse to emulate the paddle - used by Player 0. So, for example, a ROM that defaults to paddle 1 (Demons to Diamonds) - will set 'Mouse is paddle' to 1, and a ROM that defaults to paddle 3 (Tac-Scan) will - set 'Mouse is paddle' to 3.
- -Paddle speed is used when emulating a paddle using a digital device - (keyboard, digital joystick, etc). Because of the on/off nature of digital - devices, there are no smooth analog values as would be present on a real - paddle. When using digital devices, the paddle is moved a certain amount - each frame. This speed setting specifies how much movement will occur.
- -The serial port to which a real AtariVox is connected can be set here. - See Section 12 - AtariVox/SaveKey Support for - further information.
- - - -Several options are configurable in the ROM launcher. The size of the - launcher and fonts, as well as the 'ROM info viewer' can be changed in - UI Settings => Launcher dialog, as shown below:
-
- Most of the options are self-explanatory, except for the 'ROM Info - viewer', which is described below.
- -Stella supports viewing snapshots and ROM properties of the currently - selected ROM in the ROM launcher. Support is automatic, as long as your - snapshot directory contains snapshots in the appropriate format. An - archive of updated snapshots will be available on the Stella webpage. - This archive may be updated periodically as new ROMs are found, and also - for each new release of Stella. Note that the snapshots can be any size - generated by Stella; they will be resized accordingly.
- -Currently, there are several restrictions for this feature:
-The following snapshots illustrate the various font sizes and rom info - zoom levels:
- -ROM info viewer in 1x mode, UI sized 800x480, small launcher font:
-
-
- ROM info viewer in 1x mode, UI sized 1000x760, medium launcher font:
-
-
- ROM info viewer in 2x mode, UI sized 1400x900, large launcher font:
-
-
- The text box in the upper right corner can be used to narrow down the - results in the ROM listing. When this box is empty, all files are shown - (subject to the restrictions from the filtering option, explained below). - Typing characters here where show only those files that match that - pattern. For example, typing 'Activision' will show only files that - contain the word 'Activision' in their name. This is very useful for - quickly finding a group of related ROMs. Note that the search is not - case sensitive, so you don't need to worry about capital or lower-case - letters.
- -The ROM launcher also contains a context menu, selected by clicking the - right mouse button anywhere in the current window. This context menu - contains the following items:
- -Override properties: Selecting this option shows a dialog whereby - ROM properties can be temporarily overriden. Selecting options from this - dialog will cause all ROMs launched after that to use those properties - you specify. Clicking Default will disable its functionality, - and use ROM properties as defined by the ROM itself. The dialog is as - follows (See Section 16 - Game Properties - for more information concerning ROM properties):
- |
- - |
-
|
-
Filter listing: Selecting this option shows a dialog whereby - one can filter the types of files shown in the listing. The dialog is as - follows:
-
Currently, the choices are as follows:
-Stella has the ability to rename all your ROMs according to the name - specified in the properties database. This is useful if you've downloaded - ROMs in DOS 8.3 naming format, and wish the filenames to be more descriptive, - or the current filenames are too large to see in the launcher.
- -This feature is accessible from Options => Audit ROMs, and is only - available while in ROM launcher mode. The dialog box for this feature - is as follows:
-
-
- Simply select the ROM path with the 'Audit path' button, and click the - 'Audit' button. The ROMs will then be renamed according to their internal - properties. When the operation is complete, the number of ROMs that were - renamed (as well as ones that weren't) will be shown.
- -There are several items to take note of:
-Stella supports real Atari 2600 joysticks, paddles and driving controllers - using the Stelladaptor device.
- -Stella can use up to two Stelladaptors; any extra ones are ignored. - Stelladaptor devices will be automatically detected and configured. Devices - can be plugged/unplugged while the emulator is running, although you will need - to restart the game currently being emulated.
- -The detection and configuration is as follows: - -
Stella supports a real AtariVox device for the speech/SpeakJet portion - of the controller. You will need a real AtariVox device, located - here, - as well as some means of connecting it to your computer (some sort of - serial port/USB adaptor). There should be drivers for your serial convertor, - which allow your particular operating system to 'see' the device (configuring - this is outside the scope of this document). Once your operating system - properly detects the AtariVox, you will need to tell Stella which serial - port it is connected to. This is done by using the '-avoxport' commandline - argument, or by setting it in the UI under the 'Virtual Devs' tab in - 'Input Settings', as described in Section 8.
