The download (http://www.robsons.org.uk/Gimini/gimini1.zip) contains three files - a jar file, an object file and and assembly source file of the demo program. If you run the jar file (java -jar gimini.jar) it displays the screen(s) you see above.
If you then run it (either press F11, or Run from the Debug menu) it will show the screen on the left, and play the three tones one after the other , changing about every second. If you press one of the control keys (QW for Player 1, OP for player 2) a white block will appear in the gap on the screen at the top in the middle.
Only one catch-ette - for those keys to work the Display window needs to have the focus, not the debugger window. The program will still run with the display window not having the focus, but it doesn't handle the keyboard.
PS: Creativision as the worst console ? How can something with a 6502, a TMS9918 and a 76489 be a bad machine - sure the games might not have been that great, but the potential's there.........
L8R: Tested on Windows XP/Java 7 on VirtualBox, seems to work fine.
Nope, I even wrote "far from it" although the CV keyboard controllers tend to break often and are hard to repair.
ReplyDeleteI think your project is very interesting, and look forward to whichever program or game you can develop under those conditions. What I didn't figure out is if you own the actual console to compare with, or if you do all this work based on observations and screenshots?
I got the impression someone else had suggested it :)
ReplyDeleteI don't own it. It is so simple though that 98% of it can be deduced from the pictures, the datasheets and the intellivision documentation. The documentation for the Graphic/Sound chip is fairly complete and clear.
There are only two things I don't know (i) which way the buttons are wired up and (ii) is there a frame sync interrupt ?
The first project is easy ; I'll reproduce the Blackjack/Baccarat game which was the pack-in. After that I might try the "Football" (US) cartridge :)