A fantasy retro computer + emulator for building and running assembly-driven games and demos.

Status: Released / work-in-progress
Community: Discord — https://discord.gg/6AYkhnzxD9

• What is Continuum93?
• Features at a glance
• Hardware (virtual) overview
• Install & Run
  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux
  • Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit, experimental)
• Writing code
  • Visual Studio Code
  • Notepad++
• Running your programs
• Configuration
• Debugging (Continuum Tools)
• Documentation
• Contributing
• License & assets
• Bugs & support

Continuum93 is a fantasy computer and emulator built for retro-style games and experiments. It runs programs written in a custom assembly language and ships with a small operating system (a visual file browser) so you can explore and run .asm programs directly.

• Virtual 24-bit address space with 16 MB RAM
• Layered video RAM (VRAM at end of RAM, ~128 KB per layer, up to 8 layers)
• Fast virtual CPU — speed scales with your machine’s single-core performance
  (roughly from a few MHz on low-end machines to hundreds of MHz on high-end ones)
• Cross-platform renderer via MonoGame DesktopGL
• Built-in OS: browse the virtual filesystem and run .asm programs
• Configurable via Data/init.cfg

• CPU: virtual; instruction set designed for retro game development
  Speed is proportional to your host’s single-core performance: typically ~2–3 MHz on the low end and 500 MHz+ on fast machines.
• Addressing: 24-bit
• RAM: 16 MB
• Video: VRAM mapped at the end of main RAM; ~128 KB per layer, up to 8 layers
• For registers, interrupts, addressing modes, and instruction reference, see the PDF manuals in the Support directory.

You can either download a release https://enthusiastguy.itch.io/continuum93 or build from source. Keep in mind that right now, for instance, the relase on Itch is quite behind what you get here, but you can fetch the documentation from there. For detailed build instructions (dependencies, SDL2/OpenAL on macOS/Linux, content pipeline), see BUILDING.md.

1. Unzip the release package.
2. Run the emulator executable, or from source:

   dotnet restore
   dotnet build -c Release
   dotnet run -c Release

3. The default OS can load and execute *.asm files.

1. Install runtime deps (see BUILDING.md for DesktopGL prerequisites).
2. From source:

   dotnet restore
   dotnet build -c Release
   dotnet run -c Release

1. Install runtime deps (SDL2, OpenAL — see BUILDING.md).
2. From source:

   dotnet restore
   dotnet build -c Release
   dotnet run -c Release

If you’re using an ARM build artifact:

sudo chmod +x ./Continuum93
./Continuum93

If you see “Permission denied,” ensure the binary is executable. OpenGL driver support on the Pi varies by model/drivers.

Create your .asm programs and place them under:

Data/filesystem/programs/<your-project>/

You can keep code split across multiple files; the OS can load and run your entry .asm.

• Recommended for multi-file projects.
• Install the ASM Code Lens extension for syntax highlighting.
  (Continuum93 uses a custom instruction set, so highlighting won’t be perfect but it helps.)

1. Enable the Vibrant Ink style (optional).
2. Import the user language file:
   • Support/Notepad++ user defined language/Continuum93 Assembly.xml
3. In Notepad++: Language → User Defined Language → Open User Defined Language folder and copy the file there.
4. If highlighting seems off, explicitly select Language → Continuum93 assembly.

1. Launch Continuum93.
2. In the built-in OS (file browser), navigate to:

   programs/<your-project>/
   

3. Move the selector to your entry .asm file and press Enter to run.

See the Operating System section in the User Manual for details.

Global settings live in:

Data/init.cfg

Review and adjust this file to tweak runtime options.

Continuum Tools is included alongside the emulator and provides debugging capabilities.

• Read “Continuum Tools Manual.pdf” in the Support directory.
• Currently available on Windows.

PDF manuals are provided in the Support directory, including:

• User Manual (Operating System, usage)
• Hardware & Assembly Reference (registers, addressing, instruction set)
• Continuum Tools Manual

Also check the example programs under:

Data/filesystem/programs/

We welcome contributions! Please read:

• CONTRIBUTING.md for workflow, code style, and PR checklist
• CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md for community guidelines
• ROADMAP.md for near-term goals

• Code: MIT License

Bugs happen! Please report issues via GitHub or drop by the #support channel on Discord:
https://discord.gg/6AYkhnzxD9

When filing a bug, include:

• OS and GPU
• Steps to reproduce (program or snippet if possible)
• Logs and screenshots if relevant