- -Note that you must use the entire name of the port as specified by - your operating system. For example, in Windows this would be COM1, - COM2, etc; Linux and OSX tend to use names similar to '/dev/xxxxxx'. - For now, only Linux/UNIX, OSX, and Win32 are supported.
- -Support for the EEPROM portion of the AtariVox and SaveKey is currently - emulated. That is, a file will be created on your computer simulating the - EEPROM; the actual EEPROM hardware itself will not be accessed or modified. - This is very useful in the testing stages of creating a new game, since - writing to a real EEPROM many times will eventually wear it out.
- -The location of the EEPROM files are configurable through the - '-eepromdir' commandline argument and within the application itself - (see Section 5 - Starting a Game). If the - path for these files hasn't been set, the default location will depend on the - version of Stella, as follows:
- -| Linux/Unix | -$HOME/.stella/atarivox_eeprom.dat - $HOME/.stella/savekey_eeprom.dat |
-
| Macintosh | -$HOME/.stella/atarivox_eeprom.dat - $HOME/.stella/savekey_eeprom.dat |
-
| Windows | -%MY_DOCUMENTS%\Stella\atarivox_eeprom.dat - %MY_DOCUMENTS%\Stella\savekey_eeprom.dat - OR - _BASEDIR_\atarivox_eeprom.dat - _BASEDIR_\savekey_eeprom.dat - (if a file named 'basedir.txt' exists in the application - directory containing the full pathname for _BASEDIR_) - |
-
Note that these EEPROM files will be created when necessary, and - initialized as a real EEPROM would be (containing all $FF). The - files can be manually deleted, which is very useful in testing - cases where a ROM is accessing the EEPROM for the first time.
- - - -Many options are available for ROM developers, which are described in - different sections of this manual, as follows:
- -
The two lines of output describe the following: -
Finally, Stella contains an extensive, built-in debugger. Have a look at - this page for integrated debugger documentation.
- - - -Stella will remember when you change a setting either at the command line - or while the emulation is running, and use the settings the next time - you start the emulator. The settings are saved in a text file which can - be edited outside of Stella. This file can contain your default options, - and eliminates the need to specify them on the command line. Any - options specified on the command line will override those in the settings file.
- -The syntax for the settings file is very straightforward. Any line starting with - a ';' character is considered a comment and is ignored. Other lines must be of - the form: command = value, where command is the same as that - specified on the command line (without the '-' character), and value - is dependent on the command.
- -For example, the following table illustrates how command line and settings entries - are similar:
- -| Command Line | -Settings File | -
|---|---|
| -video gl | -video = gl | -
| -volume 75 | -volume = 75 | -
| -showinfo 1 | -showinfo = 1 (or showinfo = true) | -
The settings file has a special name/location depending on which version of Stella - you use, which is currently not configurable:
- -| Linux/Unix | -$HOME/.stella/stellarc | -
| Macintosh | -Not applicable; settings are saved in $HOME/Library/Preferences/StellaOSX.plist | -
| Windows | -%MY_DOCUMENTS%\Stella\stella.ini
- OR - _BASEDIR_\stella.ini - (if a file named 'basedir.txt' exists in the application - directory containing the full pathname for _BASEDIR_) - |
-
Stella contains support for Bob Colbert's Cheetah cheat codes, as - well as an extended Stella-specific type of cheat code that works on - bankswitched ROMs.
- -To add/remove/edit a cheat code, enter the 'Cheat Code' dialog:
- 
-
-
Currently, there are three types of cheatcodes available, all of which - must be entered in hexidecimal format: -
Per-frame RAM cheats:
- Evaluated each frame, and apply to RAM only. Format as follows:
-
- 4-digit code: c041 - c0 = address - 41 = data --
- 6-digit (cheetah) code: aaaddc - aaa = address - $f000 - dd = data - c = count - 1 --
- 7-digit (stella) code: baaaddc - b = bank (0 to $f) - aaa = address - $f000 - dd = data - c = count - 1 - - 8-digit (stella) code: bbaaaddc - bb = bank (0 to $ff) - aaa = address - $f000 - dd = data - c = count - 1 --
There's also the concept of one shot codes. These codes work - exactly the same as above, except they aren't saved. They are evaluated - once and immediately discarded. - -
Here are a few cheat codes we've found:
--Pitfall (standard Cheetah codes): - 5b0ea1 - infinite lives - 723ea1 - infinite time - aa5??0 - set starting level, ?? = 01 to ff (d0 is kinda neat) - -Battlezone (Stella extended codes): - 1236ea1 - infinite lives - -Ms Pac-Man (Stella extended codes): - 108fea1 - infinite lives -- -
The name of the cheat database file is configurable through the - '-cheatfile' commandline argument and within the application itself - (see Section 5 - Starting a Game). If the - path for this file hasn't been set, the default filename will depend on the - version of Stella, as follows:
- -| Linux/Unix | -$HOME/.stella/stella.cht | -
| Macintosh | -$HOME/.stella/stella.cht | -
| Windows | -%MY_DOCUMENTS%\Stella\stella.cht
- OR - _BASEDIR_\stella.cht - (if a file named 'basedir.txt' exists in the application - directory containing the full pathname for _BASEDIR_) - |
-
Stella will require a restart for changes to this file to take effect.
