You could take a look at http://downtou.cjb.net.

In the GBA section they got a bit on link.
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Palamon 3
   To: gbadev@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Saturday, November 06, 2004 9:41 PM
   Subject: Re: [gbadev] Re: Intro and newbie question



   Is there any good tutorials on doing multiplayer
   games, or, dare I say it, using the wireless adaptor,
   and on that note, how to do what a few of the classic
   games can do with the adaptor, which is loading up a
   copy of the game onto another GBA that doesn't have a
   cartridge in it so both can play.




   --- jason rogers <dovoto@...> wrote:

   >
   > These are two tutorials that I like the most:
   > http://user.chem.tue.nl/jakvijn/tonc/
   > www.thepernproject.com
   >
   > I am kindof partial to the pern project being that
   > it is mine but the tonc
   > ones are excelent as well and touch on few things
   > better than I do.  Hope
   > this helps.
   > -jason
   >
   > Jason Rogers
   > aka Dovoto
   > www.ThePernProject.com
   >
   > ----- Original Message -----
   > From: "Bill DeWitt" <Bill@...>
   > To: <gbadev@yahoogroups.com>
   > Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 4:48 PM
   > Subject: [gbadev] Re: Intro and newbie question
   >
   >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >>     Being that the person in question was
   > concerned that the
   > > upcoming DS
   > >> would render his knowledge obsolete, it seems
   > appropriate not to
   > > use HAM as
   > >> it WILL be obsolete (until it is extended to
   > support the DS which I
   > > expect
   > >> will happen over time); the knowledge gained from
   > writing his own
   > >> functionality would be much more useful in this
   > transition.
   > >
   > >   BTW, I got that.
   > >
   > >> My personal
   > >> thoughts are, that the GBA hardware is easier to
   > learn than the HAM
   > > api
   > >
   > >
   > >  Can you recommend some tutorials? While I
   > appreciate the ease of
   > > premade libraries and will use them shamelessly,
   > in most things I end
   > > up slowly but surely making my own functions to do
   > -exactly- what I
   > > want them to do.
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > > Yahoo! Groups Links
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   > >
   >
   >
   >
   >
   >
   >




   __________________________________
   Do you Yahoo!?
   Check out the new Yahoo! Front Page.
   www.yahoo.com






         Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

         Get unlimited calls to

         U.S./Canada




------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Yahoo! Groups Links

     a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gbadev/

     b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     gbadev-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

     c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

hi,

> Is there any good tutorials on doing multiplayer
> games, or, dare I say it, using the wireless adaptor,

> and on that note, how to do what a few of the classic
> games can do with the adaptor, which is loading up a
> copy of the game onto another GBA that doesn't have a
> cartridge in it so both can play.
>

this is known as 'multi-boot'. i've never seen a tutorial which
demonstrates how to use this, but here is some pretty good information
of how you might go about it:

http://www.work.de/nocash/gbatek.htm#biosmultibootsinglegamepak


actually, i just found this demo program:
http://www.devrs.com/gba/files/mbclient.txt

description:

Here's a short GCC demo program to send a small program from one GBA to
another using multiboot. The slave GBA will automatically execute the
program that is sent to it. -- posted by Jeff Frohwein

cheers.
-mike.


>
>
>
> --- jason rogers <dovoto@...> wrote:
>
> >
> > These are two tutorials that I like the most:
> > http://user.chem.tue.nl/jakvijn/tonc/
> > www.thepernproject.com
> >
> > I am kindof partial to the pern project being that
> > it is mine but the tonc
> > ones are excelent as well and touch on few things
> > better than I do.  Hope
> > this helps.
> > -jason
> >
> > Jason Rogers
> > aka Dovoto
> > www.ThePernProject.com
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Bill DeWitt" <Bill@...>
> > To: <gbadev@yahoogroups.com>
> > Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 4:48 PM
> > Subject: [gbadev] Re: Intro and newbie question
> >
> >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >>     Being that the person in question was
> > concerned that the
> > > upcoming DS
> > >> would render his knowledge obsolete, it seems
> > appropriate not to
> > > use HAM as
> > >> it WILL be obsolete (until it is extended to
> > support the DS which I
> > > expect
> > >> will happen over time); the knowledge gained from
> > writing his own
> > >> functionality would be much more useful in this
> > transition.
> > >
> > >   BTW, I got that.
> > >
> > >> My personal
> > >> thoughts are, that the GBA hardware is easier to
> > learn than the HAM
> > > api
> > >
> > >
> > >  Can you recommend some tutorials? While I
> > appreciate the ease of
> > > premade libraries and will use them shamelessly,
> > in most things I end
> > > up slowly but surely making my own functions to do
> > -exactly- what I
> > > want them to do.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Check out the new Yahoo! Front Page.
> www.yahoo.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
--

Is there any good tutorials on doing multiplayer
games, or, dare I say it, using the wireless adaptor,
and on that note, how to do what a few of the classic
games can do with the adaptor, which is loading up a
copy of the game onto another GBA that doesn't have a
cartridge in it so both can play.




