   Some Questions about Programming Games for the TI-84+
  So I am going to be starting programming for the Ti-84 plus and I was wonering:1) Are there any differences in the assembly language for the Ti-84+ and the Ti-83+?2) Are my going to be able to program real time games  with TI-basic or should I use z80 assembly?   
Quote:Original post by jdubAre there any differences in the assembly language for the Ti-84+ and the Ti-83+?Well, the 84+ is easier to program for in the sense that it's got a faster processor, more memory to play with, and somewhat improved display chip. However the language as such (Z80 assembly language that is) and the OS functions are virtually identical, and you can use the same assemblers to write code for both systems.Quote:Original post by jdubAre my going to be able to program real time games  with TI-basic or should I use z80 assembly?If you let a game library written in assembly language do the heavy lifting for you it's certainly possible to achieve a lot in BASIC, especially on the more capable 84+. There are limits though, and for projects of any significant size actually being able to write structured code tends to outweigh BASIC's seeming ease-of-use in the long run.   ;  so are you saying that assembly language would be more structured than TI-basic?   ;Quote:Original post by jdubso are you saying that assembly language would be more structured than TI-basic?Yes. Assembly language has a (deservedly) bad reputation when it comes to code clarity but at least a good assembler will give you descriptive names, functions, macros, local labels and so forth to structure your code with.TI-Basic, while nice and clean for simple numeric algorithms and the like, is simply not suited for projects of any size.   ;  So I've looked around a bit and I downloaded an assembler called TASM.  Is that a good assembler?Are my going to have to assemble from a dos prompt?;Quote:Original post by jdubSo I've looked around a bit and I downloaded an assembler called TASM.  Is that a good assembler?No, it's a terrible assembler. Unfortunately it also happens to be the standard one, and virtually all tutorials use it. I'm not precisely sure what your alternatives are, I've shoehorned in a Z80 assembler meant for another system in the past, but you might try this one.Quote:Original post by jdubAre my going to have to assemble from a dos prompt?You'll have to be comfortable with the command line at any rate. Typically you'd write a batch script or makefile of some sort to automate the process and configure your code editor of choice to run the script when you hit the right key however.   ;  wait?  why is TASM bad?  Is it useable?  I would rather have it if it is useable because I am just learning z80/assembly. EDIT:  the TASM that I am using is not borland turbo compiler.[Edited by - jdub on May 17, 2009 1:27:10 AM]