Stella

## A multi-platform Atari 2600 VCS emulator

#### Release 1.2

## User's Guide

1. Introduction
2. What You Will Need
3. Installation
4. Games
5. Starting A Game
6. Keyboard Layout
7. Game Properties
8. Real Paddle Adaptor
9. Acknowledgments
10. License and Disclaimer

February 1999 - April 2002
The Stella Team
Stella Homepage

# A Brief History of the Atari 2600

In the early 1970's, video arcade games gained commercial success for the first time. The American public was introduced to Pong, Tank, and other interactive video games which populated amusement parks, bars, and arcades. The games were successful enough to create interest for home versions, so in 1975 Atari released Home Pong and it was a smash hit. Other companies such as Magnavox and Coleco followed suit and released their own dedicated console games. Then in 1976, Fairchild Camera and Instrument introduced the Channel F system, the first cartridge based home video game system. The industry recognized that cartridge systems were the future of video gaming, and began development in that direction. In January 1977, RCA released the Studio II, another cartridge based system, although it only projected in black and white and seemed to be focused on educational titles. Then, in October 1977, Atari released the Atari VCS (Video Computer System) with an initial offering of nine games. This system, later renamed the Atari 2600, took the industry by storm and dominated the marketplace for years to come.

Because of oversupply, the Christmas season of 1977 was very rough on the video game industry, and the Atari 2600 was the only system that managed to emerge unscathed. Atari enjoyed strong sales in 1978 and a fantastic holiday season, as Atari released more games such as Outlaw, Spacewar, and Breakout. Internally however, Atari was at odds. Nolan Bushnell, the inventor of pong and founder of Atari, wound up leaving the company and purchased Pizza Time Theater, which later became the successful Chuck E. Cheese! In 1979 Atari continued their trend and released 12 more games which met with continued success. However, Atari was now facing some stiffer competition from the Mattel Intellivision and the Magnavox Odyssey2.

Atari needed a mega-hit in 1980 in order to squash the competition, and they found it in the home version of a game from Japan called Space Invaders. It was so popular that people were buying the Atari 2600 just so they could play Space Invaders at home. Following that, Atari released Adventure, which was the first video game to contain an Easter Egg - placing an object in a certain area revealed the programmer's name, Warren Robinett. 1980 was important for another reason - the creation of the first ever third party software producer, Activision. The company was formed by four Atari employees who were unsatisfied with the working conditions at the company. They released four games initially: Dragster, Fishing Derby, Checkers and Boxing. The games were very well received by the public, and revealed that the Atari 2600 was capable of better games than Atari themselves had been producing. Atari tried to prevent Activision from selling games, but they failed and Activision grossed $70 million that year.

By 1981, the video game industry was basically a horse race between the 2600 and the Intellivision. While the Intellivision was technologically superior in some respects, the 2600 continued to lead in sales. Atari released the home version of Asteroids, which was a huge success. Inspired by the success of Activision, another software development group called Imagic was formed. They would not release any games until 1982 however. Another company, Games by Apollo, was formed in Texas and released several games that year.

Coleco entered the market in 1982 with the release of the graphically superior Colecovision. To combat this new system, Atari produced the 5200, a technologically comparable system. The 2600 dropped $100 in price in order to remain competitive. Then a company called Arcadia released a peripheral called the Supercharger which played games in an audio cassette medium. This allowed for multiple loads and expanded the 2600's capabilities.

Atari released Pac-Man and E.T. that year, two incredibly hyped games which were critical flops. Although Pac-Man sold many copies, it was considered to be a poor translation of the arcade hit. However, there were many fantastic games produced for the 2600 during this period, and it was still selling strong.

Ever since the inception of Activision, Atari had been fighting to keep third parties from producing cartridges which they felt were stealing profits from them. Finally the issue was settled when Atari agreed to allow third party manufacturing in exchange for a royalty. Suddenly software companies began popping up all over, and 1982 saw releases from companies like Venturevision, Spectravision, Telesys, CBS, 20th Century Fox, US Games, M Network, Tigervision, Data Age, Imagic and Coleco. There was even a company that released a line of X-Rated games for the 2600 called Mystique. The year was financially successful for Atari, however there seemed to be a glut of software. Although there were many quality titles still produced, there was an increasing number of rushed games as manufacturers attempted to cash in on the craze.