--- jason rogers <dovoto@...> wrote:

>
> These are two tutorials that I like the most:
> http://user.chem.tue.nl/jakvijn/tonc/
> www.thepernproject.com
>
> I am kindof partial to the pern project being that
> it is mine but the tonc
> ones are excelent as well and touch on few things
> better than I do.  Hope
> this helps.
> -jason
>
> Jason Rogers
> aka Dovoto
> www.ThePernProject.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bill DeWitt" <Bill@...>
> To: <gbadev@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 4:48 PM
> Subject: [gbadev] Re: Intro and newbie question
>
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>     Being that the person in question was
> concerned that the
> > upcoming DS
> >> would render his knowledge obsolete, it seems
> appropriate not to
> > use HAM as
> >> it WILL be obsolete (until it is extended to
> support the DS which I
> > expect
> >> will happen over time); the knowledge gained from
> writing his own
> >> functionality would be much more useful in this
> transition.
> >
> >   BTW, I got that.
> >
> >> My personal
> >> thoughts are, that the GBA hardware is easier to
> learn than the HAM
> > api
> >
> >
> >  Can you recommend some tutorials? While I
> appreciate the ease of
> > premade libraries and will use them shamelessly,
> in most things I end
> > up slowly but surely making my own functions to do
> -exactly- what I
> > want them to do.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>




__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Check out the new Yahoo! Front Page.
www.yahoo.com

These are two tutorials that I like the most:
http://user.chem.tue.nl/jakvijn/tonc/
www.thepernproject.com

I am kindof partial to the pern project being that it is mine but the tonc
ones are excelent as well and touch on few things better than I do.  Hope
this helps.
-jason

Jason Rogers
aka Dovoto
www.ThePernProject.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill DeWitt" <Bill@...>
To: <gbadev@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 4:48 PM
Subject: [gbadev] Re: Intro and newbie question


>
>
>
>
>>     Being that the person in question was concerned that the
> upcoming DS
>> would render his knowledge obsolete, it seems appropriate not to
> use HAM as
>> it WILL be obsolete (until it is extended to support the DS which I
> expect
>> will happen over time); the knowledge gained from writing his own
>> functionality would be much more useful in this transition.
>
>   BTW, I got that.
>
>> My personal
>> thoughts are, that the GBA hardware is easier to learn than the HAM
> api
>
>
>  Can you recommend some tutorials? While I appreciate the ease of
> premade libraries and will use them shamelessly, in most things I end
> up slowly but surely making my own functions to do -exactly- what I
> want them to do.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

>     Being that the person in question was concerned that the
upcoming DS
> would render his knowledge obsolete, it seems appropriate not to
use HAM as
> it WILL be obsolete (until it is extended to support the DS which I
expect
> will happen over time); the knowledge gained from writing his own
> functionality would be much more useful in this transition.

    BTW, I got that.

> My personal
> thoughts are, that the GBA hardware is easier to learn than the HAM
api


   Can you recommend some tutorials? While I appreciate the ease of
premade libraries and will use them shamelessly, in most things I end
up slowly but surely making my own functions to do -exactly- what I
want them to do.

Thanks for all the responses.

   I got my devkit in the mail today, should be having fun soon.
Already pulling out my hair over stupid programming mistakes...
switching from C to basic to C means typing things as if I knew what
I was doing then having to rewrite everything when it throws an error.

   It's not like I needed something new to make me pull out my hair...

Emanuel,
     I apologize as I seem to be misunderstood.  I was referring only to ham
lib which I believe is a very solid implementation of the functionality
needed to create games and demos.  I applaud HAM lib as it has introduced
many people to consol coding that would otherwise shy away from the
technical details.  It has been great for the scene and one of the main
reasons that developing on the GBA is so popular.  I believe I stated that
if your goal was to create gba games and demos without worry of the details
then embrace HAM.  This was not ment to be sarcastic and if this is not what
you feel the purpose of the HAM lib is then I apologize again.
     Being that the person in question was concerned that the upcoming DS
would render his knowledge obsolete, it seems appropriate not to use HAM as
it WILL be obsolete (until it is extended to support the DS which I expect
will happen over time); the knowledge gained from writing his own
functionality would be much more useful in this transition.  My personal
thoughts are, that the GBA hardware is easier to learn than the HAM api but
that is because I am more accustomed to twiddling bits than interfacing
libraries.  I understand that this is not the case for many users. HAM is a
personal choice that suits many people.
     There are many reasons that HAM is often looked down upon by the people
who have chosen not to use it. It seems that people who use ham have a much
harder time understanding problems that arise in their code because they
don't really grasp what is going on behind the scenes.  Although this is
likely not the case with the majority of HAM users I am sure it is the case
with the majority of the ones asking me questions.  Another less tangible
reason is that the majority of the amatures are coding simply for enjoyment
and HAM feels a bit like cheating. Personally I am not sure what attraction
there is to amatures writing games for GBA in HAM as there are many such
libraries for the PC which are much more powerful.  There is also the fear
of many that HAM is bloated, as any general purpose library must be in order
to remain generic.  I do not know the truth behind this nor do I claim to be
able to write faster code but when the functionality is simple to implement
many coders prefer to implement it themselves.  The final reason that comes
to mind is that if you use a general purpose Library you are locked in to
the way it does things.  Even if its methods are the best around programmers
will still feel confined and frustrated.  To me, a library such as libgba
(off of www.devkit.tk) is a much more satisfying approach as it only
provides that functionality which is tedious to implement without removing
the details or trying to force any structure to my code.
     As to the tool chain I would not recommend ham labs cygwin based tool
chain over the much more capable and often more up to date devkitarm. It is
single click install that is about 5 times smaller than the HAM lib
installer as well as significantly faster in compilation.  I am not sure
what benefit there would be to using the HAM tool chain but would be happy
to hear about it.  I honestly do appreciate HAM even though it is mainly do
to the fact that it draws so many new people to the scene and this is
something I always like to see.  HAM definately has its advantages and just
because it is not to my personal taste I honestly did not mean to talk it
down.  It was meant as a friendly jab at most.
-jason

