Author: AtariOwl (gwweb.eng.msxi-euro.com)
Date: 04-14-2003 12:02
Hi Willard
Lots of questions there. Lets try to answer a few.
1. Assembley Language (a MUST)
There is a version of GCC for the Jaguar but i don't know of anybody using it with any regularity
You would have to get to grips with 68k code and the assembley langauage of the GPU/DSP chips
2. Development Software
Lars Hannig at www.atari-jaguar64.de had most of this available until some idiot attacked his website. It is now all available (manuals, tools, demo code, workshops, etc) on a CD from him. (the technical manual is also available for download still, i believe.
3. Development Systems
3.1 Alpine
I would recommend this, for this you would need:
a. An Alpine Board (2MB is most common, 4MB is desireable, available from B&C as you quote or Best Electronics or maybe even www.1632systems.co.uk may havbe some left.
b. A developer jaguar (i.e. with the stubulator ROM)
THis is the preferred route as it provides a debugger and a method for interrogating Jaguiar registers and memory from an external TT/Falcon/ST or PC or Linux machine.
If you want to develop cartridges, this is just about the only way to do it.
Be warned it is not easy to find suitable or reasonably priced chips for these cards.
3.2 BJL
Requires either a new Rom for the Jaguar or a copy of Protector SE (from Songbird productions). This allows code to be uploaded into the Jaguar RAM from a PC or ST. This does not allow access to the Cartridge space and is really only useful for developing games which will be uploaded via such a method or to run from CD.
This has the advantage of being reliable and much cheaper than the other methods, but the disadvantage of a lack of a debugger.
3.3 JUGS
Essentially similar to BJL it comes with Battlesphere Gold and as such is prohibitively expensive.
3.4 CD Development system. I do not know of anyone using this. People are instead developing their code via the other methods.
4. Emulation: Project Tempest and Virtual
Jaguar
5. Flash Cart
Is a 4MB flash ROM cartridge on which development games can be stored.
6. EPROMS, as stated before difficult to find at a reasonable price
7. How long?
It depends what you're trying to do. If you want to do a pong clone or something like that. Pretty quick. If you want to push the Jaguar then months-years.
The Jaguar is not an easy machine to get to grips with. It is not complicated to code but to get the parallel chips working together reliably and efficiently is hard.
8. Beware of 'Naysayers'
Jaguar history is littered with people who said they would develop something and didn't. Therefore people in the Jag scene are very mistrustful and sometimes a littleabrasive.
Hope this answers some of your questions.
If you have anymore I'll do my best to answer.
Cheers,
AtariOwl
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