Assembler is a tool that translates 'source code' (which is 'assembly code' in this case) - human-readable representation of code, into 'machine code' - binary data representation of the code that is executed by CPU.
Ah yes, I do know what an assembler is, but thank you for the heads up. It's good to know it takes Assembly code, that's useful information to me.
There is a BASIC compiler for Genesis, called BasiEgaXorz. Unfortunatelly it is full of problems, but still could be used to make simple (and not so simple) games.
Ah yes, I remember looking at BasiEgaXorz a couple of years ago. I dismissed BASIC back then, but now that I'm back into attempting to learn programming, I may have another look at it. Thanks.
This old thread is interesting to me;
viewtopic.php?t=838 Hmm, this 'Stef's GCC kit' seems interesting. Actually I remember hearing about it years ago, when I was last on this site. Also 'Easy68k' sounds interesting too, I will go read about it now.
TmEE co.(TM) wrote:BASIC is good for learning the concept of writing a program. You can apply all of that knowledge elsewhere. As for ASM, I used some Amiga programming docs I found on programmersheaven.com. I knew BASIC only and I really did not have issues going about ASM.
Thanks TmEE co.(TM), perhaps I will go back to 'The Idiots Guide' book (which mostly uses BASIC), because the Assembly book is already starting to get a bit complicated for me. It's also starting to talk about specific 32-bit CPU stuff which will not apply to 68000. Though, that said, I'm not totally learning all this to do stuff for Mega Drive, I'm also interested in coding in general, like really, I'd like to understand C# (sharp), so I can use Unity (the games making app for PC) to make some simple games. I started learning it, with yet another book, but it assumed I understood C#. So that's how I got here, I just end up going further and further back, away from what I originally intended
. When reading about Assembly again, it just fasinates me, the whole down to the metal thing, the 'low level language' stuff. Though, I still haven't got to the point in the Jeff Duntenamm book where it explains (or I understand) how moving bits and bytes around in memory actually does anything useful
. Like display things on screen, and move stuff around on screen... like games do
.
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ADDED LATER: EASy68K from
http://www.easy68k.com/ looks real interesting to me. A "Editor/Assembler/Simulator for the 68000" for PC. So lets say, for example, if I took the source code from the example page, perhaps 'Pong game by Neil Richardson' (pong.X68), and used 'asmx multi-CPU assembler' to assemble the source code, would it work on a Mega Drive emulator?
My above question reminded me of something; I'm a bit confused, is a compiler different from an assembler?
Thanks.
It's a custom chip derived from the SMS VDP which was in turn derived from the TMS9918.