Jason Rogers
aka Dovoto
www.ThePernProject.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Emanuel Schleussinger (Ngine.de)" <tubooboo@...>
To: <gbadev@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 1:53 AM
Subject: RE: [gbadev] Intro and newbie question


>
>
> Hi Jason,
>
> While i can understand the fact that you suggest people that want to
> properly learn programming embedded platforms to avoid the HAMlib function
> library, I just don't really get why you and many others discourage people
> from using HAM altogether for GBA development. Essentially, if you do not
> link the HAMlib function code, the system is just as capable as is any
> other
> C/C++ development kit based on GCC -- it just saves you the headaches of
> installing the tool chain and scripts.
>
> I'd be interested to hear why many gbadev@ members still think that HAM is
> not suitable for them and rather build their own toolchains -- many
> professional studios use HAM (without the library) for lowlevel
> development
> without problems, too.
>
> Emanuel
> HAM author
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: jason rogers [mailto:dovoto@...]
>> Sent: Freitag, 5. November 2004 01:04
>> To: gbadev@yahoogroups.com
>> Subject: Re: [gbadev] Intro and newbie question
>>
>>
>>
>> Bill,
>>     GBA is probably the best non-pc platform to begin
>> programming on.  It is powerful enough to do some incredible
>> things, yet simple enough to be mastered with out having a
>> huge background in programming.  Couple this with one of the
>> more active online programming communities and you have an
>> unparalleled system to learn on.  As for the DS, if homebrew
>> development is possible on it in the near future you should
>> take comfort in the fact that it has a 2D system that is
>> nearly identical to the GBA (with some subtle and a few not
>> so subtle differences) so your efforts will transfer almost
>> seamlessly to the new platform (and would be required even if
>> you were to start with the DS).  I suspect that if we find
>> means to run code on the DS, much of the GBA community will
>> migrate towards this new system, but as you already made a
>> hardware commitment to the GBA I would stick with it for a while.
>>
>> As for landmines:
>> 1) If you are looking to learn how to write software on a
>> game consol avoid HAM.
>> 2) If you are looking to produce a GBA game/demo without the
>> bother of details, embrace HAM.
>> 3) There are many tutorials and resources for GBA development
>> that should get you off to a good start.
>>     -the docs section on www.gbadev.org should point you to
>> most of them, as will the link section on www.devrs.com
>> 4) If you decide HAM is not for you (a decision I applaud)
>> start with devkitarm from www.devkit.tk as apposed to the
>> outdated devkitadv that many still use.
>> 5) Start simple, read other peoples source code, and ask lots
>> of questions (#gbadev on irc at effnet is a great place).
>> -jason
>>
>> Jason Rogers
>> aka Dovoto
>> www.ThePernProject.com

Hi Jason,

While i can understand the fact that you suggest people that want to
properly learn programming embedded platforms to avoid the HAMlib function
library, I just don't really get why you and many others discourage people
from using HAM altogether for GBA development. Essentially, if you do not
link the HAMlib function code, the system is just as capable as is any other
C/C++ development kit based on GCC -- it just saves you the headaches of
installing the tool chain and scripts.

I'd be interested to hear why many gbadev@ members still think that HAM is
not suitable for them and rather build their own toolchains -- many
professional studios use HAM (without the library) for lowlevel development
without problems, too.

