Software Development / Build Pipeline

Programming
1

Hi everyone,

What tools do you use for software development? Which ones have you written for yourselves, and what does your build pipeline look like?

I’ll just kick things off:

  • CPC 6128 emulators:
    • caprice32
    • Retro Virtual Machine
  • Assembler: rasm
  • Build: Makefile / make / shell (<-- primarily) / python.
  • Code editor: vs code
  • Sprite editor: SpriteBuilder.html.zip (20.6 KB) custom-built. It’s just an HTML file that implements all essential features using JavaScript.
    • The sprite editor is inspired by many existing editors, but tailored specifically to the CPC and the programming languages I use (C and Assembler).
    • You can save and load the current state
    • Export to C and Assembler
    • Animations
    • CPC screen colors

How do you work?

Cheers,
S.D.

3 Likes
2

NTC BASIC (it supports programs in BASIC, JS or PHP or all mixed along with inline Z80), Claude, JSASMPLUS, WINAPE, JNEXT, CHROME

3

Mainly CPCTelera and homemade python tools…

VSCode as IDE.

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My projects are all using CPCtelera (I need to try CPCtelera next soon).

I’m almost exclusively writing C but I have aspirations to write some Z80 ASM but its not made it into a project yet.

Music and sound is with Arkos 2

For emulators I use WinAPE and CPCEC.

Code is mostly written in Visual Studio with Wincpctelera but I use VSCode sometimes.

Graphics are drawn with RGAS 1.2.5

Levels are built in a custom map editor that exports the map to C source files that I can include in the game project. It also read the RGAS files directly which is really convinent.

For managing source code, task tracking, build pipelines I am using Azure DevOps Server (I think I might switch to forgejo one day but that is a lot of effort).

1 Like
5

Tools:

  • My own emulator ‘Arnold’ - 80% of the time during development
  • rasm, pasmo, sjasmplus assemblers.
  • vscodium/visual studio code/notepad++
  • Microsoft visual studio 2022 community edition (where prototyping some ideas in c then implementing in asm).
  • SDCC, Z88dk with my own libs for some games
  • cpctelera too for some
  • my own tools for building disks, header manipulation
  • previously my own c tool for gfx conversion but now I use python a lot more
  • used a couple of tile map based editors before (tiled is one).
  • gimp (for any graphics I can actually do which isn’t much)

Machines:

* Mostly windows but at times linux.

Build pipeline:

  • bat files doing everything over and over - I should use something like make but I don’t like makefiles.

source control/management:

  • fossil scm
  • zipping it up

Test

  • On GX4000 with pico cart (always ready)
  • CPC6128 when I can get it out from storage.
  • Got various ram boards and rom boards which I use
  • I don’t have a CRT or CTM monitor so all tests done on modern TV connected with scart.

I can do code, can’t do graphics, can’t do sound, I really appreciate the help of others to do those.

6

@awergh

cpctelera_next is definitely worth moving over to.

In addition to all the great new features, it now sits on SDCC 4.6, and that is much better at z80 than previous versions.

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… I’m currently doing everything myself. Seems to be a mistake on my part? I’ll follow your tip. Thanks for the mention.

8

just thought i should mention that im trying to make it a bit easier to use CPCtelera_next and SDCC/z88dk on windows with my emulator CPCSyntaxError.. you can develop BASIC, ASM (with built in RASM) and C code and build/compile it and send it directly to memory, then run it, in one click, with full debugging

it makes it much easier for window users, who no longer have to install cygwin and other dependencies..or run command lines etc etc. linux and macos should install cpctelera and SDCC/z88dk like they normally would into the system.

on windows, you dont need to install CPCtelera as you normally would, just extract the zip and point the emulator to it. install SDCC and z88dk like normal into the system, then point CPCSyntaxError to them.

1 Like
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NTC BASIC now can target the following mostly with the same sourcecode - and you can put conditional compilation with inline assembly. Making commercial quality games has never been easier.

image
image532×621 16 KB

10

Hi!

I was interested in tools that were OS-agnostic and could work on any system without much hassle. Eventually, I wrote my own tools in Python for that purpose, although I’m already using existing emulators. Currently, my toolchain is:

CPC 6128/6128+ emulators:

  • Retro Virtual Machine (version 2.0 for debugging on the 6128)
  • WinAPE

Assembler:

  • ABASM

BASIC compiler:

  • ABASC (includes bindings for CPCTelera and CPCRSLib)

Packaging:

  • DSK.py (custom tool)
  • CDT.py (custom tool)

Build:

  • Batch/Bash scripts

Code editor:

  • VS Code

Sprite editor:

  • Tixel for editing (another Python tool)
  • IMG.py for image conversion

However, I’m not really happy with the image tools I’m using/developing, so I’ll give your HTML tool a try. Also, I don’t have any tools for music creation/editing. Not sure what would be best for a complete noob in this field.

1 Like
11

Really useful thread for some further research.

I’m fairly new to modern cpc development, but have done a lot on Vic 20 dev in the last few years.

My main tool/IDE is Turbo Rascal for coding.

For graphics, I use my own tools (created wit Ai assistance) called Imagery and 8bit pixel lab. The latter has connectivity with Turbo Rascal so you can export graphics as part of the build process.

I use Caprice, which we worked with Colin to get memory injection so can build and run quickly from turbo rascal. I also now use cpc syntax error emulator which has a nice debugger, and also has the injection feature.

1 Like
12

orgams, the main source usually builds everything, but it’s also scriptable from BASIC.

OCP / impdraw