XB256 with Sound List Compiler

[senior_falcon]

I've been plugging away at XB256 and have made quite a few minor tweaks to it. The big news is that I have been working with Owen on improving the sound list player, plus writing a soundlist compiler that makes it simple to produce a sound list from an XB program. When a sound list is started it will play automatically while your XB program handles other business Also, there is an option to use a second sound list player simultaneously with the main player. This allows you to have background music playing and make other sound effects without interfering with the music. It's all in the docs. The assembly source code is compatible with Matt Haggarty's sound list player, but you might have to adjust the source code a wee bit.

If you want an example that uses the two players simultaneously, download SCALECHARGE. Then:
RUN "DSK1.XB256" and then
RUN "DSK1.CHARGEXB"

 

(Edit: The latest version of XB256 is attached. This adds smooth vertical scrolling)

(Edit2: Oops - I goofed. Now it IS the latest version!)

SCALECHARGE.zip

XB256-042114.zip

Edited April 22, 2014 by senior_falcon

[Opry99er]

Freakin awesome man!!! Glad to see the release. You're a true gentleman and scholar.

[Opry99er]

I'll be uploading this to the heatwavebbs as soon as I get a chance. Also I will need to create a TI Writer document to upload the docs.. Anyone know of a way to make a TI readable text file other than using TI writer?

[Opry99er]

Additionally, we can ARC the two together and do a real deal release at the Faire in Chicago this year. I probably won't be able to be there, but I will put together a few demo programs and we can ask one of the regulars to do the demonstration.

 

Once people see what this suite can do, it will be evident what XB has been missing from the start.

[senior_falcon]

Hi Owen:

 

I can send you the docs in ODT format if that helps. Of course, all the pictures will go away in TI-Writer.

[Opry99er]

To upload to the BBS, the materials will all need to be TI readable and archived, primarily for TI BBS downloads. I am hoping to find a way to turn a standard text file into a TI Writer file automatically... Maybe a Classic99 Copy and Paste?

[+mizapf]

Would a text file to DIS/VAR 80 conversion be OK? You can find that in TIImageTool. You can use "Import from text editor", paste the whole file into the window, and save as a file to the disk image. Then you can save the file in TIFILES format. The next version (to be released soon) offers direct import of the text file and get a DIS/VAR 80 on the image.

[Opry99er]

Hey, that would be perfect! I'll be DLing that sucker for sure. Thanks.

[Tursi]

You can also open text files directly as DV80 in Classic99, no need to use the copy and paste functionality. So if TI Writer can open a DV80 file, you can just open it directly in TI Writer then save it back out.

[Opry99er]

@Tursi: I like that feature alot!!! I need a ROM for Writer I guess.

 

@Michael: where do I get your image tool?

[Opry99er]

So... Tonight as soon as I get the docs into DV80, I will ARC up the package and post them to The Hidden Reef and Heatwave. I don't have alot of time these days for anything hobby related as I have a 4 day old little girl and my job is eating my soul... But I think I have enough time to post an arc file to a BBS or two.

 

Thinking about the demo programs, I would like to incorporate at least the pixel scrolling and screen cycle (along with full character sets) into one demo... Then maybe a retrofit my Riding for the Brand game and do a re-release of it with updated graphics and sound.... I can add the "gun" sound effect to play over top of the pre-existing music list. I hope to have some time to work on some of this stuff soon... I have 3 TI projects I really want to get to... Some music composition/conversion, this XB256 package demo, and (eventually) Beryl Reichardt.

Edited June 20, 2013 by Opry99er

[Opry99er]

@MZapf: development resources thread... Got it.

[Opry99er]

Used the TI Image tool to make a DV80 text file. Awesome sauce, man!! What a nice tool that is, and the presentation and docs are great!! I did a test upload of the Beryl Reichardt demo with a short README I did using the tool. Uploaded to heatwave and asked the guys for some feedback on the download. I used the FIAD formatted files from my Classic99 DSK1 folder in the upload, but neglected to use a TIFILES header... It might not matter, but then again it might. Once I get feedback, I'll upload the XB256 package with DV80 docs to the BBS and get that group to DL and try it out.

[Tursi]

If you did not change the configuration and Classic99 wrote the FIAD files, then they /do/ have a TIFILES header. The only other option is a V9T9 header, which is less useful on a BBS, so you'll probably hear back if that's the case. (This was my entire reason for choosing TIFILES instead of the V9T9 header format for the default - interworking!)

 

[Opry99er]

Okay, that's great! Here's the actual order of things I did... Don't think this will change anything, but you never know.

 

Programmed demo in Classic99

 

Copied to .dsk file (using TIDir)

 

Ran using "mount" option in Classic99

 

Extracted the files back out using TIDir

 

Tested in Classic99

 

ARCed the files using ARC303G

 

Uploaded to heatwavebbs

 

 

The in between steps of the disk image deal took place months ago and I couldn't find my original files, so I just re-extracted the files and they worked fine in FIAD mode afterward. Im hoping the disk imaging didn't alter the configuration. We will know soon.

Edited June 20, 2013 by Opry99er

[Opry99er]

I'll go ahead and put up XB256 tonight with docs... Looks like it should all work fine.

[Tursi]

The in between steps of the disk image deal took place months ago and I couldn't find my original files, so I just re-extracted the files and they worked fine in FIAD mode afterward. Im hoping the disk imaging didn't alter the configuration. We will know soon.

