romdev-mcp 0.1.1

package/src/platforms/atari2600/tia.js

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+// Atari 2600 TIA helpers.
+//
+// The 2600 is unlike everything else this MCP supports: no tile-based BG,
+// no separate framebuffer. The CPU + TIA cooperate at *scanline* scope:
+//   - TIA has 5 graphics objects: 2 players (8px each), 2 missiles, 1 ball.
+//   - Background is the 20-bit "playfield" (PF0/PF1/PF2 registers) drawn
+//     as a 20-column 1-bit pattern repeated or reflected across each line.
+//   - Color is set via 4 8-bit COLU* registers (P0/P1/PF/BK).
+//   - Each frame is composed by the CPU re-writing TIA regs every scanline
+//     (the "racing the beam" model).
+//
+// So "inspectSprites" for the 2600 means decoding the CURRENT TIA register
+// snapshot, not a list of OAM entries. The kernel determines what actually
+// renders — we report what state the TIA is in at the moment of the snapshot.
+
+import { PNG } from "pngjs";
+
+// ─── NTSC palette ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// 128 colors arranged as 16 hues × 8 luminances. The TIA color register
+// stores (hue << 4) | (lum << 1) — bit 0 is unused.
+// Source: standard NTSC palette derivation (Stella's defaults).
+
+/** Convert a TIA color register byte to an RGB triple. */
+export function tiaColorToRgb(byte) {
+  const hue = (byte >> 4) & 0x0F;
+  const lum = (byte >> 1) & 0x07;
+  return NTSC_PALETTE[hue * 8 + lum];
+}
+
+// NTSC palette — 16 × 8 = 128 entries. Derived from the canonical
+// "stella default" / "Atari Age" 2600 NTSC chart.
+export const NTSC_PALETTE = (() => {
+  // Each hue's brightness sweeps from dark→light. We approximate Stella's
+  // values; the exact RGB doesn't matter as long as agents see consistent
+  // color identity.
+  const hues = [
+    { r: 0x00, g: 0x00, b: 0x00 },   // 0: grayscale
+    { r: 0x44, g: 0x44, b: 0x00 },   // 1: gold/khaki
+    { r: 0x70, g: 0x28, b: 0x00 },   // 2: orange
+    { r: 0x84, g: 0x18, b: 0x00 },   // 3: brick red
+    { r: 0x88, g: 0x00, b: 0x14 },   // 4: pink/red
+    { r: 0x78, g: 0x00, b: 0x5C },   // 5: purple
+    { r: 0x48, g: 0x00, b: 0x78 },   // 6: violet
+    { r: 0x14, g: 0x00, b: 0x84 },   // 7: blue
+    { r: 0x00, g: 0x18, b: 0x88 },   // 8: blue-cyan
+    { r: 0x00, g: 0x2C, b: 0x78 },   // 9: cyan
+    { r: 0x00, g: 0x44, b: 0x54 },   // A: cyan-green
+    { r: 0x00, g: 0x54, b: 0x14 },   // B: green
+    { r: 0x14, g: 0x60, b: 0x00 },   // C: yellow-green
+    { r: 0x40, g: 0x58, b: 0x00 },   // D: olive
+    { r: 0x70, g: 0x48, b: 0x00 },   // E: olive-orange
+    { r: 0x70, g: 0x30, b: 0x00 },   // F: brown/orange
+  ];
+  const out = [];
+  for (let h = 0; h < 16; h++) {
+    for (let l = 0; l < 8; l++) {
+      // Lum 0 = darkest, 7 = brightest. Mix toward black or white at
+      // the extremes. The base hue is at lum 4.
+      const base = hues[h];
+      const t = l / 7;  // 0..1
+      // Linear toward white as t→1; toward black as t→0; base color at midpoint.
+      const r = Math.round(base.r * 0.5 + 255 * t * 0.5);
+      const g = Math.round(base.g * 0.5 + 255 * t * 0.5);
+      const b = Math.round(base.b * 0.5 + 255 * t * 0.5);
+      out.push([r, g, b]);
+    }
+  }
+  return out;
+})();
+
+/**
+ * Render the full 128-color NTSC palette as a 16×8 swatch PNG.
+ * Use as the -remap target for dithering input images to the TIA's palette.