More companies jumped on the band wagon in 1983. Zimag, Ultravision, Amiga, and others were also producing games and peripherals. It seemed as if there was just too much product to meet the demand, and as it turned out there was. By the end of the year, companies began folding. US Games, Data Age, Games by Apollo, Telesys and others all closed their doors from poor sales. A video game crash was occurring, and all companies were taking it on the chin.

1984 was a much more subdued year for the Atari 2600, and the price of the system had now dropped to $40-$50. Many were saying that the video game industry was dead. However, Atari surprised everyone by announcing the release of the 7800, and also promising more 2600 games with improved graphics and sound. Unfortunately, neither of these things happened in 1984 because Atari sold their home video game division to Jack Tramiel who believed that home computers would replace video game systems. No further mention of the 2600 or 7800 was made that year, and it appeared that they might be dead.

1985 was another very quiet year for Atari and video games in general, and only a few games were released for the 2600. Activision produced Cosmic Commuter and Ghostbusters, but with little fanfare or marketing, these games did not sell well. However, because of the huge game library and cheap price, Atari still sold over a million 2600 consoles in 1985.

There were very few plans for home video game systems by any company in 1986, since the market appeared to be dead. Then, to most people's surprise, Nintendo brought the NES to America and it was a smash hit, proving that video games still had a place in the US. Atari decided that maybe it would be a good idea to release the 7800 units it had in storage, and produce some more 2600 games. The 7800 was released with only 3 games initially available, although it was compatible with the 2600 library. They also redesigned the 2600 as the 2600 Jr., a machine with the same abilities, but a new look and marketing campaign. It was sold for less than $50.

Video games were once again selling phenomenally in 1987. Atari released several new titles, including Jr. Pac-Man, and also licensed a number of games from other companies such as Donkey Kong and Q*Bert. These new titles sold for $10-$15. Interestingly, a number of titles began appearing again from third part companies such as Epyx, Froggo, and Exus. It seemed that the 2600 was not dead yet!

In 1988, Atari rehired Nolan Bushnell and announced a number of new titles, including Secret Quest, a game written by Mr. Bushnell himself. Atari continued to manufacture these games even until 1989. However, it was apparent that the 2600, after its introduction over a decade ago, was finally at the end of its run. Although it was still produced and marketed outside of the US, the Atari 2600 finished its run in America. No other console has had such a long history or sold as many systems in the U.S.

Today, the 2600 still has a large number of fans who remember the countless games played over the years, and the years to come. There are even games being produced by hobbyists, some of them quite professionally, being released on newly burnt cartridges with labels and manuals. And the recent trend in retrogaming has brought many more video game fans to rediscover the 2600, and it continues to live on 22 years after its release!

Alexander Bilstein
February 1999

# 1. Introduction

Stella is a freely distributed multi-platform Atari 2600 VCS emulator; originally developed for Linux by Bradford W. Mott. Stella allows you to enjoy all of your favorite 2600 games once again by emulating the 2600's hardware with software. Stella is written in C++, which allows it to be ported to other operating systems and architectures. Since its original release Stella has been ported to AcornOS, AmigaOS, DOS, FreeBSD, Linux, MacOS, OpenStep, OS/2, Sega Dreamcast, Unix, and Windows.