Emanuel
HAM author


> -----Original Message-----
> From: jason rogers [mailto:dovoto@...]
> Sent: Freitag, 5. November 2004 01:04
> To: gbadev@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [gbadev] Intro and newbie question
>
>
>
> Bill,
>     GBA is probably the best non-pc platform to begin
> programming on.  It is powerful enough to do some incredible
> things, yet simple enough to be mastered with out having a
> huge background in programming.  Couple this with one of the
> more active online programming communities and you have an
> unparalleled system to learn on.  As for the DS, if homebrew
> development is possible on it in the near future you should
> take comfort in the fact that it has a 2D system that is
> nearly identical to the GBA (with some subtle and a few not
> so subtle differences) so your efforts will transfer almost
> seamlessly to the new platform (and would be required even if
> you were to start with the DS).  I suspect that if we find
> means to run code on the DS, much of the GBA community will
> migrate towards this new system, but as you already made a
> hardware commitment to the GBA I would stick with it for a while.
>
> As for landmines:
> 1) If you are looking to learn how to write software on a
> game consol avoid HAM.
> 2) If you are looking to produce a GBA game/demo without the
> bother of details, embrace HAM.
> 3) There are many tutorials and resources for GBA development
> that should get you off to a good start.
>     -the docs section on www.gbadev.org should point you to
> most of them, as will the link section on www.devrs.com
> 4) If you decide HAM is not for you (a decision I applaud)
> start with devkitarm from www.devkit.tk as apposed to the
> outdated devkitadv that many still use.
> 5) Start simple, read other peoples source code, and ask lots
> of questions (#gbadev on irc at effnet is a great place).
> -jason
>
> Jason Rogers
> aka Dovoto
> www.ThePernProject.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Pete Gunter" <reno@...>
> To: <gbadev@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 2:41 PM
> Subject: Re: [gbadev] Intro and newbie question
>
>
> >
> >
> > Hi Bill,
> >
> > In my opinion the GBA is a great platform for a hobbyist
> programmer, and
> > a great way to improve your C programming skills.
> >
> > It's completely different to writing games for the PC, as
> there are no
> > complex API's to learn, and it provides a great low-level
> look at games
> > console architecture. There's plenty of information available on the
> > internet, and a highly active community of more than helpfull
> > enthusiasts. Plus as you've got a flash kit coming, you get the
> > satisfaction of seeing your creations runnning on hardware.
> >
> > In short I think GBA development is more than a viable
> hobby, it's quite
> > a fulfilling one too.
> >
> > Regards,
> > -Pete Gunter
> >
> > Bill DeWitt wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >>    My name is Bill and my son just got his first GBA. I have been
> >> doing some programming both in C and some game programming in
> >> DarkBasic, but I am not a programmer by any means.
> >>
> >>    I just wondered if GB proramming was a viable hobby. I see that
> >> some of the tools have not really had much in the way of recent
> >> development, it seems that Visual HAM may be on the back shelf, and
> >> the advent of the DS may even put the whole GBA world in limbo.
> >>
> >>    I sent off for the flash adapter kit and I downloaded some tools
> >> and have been playing around with the emulators, but I
> don't want to
> >> get too far into another field without knowing what
> landmines I might
> >> find.
> >>
> >>    Any conversation on the issue appreciated.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> *Yahoo! Groups Sponsor*
> >> ADVERTISEMENT
> >> click here
> >>
> <http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=129jend45/M=315388.5529724.660208
> 0.3001176/D=groups/S=1705055196:HM/EXP=1099667901/A=2372354/R=
> 0/SIG=12id813k2/*https://www.orchardbank.com/hcs/hcsapplicatio
> n?pf=PLApply&media=EMYHNL40F21004SS>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------
> >> *Yahoo! Groups Links*
> >>
> >>     * To visit your group on the web, go to:
> >>       http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gbadev/
> >>
> >>     * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> >>       gbadev-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >>
> <mailto:gbadev-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>
> >>
> >>     * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
> >>       Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>.
> >>
> >>
> >> .
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> --------------------~-->
> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar.
> Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free!
> http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/cPRolB/TM
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> ------~->
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Bill,
     GBA is probably the best non-pc platform to begin programming on.  It is
powerful enough to do some incredible things, yet simple enough to be
mastered with out having a huge background in programming.  Couple this with
one of the more active online programming communities and you have an
unparalleled system to learn on.  As for the DS, if homebrew development is
possible on it in the near future you should take comfort in the fact that
it has a 2D system that is nearly identical to the GBA (with some subtle and
a few not so subtle differences) so your efforts will transfer almost
seamlessly to the new platform (and would be required even if you were to
start with the DS).  I suspect that if we find means to run code on the DS,
much of the GBA community will migrate towards this new system, but as you
already made a hardware commitment to the GBA I would stick with it for a
while.

As for landmines:
1) If you are looking to learn how to write software on a game consol avoid
HAM.
2) If you are looking to produce a GBA game/demo without the bother of
details, embrace HAM.
3) There are many tutorials and resources for GBA development that should
get you off to a good start.
     -the docs section on www.gbadev.org should point you to most of them, as
will the link section on www.devrs.com
4) If you decide HAM is not for you (a decision I applaud) start with
devkitarm from www.devkit.tk as apposed to the outdated devkitadv that many
still use.
5) Start simple, read other peoples source code, and ask lots of questions
(#gbadev on irc at effnet is a great place).
-jason

Jason Rogers
aka Dovoto
www.ThePernProject.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Pete Gunter" <reno@...>
To: <gbadev@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 2:41 PM
Subject: Re: [gbadev] Intro and newbie question


>
>
> Hi Bill,
>
> In my opinion the GBA is a great platform for a hobbyist programmer, and
> a great way to improve your C programming skills.
>
> It's completely different to writing games for the PC, as there are no
> complex API's to learn, and it provides a great low-level look at games
> console architecture. There's plenty of information available on the
> internet, and a highly active community of more than helpfull
> enthusiasts. Plus as you've got a flash kit coming, you get the
> satisfaction of seeing your creations runnning on hardware.
>
> In short I think GBA development is more than a viable hobby, it's quite
> a fulfilling one too.
>
> Regards,
> -Pete Gunter
>
> Bill DeWitt wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>>    My name is Bill and my son just got his first GBA. I have been
>> doing some programming both in C and some game programming in
>> DarkBasic, but I am not a programmer by any means.
>>
>>    I just wondered if GB proramming was a viable hobby. I see that
>> some of the tools have not really had much in the way of recent
>> development, it seems that Visual HAM may be on the back shelf, and
>> the advent of the DS may even put the whole GBA world in limbo.
>>
>>    I sent off for the flash adapter kit and I downloaded some tools
>> and have been playing around with the emulators, but I don't want to
>> get too far into another field without knowing what landmines I might
>> find.
>>
>>    Any conversation on the issue appreciated.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *Yahoo! Groups Sponsor*
>> ADVERTISEMENT
>> click here
>>
<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=129jend45/M=315388.5529724.6602080.3001176/D=groups\
/S=1705055196:HM/EXP=1099667901/A=2372354/R=0/SIG=12id813k2/*https://www.orchard\
bank.com/hcs/hcsapplication?pf=PLApply&media=EMYHNL40F21004SS>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> *Yahoo! Groups Links*
>>
>>     * To visit your group on the web, go to:
>>       http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gbadev/
>>
>>     * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>>       gbadev-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>>       <mailto:gbadev-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>
>>
>>     * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
>>       Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>.
>>
>>
>> .
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Hi Bill,

In my opinion the GBA is a great platform for a hobbyist programmer, and
a great way to improve your C programming skills.

It's completely different to writing games for the PC, as there are no
complex API's to learn, and it provides a great low-level look at games
console architecture. There's plenty of information available on the
internet, and a highly active community of more than helpfull
enthusiasts. Plus as you've got a flash kit coming, you get the
satisfaction of seeing your creations runnning on hardware.

