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Ictari Issue 06
ICTARI USER GROUP ISSUE #6 August 1993
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* m a g a z i n e *
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I C T A R I U S E R G R O U P
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Hi there, welcome to Ictari Disk #6.
This disk is not late, it was just postponed to the weekend before
final compilation in order to give me more time. This will be done in
future, and you can expect issues to be released on the first Monday
after the 12th of any particular month.
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To *.*
Hi, 'tis me The Space Cowboy
Is there any way of drawing sprites so that I don't have to put them on
16 byte boundries on the horizontal axis???
(could Line A routines be the answer???)
Please send me or Ictari any code or doc's that you may have about
sprites (e.g. drawing, masking, using line A for drawing (and masking?)
sprites.
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To *.*
From David Ashcroft
I have an idea for an Ictari Group programming project - why not try
and make an automatic journey router (Like AutoRoute). I have tried to
write a program like this myself in the past but encountered a few
problems that I could not overcome but I'm sure that if we could get
together a few people, we could program it relatively easily.
Does anyone know how to program a copy protection routine as is found
in commercial software, I cannot work out how these are produced. The
most I know is that the very last sector on an ST disk is readable but
not writeable - so to make copy protection, do you have to write some
code to this sector using a computer that can write to this sector
(such as a PC) and then read it by your ST on boot up?
Also, just a thought - but do you think it would be a good idea to
have a sort of Ictari Library. Where each member who wishes to use
the library (of books) pays a fee of a few pounds each year and this
money goes towards buying books of interest to programmers and each
member that has paid their yearly fee is allocated a certain amount of
credits so that they may borrow different books for x amount of times
in that year.
Does anyone have any PD software such as C compilers and tutorials. I
am desperate to learn C, although I am pretty good in GFA - I would
like to learn C as it is a more 'transferable language'. If so could
you write to me through these pages!
Another little Idea, everyone knows that disks are cheaper when bought
in bulk, so it may be a good idea to order disks maybe twice a year,
all members can specify the amount of disks they require and pay for
them, surely it would be much cheaper buying disks this way than
everyone buying them separately.
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To the members of Diamond Software :-
From The Space Cowboy
Hmm... The response for forming a coding group wasn't exactly
overwhelming was it? anyway I'm still interested. Does it matter what
we code? as long as it is of good quality and varied I'm sure it won't
make any difference.
I looked at the bottom border routine that was by you in last months
Ictari, you don't have to have all that aggravation just to ditch the
bottom border, there are simpler ways (ie no messing with the low-video
thingy).
Notice that all the best people are going to do the BTEC National
Diploma's, me for instance! (ego inflating going on here).
To Andrew:- Have you seen the price's of assembly language for the
PC, way over-inflated! (like everything else), I should be getting
assembly for the PC soon... ha ha ha etc etc.
LSD Software? I remember them...
The Space Cowboy here, didn't somebody ask for some stuff on STE
hardware scroll a while ago?
I think (UGHH!!! I've just spilt coffee all over my ST...) I might
have some code to do this lying about somewhere, if I get time and I
can find it I'll send it in (I think it also had sprites using the STE
Blitter (any use Morf ???)).
To PoshPaws:- 'Risky' coding huh... ho ho
Thanx for the help with that crappy doc displayer, I'm in the dark when
it comes to VT52 control codes (actually I'm in the dark about most
things (ooh err!)). As for my coding style/methods...
Sub-message to Nightwalker about 'dat doc disp.:-
Some Budgie UK macros do make calls to other routines, that one did but
I think I included that routine as well, worth noting though.
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Hi,
From Ictari
Anyone got any C code that deals with printing ? - needed urgently !!!
Also loading and displaying ASCII Files.
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To *.*
From The Space Cowboy
I have just got hold of the book 'Realtime 3D Graphics For The Atari
ST' and like Peter Hibbs mentioned in Ictari #5 it is pretty hard
going! if anybody has anything (doc's, source code) on 3D could they
please send it to me.
To *.*
Real smooth doc displayers.