## New in Release 1.2

- License change to the GNU General Public License (GPL)
- Website moved to SourceForge
- Improved illegal CPU instruction support (Thrust and Qb work now)
- Emulation of undefined TIA bits was improved (Video Pinball works)
- TIA emulation improved to fix some problems with Pole Position, Fatal Run, Dolphin, Decathlon, Robot Tank, and Hole Hunter.
- Added support for Pitfall II, however, the enhanced sound is not currently supported
- Improved Supercharger emulation including a new BIOS that shows the vertical blue progress bars like the real thing.
- Added support for Megaboy cartridge and Commavid bank-switching method
- Unix version ported to SDL (requires SDL 1.2.0 or greater)
- Much improved startup time in all versions
- X11, SDL, DOS versions no longer load whole stella.pro file in memory (huge memory savings)
- Stella.pro file now required, it is no longer optional
- INI file support added to X11 and SDL versions
- PNG snapshot support added to X11 and SDL versions (requires PNG library)
- Added pause ability to the core, DOS, X11 and SDL versions supported for now
- Updated PAL & NTSC palettes with more accurate colors
- Added experimental timing code to X11 and SDL versions. Reduces CPU usage at the expense of smooth framerates.
- Added "-zoom" command line option to set initial window size to X11 and SDL versions
- Added "-grabmouse" command line option to keep mouse in game window to X11 and SDL versions
- Added "-hidecursor" command line option to hide cursor in game window to X11 and SDL versions
- Added "-center" command line option to center initial game window to X11 and SDL versions
- Added "-volume" command line option to set volume level to X11 and SDL versions
- Added "-showinfo" command line option to see some useful info on emulator exit to DOS, X11, and SDL versions
- Added "-ssdir" command line option to specify where to save snapshots to X11 and SDL versions
- Added "-ssname" command line option to specify where how to name snapshots to X11 and SDL versions
- Added "-sssingle" command line option to specify whether to generate single (vs. multiple) snapshots to X11 and SDL versions
- Added "-pro" command line option to specify to use another properties file (instead of stella.pro) to DOS, X11, and SDL versions
- Added "-fullscreen" command line option to switch to fullscreen mode to SDL version

## Features

- High speed emulation using optimized C++ code
- Supports high quality sound emulation using Ron Fries' TIA Sound Emulation library
- Emulates the Atari 2600 Joystick Controllers using your computer's keyboard or joysticks
- Emulates the Atari 2600 Keyboard Controllers using your computer's keyboard
- Emulates one Atari 2600 Paddle Controller using your computer's mouse
- Emulates four Atari 2600 Paddle Controllers using a special PC game port adaptor
- Emulates the Atari 2600 Driving Controllers using your computer's keyboard or joysticks
- Emulates the CBS Booster-Grip Controller using your computer's keyboard or joysticks
- Supports cartridges using Atari's standard 2K and 4K format
- Supports cartridges using Atari's 8K, 16K, and 32K bank-switching schemes
- Supports cartridges using Activision's 8K bank-switching scheme (Robot Tank and Decathlon)
- Supports cartridges using CBS Electronics' 12K bank-switching scheme
- Supports cartridges using Chris Wilkson's Megacart 128K bank-switching scheme
- Supports cartridges using Commavid bank-switching scheme
- Supports cartridges using M-Network's 16K bank-switching scheme
- Supports cartridges using Parker Brothers' 8K bank-switching scheme
- Supports cartridges using Tigervision's bank-switching scheme with up to 512K ROM
- Supports Supercharger single-load and multi-load games
- Supports property file for setting the properties associated with games
- Supports user specified frame rate
- Supports the NTSC and PAL television palettes
- Supports several "undocumented features" of the TIA graphics chip used by some games
- TIA emulation supports full collision checking
- DOS version of Stella works with most emulator game shells such as "Game Menu" by Jim Pragit
- DOS version of Stella supports the standard 320x200 VGA graphics mode as well as the extended 320x240 VGA graphics mode
- Linux version of Stella works with the KStella frontend by Stephen Anthony

# 2. What You Will Need

The following sections outline the basic system requirements for running Stella under various operating systems.

Note that for this version of Stella, you are required to have a stella.pro file. It is no longer optional as it was for past versions.

## DOS

The DOS version of Stella is designed to work on an IBM-PC or 100% compatible system with the following:

- DOS 5.0 or higher
- 8 MB of RAM
- 256 color VGA graphics card
- 486/120 MHz required; 586/166 MHz highly recommended
- At least 2 megabytes of hard disk space available
- Sound Blaster or 100% compatible sound card required for sound
- Joysticks or gamepads are highly recommended
- Mouse and mouse driver required for paddle emulation using the mouse
- Special adaptor required for using real Atari 2600 paddles
- Emulator game shell highly recommended

## Linux

The Linux version of Stella is designed to work on a Linux Workstation with the following:

