System Routines

The Bally Arcade's onboard subroutines provide dozens of useful services for programming Bally software, from drawing rectangles, to incrementing game timers, to capturing control handle input. These system routines form the central framework of all Bally Arcade software.

Categories

System routines are divided into five categories based upon their general functions:

  • The Screen Handler provides routines for creating screen images, including facilities for initialization, pattern, and character display, coordinate conversion, and object vectors.
  • The Interrupt Scheduler handles systems dependent upon timing, i.e., counters, timers, music, and interrupts.
  • The Math routines manipulate BCD and decimal numbers and store/transfer data.

The Nutting Manual lists slightly different system subsections on its opening page, within the system routine descriptions, and in the operating system source listing. The Better Bally Book favors the subsections organized in the source listing (pp. 6–7) both due to their logical organization and due to their complete listing of otherwise undocumented system routines.

Onboard Subroutines

SR# Arguments Name Function
00 none INTPC Initiates multiple subroutine calls.
02 none XINTC/EXIT Performs an ending function for multiple subroutine calls.
04 L,H RCALL Jumps immediately to location specified by HL.
06 L,H MCALL “CALL” for subroutines. Nests a multiple subroutine call. HL specifies data location.
08 none MRET “RET” for subroutines. Performs a POP AF and POP HL. (Aborts a nest.)
10 L,H MJUMP “JP” for subroutines. A logical nested subroutine jump. Execution of subroutines starts over at location HL.
12 B SUCK Performs a SACRED register load according to B.
14 none ACTINT Interrupt Service Routine. Executes SR16 on 4FD5–4FD8 and SR0200 every interrupt.
16 C DECCTS Checks locations 4FD5–4FDC according to bits of C (Bit 0 = 4FD5).
18 IXl,IXh,A,L,H BMUSIC Sound Generator. Enter with IX pointing to a work area, HL pointing to parameter string. Sound parameters are in sets.
20 none EMUSIC Stops all sound output. Sets (4FEA) and (4FF9) to 00. Outputs 00 to port 18, 8 times.
22 D,B,A SETOUT Outputs D to port 0A, B to port 09, A to port 0E.
24 L,H COLSET Output color specifications.
26 E,D,C,B,A FILL Stores A in BC bytes starting at location DE.
28 E,D,C,B,A RECTAN Display Solid Color in 4000 area.
30 IXl,IXh,L,H VWRITR Load A with (IX+00), D with (IX+0B), E with (IX+06), set bit 6 in (IX+01) and execute SR32, 34, 36, and 38.
32 E,D,A,L,H WRITR Enter with HL pointing to first of four bytes of data. Increment E (horizontal dot number) by (HL) and increment D (vertical dot number) by (HL+1). Execute SR34, 36, and 38 with HL incremented by 2.
34 E,D,A,L,H WRITP Pick up C (# bytes/horizontal line) from (HL) and B (number of horizontal lines) from (HL+1). Execute SR36 and 38 with HL incremented by 2.
36 E,D,C,B,A,L,H WRIT Calculate CRT index from V/H dot number in DE by executing SR56. Index (0000 area) returned in DE. Execute SR38.
38 E,D,C,B,A,L,H WRITA Move CRT data. Moves C bytes of data from location HL to location DE.
40 IXl,IXh,E,D VBLANK
42 E,D,B,L,H BLANK Display solid color.
44 E,D,C,B,L,H SAVE Move CRT Data. Moves C bytes of data from HL to DE+2.
46 E,D,L,H RESTOR Move data to CRT.
48 E,D,C,B,L,H SCROLL Block moves. Moves C bytes from (HL+DE) to (HL). Increments HL by DE and repeats B times.
50 E,D,C,A CHRDIS Character display subroutine. See routine 52.
52 E,D,C,L,H STRDIS String display routine.
54 E,D,C,L,H DISNUM Display BCD numbers at location HL.
56 A RELABS Same as SR58 except DE is not forced to 4000 area and resultant A is output to port 0C.