In short I think GBA development is more than a viable hobby, it's quite
a fulfilling one too.

Regards,
-Pete Gunter

Bill DeWitt wrote:

>
>
> Hi,
>
>    My name is Bill and my son just got his first GBA. I have been
> doing some programming both in C and some game programming in
> DarkBasic, but I am not a programmer by any means.
>
>    I just wondered if GB proramming was a viable hobby. I see that
> some of the tools have not really had much in the way of recent
> development, it seems that Visual HAM may be on the back shelf, and
> the advent of the DS may even put the whole GBA world in limbo.
>
>    I sent off for the flash adapter kit and I downloaded some tools
> and have been playing around with the emulators, but I don't want to
> get too far into another field without knowing what landmines I might
> find.
>
>    Any conversation on the issue appreciated.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *Yahoo! Groups Sponsor*
> ADVERTISEMENT
> click here
>
<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=129jend45/M=315388.5529724.6602080.3001176/D=groups\
/S=1705055196:HM/EXP=1099667901/A=2372354/R=0/SIG=12id813k2/*https://www.orchard\
bank.com/hcs/hcsapplication?pf=PLApply&media=EMYHNL40F21004SS>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *Yahoo! Groups Links*
>
>     * To visit your group on the web, go to:
>       http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gbadev/
>
>     * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>       gbadev-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>       <mailto:gbadev-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>
>
>     * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
>       Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>.
>
>
> .

Hey Bill

Im not a programmer myself since I never actually coded a demo wich was
worthy to be posted on any website, but I did look for sprites, mode4
background a tile background and the like. I stopped at sound though since
that was just getting frustrating.

If you like frustrating puzzles (or Supaplex if you remember that game) or
illogical point and click adventure games you wont much mind programming for
GBA. But without a certain Stephen Stair who really did more then almost
anyone would have done to get me started I never would have come that far
with the GBA (hours and hours of helping).

Of course I did it without HAM and have no experience with it but still. HAM
is more then just a library but the main choice to use it over other
compilers is still the added libraries.  I don't have any experience with
HAM and am mostly speakiung from my experiences without it, but if you are
not too serious HAM is ok and even if you are serious HAM is ok too but not
as proffesional looking of course :) (if only for the bragging rights to do
it yourself without the extra help :)).

I dont know how much help all my banter is at this point, Im almost going to
sleep and even if it wasnt any help I hope it wasnt a total chore to read
:).
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill DeWitt" <Bill@...>
To: <gbadev@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 2:08 PM
Subject: [gbadev] Intro and newbie question


>
>
>
> Hi,
>
>    My name is Bill and my son just got his first GBA. I have been
> doing some programming both in C and some game programming in
> DarkBasic, but I am not a programmer by any means.
>
>    I just wondered if GB proramming was a viable hobby. I see that
> some of the tools have not really had much in the way of recent
> development, it seems that Visual HAM may be on the back shelf, and
> the advent of the DS may even put the whole GBA world in limbo.
>
>    I sent off for the flash adapter kit and I downloaded some tools
> and have been playing around with the emulators, but I don't want to
> get too far into another field without knowing what landmines I might
> find.
>
>    Any conversation on the issue appreciated.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

I'm not too concerned with the DS putting the GBA
world in limbo.

Now it will probably reduce the amount of new
commercial games coming out for the GBA, so you will
be losing some usefullness out of that end of getting
the flash cart,  but the main reason that attracted me
to learning GBA programming was the simplicity of the
system and low/no entry cost.

I mean I'm more into making pretty good 2D games then
alot of 3D stuff although the touch pad would be fun
to play with.

I mean I used learning to program for the GBA as a
tool to learn how to program in C, and it was a piece
of cake.


So I think for thoses reasons, GBA programming will
remain an inviting system for beginers and hobbiests
for a good while.



__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Check out the new Yahoo! Front Page.
www.yahoo.com

Hi,

    My name is Bill and my son just got his first GBA. I have been
doing some programming both in C and some game programming in
DarkBasic, but I am not a programmer by any means.

    I just wondered if GB proramming was a viable hobby. I see that
some of the tools have not really had much in the way of recent
development, it seems that Visual HAM may be on the back shelf, and
the advent of the DS may even put the whole GBA world in limbo.

    I sent off for the flash adapter kit and I downloaded some tools
and have been playing around with the emulators, but I don't want to
get too far into another field without knowing what landmines I might
find.

    Any conversation on the issue appreciated.

i wouldn't mind a copy of that either...

-Brett


On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 08:45:11 -0000, alessandro090c07bd
<mullah@...> wrote:
>
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm doing a research work on the GBA platform for an Entertainment
> Hardware course.
>
> I've found plenty of informations for the GBA memory maps, assembly
> opcodes, etc. Unfortunately I cannot find a schematic for the
> internals of the GBA anywhere, and I think that it should be a core
> part of my report.
>
> Do you know where I could find it? Or if anyone has got it, could you
> please mail it to me?
>
> Thanks a lot.
> Alessandro
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>

Hi everyone,

I'm doing a research work on the GBA platform for an Entertainment
Hardware course.

I've found plenty of informations for the GBA memory maps, assembly
opcodes, etc. Unfortunately I cannot find a schematic for the
internals of the GBA anywhere, and I think that it should be a core
part of my report.

Do you know where I could find it? Or if anyone has got it, could you
please mail it to me?

Thanks a lot.
Alessandro

Hi folks,

I hope you'll forgive the somewhat spammy email, but I just thought I
should write to let you know that the Apex Audio System has been updated.