- - - -Stella uses game properties to specify the "best" emulator settings for a - game. As of version 2.2 of Stella, a default database of properties are - built-in, but you may modify these through the use of a stella.pro file. - This per-user file will contain all properties modified by the user. So this - means that when you upgrade Stella, your personal properties settings are - preserved.
- --
A property file consists of some number of blocks. Each block in the file - contains the properties for a single game. For example the general format of - a property file is:
- --
- ; Comments - "Cartridge.MD5" "Value" - "Property" "Value" - "" - - ; Comments - "Cartridge.MD5" "Value" - "Property" "Value" - "" - - . . . - - ; Comments - "Cartridge.MD5" "Value" - "Property" "Value" - ""- -
Every block in the property file must have a unique value for the - Cartridge.MD5 property.
- --
Each block in a property file consists of a set of properties for a single - game. Stella supports the properties described below:
- -| Cartridge.MD5: | -Indicates the MD5 checksum of the ROM image as a - string of hexadecimal digits. Stella uses this property while - attempting to match a game with its block of properties. If the - value of the property matches the MD5 checksum of the ROM image then - Stella uses that block of properties for the game. You can use the - GNU md5sum program, which is included with most Linux distributions, - to calculate the MD5 checksum of a ROM image. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cartridge.Manufacturer: | -Indicates the game's manufacturer. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cartridge.ModelNo: | -Indicates the manufacturer's model number for the game. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cartridge.Name: | -Indicates the actual name of the game. When you save snapshots, - load/save state files, or use the 'ROM Audit' functionality, - this is the name that will be used for the respective file(s). | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cartridge.Note: | -Contains any special notes about playing the game. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cartridge.Rarity: | -Indicates how rare a cartridge is, based on the scale described on AtariAge. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cartridge.Sound: | -Indicates if the game should use 1 or 2 channels for sound output. - All original Atari 2600 machines supported 1 channel only, - but some homebrew games have been written to take advantage of stereo - sound. The value must be Mono or Stereo. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cartridge.Type: | -Indicates the bank-switching type for the game.
- The value of this property must be either Auto-detect or one of the following
- (for more information about bank-switching see Kevin Horton's 2600 bankswitching
- document or the documentation in each cartridges source code file). Types marked
- as (*) do not currently have reliable auto-detection, or may not be fully
- supported in the debugger:
-
|
- ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Console.LeftDifficulty: | -Indicates the default difficulty setting for the left - player. The value must be A or B. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Console.RightDifficulty: | -Indicates the default difficulty setting for the - right player. The value must be A or B. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Console.TelevisionType: | -Indicates the default television setting for the - game. The value must be Color or BlankAndWhite. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Console.SwapPorts: | -Indicates that the left and right ports should be - swapped internally. This is used for ROMs like 'Raiders' where the - Player 0 joystick is plugged into the right joystick port. - The value must be Yes or No. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Controller.Left: | -Indicates what type of controller the left player - uses. The value must be BoosterGrip, Driving, - Keyboard, Paddles, Trackball22, - Trackball80, AmigaMouse or Joystick. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Controller.Right: | -Indicates what type of controller the right player - uses. The value must be BoosterGrip, Driving, - Keyboard, Paddles, Trackball22, - Trackball80, AmigaMouse, AtariVox, - SaveKey or Joystick. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Controller.SwapPaddles: | -Indicates that the left and right paddles in - a particular port should be swapped. This is used for ROMs like - 'Demons to Diamonds' where the default paddle is paddle 1, not - paddle 0. Other ROMs such as 'Tac-Scan' default to paddle 3, - which can be set using both 'Controller.SwapPaddles' and - 'Console.SwapPorts'. The value must be Yes or No. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Display.Format: | -Indicates the television format the game was designed for. The value - must be Auto-detect, NTSC, PAL, SECAM, NTSC50, - PAL60 or SECAM60. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Display.YStart: | -Indicates the scan-line to start displaying at. - The value must be n such that 0 <= n <= 64. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Display.Height: | -Indicates the number of scan-lines to display. - The value must be n such that 210 <= n <= 256. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Display.Phosphor: | -Indicates whether the phosphor effect should be emulated or not. - The value must be Yes or No. | -||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Display.PPBlend: | -Indicates the amount of blending which will occur while using the - phosphor effect. The value must be n such that 0 <= n - <= 100. The default value is 77. | -
The name of the properties file is configurable through the - '-propsfile' commandline argument and within the application itself - (see Section 5 - Starting a Game). If the - path for this file hasn't been set, the default filename will depend on the - version of Stella, as follows:
- -| Linux/Unix | -$HOME/.stella/stella.pro | -
| Macintosh | -$HOME/.stella/stella.pro | -
| Windows | -%MY_DOCUMENTS%\Stella\stella.pro
- OR - _BASEDIR_\stella.pro - (if a file named 'basedir.txt' exists in the application - directory containing the full pathname for _BASEDIR_) - |
-
-
Stella will require a restart for changes to this file to take effect.
- - - -An Atari 2600 palette consists of 128 colours, which are different - for the three major television standards (NTSC, PAL, SECAM). - Stella supports two built-in palettes and one user-defined palette for each format. - These are set using the '-palette' option, and are described as follows:
-| standard | -The default palette from Stella 1.4 onwards. | -
| z26 | -The palette from the z26 emulator. | -
| user | -An external palette file, supplied by the user. | -
Support for a user-defined palette is a new feature for Stella 2.3, and - is further described as follows: -
The name of the palette file is configurable through the - '-palettefile' commandline argument and within the application itself - (see Section 5 - Starting a Game). If the - path for this file hasn't been set, the default filename will depend on the - version of Stella, as follows:
- -| Linux/Unix | -$HOME/.stella/stella.pal | -
| Macintosh | -$HOME/.stella/stella.pal | -
| Windows | -%MY_DOCUMENTS%\Stella\stella.pal
- OR - _BASEDIR_\stella.pal - (if a file named 'basedir.txt' exists in the application - directory containing the full pathname for _BASEDIR_) - |
-
Note that to actually use the external palette, the palette file must - exist and be valid, and the palette option should be set to user - (in Video Settings dialog). The current ROM will have to be reloaded - for changes to this file to take effect.
- - - -Bradford W. Mott started developing Stella during the fall of 1995 and since - then a number of people from around the world have contributed to the project. - Some people have provided technical help while others have offered suggestions - and praise. The Stella Team is grateful for all the help and support it has - received over the years. The following is an incomplete list of the people who have - played a part in bringing Stella to you:
- -| Stephen Anthony | -Ported Stella 1.1 to SDL. Added extra command line options to X11/SDL - versions. Added INI file support, faster startup, snapshot support, - and pause functionality to core. Converted Stella 1.1 manual to HTML. - Ported codebase to SDL for Windows/MacOSX. Added OpenGL support and - Stelladaptor support. Current maintainer for the Linux and Windows versions. | -
| David Aspell | -Ported release 0.7 of Stella to Java | -
| Christopher Bennett | -Helped discover a Superchanger emulation bug in release 1.0 of Stella | -
| Alexander Bilstein | -Provided "A Brief History of the Atari 2600" for this manual | -
| Dan Boris | -Provided technical information on the Supercharger | -
| Piero Cavina | -Allowed "Oystron" to be included in the Stella distribution | -
| Bob Colbert | -Allowed "Okie Dokie" to be included in the Stella distribution | -
| Joe D'Andrea | -Author of the IRIX port of Stella until release 1.2 | -
| Renato Ferreira | -Provided code to support private colormaps under Unix | -
| Ron Fries | -Author of the awesome TIA Sound library | -
| Aaron Giles | -Author of the Power Macintosh version of Stella until release 1.1 | -
| Mark Grebe | -Author of the Macintosh OSX version of Stella starting with the - 1.4 release. Helped with Stelladaptor support. | -
| Alex Herbert | -Provided much information on AtariVox and SaveKey functionality | -
| Richard Hutchinson | -Provided an AtariVox USB adaptor to help with AVox development | -
| Mark Hahn | -Allowed "Elk Attack" to be included in the Stella distribution and - provided help with the TIA HMOVE blank bug | -
| Kevin Horton | -Author of the definitive Atari 2600 bank-switching document | -