- Linux Kernel 2.0.x
- X Window System
- GNU C++ compiler version 2.7.2 and the make utility are required for compiling the Stella source code; GNU C++ compiler version 2.8.1 or later is highly recommended
- 16 MB of RAM required; 32 MB highly recommended
- 8 bit color graphics card required; 16 bit color graphics card highly recommended
- 486/120 MHz required; 586/166 MHz highly recommended
- Open Sound System with a supported sound card required for sound
- Joystick device driver version 1.2.x required for joystick support
- Joysticks or gamepads are highly recommended
- Mouse required for paddle emulation using the mouse
- Special adaptor required for using real Atari 2600 paddles
- SDL version requires SDL 1.2.0 or greater

## Unix

The Unix version of Stella is designed to work on a Unix Workstation with the following:

- Unix operating system
- X Window System
- GNU C++ compiler version 2.7.2 and the make utility are required; GNU C++ compiler version 2.8.1 is highly recommended
- 32 MB of RAM; 64 MB highly recommended
- 8 bit color display required; true color display highly recommended
- High performance CPU
- Open Sound System required for sound
- SDL version requires SDL 1.2.0 or greater

# 3. Installation

Once you have a Stella distribution you should follow the instructions for your operating system given below. If your operating system isn't listed then see the installation instructions included with the distribution for your system.

## DOS

The DOS version of Stella is distributed as a ZIP archive containing the DOS executable as well as some other files. The DOS version of Stella works with DOS as well as Windows 9x, however, it does not work very well with Windows NT and 2000. You should install it as follows:

1. Change directories to the root directory:

          CD C:\

2. Extract the Stella distribution:

          unzip strelease.zip

3. Add the following to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

          SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\STELLA

4. If you have a Sound Blaster or 100% compatible sound card make sure the BLASTER environment variable is set in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. For example:

          SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1

5. If you have a mouse make sure your mouse driver is loaded in either the CONFIG.SYS file or the AUTOEXEC.BAT file
6. Reboot your system

For the second step you'll need a program for extracting ZIP archive files. You can use PKUNZIP for DOS, the Info-Zip UnZip tool for DOS, or a number of other programs available for extracting ZIP files.

## Linux

The Linux versions of Stella are distributed as a compressed tar file containing the Linux executables as well as some other files. If these pre-built executables do not seem to work on your system then download the Unix source code distribution and build your own executables. You should install the distribution as follows:

1. Extract files from the distribution:

          tar -zxvf stella-release-linux-arch.tar.gz

2. Login as root and change directories to the distribution directory
3. Copy the executables to a system directory:

          cp stella.version /usr/local/bin
          cp stella-sound /usr/local/bin (if it's included)

If you have a joystick driver installed, such as joystick-1.2.13.tar.gz, you can play games using joysticks. For additional information about the Linux joystick driver see the following web site: http://atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~vojtech/input.

## Unix

The Unix version of Stella is distributed as a compressed tar file containing the C++ source code as well as some other files. The source code can be compiled under most Unix operating systems as well as DOS. The Unix code was developed with the GNU C++ compiler version 2.96, however, it should compile with other C++ compilers. The DOS port was developed with DJGPP using GNU C++ version 3.0.4. You should install the distribution as follows:

1. Extract files from the distribution:

          tar -zxvf stella-release-src.tar.gz

2. Change directories to the stella-release/src/build directory
3. Edit the makefile to meet your needs
4. Type make and follow the on screen instructions to build the preferred stella.version executable
5. Install stella.version in a directory that's in your path (ie, /usr/local/bin)
6. Change directories to the stella-release/src/ui/sound directory
7. Type make and follow the on screen instructions to build the stella-sound executable
8. Install stella-sound in a directory that's in your path (ie, /usr/local/bin)

Currently, sound is supported using the Open Sound System or using OSS emulation under ALSA. Sound has been tested and is known to work under Linux and BSDI. For additional information on OSS or ALSA see the following web sites:

4Front Technologies (OSS)
Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA)

If you're a programmer and know how sound works on your favorite version of Unix then please take the time to port stella-sound to your system.

# 4. Games

Stella allows you to play games using ROM images of cartridges and cassettes.

## Cartridges

Most games for the Atari 2600 came on cartridges. A cartridge usually consists of a single Read Only Memory (ROM) chip which contains the data and code for the game. Plugging a cartridge into the Atari 2600 allows the 2600's microprocessor to access the program stored on the cartridge.

