Code own ROMs for Arcade Cabinet?

[PolarBear123]

Hello everyone. I made an Arcade Cabinet and I'm loving it. I can lay PacMan, Space Invaders, and even the newer homebrew games such as Nova the Squirrel and Alter Ego. It's a Pi 3B running RetroPie. A few ROMs, I must say, I downloaded from random websites, others I got from the Steam Atari pack, then there were some homebrew ones. Now I'm thinking about making my own. I can code Java and Python, preferably Python. Is there a way to code my own arcade games and then convert them somehow to a runnable ROM? And, is there a handy guide that could help me with it? If so that's very cool!
Thank you!

[topguy]

Does it have to be "arcade ROM" like or just anything that RetroPie can run ?

https://love2d.org/

[Timescale]

You can't just write something pretty in Python or Java that resembles some old arcade machine or console and expect a magic compiler to turn it into an executable ROM image for that system. If you want to write for those systems 6502, Z80 or 68K whatever, you have to actually code FOR those machines. Not even the CPU's, but the graphics chips, the memory setup and all the unique oddities that make up the hardware.

If you want to fake it, the world is you oyster of course. A typical RPi4 is powerful enough to run complex bitmap operations 60 times a second on a 320 by 200 grid IN a browser in a canvas element with pure javascript !!!! So you can do retro games in just any way you like! The RPi can handle.

So the question is, do you want to make a retro'esque game with modern tools, or do you want to experience coding to the metal of old machines. These are two different propositions which you should make clear.

[ejolson]

Hello everyone. I made an Arcade Cabinet and I'm loving it. I can lay PacMan, Space Invaders, and even the newer homebrew games such as Nova the Squirrel and Alter Ego. It's a Pi 3B running RetroPie. A few ROMs, I must say, I downloaded from random websites, others I got from the Steam Atari pack, then there were some homebrew ones. Now I'm thinking about making my own. I can code Java and Python, preferably Python. Is there a way to code my own arcade games and then convert them somehow to a runnable ROM? And, is there a handy guide that could help me with it? If so that's very cool!
Thank you!

Maybe read and follow this new book by the MagPi publishers

https://magpi.raspberrypi.org/books/retro-gaming

It looks like a lot of fun to me.

[PolarBear123]

Thank you all for your replies. I've looked at the 2D engine, that sounds good. Regarding the book, I don't seem to find instructions for programming something 'understandable' for the RetroPie, but I did find some interesting projects indeed.

Now, do you guys know if I could program a simple game in Python, for example, let us say Pygame, and then run it anyway with my joystick in my arcade cabinet using RetroPie? Is there a way to run Python files? A 'Python emulator', for example?

Thanks again!

[topguy]

Is there a way to run Python files?

Python is very likely already installed on the operating system or easy to just install..

A 'Python emulator', for example?

One could argue that the Python Emulator is Python.

I think you can configure Emulation Station to start almost anything.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/view ... hp?t=60906

[PolarBear123]

That solves it, thanks!