Using Atari Cartridge Memory

I have an Atari 800, and am currently writing a text-adventure game using the Assembler Editor cartridge. I hope to run the program without the cartridge when I'm finished. How can I use the 8K block of RAM used by cartridge (not to mention all those zero-page pointers that the cartridge uses)? Does it have to go to waste? I hope not, because I'll need all the memory I can get for this thing.

John Bushakra

No, the memory need not be wasted, but you cannot test the program with the Assembler Editor. Just define the memory you need, then assemble your program to disk. The object code will not go into memory, but will become an executable object file on the disk. The syntax is:

ASM,, # D:filename

You can then take all the cartridges out of your machine, boot DOS, then Load Binary File. If you make these the last two lines of your machine code

* = $2E0
.WOR START

where START is a label for the start address, your program will run automatically after it is RUN. Otherwise, you'll have to use Run At Address to start your program from DOS.