In a similar way you must "plug" a copy of a cartridge into Stella when you want to play it. Having a ROM image, BIN file, of the cartridge allows you to do this. A ROM image is a file, which contains the actual data and code read from the cartridge. There are several ways to obtain a ROM image of a cartridge:

1. If you're handy with a soldering iron then you can design and build a device that plugs into the printer port of a PC and read the data from the cartridge
2. You can purchase the Atari 2600 Action Packs by Activision and use their ROM images
3. You can search around the internet and find ROM images to download

WARNING: It is illegal to use ROM images of games that you do not actually own since these games are still copyrighted.

## Supercharger Cassettes

Supercharger games were not stored on cartridges instead they were stored on cassette tapes. The Supercharger, which plugged into the Atari 2600's cartridge slot, loaded games into its 6K of Random Access Memory (RAM) using a standard audio cassette player. The Supercharger also supported multi-loading, which allowed games to be broken into several segments and loaded at different times. This was useful for large games which had distinct parts such as role playing games.

Most of the available Supercharger ROM images are stored in 8448 bytes files. However, ROM images of multi-load games are sometimes stored in a set of 8448 byte files. The names of these files have a two character sequence number in them which indicates what load they are. The sequence starts with zero, skips a few numbers and then increments by one.

Stella supports multi-load games, however, the set of ROM images must be combined into a single ROM image file. For example to create a multi-load ROM image file for Survival Island you would do the following under Unix:

       % cat survivl0.bin survivl6.bin survivl7.bin > survivl.bin

or to create it under DOS you would:

       % copy /b survivl0.bin+survivl6.bin+survivl7.bin survivl.bin

Once you have the multi-load ROM image file, survivl.bin in this case, you can play the game using it.

# 5. Starting A Game

Once Stella is installed and you have some ROM images you're ready to start playing. To play a game follow the directions for your operating system.

## DOS

The DOS version of Stella uses command line arguments to specify the game you'd like to play as well as other options. To see the list of available arguments, simply run stella without any options or filename. The options are provided here for reference. To run Stella use a command line of the following format:

       stella.exe [options ...] filename.bin

Options

Argument | Description
--- | ---
    -fps <number>
| Attempt to display n frames per second instead of the default 60 frames per second (if the computer isn't fast enough then it may be unable to display the desired number of frames per second)
    -modex
| Indicates that the 320x240 graphics mode should be used instead of the default 320x200 graphics mode
    -paddle <0|1|2|3|real>
| Indicates which paddle the mouse should emulate or that real Atari 2600 paddles are being used (defaults to paddle 0)
    -pro <props file>
| Use the given properties file instead of stella.pro
    -showinfo
| Shows some game info on exit

Emulator Game Shells

Instead of using the command line to run Stella you may find it easier to use an emulator game shell. An emulator game shell allows you to pick games from a menu without having to type everything at the command line. One such game shell is Jim Pragit's "Game Menu" which can be found at the following web site:

Game Menu

There are other game shells available, however, you'll have to search for them.

## Linux and Unix

The Unix version of Stella uses command line arguments to specify the game you'd like to play as well as other options. To see the list of available arguments, simply run stella without any options or filename. To run Stella use a command line of the following format:

       stella.version [options ...] filename.bin

Version is either x11 or sdl, depending on which version you compiled.

Options

Argument | Description
--- | ---
    -display <display>
| Connect to the designated X display (X11 version only)
    -fps <number>
| Display the given number of frames per second
    -owncmap
| Install a private colormap
    -zoom <size>
| Makes window be 'size' times normal (1 - 4)
    -fullscreen
| Play the game in fullscreen mode (SDL version only)
    -grabmouse
| Keeps the mouse in the game window
    -hidecursor
| Hides the mouse cursor in the game window
    -center
| Centers the game window onscreen
    -volume <number>
| Set the volume (0 - 100)
    -paddle <0|1|2|3|real>
| Indicates which paddle the mouse should emulate or that real Atari 2600 paddles are being used (defaults to paddle 0)
    -showinfo
| Shows some game info on exit
    -ssdir <path>
| The directory to save snapshot files to (If SNAPSHOT support is included)
    -ssname <name>
| How to name the snapshot (romname or md5sum) (If SNAPSHOT support is included)
    -sssingle
| Generate single snapshot instead of many (If SNAPSHOT support is included)
    -pro <props file>
| Use the given properties file instead of stella.pro

Emulator Game Shells

There are at least three Stella frontends for Unix/Linux:

KStella, which concentrates on Stella only and includes manuals, snapshots, cartridge labels, etc.