 

You should be fine!

 

A disk image (basic sector version only, which is the most common) is a raw, sector-by-sector copy of the original TI disk, stored on the PC. It has no extra data attached, the very first byte of the file is the very first byte that would be stored in sector 0 on the physical diskette. (For exceptions - there is also a "track" version used by PC99 that has additional data between the sectors - this was an attempt to store the actual raw track data from the diskette but according to previously published information, it fell short. There is also a sector disk format with a bad sector map appended to the end of the file.)

 

The TIFILES format, which is also called XMODEM format, was created to allow TI users to share their files on standard, non-TI specific BBS systems, such as those run on PCs. On the PC, a file is just a collection of data. But on the TI, a file has a TYPE - it can be program, it can be record-based, and if record based, the records have a maximum length and can be fixed or variable. This information is required to create the file successfullly. So, the TIFILES format essentially takes a copy of the important file information, and sticks it in a 128 byte header at the beginning of the file data. The rest of the file is then a sector-by-sector copy of the original data. This 128-byte header is added automatically by most TI XMODEM software when sending, and recognized on receive. Since Classic99 stores FIAD files in a PC file system, it uses the TIFILES header to know what kind of data the file contains.

 

The V9T9 format was created for the original V9T9 emulator, but attempts to solve on additional problem - that being the original TI filename. V9T9 needed to solve the issue of storing TI files in the original DOS filesystem, which limited filenames to 8 characters and a 3 character extension, and was much more restrictive about punctuation characters. So it includes the original filename of the file, in TI format, along with the file type information. Classic99 considers this deprecated because modern filesystems support MOST of the TI character set now. It's true that it's not 100% perfect, but it makes sense to me to work with it rather than around it. (Classic99 supports a punctuation wildcard to support programs that insist on the few unsupported characters - these are not very common).

 

So, tools that manage these three file types, like TI99Dir, take care of the header for you. The header information won't be lost by moving between these types, how it is stored is just changed as appropriate. It is what is called "metadata", it's related to the file, but not part of the file itself.

 

When you added the files to an ARC303 file, the metadata was again converted to the archiver's storage method, so it is not too big a concern whether the files had TIFILES or V9T9 headers. The output file from Classic99 would have had a TIFILES header, unless you configured the disk folder otherwise. So should be fine for BBS users.

 

Did you test that you could /extract/ the archive? Classic99 used to have trouble creating compressed archives, and while I think we finally solved that, I never heard from anyone else if it worked for them.

[RobertLM78]

That post you made there was quite informative, Tursi, very nice .

[+InsaneMultitasker]

I'll go ahead and put up XB256 tonight with docs... Looks like it should all work fine.

Owen,

One tip: when archiving use the compression option. The resulting file will be smaller and more importantly, the file type will be Internal Fixed 128 versus Display Fixed 128.

 

This is important because most TI terminal emulators and BBSs will NOT send a TIFILES header when transferring a DF128 file. This does not affect transfers between two TI systems, as the default would still be a DF128 file. However, if the header is stripped when sending from a TI to a PC, the resulting file will have nothing to identify its characteristics. TIDIR and other programs relying on the header will not know it is a DF128 file.

 

HeatWave BBS has an option to force a header when downloading a DF128 file. Be sure to use this when testing.

[Opry99er]

Works perfectly, Tursi.. I love Classic99.

 

Verified that the downloaded files from heatwave work perfectly. Configuration and formatting were perfect and it worked without a hitch.

 

Wish I just had more time... Time... More valuable than money to me these days.

[Opry99er]

Robert, have you downloaded XB256 yet? You would LOVE the features.

[senior_falcon]

I've added a couple of routines for smooth vertical scrolling to XB256. Above is a simple XB program using one of them. This program is in XB with the heavy lifting done by XB256. I should be posting the updated version soon. These will also be part of the compiler which is about ready to go.

 

 

 

[+Ksarul]

Nice work! That will make certain types of game programming a lot easier!

[+acadiel]

I've added a couple of routines for smooth vertical scrolling to XB256. Above is a simple XB program using one of them. This program is in XB with the heavy lifting done by XB256. I should be posting the updated version soon. These will also be part of the compiler which is about ready to go.

 

 

 

 

 

How are you guys creating these animated GIFs? Built into Classic 99? (I really don't know; I haven't tried looking....)

[+mizapf]

So it includes the original filename of the file, in TI format, along with the file type information. Classic99 considers this deprecated because modern filesystems support MOST of the TI character set now. It's true that it's not 100% perfect, but it makes sense to me to work with it rather than around it. (Classic99 supports a punctuation wildcard to support programs that insist on the few unsupported characters - these are not very common)

 

??

 

Including the file name in the TIFILES format is a very reasonable feature of this format, nothing to consider deprecated, sorry to contradict. Me, I'd really like to keep that name in the format. I do not want to be forced to use the TI file system name in my exported TI files (which I consider TIFILES to be); we obviously have some different requirements here.

 

TIImageTool will always include the TI file name into the TIFILES file and if it fails to find one, suggest the PC file system name as a fallback.

 

That is, I would appreciate if we keep that file name feature in TIFILES, but you are of course free to ignore it. Just please don't declare it illegal, or we'll get two incompatible TIFILES formats, which would be a (lowercase) mess.

Edited April 20, 2014 by mizapf