If anybody out there wants to write a really smooth/fast doc displayer
then try this. When your prg starts up, print out all the text into
memory. When you want to go up and down a line don't re-draw the whole
screen, just change the screen address! the screen would have to be
changed in increments or decrements of 1280 bytes if you wanted it to
work on all ST's (on STFM's the screen can only be set on even 256 byte
divisible addresses. 1280/256 = 5 so that's alright and 1280/160 (1
line of screen memory is 160 bytes long) is 8 lines, the height of a
character.
I think this is how some of the faster smoother doc displayers do it.
Now go and code one you lazy sh*ts!
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Hi Ictari,
From Ian <Morf>
Just finished modifying the sound sample program for AVR files -
asked for by Peter Hibbs.
"(2) How to replay sound samples generated by the Sample
Master Plus cartridge. This unit generates .AVR files but the manual
only gives the file header format without any code to enable the
programmer to replay the sampled sound. What is needed is a sub-
routine which is passed the start address of the sound sample (in
register A0 say) and then the sound is replayed in
interrupts in the background. Ian Hancock seems to be an
expert in this field, perhaps he could help.
<Peter Hibbs>"
Since he did not give information pertaining to his set up I
was not sure if he had an STE or not. I have only included code
which will work on the STE, since I don't know how to program an STFM
to play samples (it not having dedicated hardware for the job!). I
do know that there are some sources around but I don't actually have
any (that I know of).
Instead I have given you a few sources that will work with BASIC
on an STFM. Don't know if they will be any use to Peter, but
others might like them. They came with MASTERSOUND and I think they
are PD. NOTE they use RAW sample files (unsigned) as opposed to AVR !
Also when you put my Sample Sequencer program on a previous disk
you only gave the uncompiled version ! I'm not sure that would be
much use to people (I could be wrong). I intended you to put the
actual program on there so anyone who wanted could use it - if you
feel that it would be of any use to the group feel free to put it on
a future disk. Or you could put it in your PD ! It is currently
available to download from SRC.DOC.IC.AC.UK and ATARI.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU
(I think I got the names right) It's in the Ste directory.
Sampler Sequencer included on this disk :-) <Ictari>
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To Raymond
I would apreciate any help in getting this book enormously (ST
Internals), thank you very much.
Thanks again <The Space Cowboy>.
Me too <ictari>
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** STOP PRESS **
Please could somebody out there code a decent doc displayer in 68k as I
need one to incorporate into my next project which is gasp..The Ictari
Disk-zine Shell (or TIDS for short). Don't get excited as it probably
will be nothing to write home about, when I get it up and running it
will probably be more like a mouse driven menu at first but I hope to
expand it to be a fully blown magazine shell with its own built in doc-
displayer and disk copier (to copy Ictari magazine of course) etc etc.
Please get coding and get that source code sent in, if you can help in
anyway with tips, code, suggestions then please do so.
P.S. (oh no!) This shell will NOT be using GEM, instead it will be a
graphical sort of shell. There are 3 reasons for this...
1. Programming GEM stuff in 68k is horrible
2. I think I could make a graphical shell run quicker than a GEM one
(and make it a damn sight nicer as well!).
3. It would be possible to auto-boot it without having to go to the
desktop first.
They are my reasons, anyway enough for now...
<The Space Cowboy>
Sounds real good - send me a demostration copy pleeeeeease <Ictari>
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To Ictari
If you are going to start sending Ictari disks to PD libaries then I
suggest you try L.A.P.D. (no plug intended) as they (I think) have an
offer that if you send them something they haven't got (ie Ictari
magazine) then they will swap you for a disk of PD from their libary,
so it need not be too costly on your disks as you get something back.
You will have to check the details with L.A.P.D. of course.
<The Space Cowboy>
LAPD already have Disks 1 and 2 <Ictari>
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To Everybody
Ignore the source for the doc displayer on disk 4 that I wrote as it is
total shite.
<The Space Cowboy>
Well Said <ictari>
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To *.*
If anybody out there has any issues of ST NEWS and any Maggie's (or
Ledgers) then could they let me have a copy please?
Does anybody know anything about protection's (any sort will do) and
how to write them?
<The Space Cowboy>
I've got MAGGIE 10 <Ictari>