Kemulator, which concentrates on several different emulators (Super Nintendo, Stella, MESS, etc.)

Stella Shell, which has been around the longest.

INI File

This version of Stella has support for INI files. This file can contain your default options, and eliminates the need to specify them on the command line. Any options specified on the command line will override those in the INI file.

Stella searches for an INI file in two places. First, it will look for .stellarc in your home directory. Then, it will look for stellarc in the /etc directory.

The syntax for the INI file is very straightforward. Any line starting with a ';' character is considered a comment and is ignored. Other lines must be of the form: command = value, where command is the same as that specified on the command line (without the '-' character), and value is dependent on the command.

For example, the following table illustrates how command line and INI entries are similar:

Command Line | INI File
--- | ---
-display localhost | display = localhost
-volume 75 | volume = 75
-showinfo | showinfo = 1

See the sample stellarc file for more information.

# 6. Keyboard Layout

The Atari 2600 console controls and controllers are mapped to the computer's keyboard as shown in the following tables:

Console Controls

Key | Function
--- | ---
Escape | Exit game/emulator
F1 | Select Game
F2 | Reset Game
F3 | Color TV
F4 | Black/White TV
F5 | Left Player Difficulty B
F6 | Left Player Difficulty A
F7 | Right Player Difficulty B
F8 | Right Player Difficulty A
F12 | Save snapshot (if supported)

Joystick Controller

Left Joystick | Right Joystick
--- | ---

Key | Function
--- | ---
W, Up arrow | Joystick Up
S, Down arrow | Joystick Down
A, Left arrow | Joystick Left
D, Right arrow | Joystick Right
Tab, Space | Fire Button

Key | Function
--- | ---
O | Joystick Up
L | Joystick Down
K | Joystick Left
; | Joystick Right
J | Fire Button

Booster-Grip Controller

Left Booster-Grip | Right Booster-Grip
--- | ---

Key | Function
--- | ---
W, Up arrow | Booster-Grip Up
S, Down arrow | Booster-Grip Down
A, Left arrow | Booster-Grip Left
D, Right arrow | Booster-Grip Right
Tab, Space | Fire Button
1, Z | Trigger Button
2, X | Booster Button

Key | Function
--- | ---
O | Booster-Grip Up
L | Booster-Grip Down
K | Booster-Grip Left
; | Booster-Grip Right
J | Fire Button
N | Trigger Button
M | Booster Button

Driving Controller

Left Driving | Right Driving
--- | ---

Key | Function
--- | ---
A, Left Arrow | Left
D, Right Arrow | Right
Tab, Space | Button

Key | Function
--- | ---
K | Left
; | Right
J | Button

Keypad Controller

Left Keypad | Right Keypad
--- | ---

Key | Keypad Button
--- | ---
1 | 1
2 | 2
3 | 3
Q | 4
W | 5
E | 6
A | 7
S | 8
D | 9
Z | .
X | 0
C | #

Key | Keypad Button
--- | ---
8 | 1
9 | 2
0 | 3
I | 4
O | 5
P | 6
K | 7
L | 8
; | 9
, | .
. | 0
/ | #

Other Keys

The following keys are not present in all versions, so they are listed by version here:

Key | Function | Version
--- | --- | ---
= | Resize window to next larger size | X11, SDL
- | Resize window to next smaller size | X11, SDL
g | Grab mouse (keep mouse in game window) | X11, SDL
h | Hide cursor (hide cursor in game window) | X11, SDL
Alt + Enter | Toggle fullscreen/windowed mode | SDL
Pause | Pause/resume emulation | DOS, X11, SDL

# 7. Game Properties

Stella uses game properties to specify the "best" emulator settings for a game. As of Version 1.2 of Stella, there are no longer any properties built-in. You must download the latest stella.pro file from the maintainer, Erik Kovach, here.

## DOS

The DOS version of Stella looks for a property file stella.pro in the current working directory. If this file isn't found then the emulator will try to guess the best settings for the game.

## Linux and Unix

The Linux and Unix versions of Stella looks for the property file .stella.pro in your home directory. If this file is not found there, Stella will look for a stella.pro file in the /etc/ directory. If the file isn't found in either place, then the emulator wil try to guess the best settings for the game.

