My thoughts on RetroCoding...

I think this project is a great idea and congratulate you on your first effort.

I´m currently learning M68k and when I have time I am (as a first basic project) dissasembling the old classic Amiga game Biplane Duel.

At present I have code that recompiles, it is now just a case of cleaning up all the code to make it readable which I am about 20% of the way through.

I want to make the code as close to possible as it would have been when written, or possibly even neater.

Once I´ve done this I´m not sure what I´m going to add to the game. Maybe just clear it up a bit, change some Graphics, add a nice title screen or even try a 4-player option or something. My main requirement is that by the end of the project (even if I have modified nothing that can be seen when running) I understand what every line of code does and why it is there.

I´m not sure how many other people on here (with the exception of you, Codetapper and the WHDLoad guys) have the knowledge to do this.

I would be happy to help with things once my M68k/Dissasembling skills are up-to-speed, but I have only got as far as I have (in that I now understand how to use IRA, I know what a LEA statement does etc... by my own means throught reading tutorials and scrap-bits of information scattered all over the web. I am suprised I never touched M68k during my orignal Amiga years as it is a lot easier than most people would think.

Maybe there would be more people willing to get into this sort of thing if information was more readily available, and most importantly in ONE free, easily accesible place (i.e. EAB). Most of this info could be posted in the Programming forum as it has more relevance there.

Things I have considered are as follows:

A modern Amiga 680x0 reference, complete with modern tips/methodoligies - e.g. Developing on WinUAE using a PC-based editor, Saving States before running etc.. which make things easier than before AmigaEmu arrived.

A good tutorial of Resource, the latest version - complete with a Walkthrough of how to disassemble something fairly exciting - i.e. not the LoadWB command as in a old crappy tutorial I found.

A guide to IRA, but I think if Resource was more approachable through a tutorial most people would use that instead.

Action Replay guide - not just the manual, but a more detailed guide.

A Zipped collection of useful programmers tools/tutorials/books as a 1-file download - e.g. AsmOne, AsmPro, DevPac, Includes, Resource, IRA, HRTmon.

Maybe even "Open Source" documentation of the old (1.2-3.1) Amigas, which could be posted somewhere with no threat of removal by <Insert Amiga Owner at the time here>. I understand that the original Commodore Rom Kernel Manuals are removed from most sites that post them quite regulary. What can they do against original copyright free work that documents the Amiga ?

Releases of any source code of dissassembled/modified games for educational purposes.

I am not requesting YOU alone do any of this, these are just ideas I have that maybe people who are interested in, have the time and the willing could all join up together and do some of these things for the good of the community as a whole.

At present whilst working on my Biplane Duel "Project" I am doing a number of other things which are related in as much as they are helping me learn:

1 - Writing a Amiga/WinUAE-related tool in VB which could proove very useful - it is certainly useful to me at the moment (more details to follow when a beta is available).

2 - Writing my own version of the classic and widely recommended "Mapping The Amiga" book in Word so it can be a up to date, nice printable book - much better than any HTML/AmigaGuide/txt file printouts.

These are just ideas floating around my brain but I think with the right/relevant/up-to-date/easy-to-find resources more people would be RetroCoding.

[Pyromania]

I thought project C.A.R.E. was a great idea too, that is why I host it for free now for AmiGer

http://discreetfx.com/CARE/index.htm

You have some great ideas Jim.

[AmiGer]

it is now just a case of cleaning up all the code to make it readable

That's the biggest time consuming phase. But with every analyzed sub program it's getting clearer (renaming numeric labels to logical names).

I would be happy to help with things once my M68k/Dissasembling skills are up-to-speed

...and I would be happy about that.

...by my own means throught reading tutorials and scrap-bits of information scattered all over the web

Thinking about that I've done it the same way some months ago but I already made some experiences around 1990...


To give some general informations:
I use UltraEdit (very good) on the PC and a WINUAE virtual harddisk with a hardfile and one shared harddisk directory. So it's possible to access files from both the (emulated) amiga and the pc. I don't use AR I use the WINUAE build-in debugger. You've forgotten the best assembler: PhxAss. But there are many ways to reach destinations...

To sum things up I must say that a step by step tutorial, a starter kit download and a good html-link collection is a good idea.
Maybe you and me (and everybody who's interested) can do a rough documentation during our next/current projects and we hang all together (because there are so many ways).
So I can extend my little web page later (hope Pyro gives me some more space ).

Thanks for your thoughts.