| Thomas Jentzsch | -Provided updated NTSC palette and many ideas | -
| Kostas Nakos | -Author/maintainer of the WinCE version of Stella starting with the - 2.0 release | -
| Erik Kovach | -Author of the property file for release 0.7, 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 of Stella | -
| Daniel Marks | -Provided improved keyboard joystick support for Stella release 0.1 | -
| James Mcclain | -Provided patches for the 1.2 release to get Stella to compile with GCC 3.0 | -
| David McEwen | -Author of the Acorn version of Stella | -
| Jeff Miller | -Author of the Windows version of Stella until release 1.2 | -
| Dan Mowczan | -Provided a Supercharger to help with Stella's development | -
| Jack Nutting | -Author of the OpenStep version of Stella | -
| John Payson | -Provided EEPROM emulation code for AtariVox and SaveKey support | -
| Manuel Polik | -Author of the Windows version of Stella starting with the 1.2 release | -
| Jim Pragit | -Author of the "Game Menu" emulator game shell | -
| John Saeger | -Participated in a helpful discussion on understanding the TIA's - RESPx multi-sprite trick | -
| Chris Salomon | -Provided information and code to help implement Supercharger support | -
| Glenn Saunders | -Provided a Supercharger to help with Stella's development | -
| Jason Scott | -Organizer of the property file archive for early versions of - Stella; now he's helping with the web site | -
| David Shaw | -Provided make targets for the BSDI platform | -
| Raul Silva | -Helped with design and graphics for an early version of the Stella - web site | -
| Chris Snell | -Maintained a mirror of the Stella FTP site | -
| Darrell Spice Jr. | -Author of the OS/2 version of Stella | -
| John Stiles | -Maintained the Macintosh version of Stella until release 1.2 | -
| Eckhard Stolberg | -Provided a description of the TIA bug that produces the star field - effect in Cosmic Ark, provided the PAL television palette, and - participated in a helpful discussion on understanding the TIA's RESPx - multi-sprite trick. Provided the Commavid, Megaboy, 4A50 and X07 support - for Stella as well as some improved Supercharger BIOS code. | -
| Matthew Stroup | -Author of the Amiga version of Stella | -
| Joel Sutton | -Author of the FreeBSD version of Stella | -
| Greg Troutman | -Allowed "This Planet Sucks" to be included in the Stella distribution | -
| Curt Vendel | -Provided schematics of the TIA which are being used to improve the - TIA emulation. | -
| David Voswinkel | -Maintainer of the PSP version of Stella starting with the 2.0 release | -
| Brian Watson | -Helped with getting the illegal CPU instruction support working with Stella. - Brian also submitted a number of other changes, such as debugger support, which - have been finally integrated into the 2.0 release of Stella. Without - a doubt, there would be no debugger support in Stella if not for the - tireless work of Brian. | -
| Keith Wilkins | -Maintained the DOS version of Stella until release 0.7 | -
| Jeff Wisnia | -Provided technical data sheet for the 6532 RIOT chip | -
| Albert Yarusso (aka Al from AtariAge) | -Provided helpful feedback for the OSX port, and generously - donated an AtariVox device to help with development | -
| Alex Zaballa | -Maintainer of the GP2X version of Stella starting with the 2.1 release | -
-
-Version 2, June 1991 - -
- --Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc. -59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA - -Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies -of this license document, but changing it is not allowed. -- - - -
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- -3. - You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, -under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of -Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following: - - - - -
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NO WARRANTY
- -- -11. - BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY -FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN -OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES -PROVIDE THE PROGRAM "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED -OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF -MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS -TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE -PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, -REPAIR OR CORRECTION. - -
- -12. - IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING -WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR -REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, -INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING -OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED -TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY -YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER -PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE -POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. - - - diff --git a/htdocs/downloads.php b/htdocs/downloads.php deleted file mode 100644 index 487b3eeb2..000000000 --- a/htdocs/downloads.php +++ /dev/null @@ -1,89 +0,0 @@ - - -