## Property File

A property file consists of some number of blocks. Each block in the file contains the properties for a single game. For example the general format of a property file is:

       ; Comments
       "Cartridge.Name"      "Value"
       "Property"            "Value"
       ""

       ; Comments
       "Cartridge.Name"      "Value"
       "Property"            "Value"
       ""

       . . .

       ; Comments
       "Cartridge.Name"      "Value"
       "Property"            "Value"
       ""

Every block in the property file must have a unique value for the Cartridge.Name and Cartridge.MD5 properties.

## Properties

Each block in a property file consists of a set of properties for a single game. Stella supports the properties described below:

Cartridge.Filename: | This property indicates the name of the file containing the ROM image. In general this property is not needed, however, if present Stella uses it while attempting to match a game with its block of properties. If the value of the property matches the filename of the ROM image then Stella uses that block of properties for the game.
Cartridge.MD5: | This property indicates the MD5 checksum of the ROM image as a string of hexadecimal digits. Stella uses this property while attempting to match a game with its block of properties. If the value of the property matches the MD5 checksum of the ROM image then Stella uses that block of properties for the game. You can use the GNU md5sum program, which is included with most Linux distributions, to calculate the MD5 checksum of a ROM image.
Cartridge.Manufacturer: | This property indicates the game's manufacturer. Currently this property is not being used, however, future versions of Stella will probably allow the user to view this information.
Cartridge.ModelNo: | This property indicates the manufacturer's model number for the game. Currently this property is not being used, however, future versions of Stella will probably allow the user to view this information.
Cartridge.Name: | This property indicates the actual name of the game. It is very important that this property's value be unique from all other cartridge names in the property file.
Cartridge.Note: | This property contains any special notes about playing the game. Currently this property is not being used, however, future versions of Stella will probably allow the user to view this information.
Cartridge.Type: | This property indicates the bank-switching type for the game. The value of this property must be: Auto-detect, 2K, 3F, 4K, AR, E0, E7, F4SC, F6, F6SC, F8, F8SC, FASC, or FE. For more information about bank-switching see Kevin Horton's 2600 bank-switching document.
Console.LeftDifficulty: | This property indicates the default difficulty setting for the left player. The value of this property must be A or B.
Console.RightDifficulty: | This property indicates the default difficulty setting for the right player. The value of this property must be A or B.
Console.TelevisionType: | This property indicates the default television setting for the game. The value of this property must be Color or BlankAndWhite.
Controller.Left: | This property indicates what type of controller the left player uses. The value of this property must be Booster-Grip, Driving, Keyboard, Paddles, or Joystick.
Controller.Right: | This property indicates what type of controller the right player uses. The value of this property must be Booster-Grip, Driving, Keyboard, Paddles, or Joystick.
Display.Format: | This property indicates the television format the game was designed for. The value of this property must be NTSC or PAL.
Display.XStart: | This property indicates the horizontal location to start displaying pixels at on a scan-line. The value of this property must be n such that 0 < n < 80 and n is divisible by 4.
Display.Width: | This property indicates the number of pixels to display per scan-line. The value of this property must be n such that 80 < n < 160 and n is divisible by 4.
Display.YStart: | This property indicates the scan-line to start displaying at. The value of this property must be n such that 0 < n < 64.
Display.Height: | This property indicates the number of scan-lines to display. The value of this property must be n such that 100 < n < 256.
Emulation.CPU: | This property indicates the CPU emulation quality. The value of this property must be High or Low.
Emulation.HmoveBlanks: | This property indicates whether the TIA HMOVE blank bug should be emulated or not. The value of this property must be Yes or No.

# 8. Real Paddle Adaptor

The DOS and Linux versions of Stella support real Atari 2600 paddles using a special adaptor which connects to the PC game port. The adaptor requires the following parts:

- 1 DB15 male connector (joystick extension cable plugs into this)
- 2 DB9 male connectors (paddles plug into these)
- 4 115k resistors
- 1 Small project box
- 1 Joystick extension cable
- Some wire or ribbon cable

Most of these parts can be found at Radio Shack. I could not find a DB15 connector there or the 115k resistors, however, if you're willing to sacrifice a joystick extension cable you can do without the DB15 connector and you can always place a 100k resistor and 15k resistor in series to make a 115k resistor. A schematic of the adaptor is shown below:

As you build the adaptor be careful not to short the +5V and GND connections. Although several people have built this adaptor and use it no guarantee is given that the circuit is error free therefore USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!

