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Magellan


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As a design tool, and graphic editor, I think Magellan should support half bitmap mode. It should fit nicely there with 1 character set edit already there. I would like to have the character set magnified though (x2).

 

I will take a look at the code to see how difficult it is to implement half bitmap mode color support.

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Here's the first beta version with bitmap mode color support. Note that I have implemented this as a global option (Options / Bitmap Mode Colors) rather than an attribute of a map project. You need to switch it on before you import any data with bitmap colors.

 

I think all features work, including import of half bitmap mode VRAM Dumps (included a Rock Runner example, which other games are using half bitmap mode?).

 

Let me know if you find any problems or have suggestions for improvement. I'm holding on to the source code for now until any bugs have been fixed.

 

[Edit] Forgot to mention that in order to edit a character you first left or right click in the color panel to select the foreground or background color. You then use the same mouse buttons to draw in the grid. It takes a while to get used to that all the foreground/background pixels in a row change their color together.

post-35226-0-31323600-1366974246_thumb.png

magellan-1.6-beta.zip

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I'm using a VERY old version of Magellan, it seems. I think mine was DLed in 2011 and is an .exe file.

 

The JAR file, I'm assuming, is the Java program? What version of Java is the preferred one these days? I'm not sure if I need the JDK as well or not.

 

I have used Magellan for years, but apparently I'm just using an old version. =)

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Hi sometimes. Glad you like it. I have removed the 'beta' and included the source code. I would like to do some more work on it at some point, e.g. to add a better copy/paste function, but for now I think version 1.6 is finished.

 

UH.....

 

It's been a bit since I updated my Magellan copy (read as original) and I don't have the energy to piece together what has occurred since (read as lazy) so..... could someone summarize what has changed/been added from the original release ? It's a pretty neat and unusually useful tool and I'm happy it is still getting some attention.

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I'm currently working on the source code to add some functionality that I need for my scrolling project.

 

Anyone willing to add a "undo" functionality to Magellan?

I would like to do it if I have the time - I keep messing up my characters and have to redraw them. But it's a relatively big task (have tried it before). I would also like to make a better copy/paste function and a normal Save function (the current Save function is really Save As).

 

My question is only how to handle the Colors from the bitmap mode?

I use always the binary export but here we have only the 32b color export.

 

I have only added the bitmap colors to the assembler data export, but I think I could easily add it to the Binary Data as well. I wasn't sure if anyone were using this function.

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I posted a zipfile to the Beryl Reichardt thread containing a set of tools I use in conjunction with Magellan. Basically, once magellan exports XB data, my tools take that data and (after pasting information into pre-set sections of the program) writes them to disk in varying formats... It can write to disk in XB format to be called up and displayed on the screen by another program which is also in that file, OR you can use the data to convert all the BASIC data to BYTE statements that can be dropped directly into a "draw" program in assembly which is also in the file.

 

It might not be all that new to regular users of Magellan, but I use these tools regularly in conjunction with Magellan map editing...

 

I wrote some of the tools, and (sorry if I am remembering incorrectly) adamantyr helped write one or two and Matthew was also instrumental in helping put them together.

 

A couple are documented well, but there is at least one tool which is not very well documented and takes a second to read and comprehend... Nothing too difficult or complex though, as the goal of these tools is to simplify everything. =)

Edited by Opry99er
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New version 1.7 with the following changes:

  • Undo/Redo functions for character editor
  • Foreground color pixels are shown with a white border in bitmap color mode
  • Added Save Map Project as... function (actually renamed old Save function to Save As and added new Save function)
  • Moved clone tool to map editor tool bar (where it really belongs)
  • When using the clone tool, multiple clones can be made by holding down shift or ctrl
  • Bitmap colors included in Binary Data export
  • Tool for analyzing character transitions (for use with smooth scrolling)

Enjoy!

magellan-1.7.zip

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Thanks for the update, appreciate it a lot ;-)

 

I do seem to have an issue with maps projects that were created in an earlier version of Magellan.

Even after I uncheck the bitmap color options I'm not able to see the tiles that make up the map.

Also you see that lower cyan letters, which are not part of the map.

 

With Magellan 1.7 :

 

post-16219-0-07514700-1368101676_thumb.png

 

And here is how it looks like in Magellan 1.4 :

 

post-16219-0-31702700-1368101794_thumb.png

 

 

Note that clicking on the "eye" icon and hovering over the map does bring back some of the tiles.

If this is just a migration issue, that I'll check if I can upgrade my maps somehow.

 

EDIT: I'll send you the map, in case you might want to take a quick look.

Edited by retroclouds
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