- -| stella-2.7.7-win32.exe | -Binary installer (exe) for Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP/Vista | -
| stella-2.7.7-win32.zip | -Binary ZIP for Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP/Vista | -
| stella-2.7.7-win64.zip | -Binary 64-bit ZIP for Windows Vista64 (not well tested, may not work in XP64) | -
| StellaOSX2.7.7.dmg | -Binary DMG for Mac OSX | -
| stella-2.7.7-1.i586.rpm | -Binary 32-bit RPM for Mandriva Linux 2007 (may work on other RPM distributions) | -
| stella_2.7.7-1_i386.deb | -Binary 32-bit DEB for Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope (9.04) | -
| stella_2.7.7-1_amd64.deb | -Binary 64-bit DEB for Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope (9.04) | -
| stella-2.3.5-gp2x.zip | -Binary ZIP for GP2X | -
| stella-2.3.5-wince.zip | -Binary ZIP for WinCE devices (PocketPC and Smartphones) | -
| stella-2.7.7-1.src.rpm | -Source RPM for Mandriva Linux (may work on other RPM distributions) | -
| stella-2.7.7-src.tar.gz | -Source tarball for all systems | -
| - Sourceforge project page | -Older releases on the Sourceforge Stella project page | -
| stella-snapshots-20090119.zip | -Snapshot files for use in ROM launcher/ROM Info Viewer | -
Copyright © 1996-
-Bradford W. Mott,
-Stephen Anthony and
-The Stella Team
-
Site Updated May 16, 2009
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/htdocs/homebrew.php b/htdocs/homebrew.php
deleted file mode 100644
index c8482661c..000000000
--- a/htdocs/homebrew.php
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,62 +0,0 @@
-
-
-
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- | Stella Programmer's Guide | -The Stella Programmer's Guide written by Steve Wright contains most of the - information you'll need to know to program the Atari 2600 | -
| Kevin Horton's Bankswitching Document | -Kevin Horton's definitive 2600 bank switching document. - If you need to know the bank switching scheme a cartridge uses this is the document to read | -
| Kirk Israel's 2600 tutorials | -Kirk Israel's Atari 2600 programming tutorial page, including the famous '2600 101' tutorials | -
| 2600 Programming For Newbies | -An AtariAge forum with many tips for the beginning programmer | -
| Andrew Davie AtariAge tutorials | -Andrew Davie's collected AtariAge forum threads on Atari 2600 programming | -
| Atari 2600 Memories | -A collection of programming tips and general Atari 2600 trivia from Random Terrain | -
| batari Basic | -Create games for the Atari 2600 in the BASIC programming language | -
The Atari 2600 Video Computer System (VCS), introduced in 1977, - was the most popular home video game system of the early 1980's. - Now you can enjoy all of your favorite Atari 2600 games on your PC - thanks to Stella!
- -Stella is a multi-platform Atari 2600 VCS emulator released under - the GNU General Public License (GPL). Stella was originally developed - for Linux by Bradford W. Mott, - however, since its original release several people have joined the - development team to port Stella to other operating systems such as - AcornOS, AmigaOS, DOS, FreeBSD, IRIX, Linux, OS/2, MacOS, Unix, and - Windows. The development team is working hard to perfect the emulator - and we hope you enjoy our effort.
- -On this site you'll find information about downloading, installing, - using, and enhancing Stella. You'll also find useful information - about the Atari 2600, emulation and homebrew development.
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-Emulation Snapshots (Software Mode)
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Emulation Snapshots (OpenGL Mode)
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ROM Launcher (click for larger image)
- Integrated Debugger (click for larger image)
- As far as the status of the next release of Stella progress is being -made, however, it'll probably be another month or so before a final release -is made. I hope you can wait... -
Have a Merry Christmas! -
| Current Members | -- |
| Stephen Anthony | -Emulation core/debugger development and enhancements; - current maintainer for the Linux, OSX and Windows ports | -
| Mark Grebe | -Original author of the Mac OSX port of Stella | -
| Kostas Nakos | -Author/maintainer of the WinCE port of Stella | -
| Bradford Mott | -Project management and emulation core developer, original author of Stella | -
| Eckhard Stolberg | -Emulation core development | -
| Brian Watson | -Emulation core development and debugger support | -
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| Retired Members | -- |
| Joe D'Andrea | -Maintainer of the Solaris build of Stella | -
| Doodle | -Maintainer of the OS/2 port of Stella | -
| Darrell Spice Jr. | -Original author of the OS/2 port of Stella | -
| Alex Zaballa | -Author/maintainer of the GP2X port of Stella | -