# 9. Acknowledgments

Bradford W. Mott started developing Stella during the fall of 1995 and since then a number of people from around the world have contributed to the project. Some people have provided technical help while others have offered suggestions and praise. The Stella Team is grateful for all the help and support it has received over the years. The following is an incomplete list of the people who have played a part in bringing Stella to you:

Stephen Anthony | Ported Stella 1.1 to SDL. Added extra command line options to X11/SDL versions. Added INI file support, faster startup, snapshot support, and pause functionality to core. Converted Stella 1.1 manual to HTML
David Aspell | Ported release 0.7 of Stella to Java
Christopher Bennett | Helped discover a Superchanger emulation bug in release 1.0 of Stella
Alexander Bilstein | Provided "A Brief History of the Atari 2600" for this manual
Dan Boris | Provided technical information on the Supercharger
Piero Cavina | Allowed "Oystron" to be included in the Stella distribution
Bob Colbert | Allowed "Okie Dokie" to be included in the Stella distribution
Joe D'Andrea | Author of the IRIX port of Stella until release 1.2
Renato Ferreira | Provided code to support private colormaps under Unix
Ron Fries | Author of the awesome TIA Sound library
Aaron Giles | Author of the Power Macintosh version of Stella until release 1.1
Mark Hahn | Allowed "Elk Attack" to be included in the Stella distribution and provided help with the TIA HMOVE blank bug
Kevin Horton | Author of the definitive Atari 2600 bank-switching document
Thomas Jentzsch | Provided updated NTSC palette and many ideas
Erik Kovach | Author of the property file for release 0.7, 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 of Stella
Daniel Marks | Provided improved keyboard joystick support for Stella release 0.1
James Mcclain | Provided patches for the 1.2 release to get Stella to compile with GCC 3.0
David McEwen | Author of the Acorn version of Stella
Jeff Miller | Author of the Windows version of Stella until release 1.2
Dan Mowczan | Provided a Supercharger to help with Stella's development
Jack Nutting | Author of the OpenStep version of Stella
Manuel Polik | Author of the Windows version of Stella starting with the 1.2 release
Jim Pragit | Author of the "Game Menu" emulator game shell
John Saeger | Participated in a helpful discussion on understanding the TIA's RESPx multi-sprite trick
Chris Salomon | Provided information and code to help implement Supercharger support
Jason Scott | Organizer of the property file archive for early versions of Stella; now he's helping with the web site
David Shaw | Provided make targets for the BSDI platform
Raul Silva | Helped with design and graphics for an early version of the Stella web site
Chris Snell | Maintained a mirror of the Stella FTP site
Darrell Spice Jr. | Author of the OS/2 version of Stella
John Stiles | Current maintainer of the Macintosh Stella port
Eckhard Stolberg | Provided a description of the TIA bug that produces the star field effect in Cosmic Ark, provided the PAL television palette, and participated in a helpful discussion on understanding the TIA's RESPx multi-sprite trick. He also provided the Commavid and Megaboy support for Stella as well as some improved Supercharger BIOS code.
Matthew Stroup | Author of the Amiga version of Stella
Joel Sutton | Author of the FreeBSD version of Stella
Greg Troutman | Allowed "This Planet Sucks" to be included in the Stella distribution
Curt Vendel | Provided schematics of the TIA which are being used to improve the TIA emulation.
Brian Watson | Helped with getting the illegal CPU instruction support working with Stella. Brian also submitted a number of other changes, such as debugger support, which will be integrated into the 1.3 release of Stella.
Keith Wilkins | Maintained the DOS version of Stella until release 0.7
Jeff Wisnia | Provided technical data sheet for the 6532 RIOT chip

# 10. License and Disclaimer

## GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE

Version 2, June 1991

    Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
    59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307, USA

    Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
    of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

## Preamble

The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public License applies to most of the Free Software Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by the GNU Library General Public License instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too.

When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.

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## TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

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NO WARRANTY

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