+ */
+export function renderNtscPalettePng() {
+  const cell = 16;
+  const w = 8 * cell;
+  const h = 16 * cell;
+  const png = new PNG({ width: w, height: h });
+  for (let i = 0; i < 128; i++) {
+    const hue = i >> 3;
+    const lum = i & 7;
+    const cx = lum * cell;
+    const cy = hue * cell;
+    const [r, g, b] = NTSC_PALETTE[i];
+    for (let y = 0; y < cell; y++) {
+      for (let x = 0; x < cell; x++) {
+        const o = ((cy + y) * w + (cx + x)) * 4;
+        png.data[o + 0] = r;
+        png.data[o + 1] = g;
+        png.data[o + 2] = b;
+        png.data[o + 3] = 0xff;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return PNG.sync.write(png);
+}
+
+// ─── TIA snapshot decoder ─────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/**
+ * Decode the 32-byte TIA snapshot from a2600_tia_regs (see stella2014
+ * patch — TIA::snapshot lays it out). Returns structured fields.
+ */
+export function decodeTiaSnapshot(b) {
+  return {
+    vsync: !!(b[0] & 0x02),
+    vblank: {
+      hex: "0x" + b[1].toString(16).toUpperCase().padStart(2, "0"),
+      disable: !!(b[1] & 0x02),
+      latch: !!(b[1] & 0x40),
+      dump: !!(b[1] & 0x80),
+    },
+    nusiz0: {
+      hex: "0x" + b[2].toString(16).toUpperCase().padStart(2, "0"),
+      missileSize: 1 << ((b[2] >> 4) & 0x03),
+      playerCopies: nusizCopiesText(b[2] & 0x07),
+    },
+    nusiz1: {
+      hex: "0x" + b[3].toString(16).toUpperCase().padStart(2, "0"),
+      missileSize: 1 << ((b[3] >> 4) & 0x03),
+      playerCopies: nusizCopiesText(b[3] & 0x07),
+    },
+    colors: {
+      p0:  { byte: b[4], hex: "0x" + b[4].toString(16).toUpperCase().padStart(2, "0"), rgb: tiaColorToRgb(b[4]) },
+      p1:  { byte: b[5], hex: "0x" + b[5].toString(16).toUpperCase().padStart(2, "0"), rgb: tiaColorToRgb(b[5]) },
+      pf:  { byte: b[6], hex: "0x" + b[6].toString(16).toUpperCase().padStart(2, "0"), rgb: tiaColorToRgb(b[6]) },
+      bk:  { byte: b[7], hex: "0x" + b[7].toString(16).toUpperCase().padStart(2, "0"), rgb: tiaColorToRgb(b[7]) },
+    },
+    ctrlpf: {
+      hex: "0x" + b[8].toString(16).toUpperCase().padStart(2, "0"),
+      reflect: !!(b[8] & 0x01),
+      score: !!(b[8] & 0x02),
+      priority: !!(b[8] & 0x04),
+      ballSize: 1 << ((b[8] >> 4) & 0x03),
+    },
+    sprites: {
+      p0: {
+        graphics: b[14],
+        graphicsBin: b[14].toString(2).padStart(8, "0"),
+        reflected: !!b[9],
+        delayedDraw: !!b[24],
+        horizMotion: signedNibble(b[19]),
+      },
+      p1: {
+        graphics: b[15],
+        graphicsBin: b[15].toString(2).padStart(8, "0"),
+        reflected: !!b[10],
+        delayedDraw: !!b[25],
+        horizMotion: signedNibble(b[20]),
+      },
+      missile0: { enabled: !!b[16], horizMotion: signedNibble(b[21]) },
+      missile1: { enabled: !!b[17], horizMotion: signedNibble(b[22]) },
+      ball:     { enabled: !!b[18], horizMotion: signedNibble(b[23]), delayed: !!b[26] },
+    },
+    playfield: {
+      // PF0 is high-nibble-of-4-bits (only bits 4-7 displayed); PF1 + PF2 are full 8-bit.
+      // Width on screen: 20 columns. Bit order: PF0[7..4] left-to-right, PF1[0..7] (reversed!),
+      // PF2[7..0] (forward).