58 A RELAB1 Calculate display buffer address.
60 IXl,IXh,C,L,H VECTC
62 IXl,IXh,L,H VECT
64 none KCTASC Gets ASCII calculator key code to A. (Table at 0ADB). Expects raw key number in B on entry.
66 E,D SENTRY Gets player inputs.
68 L,H DOIT Jump Table. Used for input devices. Expects device number in A on entry. HL points to table. Entries are in 3's; last entry denoted by word 0 >= C0.
70 L,H DOITB Same routine as SR68, but uses B (normally device input value)
72 none PIZBRK Blank TV screen. Wait for any switch input and re-enable TV screen.
74 E,D,L,H MENU Menu display routine. DE = address of message for top of screen (e.g. SELECT GAME). HL points to first linked list of menu specifications.
76 C,B,A,L,H GETPAR Option selection routine. DE = address of OPTION (usually name of game) to be displayed at top of screen. Routine displays ENTER followed by message pointed to by BC, then calls SR78 for input of number of digits specified by A. Digits are stored at HL.
78 E,D,C,B,L,H GETNUM Get OPTION/MENU selection user inputs.
80 B PAWS Waits for B interrupts then returns.
82 E,D,C DISTIM Display time at 4FEE and 4FED in 3×5 characters.
84 L,H INCSCR UP-TIMER. Increments a user's 6-digit BCD number pointed to by HL.
86 L,H INDEXN Gets BCD digit C from string starting at location HL and places it in A. Digit 0 is LSD of location HL.
88 L,H STOREN Replace BCD digit C in number starting at location HL with contents of 4 LSB of A. LSD of location HL is LSD of number and is accessed with C = 0.
90 L,H INDEXW Jump table index. Gets contents of HL+A*2 to DE. Saves DE and HL in SACRED DE and HL.
92 L,H INDEXB Data table index. Increments HL by A. Gets (HL) to SACRED A and HL to SACRED HL.
94 E,D,C,B,L,H MOVE Performs an LDIR.
96 B,L,H SHIFTU Insert BCD digit in A at LSD of location HL. Ripple left B locations. (If B is odd, it is forced to next higher even number, 62D max.)
98 E,D,B,L,H BCDADD ADD. DE = address of addend, HL = address of Augend, B = number of locations to add. Sum is left at (DE).
100 E,D,B,L,H BCDSUB SUBTRACT. DE = address of minuend, HL = address of subtrahend, B = number of locations to subtract. Difference is left at (DE).
102 E,D,B,L,H BCDMUL MULTIPLY. DE = address of multiplicand, HL = address of multiplier, B = number of locations to multiply. Product is left at (DE).
104 E,D,B,L,H BCDDIV DIVIDE. DE = address of divisor, HL = address of dividend, B = number of locations in number. Quotient left at [DE??].
106 B,L,H BCDCHS Toggles bit 7 of location (HL+B-1).
108 E,D,B BCDNEG Perform 10s complement on BCD string if string is negative.
110 E,D,B,L,H DADD Performs a BCD addition of B locations adding HL locations to DE locations. Returns with SACRED F carry set if last digit was 99. Sum is left at location (DE).
112 E,D,B DSMG Checks location (DE+B-1). If less than 50H, returns. If greater than or equal to 50H, performs 10s complement of B location's long number starting at DE. Leaves bit 7 = 1 in location (DE+B-1).
114 E,D,B DABS Checks bit 7 of location (DE+B-1); if clear, returns. If set, loads location (DE+B-1) with 00 and increments SACRED C.
116 B,L,H NEGT Performs a 10s complement conversion of B bytes of BCD data starting at location HL.
118 A RANGED Random number generator.
120 none QUIT GAME OVER.
122 A,L,H SETB Performs a LD (HL),A.
124 E,D,L,H SETW Executes a LD (HL),DE
126 E,D,C,L,H MSKTD Joystick manipulation.
none STIMER Timer subroutine. Executed every interrupt by SR14 (ACTINT). If user has interrupts and does not call SR14 (ACTINT) during interrupts, they should call STIMER during their interrupt service routine.
L,H CTIMER Decrements location specified by HL.

Reference: Bally On-Board ROM Subroutines [PDF]