Boot direct to game?

[konaboy]

First question on this forum so Hi to you all from me!

I am tempted to develop for the GB, I think it would be nice to skip the GB splash screens and game selection menus. Is it possible to boot direct to my game instead? I would like mimic the functionality of the old Nintendo "game and watch" and other primitive devices that only have a single game.

This means loading the game into the bootloader I suppose, plus any supporting stuff.

Thanks in advance,
cheers

[MechanicalPen]

The easiest way to do it would be to just don't call gb.titleScreen() in your setup() method. Then once you load your game from the bootloader, it would always start directly into your game until you held down C when you turned on your Gamebuino.

[Sorunome]

I'd still recommend to include some way to get back to the loader, so in some top menu calling load_game("LOADER"), for example on hitting C, because else users might dislike that they can't switch to other games easily.

[konaboy]

I want to learn the "nitty-gritty" of Arduino and want to learn the low level routines to program the LCD, handle buttons etc. I decided therefore not to use the Gamebuino libraries at all, but to write my own as a learning exercise. I will also build similar hardware myself and load my own games, plus my own menu onto the Arduino. My applications won't be compatible with Gamebuino but I think I will get the most out of it this way. cheers!

[Sorunome]

load_game("LOADER") is not part from the gamebuino library, but from the bootloader, thus that function will be available to you no matter what!

[Myndale]

that function will be available to you no matter what!

Unless he uses a hardware programmer to program Gamebuino via the ICSP port, in which case the bootloader will be wiped (on the plus side he'll get the full 32kb flash space for his own apps).

[Sorunome]

that function will be available to you no matter what!

Unless he uses a hardware programmer to program Gamebuino via the ICSP port, in which case the bootloader will be wiped (on the plus side he'll get the full 32kb flash space for his own apps).

Which would in turn mean that virtually noone would play said games as just using the micro sd is way easier.

[erico]

Maybe, but there could be alternatives, let´s say he is a teacher acquiring a set of gamebuinos for a class and things have to be that way.
Or maybe he will get a set of gamebuinos that will only function as some kind of controler and nothing else needs to run on it.
We never know.