zenassem
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Posts posted by zenassem
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Heaven/TQA,
You saved the day! I think that's EXACTLY what I'm looking for. Especially the fact that it details the file format used. And that it allows you to create the maps from the tiles in the same program. I was figuring that whatever I found, I would have to code my own tool to build the level data and design my own MAP format. This may just save me a lot of frustration.
If it works out I owe you big time!!! Perhaps I can return the favor.
OK so I'm going to spend some time now digging into Char Map.
~Zen
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Hmmm Nothing like spamming my own thread....
While I wait for answer. I am looking into Quick Ed. I purchased this CD a while ago form Dean Garraghty. It has a lot of of tools on it. Here's the list.
CONTENTS
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This CD-ROM contains the following:
* Quick V2.2 and V2.1
* Quick Support Disks 1 and 2
* Screen Aided Management (SAM) V1.25i
* SAM Budget (spreadsheet)
* SAM Designer (DTP/Design Package)
* SAM Utility Extensions
* 4 PPP Games: Rubberball, Bombi, Glaggs It!, Minesweeper
* Quick Ed (character set editor for mouse, joystick, and touch tablet)
* Digi-Studio
* Issues 1-14 of the DGS News-Disk Magazine
* Issues 15-19 of the DGS News-Paper Magazine (scans of the originals)
* Issues 20-26(last issue) of the DGS News-Paper On Disk Magazine
* News-Paper Yearly Disk (to go with the News-Paper Magazine)
* Print-Filer
* AMS 96 video in MPEG-1 format
* PD: Bash-A-Drum
* PD: Dean's Desktop System
* PD: Don't Ask Software Demo Disk
* PD: Education Disk 1
* PD: Football Fantasies
* PD: Journey Into Sound Demo Disk
* PD: Parrot Demo Disk
* PD: Programmer's Speech Tool
* PD: Quick Demo Disk
* PD: This & That Disks 1&2
* PD: Tiger Developments Demo Disk
* PD: Voicemaster Demo Disk
All products are supplied with full manuals in PDF format, except
Print-Filer (on-disk manual), the News-Disk/Paper magazines, and
the PD disks (some have on-disk manuals). PDF files require the
Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free product available at: www.adobe.com.
I also found something on the web About a program Creativ -Creator that specializes in antic mode 4 and mode 5 character graphics. But I am unable to locate the actual .atr
~zen
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Oh how I wish i could Edit....
Last bit,
I'll have to see how levels will look on the Atari. If you have read Analmux's post on SMC, he points out that the NES has 32 characters horizontally hon the screen. You can see that in the fact that the level editor picutre above as (
32 pixel tiles across and (6) 32 pixel tiles Vertical. =256x192. I am uysing antic mode 4. And in Narrow screen I believe I will have (4) 32 pixel tiles across and (6) 32 pixel vertical. = 128x192
I'm not sure what effect that will have on the gameplay of the levels So I will have to take a look.
~zen
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If it helps... Here is a picture Of editng the tileset of the Nintendo Rom.
The four windows on the outside show the 4 character sets. Each with 256 8x8 characters. The window in the left corner shows the level and a few of the World Tiles which are 16 (4x4 gird) of the 8x8 characters. For a Total of 32x32 World Tile.
~zen
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Ok I've been pretty busy.
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions on the Title-screen thread. It actually benefitted me more than I could have expected. Out of that thread Emkay suggested using G2F. So over the past few days I have plunged into learning G2F, with much gratitude to EMKAY!!! He really went above and beyond to help me muddle my way through the program. I am now convinced that this is the Tool I will use for graphics in the future.
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Here's where I can use your help: (If Analmux sees this... He has figured this out, and is using the methods in his Super Mario clone. But I'm not sure he has time to expalin it now)
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some background info... NES info: Castlevania for the nintendo uses: -Four 256 element Charactersets per level. -Each character is 8x8 pixels. -The Character Set is a 16x16 charcter grid. (16*16=256) much like Atari -The 4 character sets are Identical except each uses a different color pallette of 4 colors. -Each World Tile is built up using 16 characters in a 4x4 grid. (Keep in mind that many of the characters are only utilized in 1 of the color pallettes, Because I will need to cut down, Here' why) Atari: My Idea so far: Much like Analmux's Super Marion Bros 3 clone I have chosen Antic mode 4. Reason, Basically it will allow me to utilize Character Set graphics with 4 colors per character, At an acceptable resolution. Now to get the four colors each Character on the Atari is only using 4 of the 8 pixels per row that actually display. So, - Each character in My characterset is 4*8. Hence I will need 2 characters to = 1 Nintendo character. (I'm not too worried because The Nintendo doesn't really utilize all 4 of it's tilesets per level. Many characters only use one pallete.) I think i will be able to getaway with having 2 different color pallettes for the tile set. Using DLI's to change the colors. If I want to retain all the graphics I will still need 4 Modified Character sets as each of my characters is half the size compared to Nintendo.
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Now here is where I am sorta stuck.
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What tool do I use to create the character sets??? And How can I get them into my Assembly code?