The main changes are:

+ Support for 16 channels, including support for 16 channel MODs.
+ Volume boosted mixing modes (which you really need with large numbers
of channels).
+ Improved performance.
+ Various bug fixes and scaleability improvements.

You can download it (for free!) here:

http://www.apex-designs.net/tools_aas.html

Cheers,
James.
--
James Daniels, Apex Designs
http://www.apex-designs.net

Hi, all!. I may be new to this group and to development of S/W for
the Game Boy platform, But I am not new to writing code for micros.
My experience extends through intel, motorola and microchip
processors, mostly assembly language, but I can write in C if needed.

My question pertains to the resident code in the GB processor.  I
understand that it tests the data in the cart rom for appropriate
entries and the like, but so far in my reading I have not discovered
whether there are subroutine calls that can be made to the resident
rom to do keyboard and display activity.  Something like DOS BIOS
calls to read the keyboard and put characters on the screen.  Is
there such S/W in the rom, or do you guys have to write that stuff
yourselves?  I none exists, do any of you have "canned" routines that
can be included in any source code I develop.  BTW, I'm not a game
developer, I want to design specialized S/W and H/W for the GB
platform, more like the GBDSO (digital sampling oscilloscope).  Oh,
did I mention that I also design digital and analog H/W?

Feel free to contact me off line, too.
Thanks in advance.

Bill

Hello

Question, has anybody used Noctural Ent's Catapult ROM builder? I
dl'ed the free version, which seems kinda fine, say it contains
macros and stuff to accelerate and simplificate GBA dev, but it's
got it's own... style, to make things, so I was wondering, is it
worth learning how to use? I know everything you learn helps you at
some point, you never know too much, but should I better stick to C
in order to perfect my skills? or it is a really good tool which'll
help me take advantage of GBA HW at the low level it supposedly has?

Any comments about this or other better tools or approaches to GBA
Dev will be more than appreciated

K'

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Palamon 3 [mailto:palamon_3@...]
<snip>

The Y sorting is good if your game uses a 2D field.  If it's simply a
platformer, such as Mario, you can get away with sorting just the axis
you're primarily moving along.  If you're doing an overhead game, such as
most sports games, where movement along both axes are common *and* you are
likely to want to either check for all sprites close to a boundary or in a
straight line along either axis (laser fire, for instance), then sometimes
the second axis can come in handy.

Something to note when checking an axis list in either direction is that you
need to check all sprites out to the maximum width of the largest sprite.


Hope that helps.


Jesse

That's a really good idea, (I'm still wondering how
come I didn't come up with it on my own :)  )


But after some thought, I'm just wondering how to
implement both sorted lists into the collision
function.

I mean, my guess is that first you would check the x
sorted list (up one and down one) to see if there is
any overlaping, going further through the list if
there are sprites with the same x coordinate, then
check to see if the x overlap sprites are also
overlaping on the y coordinate too.

But from that, I don't see where using a sorted y
coordinate would make it any faster, expecially in
games like mario where many sprites would be on the
exact same horizontal plane as mario.

I just want to make sure I am understanding your idea
correctly.

Thanks for the help!



--- Jesse McClusky <thought@...> wrote:

>
> Another way to do it is to have all of your sprites
> in X-sorted and Y-sorted
> linked lists.  The list only changes when one sprite
> moves past another one,
> or when you add/remove a sprite, and you only have
> to change a couple of
> pointers when that happens.  But the big benefit it
> gives you is that you
> know exactly what the closest sprite in the X and Y
> direction is, so you
> only have to look at the closest couple of sprites
> in each direction, and
> only when a sprite is moving.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Phantasm4489
> [mailto:phantasm4489@...]
> > Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2004 6:15 AM
> > To: gbadev@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: RE: [gbadev] Character collision systems
> >
> >
> >
> > You could use the two techniques you describe at
> the same time, by having
> > a
> > collision map which is of a lower resolution than
> the spite movement.
> >
> >
> >
> > so have a collision map which is say on eight
> pixel boundaries and each
> > time
> > an object moves you write the object number into
> the collision map at the
> > relevant place.
> >
> > Then you will know which sprites you need to check
> rather than looping
> > through all of them.
> >
> >
> >
> > Depending on the size of the collision you choose,
> you may also have to
> > consider that there could be more than 1 object in
> any location.
> >
> >   _____
> >
> > From: Palamon 3 [mailto:palamon_3@...]
> > Sent: 03 October 2004 04:37
> > To: gbadev@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [gbadev] Character collision systems
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > I've been trying to figure out a good way to
> detect if
> > two objects touch each other in an action game
> like
> > mario brothers.
> >
> > The first game I am making, I wanted to take the
> easy
> > road so I have the sprite characters simply move
> in 8
> > pixel increments, so they always stop aligned with
> the
> > background tiles, just like in the Pokemon games.
> I
> > keep track of the different sprite characters
> through
> > creating a big 2d array about the size of the
> > background array, and I simply keep track of where
> the
> > different sprite characters are by putting markers
> on
> > the game map based on their xy coordinates so is
> is
> > easy to see if they collide with anything by
> simply
> > checking the xy coordinates in the map array that
> is
> > right next to the other sprite character.
> >
> > It's an easy and quick way to keep track of the
> > different locations and see if the different
> sprite
> > characters collide with each other, etc.
> >
> > However this only works for games that have only a
> few
> > set spots where the sprite characters can be, not
> > games like mario and other action games where your
> > character can move pixel by pixel. I'm afraid the
> map
> > array becomes too big to be the best option for
> the
> > job, plus you have to fill up every pixel of the
> map
> > array that the sprite takes up, which will slow it
> > down.
> >
> > The only other option I can think of is to scroll
> > through a list of all the sprites on screen and
> check
> > their xy coordinates and the sprite width/height
> to
> > see if it overlaps the sprite character you are
> > checking to see if those sprites collide or not.
> I'm
> > hesitant to do this because I'm afraid it will be
> too
> > slow when the sprite list is a little large since
> it
> > has to run though all the sprite characters and
> their
> > positions every time something moves.
> >
> >
> > I was wondering what programming techniques you
> all use.
>
>
>
>
>




