Tag: C Programming

  • Stealing the Secrets of the NES – Agon Light Tilemaps in C

    Early computers weren’t powerful enough to draw full-screen moving graphics, so they had to use clever tricks. Let’s explore how Nintendo’s techniques for creating tile-based games on the NES can be applied to modern hardware. Using these methods, I built a scrolling tilemap system for the Agon Light using C programming.

  • Programming Bitmap Graphics – Agon Light using C

    In this video I look at how you can program the Agon Light to display bitmap images using C. I go through how to convert a PNG image into an RGB2222 format bitmap image, and then use the C library functions to load that into the Agon Light, and the VDP commands necessary to display…

  • Programming Windows Screensavers – Agon Light Graphics Programming

    I’m learning how to program the Agon Light, and as a project thought it’d be fun to try and program two of the classic Windows 3.11 screensavers – Mystify and Starfield Simulation. My aim is not to simply program the Agon Light by cloning the Windows 3.11 screensavers, but to learn how to program the…

  • Programming Language Easter Eggs

    Easter eggs are usually hidden inside our games and software, but did you know there are some hidden inside the tools and languages used to make that software? Come with me on a fun Easter diversion while we eat our bodyweight in chocolate, and look at six programming Easter Eggs. Some of these are from…

  • Agon Light Graphics Tests

    It’s the Easter holidays and I’ve got two weeks off work. Amongst highly exciting things like weeding the garden and waiting for a new washing machine to be delivered, I’m doing some programming. After spending a bit too long remembering how my own code works, I managed to create a simple starfield that looks quite…

  • Learning how to draw things on the Agon Light

    I’ve been having a bit of a play around with my Agon Light, trying to come up with some ideas for a future video. I’ve discovered it has quite a nice 320×240 64 colour video mode that has just enough pixels to be interesting. Here’s a little thing I managed to create. It started off…

  • Exploring Hardware Hacks: Joystick Integration, Keyboard Inputs, and Debugging with the Agon Light

    Dive into the exciting world of DIY hardware hacking. Join in as I explore joystick integration, keyboard inputs, and serial debugging using the versatile Agon Light platform. Delve into the technical intricacies of GPIO pins, assembly language programming, and C compiler usage for low-level development. Discover the power of computational thinking, boolean logic, and UART…

  • Agon Light Joystick Test 1

    I’m working on getting a joystick port working on my Agon Light. They don’t come with joystick ports, but there is a set of GPIO pins that can be read through assembly. Here’s my setup, the Agon Light is in the white box, my trusty PowerPlay Cruiser joystick from the 90s is plugged into a…

  • Agon Light C Programming – An Introduction

    Instead of bashing away in BASIC, it’s possible to do some coding in C on the Agon Light. Let’s find out how in this introduction to an ongoing series where I figure out the Agon hardware and work on a game. I have no idea what game I want to make, and I’m not entirely…

  • Agon Light C Development

    How to write code for the Agon Light (and Console8) using C instead of BASIC, under Linux. It might work with WSL2 in Windows, and it might work on a Mac. By the end of this you’ll end up with a fairly standard Linux C programming environment with a Makefile and all the usual trimmings.…