+      pf0: b[11] & 0x0F,                            // 4-bit
+      pf1: b[12],
+      pf2: b[13],
+      pattern20bit: ((b[11] & 0xF0) >> 4)           // PF0 high nybble
+                  | (reverseBits(b[12]) << 4)        // PF1 reversed
+                  | (b[13] << 12),                   // PF2 forward
+    },
+    audio: {
+      ch0: { control: b[27], frequency: b[29], volume: (b[31] >> 4) & 0x0F },
+      ch1: { control: b[28], frequency: b[30], volume: b[31] & 0x0F },
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+function nusizCopiesText(n) {
+  return ({
+    0: "1 copy",
+    1: "2 copies, close",
+    2: "2 copies, medium",
+    3: "3 copies, close",
+    4: "2 copies, wide",
+    5: "double size",
+    6: "3 copies, medium",
+    7: "quad size",
+  })[n] ?? "unknown";
+}
+
+function signedNibble(b) {
+  // HMP/HMM/HMBL high nibble = signed 4-bit motion (-8..+7).
+  const v = (b >> 4) & 0x0F;
+  return v >= 8 ? v - 16 : v;
+}
+
+function reverseBits(b) {
+  b = ((b >> 1) & 0x55) | ((b & 0x55) << 1);
+  b = ((b >> 2) & 0x33) | ((b & 0x33) << 2);
+  b = ((b >> 4) & 0x0F) | ((b & 0x0F) << 4);
+  return b & 0xFF;
+}
+
+// ─── Live snapshots ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/**
+ * Read the live TIA snapshot from the running emulator + return generic
+ * "rendering context"-style output.
+ */
+export function snapshotTia(host) {
+  const bytes = host.readMemory("a26_tia_regs", 0, 32);
+  return decodeTiaSnapshot(bytes);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Render a palette PNG showing the 4 currently-active colors (P0/P1/PF/BK)
+ * + their numeric register values. Used by inspectPalette.
+ */
+export function snapshotPaletteSwatch(host) {
+  const tia = snapshotTia(host);
+  const colors = [
+    { name: "P0",  reg: tia.colors.p0 },
+    { name: "P1",  reg: tia.colors.p1 },
+    { name: "PF",  reg: tia.colors.pf },
+    { name: "BK",  reg: tia.colors.bk },
+  ];
+  const cell = 32;
+  const png = new PNG({ width: 4 * cell, height: cell });
+  for (let i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
+    const [r, g, b] = colors[i].reg.rgb;
+    for (let y = 0; y < cell; y++) {
+      for (let x = 0; x < cell; x++) {
+        const o = (y * 4 * cell + i * cell + x) * 4;
+        png.data[o + 0] = r;
+        png.data[o + 1] = g;
+        png.data[o + 2] = b;
+        png.data[o + 3] = 0xff;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return {
+    png: PNG.sync.write(png),
+    colors: colors.map((c, i) => ({
+      index: i,
+      name: c.name,
+      r: c.reg.rgb[0],
+      g: c.reg.rgb[1],
+      b: c.reg.rgb[2],
+      rawWord: c.reg.byte,
+    })),
+  };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Render the current sprite/playfield state as a single 160×1px PNG row
+ * showing what the kernel would draw for one scanline of the current TIA
+ * state. (More useful than a tile sheet for the 2600.)
+ *
+ * Note: this is a STATIC slice — the kernel re-writes TIA every scanline,
+ * so the actual frame composition can vary line-by-line. Pause + sample
+ * mid-frame to inspect a specific moment.
+ */
+export function snapshotScanline(host) {
+  const tia = snapshotTia(host);
+  const W = 160;
+  const png = new PNG({ width: W, height: 8 });
+  // Fill with BK color.
+  const [bkR, bkG, bkB] = tia.colors.bk.rgb;
+  for (let i = 0; i < png.data.length; i += 4) {
+    png.data[i + 0] = bkR;
+    png.data[i + 1] = bkG;
+    png.data[i + 2] = bkB;
+    png.data[i + 3] = 0xff;
+  }
+  // Draw playfield: 20 columns × 4 px each = 80 px (left half), then either
+  // reflected or repeated on right half depending on CTRLPF bit 0.
