A seven-event Olympic athletics game written entirely in ATARI BASIC, created in 1984 by Mark Longo.
Atari Olympics is a classic multi-event sports game for the Atari 8-bit family (400/800/XL/XE). Programmed from scratch in ATARI BASIC with hand-crafted 6502 machine-language routines for smooth Player-Missile Graphics (hardware sprites), it puts you through seven Olympic field-and-track events in a single joystick-waggling session. Your cumulative score carries over event to event, so consistency counts.
Written in 1984, well before sports compilations became a mainstream genre, this is a complete single-file BASIC program that squeezes animated sprites, multi-channel sound, collision detection, and a persistent scoreboard into fewer than 200 lines of code.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
ao.bas |
Binary ATARI BASIC file — load directly into any Atari 8-bit or emulator |
ao.txt |
ASCII plain-text BASIC listing — human-readable source |
ao.lst |
Raw tokenised listing export |
| # | Event | Scoring |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100m Sprint | Time-based bonus |
| 2 | Javelin | Distance in metres |
| 3 | Shot Put | Distance in metres |
| 4 | Long Jump | Distance in metres |
| 5 | 1000m Run | Time-based bonus |
| 6 | Discus | Distance in metres |
| 7 | High Jump | Height cleared (starts at 2 m) |
A "Scratch" (false start) or "Missed" (bar knock in high jump) costs an attempt. Three failed attempts in a throwing/jumping event moves you to the next one.
All events use a single joystick (port 1).
| Action | Input |
|---|---|
| Build speed / power | Rapidly alternate joystick Left → Right → Left … |
| Release (throwing events) | Press the fire button at peak power |
| Restart after Game Over | Press START on the console |
The on-screen power bar shows your current speed. Let it drop and your athlete slows down or fouls.
- Atari800 (cross-platform).
- Configure the emulator with Atari XL/XE OS ROM images.
- Configure emulator to use Harddisk
- in BASIC type LOAD "H1:AO.BAS"
Transfer ao.bas to a disk image (.atr) using a tool such as dir2atr, copy to a real disk or SIO2PC/SIO2SD device, then LOAD "D:AO.BAS" and RUN.
- Language: ATARI BASIC
- Graphics mode: GRAPHICS 5 (80×48, 4 colours)
- Sprites: Player-Missile Graphics — three hardware players animate the athlete and thrown implement
- Sound: Four-channel POKEY sound chip used for running cadence and throw effects
- Machine language: A compact 6502 routine (lines 2000–2100) handles Player-Missile DMA setup and sprite blitting, called via
USR() - Year: 1984
Mark Longo — original design, programming, and graphics (1984)
This project is shared for historical preservation and educational purposes. All original authorship rights belong to Mark Longo.