__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses.
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

Another way to do it is to have all of your sprites in X-sorted and Y-sorted
linked lists.  The list only changes when one sprite moves past another one,
or when you add/remove a sprite, and you only have to change a couple of
pointers when that happens.  But the big benefit it gives you is that you
know exactly what the closest sprite in the X and Y direction is, so you
only have to look at the closest couple of sprites in each direction, and
only when a sprite is moving.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Phantasm4489 [mailto:phantasm4489@...]
> Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2004 6:15 AM
> To: gbadev@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [gbadev] Character collision systems
>
>
>
> You could use the two techniques you describe at the same time, by having
> a
> collision map which is of a lower resolution than the spite movement.
>
>
>
> so have a collision map which is say on eight pixel boundaries and each
> time
> an object moves you write the object number into the collision map at the
> relevant place.
>
> Then you will know which sprites you need to check rather than looping
> through all of them.
>
>
>
> Depending on the size of the collision you choose, you may also have to
> consider that there could be more than 1 object in any location.
>
>   _____
>
> From: Palamon 3 [mailto:palamon_3@...]
> Sent: 03 October 2004 04:37
> To: gbadev@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [gbadev] Character collision systems
>
>
>
>
> Hi,
>
> I've been trying to figure out a good way to detect if
> two objects touch each other in an action game like
> mario brothers.
>
> The first game I am making, I wanted to take the easy
> road so I have the sprite characters simply move in 8
> pixel increments, so they always stop aligned with the
> background tiles, just like in the Pokemon games. I
> keep track of the different sprite characters through
> creating a big 2d array about the size of the
> background array, and I simply keep track of where the
> different sprite characters are by putting markers on
> the game map based on their xy coordinates so is is
> easy to see if they collide with anything by simply
> checking the xy coordinates in the map array that is
> right next to the other sprite character.
>
> It's an easy and quick way to keep track of the
> different locations and see if the different sprite
> characters collide with each other, etc.
>
> However this only works for games that have only a few
> set spots where the sprite characters can be, not
> games like mario and other action games where your
> character can move pixel by pixel. I'm afraid the map
> array becomes too big to be the best option for the
> job, plus you have to fill up every pixel of the map
> array that the sprite takes up, which will slow it
> down.
>
> The only other option I can think of is to scroll
> through a list of all the sprites on screen and check
> their xy coordinates and the sprite width/height to
> see if it overlaps the sprite character you are
> checking to see if those sprites collide or not. I'm
> hesitant to do this because I'm afraid it will be too
> slow when the sprite list is a little large since it
> has to run though all the sprite characters and their
> positions every time something moves.
>
>
> I was wondering what programming techniques you all use.

You could use the two techniques you describe at the same time, by having a
collision map which is of a lower resolution than the spite movement.



so have a collision map which is say on eight pixel boundaries and each time
an object moves you write the object number into the collision map at the
relevant place.

Then you will know which sprites you need to check rather than looping
through all of them.



Depending on the size of the collision you choose, you may also have to
consider that there could be more than 1 object in any location.

   _____

From: Palamon 3 [mailto:palamon_3@...]
Sent: 03 October 2004 04:37
To: gbadev@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [gbadev] Character collision systems




Hi,

I've been trying to figure out a good way to detect if
two objects touch each other in an action game like
mario brothers.

The first game I am making, I wanted to take the easy
road so I have the sprite characters simply move in 8
pixel increments, so they always stop aligned with the
background tiles, just like in the Pokemon games. I
keep track of the different sprite characters through
creating a big 2d array about the size of the
background array, and I simply keep track of where the
different sprite characters are by putting markers on
the game map based on their xy coordinates so is is
easy to see if they collide with anything by simply
checking the xy coordinates in the map array that is
right next to the other sprite character.

It's an easy and quick way to keep track of the
different locations and see if the different sprite
characters collide with each other, etc.

However this only works for games that have only a few
set spots where the sprite characters can be, not
games like mario and other action games where your
character can move pixel by pixel. I'm afraid the map
array becomes too big to be the best option for the
job, plus you have to fill up every pixel of the map
array that the sprite takes up, which will slow it
down.

The only other option I can think of is to scroll
through a list of all the sprites on screen and check
their xy coordinates and the sprite width/height to
see if it overlaps the sprite character you are
checking to see if those sprites collide or not. I'm
hesitant to do this because I'm afraid it will be too
slow when the sprite list is a little large since it
has to run though all the sprite characters and their
positions every time something moves.


I was wondering what programming techniques you all use.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com








Yahoo! Groups Sponsor



ADVERTISEMENT

<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=129vpfoqv/M=315388.5455592.6541275.1666179/D=gr
oups/S=1705055196:HM/EXP=1096894128/A=2372354/R=0/SIG=12id813k2/*https:/www.
orchardbank.com/hcs/hcsapplication?pf=PLApply&media=EMYHNL40F21004SS> click
here



<http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=315388.5455592.6541275.1666179/D=groups/S=
:HM/A=2372354/rand=177280909>



   _____

Yahoo! Groups Links

* To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gbadev/

* To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
gbadev-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:gbadev-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>

* Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>  Terms of Service.