+  const pfBits = tia.playfield.pattern20bit;
+  const drawPf = (startX, columnWidth, mirror) => {
+    for (let col = 0; col < 20; col++) {
+      const bitIdx = mirror ? 19 - col : col;
+      if (pfBits & (1 << bitIdx)) {
+        const x0 = startX + col * columnWidth;
+        for (let y = 0; y < 8; y++) {
+          for (let dx = 0; dx < columnWidth; dx++) {
+            const x = x0 + dx;
+            if (x < 0 || x >= W) continue;
+            const o = (y * W + x) * 4;
+            png.data[o + 0] = tia.colors.pf.rgb[0];
+            png.data[o + 1] = tia.colors.pf.rgb[1];
+            png.data[o + 2] = tia.colors.pf.rgb[2];
+            png.data[o + 3] = 0xff;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  };
+  drawPf(0, 4, false);
+  drawPf(80, 4, tia.ctrlpf.reflect);
+
+  // Draw player 0/1 graphics as 8-px sprites — position is whatever
+  // the kernel set via RESP0/RESP1 (not exposed in our snapshot — the
+  // CPU has to issue these strobes). We render at default x=50/100 just
+  // to show shape.
+  const drawSprite = (gfx, reflected, x, color) => {
+    if (gfx === 0) return;
+    for (let bit = 0; bit < 8; bit++) {
+      const srcBit = reflected ? bit : 7 - bit;
+      if (gfx & (1 << srcBit)) {
+        const sx = x + bit;
+        if (sx < 0 || sx >= W) continue;
+        for (let y = 0; y < 8; y++) {
+          const o = (y * W + sx) * 4;
+          png.data[o + 0] = color[0];
+          png.data[o + 1] = color[1];
+          png.data[o + 2] = color[2];
+          png.data[o + 3] = 0xff;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  };
+  drawSprite(tia.sprites.p0.graphics, tia.sprites.p0.reflected, 40, tia.colors.p0.rgb);
+  drawSprite(tia.sprites.p1.graphics, tia.sprites.p1.reflected, 100, tia.colors.p1.rgb);
+
+  return {
+    png: PNG.sync.write(png),
+    width: W,
+    height: 8,
+    note: "One-scanline TIA composition snapshot. Real 2600 games re-write " +
+      "TIA every scanline — this shows the state at the moment of capture. " +
+      "Player positions are drawn at default x=40/100 since RESP0/RESP1 " +
+      "are strobes (no register holds the result).",
+  };
+}
+
+// ─── CPU state decode (6502 / 6507) ────────────────────────────────
+
+/**
+ * Decode the 7-byte CPU snapshot from a26_cpu_regs.
+ * Layout: pc_lo, pc_hi, a, x, y, p, sp.
+ */
+export function decodeA26CpuState(b) {
+  const pc = b[0] | (b[1] << 8);
+  const p = b[5];
+  return {
+    pc,
+    sp: 0x100 | b[6],   // 6502 SP is the low byte of $0100+SP
+    registers: { A: b[2], X: b[3], Y: b[4], P: p, SP: b[6] },
+    flags: {
+      N: !!(p & 0x80),
+      V: !!(p & 0x40),
+      B: !!(p & 0x10),
+      D: !!(p & 0x08),
+      I: !!(p & 0x04),
+      Z: !!(p & 0x02),
+      C: !!(p & 0x01),
+      raw: "0x" + p.toString(16).toUpperCase().padStart(2, "0"),
+    },
+  };
+}

package/src/platforms/atari7800/MENTAL_MODEL.md

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+# Atari 7800 — mental model
+
+One page. Read once before you write your first 7800 game. The
+TROUBLESHOOTING.md alongside this file is for when something's broken;
+this is the "what's going on" version.
+
+The 7800 is the **outlier** of romdev's bundled platforms — its
+architecture differs sharply from the NES / SMS / GB. If you've
+worked on those, **forget tilemaps + sprite-attribute tables**.
+The 7800 has neither.
+
+## CPU memory map (6502 6502C "Sally")
+
+```
+$0000-$001F   TIA-shadow registers (audio + some 2600-compatibility)
+$0020-$003F   MARIA video registers
+$0040-$00FF   zero-page RAM (general use)
+$0140-$01FF   stack
+$0200-$021F   shadow regs (RIOT)
+$0280-$02FF   RIOT (joysticks, console switches, timer)
+$1800-$27FF   work RAM (4 KB — yes, only 4 KB!)
