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millfork/docs/api/famicom-programming-guide.md
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# Famicom/NES programming guide
## Program lifecycle
The default Famicom vectors are defined as following:
* on reset, the predefined `on_reset` routine is called, which in turn calls `main`.
The `main` routine is not allowed to return, or the program will crash.
* on NMI, the default interrupt handler calls the `nmi` routine.
It should not be defined as `interrupt`, the handler is, so your routine shouldn't.
* on IRQ, the default interrupt handler calls the `irq` routine.
It should not be defined as `interrupt`, the handler is, so your routine shouldn't.
The minimal Famicom program thus looks like this:
void main() {
init_rw_memory()
// initialize things
while(true) { }
}
void irq() {
// do things
}
void nmi() {
// do things
}
## Mappers
To use a mapper of your choice, create a new `.ini` file with the definitions you need.
The most important ones are `[output]format` and `[allocation]segments`.
Currently, its a bit inconvenient to create programs using mappers that change the bank containing the interrupt vectors.
Therefore, it's recommended to stick to mappers that have a fixed bank at the end of the address space.
Mappers that should be fine: NROM (0), CNROM (1), UxROM(2), MMC2 (9), MMC3 (4), MMC4 (10), MMC6 (4).
Mappers that can have arbitrary bank at the end are therefore not recommended: MMC1 (1), MMC5 (5).
You should define at least three segments:
* `default` from $200 to $7FF, it will represent the physical RAM of the console.
* `chrrom` (sample name) from $0000 to $1FFF, it will represent the CHRROM
(if you need more, you can make it bigger, up to $ffff, or even add another segment of CHRROM).
Put there only arrays with pattern tables. Don't read from them directly, it won't work.
* `prgrom` (sample name) it will contain the code of your program and read-only data.
Each segment should be defined in a range it is going to be switched into.
You should set the `default_code_segment` to the segment that contains the $FFxx addresses.
If your mapper supports it, you can add more CHRROM or PRGROM segments,
just specify them correctly in the `[output]format` tag.
The `[output]format` tag should contain a valid iNES or NES 2.0 header of the mapper of your choice
and then all the segments in proper order (first PRGROM, then CHRROM).
See [the MMC4 example](../../include/nes_mmc4.ini) to see how it can be done.
See [the NesDev wiki](https://wiki.nesdev.com/w/index.php/NES_2.0) for more info about the NES 2.0 file format.