Hi,

I've been trying to figure out a good way to detect if
two objects touch each other in an action game like
mario brothers.

The first game I am making, I wanted to take the easy
road so I have the sprite characters simply move in 8
pixel increments, so they always stop aligned with the
background tiles, just like in the Pokemon games. I
keep track of the different sprite characters through
creating a big 2d array about the size of the
background array, and I simply keep track of where the
different sprite characters are by putting markers on
the game map based on their xy coordinates so is is
easy to see if they collide with anything by simply
checking the xy coordinates in the map array that is
right next to the other sprite character.

It's an easy and quick way to keep track of the
different locations and see if the different sprite
characters collide with each other, etc.

However this only works for games that have only a few
set spots where the sprite characters can be, not
games like mario and other action games where your
character can move pixel by pixel. I'm afraid the map
array becomes too big to be the best option for the
job, plus you have to fill up every pixel of the map
array that the sprite takes up, which will slow it
down.

The only other option I can think of is to scroll
through a list of all the sprites on screen and check
their xy coordinates and the sprite width/height to
see if it overlaps the sprite character you are
checking to see if those sprites collide or not. I'm
hesitant to do this because I'm afraid it will be too
slow when the sprite list is a little large since it
has to run though all the sprite characters and their
positions every time something moves.


I was wondering what programming techniques you all use.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

Its been a long while since I was involved with GBa but I know the
principals of these.

Since you said you used both soundchannels, well those 2 are both used for
stereosounds, one channel for each ear. The trick is to write software which
combines all the sounds so it can fit into one stream, wich is basically
taking the strings of sounddata and adding each variable of each soundsample
in their own seperate new string and then devide it by the number of strings
used.

Background music is usually given in the MOD form, which is taking small
soundsamples and then adapted to new tones through the program and thus
making the music, basically like midi only the samples are not govorned by
the soundchip (or samples in the program itself) but by the samples in the
MOD file.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Palamon 3" <palamon_3@...>
To: <gbadev@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 5:57 AM
Subject: [gbadev] Background Music and Sound effects


>
> I've been trying to learn how to incorporate music and
> sound effects into my game.
>
> I've figured out how to play Direct Sounds thanks to
> various websites and all and I've gotten it to work to
> the level that I need it to be for sound effects.
>
> I've also learned how to incorporate Sounds 1-4 using
> software and tutorials from boyscout.
>
> However I haven't had much luck playing both at the
> same time. When I do, the direct sound makes a
> crackling sound or a brief pause of silence.
>
> I've gotten two direct sounds to play at the same time
> using the two direct sound channels and as much as I
> would love to make one of those channels be just for
> background music, the background music file is just
> too big so unless there is a trick, my BG music will
> just have to be composed with boyscout.
>
> So how do you all nicely incorporate sound effects and
> background music into your projects?
>
> I don't know any assembly so I would really appreciate
> it if you all gave answers for C/C++
>
> Thanks
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Mail is new and improved - Check it out!
> http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

I've been trying to learn how to incorporate music and
sound effects into my game.

I've figured out how to play Direct Sounds thanks to
various websites and all and I've gotten it to work to
the level that I need it to be for sound effects.

I've also learned how to incorporate Sounds 1-4 using
software and tutorials from boyscout.

However I haven't had much luck playing both at the
same time. When I do, the direct sound makes a
crackling sound or a brief pause of silence.

I've gotten two direct sounds to play at the same time
using the two direct sound channels and as much as I
would love to make one of those channels be just for
background music, the background music file is just
too big so unless there is a trick, my BG music will
just have to be composed with boyscout.

So how do you all nicely incorporate sound effects and
background music into your projects?

I don't know any assembly so I would really appreciate
it if you all gave answers for C/C++

Thanks



__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail is new and improved - Check it out!
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

I am trying to connect my GBA to a Magellan 310 GPS, similar to
gpsboy, but multi map. The GPS outputs @ 2400baud. Based on what I
have been able to find out I am going to have to monitor the serial in
pin and decode the bitstream myself. Does anyone know where I can get
information on how to monitor the serial in pin ?

Mark.

Does anybody have any hints on programming the gba wireless adapter.
What is the serial protocol used ?
What is the API ?

Just wanted to drop gbadev a line to let you all know that I've
started a new Yahoo group for developing for the new Aruze AP-3, a
Linux-based arcade platform. The URL to subscribe is:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ap3dev/

In case anyone is wondering who the hell I am, I did some work on
Gameboy Color dev a long long time ago as luvcraft, and started the
ngpcdev Yahoo group, which I later handed off to Jeff.

I've been looking forward to a standard, Linux-based "MVS-style"
arcade system for a long time now, and hopefully with our combined
efforts we can create some really awesome software and finally
convince people that maybe Linux can do games after all. :)X

the following link...

http://bmf.wz.cz/index.php?search=GB

list few bitmap fonts that were used in several Gameboy Advance
games/demos/progs.
njoy!

Just a short post to announce that the largest Nintendo related game save
sharing community N-Scene is back in business!!!

It's been a very difficult past few weeks for our N-Scene team after Yahoo!
mysteriously deleted our group. But I am glad to say we're now back...
The group is however in a very restricted form and it will be a while yet before
things will be how they were! I am very confident though that once things get
rolling again we can continue redefining the image and way communities are
managed here at Yahoo! groups.

Over the coming weeks I will be re-invite our old members if they haven't yet
joined and thanks to our many affiliated sites should be back busting up those
member counts.

Any questions,.. feel free to email me direct at ngcfs@... and don't
forget to check the site out at http://www.gci.net.tc/
Laters, Dave (N-Scene Moderator)