+$8000-$FFFF   ROM (32 KB single-bank; bankswitching for larger carts)
+```
+
+**4 KB of RAM** is the binding constraint. Most other consoles have
+8–128 KB. You CANNOT software-render a frame buffer; you must use
+MARIA's display lists.
+
+## MARIA: the unusual one
+
+There's no PPU. There's no tile map. There's no sprite attribute
+table. Instead, the **MARIA graphics processor** consumes a
+**display list** describing the screen each frame.
+
+Hierarchy:
+
+```
+DPP (Display List Pointer) — fixed CPU register
+  ↓ points at
+DLL (Display List List) — variable-length list of zones
+  - each zone: how many scanlines tall + DL pointer + offset
+  ↓ each zone references
+DL  (Display List) — list of objects in that zone
+  - each entry: ROM pointer + width + X position + palette
+  ↓ each entry references
+graphics data — pixel bytes in ROM (or RAM)
+```
+
+Each frame, MARIA walks the DLL → walks each DL → DMA-copies the
+pixel data into the video output line by line. **You build the DL
+and DLL; you do NOT poke pixels into a framebuffer.**
+
+### Implications
+
+- **A "sprite" is a DL entry.** Add a 5-byte DL header → another
+  object draws.
+- **Per-scanline object limit ≈ 32.** Beyond that MARIA glitches
+  and (worse) burns enough cycles that the CPU stops getting time.
+- **Y position = which zone the object lives in.** Each zone covers
+  N scanlines. To move an object up/down, you move it between
+  zones. (Or — in our scaffolds — you stamp the same sprite at
+  different row offsets within ONE zone's data block, which fakes
+  Y movement.)
+- **Each DL header can pick a palette per object** (one of 8
+  palettes, 4 colours each — including the shared background).
+
+### Dynamic display lists — what to rebuild per frame (READ THIS)
+
+The single biggest 7800 footgun for a moving game: **do NOT rebuild the
+whole DLL + every DL from scratch every frame.** MARIA may be mid-walk
+when you do, and a full teardown/rebuild races the display DMA →
+flicker, corruption, or a hung screen. (This is the #1 thing that makes
+a 7800 game "work for one frame then fall apart.")
+
+The stable pattern is **build the structure ONCE, then patch in place**:
+
+| Thing | When to build it | Why |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| **DLL** (the zone list) | **Once, at init.** | Zone count + heights + DL pointers are your screen layout. It rarely changes. Point DPPH/DPPL at it once in `maria_init`. |
+| **DL headers' graphics pointer / palette** | **Per frame, in place.** | To animate or show/hide an object, overwrite the bytes of its EXISTING DL entry — don't relink the list. |
+| **DL header's X position** | **Per frame, in place.** | Horizontal movement = write the X byte of the object's existing DL header. Cheap and safe. |
+| **Moving an object vertically** | **Per frame, but carefully.** | Y = which zone. Either keep a DL entry in each zone and toggle which is "live" (set its width/graphics to a blank tile when hidden), or stamp the sprite at different row offsets inside one tall zone's data. Prefer the latter for a few objects. |
+| **Clearing stale objects** | **Per frame, targeted.** | Don't wipe the whole DL — overwrite just the entries that changed (set a hidden object's graphics pointer to a transparent/blank tile, or zero its width). |
+
+Practical recipe for a shmup/invaders-style game:
+1. `maria_init` — install the DLL once (e.g. a few fixed zones: HUD band,
+   play-field band, shield band). Never touched again.
+2. Pre-allocate a fixed set of DL entries per zone (player, N enemies,
+   shots) in RAM-backed DL data.
+3. Each frame: write only the X / graphics-pointer / palette bytes of the
+   entries that moved or changed; set width/graphics to "blank" for slots
+   that are inactive this frame.
+4. Never call your "build the entire display list" routine inside the
+   game loop — only the targeted byte writes.
+
+If the screen tears or hangs once motion starts, you're almost certainly
+rebuilding too much per frame. Pull the structural setup back into init.
+
+## MARIA registers
+
+```
+$20  BACKGRND   background colour (Atari colour byte)
+$21  P0C1       palette 0, colour 1
+$22  P0C2       palette 0, colour 2
+$23  P0C3       palette 0, colour 3
+... (P1C1..P7C3 follow same pattern)
+$24  WSYNC      write any value → CPU stalls to next scanline
+$28  MSTAT      read: bit 7 = vblank
+$2C  DPPH       DLL pointer high byte
+$30  DPPL       DLL pointer low byte
+$34  CHARBASE   indirect character mode base
+$3C  CTRL       MARIA control byte (see CTRL_* in maria_registers.h)
+```
+
+`CTRL` matters: `0x40` = "DMA enabled, kangaroo off, border off,
+colour-burst on". Forget `0x40` → MARIA doesn't render and the
+screen stays whatever colour the TIA latched.
+
+## Display list (DL) entry format
+
+Each entry in a DL describes one object MARIA draws on that zone's
+scanline. There are TWO entry forms — 4-byte (direct) and 5-byte
+(extended) — and MARIA picks based on the LOW 5 BITS of the mode
+byte at offset +1.
+
+### Picking the form
+
+```
+mode = DL[dp + 1]
+if (mode & 0x5F) == 0:       parse loop EXITS (DL terminator)
+elif (mode & 0x1F) != 0:     4-byte direct form
+else:                        5-byte extended form
+```
+
+The "loop continues" mask is `0x5F` (bits 0-4 + bit 6). Bit 5
+(indirect flag) and bit 7 (write-mode) do NOT keep the loop going
+by themselves.
+
+### 5-byte extended form (the bundled scaffolds use this)
+
+```
++0  pixel-data LOW byte
++1  bit 7 = write-mode (0 = 160A 2bpp, 1 = 320 1bpp)
+    bit 6 = MUST be 1 (or another loop-continuing bit) so MARIA
+            doesn't treat this entry as a terminator
+    bit 5 = indirect flag (0 = direct, 1 = char-mode lookup)
+    bits 0-4 = MUST be 0 to select 5-byte mode
++2  pixel-data HIGH byte
++3  bits 5-7 = palette index 0..7 (selects P0Cx..P7Cx)
+    bits 0-4 = width encoded as (32 - width_bytes), so width 4 → 28 = $1C
++4  X position (0..159 in MARIA cell units; one cell = 2 pixels at 320 px)
+```
+
+Canonical mode byte for "5-byte direct, write-mode 0, palette 0,
+width 4 bytes": `[0]=lo, [1]=$40, [2]=hi, [3]=$1C, [4]=X`.
+
+### 4-byte direct form
+
+```
++0  pixel-data LOW byte
++1  bits 5-7 = palette, bits 0-4 = (32 - width_bytes); must be NON-ZERO
++2  pixel-data HIGH byte
++3  X position
+```
+
+### DL terminator — critical
+
+MARIA reads the NEXT entry's mode byte at `dp + 1` AFTER advancing
+`dp` by the entry size (4 or 5 bytes). So a 5-byte entry needs the
+terminator at byte **6** of your array (= byte 1 of the next "entry").
+A 4-byte entry needs it at byte **5**.
+
+If your DL array is just barely long enough to hold the entry
+(6 bytes for a 5-byte entry), MARIA reads RANDOM MEMORY at offset
+6 as the mode byte — almost guaranteed to be non-zero — and walks
+off into garbage. **Always allocate one extra byte and zero it.**
+
+The bundled `MK_DL` macro in `templates/default.c` does this:
+`uint8_t name[7] = { 0, 0x40, 0, 0x1C, 80, 0, 0 }` — 5 entry bytes
++ a "next mode" terminator at index 6 (index 5 is unused padding).
+
+## Display List List (DLL) entry format
+
+```
++0  bit 7   = DLI (NMI on zone end — leave 0 unless you have a handler)
+    bit 6   = H16 (holey 16K DMA — leave 0)
+    bit 5   = H8  (holey 8K DMA — leave 0)
+    bits 0-3 = offset (zone_height - 1; 0 = 1 scanline, 15 = 16 scanlines)
++1  DL pointer HIGH byte
++2  DL pointer LOW byte
+```
+
+**DLL has NO terminator.** MARIA walks one entry per `offset+1`
+scanlines for the ENTIRE display area (243 scanlines on NTSC,
+including 10 lines of top overscan before the visible area).
+
+If your DLL is shorter than 243 entries, MARIA reads past the end
+into random memory and renders garbage zones. The bundled scaffold
+allocates 243 entries × 3 bytes = 729 bytes (fits easily in 4 KB
+internal RAM) and points every zone with no objects at a shared
+`dl_empty[2] = {0, 0}` terminator.
+
+## The per-scanline offset addressing quirk
+
+Within a multi-scanline zone (offset > 0), MARIA reads sprite data
+from `ADDR + (zone_height - 1 - line_in_zone) * 256`. So for an
+8-row sprite in an 8-line zone, row 0 (top) reads from `ADDR + $700`,
+row 1 from `ADDR + $600`, ..., row 7 from `ADDR + $0`.
+
+This forces page-aligned sprite layouts (8 separate 256-byte pages
+for an 8-row sprite) unless you pack many sprites per page.
+
+**Easy work-around:** make every zone 1 scanline tall (offset=0)
+and use one DL entry per sprite ROW. Then `offset` is always 0, the
+address quirk goes away, and you can store sprite rows back-to-back.
+The bundled scaffold uses this pattern.
+
+The cost is more DLL entries (one per scanline), but at 3 bytes each
+across 243 lines = 729 bytes total — trivial RAM cost. Worth it for
+the simpler mental model on a starter scaffold.
+
+## Colour bytes (Atari NTSC palette)
+
+The 7800 uses the **Atari NTSC palette** — same as the 2600. A
+colour byte is `HHHL` where:
+
+- `HHH` = hue (0..F, 0=grey)
+- `L`   = luminance (0..7, but 7800 doubles → 0..F)
+
+E.g. `0x46` = orange mid-brightness, `0x88` = blue dim, `0x0E` =
+white.
+
+## Input
+
+Joystick port A via `SWCHA` at `$280`. Active **low** — invert the
+read:
+
+```c
+uint8_t pad = ~SWCHA;
+if (pad & JOY_UP)    /* P1 up */
+if (pad & JOY_DOWN)  /* P1 down */
+if (pad & JOY_LEFT)  /* P1 left */
+if (pad & JOY_RIGHT) /* P1 right */
+```
+
+Fire button on `INPT4` at `$0C`, also active low.
+
+Console switches (reset, select, pause, B/W, difficulty) on
+`SWCHB` at `$282`.
+
+## Audio
+
+The 7800 still has the TIA audio chip from the 2600 — 2 channels,
+4-bit volume, 5-bit frequency, 4-bit tone shape. Registers at
+`$15-$1A`:
+
+```
+$15 AUDC0   channel 0 tone (0..15)
+$16 AUDC1   channel 1 tone
+$17 AUDF0   channel 0 frequency (0..31)
+$18 AUDF1   channel 1 frequency
+$19 AUDV0   channel 0 volume (0..15)
+$1A AUDV1   channel 1 volume
+```
+
+There's also a POKEY chip option in some 7800 cartridges (Ballblazer,
+Commando) for richer audio, but it's not standard — assume TIA-only
+for portable code.
+
+## Frame heartbeat
+
+```c
+for (;;) {
+    while (MSTAT & 0x80) { }      // wait for vblank to END
+    while (!(MSTAT & 0x80)) { }   // wait for it to START
+    /* update game state */
+    /* rebuild DL with new positions */
+}
+```
+
+`MSTAT` bit 7 = 1 during vblank. The double-while is a standard
+edge-detect: wait for the "currently in vblank" status to flip
+*off* (now in active rendering), then wait for it to come *back on*
+(vblank started fresh).
+
+## Cartridge layout
+
+```
+$0080-$00FF   "A78" header (32 bytes title + 32 bytes machine config)
+$0100-$7FFF   ROM (32 KB)
+$FFFC-$FFFD   reset vector
+$FFFE-$FFFF   IRQ vector (rarely used — most games poll MSTAT)
+```
+
+cc65's bundled atari7800.cfg handles the header + layout. You
+don't write the header yourself.
+
+## Build pipeline
+
+When you call `buildSource({platform:"atari7800", language:"c"})`:
+
+1. cc65 compiles your `.c` to 6502 `.s`.
+2. ca65 assembles each `.s` to `.o`.
+3. ld65 links + atari7800.cfg → flat `.a78` ROM.
+
+Loadable via prosystem (`loadMedia`).