Let me elaborate:
It would be great if I could use g2f to draw my characters. Reason bieng, is i already have all the Tilesets dumped from the Nintendo game. G2F allows me to open .bmp files. So I wouldn't with some small modifiaction I could have all my graphics for levels quite easily. But.... I don't know how I to take the charactersets that G2F uses and use them as my modified charatersets. There is a save to .asm that I guess works with X-asm. But I haven't had time to look at another Assembler. i just spent a lot of time getting used to mac/65.
If I can't figure out how to use g2f to create my character sets, then I am left with Envision, EnvisionPC, Instedit, SuperFont. I think Envision will load .fnt files that are save from g2f. But I haven't gotten it to worek right just yet. It would really suck to have to draw all the characters form the character set by hand if I don' have to.
So can anyone tell me the bestway for me to create my character set? Perhaps I am missing something because my brain is fried from inforamtion overload the last few days.
~zen
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Thanks for correcting that Nukey.
Twice I typed an '8' where I meant '7'.
65+32=98
should be 97
and
'C' 'c' 67 99 195 228
228 should be 227
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I just had one last thought.
It just dawned on me that you must be using graphics mode 1 or 2. So when your using Locate x,y,z - you are getting values that you might be assuming is JUST the color, but actually it is the color AND the character.
In basic modes 1 and 2 you will have two character sets that are comprIsed of 64 characters. Each character (with some exceptions) has 4 possible values depending on which color register was used.
So normally the letter 'A' is equivalent to ATASCII 65. In modes 1 & 2, that holds true if the text is using color register 0. But if it using color register 1 it would be 65+32=98. I'll list a few characters and the values.
color regsister 0 1 2 3 Character Std. Alt. 'A' 'a' 65 97 193 225 'B' 'b' 66 98 194 226 'C' 'c' 67 99 195 228 ... To change between std. and alt. sets Std.= POKE 756,224 Alt.= POKE 756,226
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Here's some routines from Compute!'s Third book of Atari
In case you need to look at memory locations that utilize the Internal Code (ICODE) and need to convert to (ATASCII) or vice-versa.
ATASCII-ICODE Conversion routine
800 IV=0:IF AC>127 THEN IV=1:AC=AC-128 810 IF AC<32 THEN IC=AC+64+128*IV:RETURN 820 IF AC<96 THEN IC=AC-32+128*IV:RETURN 830 IC=AC+128*IV:RETURN
When you GOSUB to this subroutine, the variable AC must contain the ATASCII value of the character you want converted to ICODE. When you return from the subroutine, the variable IC will contain the ICODE value. You can POKE it to screen memory:
[/code]
POKE PEEK(88)+256*PEEK(89)+OFFSET,IC
[/code]
OFFSET=0 is the Top-Left Corner of the screen.
ICODE TO ATASCII Conversion routine
200 IV=0:IF IC>127 THEN IV=1:IC=IC-128 210 IF IC<64 THEN AC=IC+32+128*IV:RETURN 220 IF IC<96 THEN AC=IC-64+128*IV:RETURN 230 AC=IC+128*IV:RETURN
When you GOSUB to this routine, the variable IC contains the ICODE value of the character you want converted. When you return from the subroutine, the variable AC will contain the value that , when PRINTed, will cause the character to be displayed.
PRINT CHR$(AC)
In both subroutines, the variable IV is used to keep track of whether the character was inverse or not.
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Oh I need an EDIT feature...
Just wanted to clear up that you can't just use the POSITION command, as that It doesn't actually move the cursor. You need to follow it with a print command. So, heres the trick:
in your actual POSITION statement make Y -1 of what you intend. Then follow the command with a Down cursor movement chr$(29)
so if you wanted to look at location 20,20 do this:
POSITION 20,19: PRINT CHR$(29)
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I also should have read your post more carefully. Because if you were using gr.0 Locate would work just fine. But, you may want to prevent Locate from advancing the cursor position.
10 OPEN #6,12,0,"S:" 15 REM SAVE Row(84) AND Column(85) locations 20 P1=PEEK(84):P2=PEEK(85) 30 LOCATE X,Y,AV 35 REM RESTORE row and column 40 POKE 84,P1:POKE 85,P2
It would help me if I knew more detail of what you are trying to do.
~zen
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oops that one line should have read
SCN=PEEK(88)+256*PEEK(89)
~zen[/code]
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Sky Runner,
I'm not sure what the best method is, but I can offer two ideas on how I would approach it. (keep in mind that I, like you am returning to the atari, so there may be a command that does this that I have forgotten).
Which method I would use depends on how versatile you need it and whether you are only referring to graphics 0.
1) (gr.0) you can POSITION the cursor and then peek at:
location 93 (OLDCHR) CURSOR CHARACTER SAVE/RESTORE: the value contains the character that is underneath the cursor. It's used to restore the original character when the cursor moves.
z=peek(93)
2) Or you can find the start of the screen adress memory and peek at the offset from the beginning of screen memory to find the character. To find the starting adress of the screen (any mode) you peek at locations 88 and 89. Here's the forumla for combing the two locations and retrieve the decimal address:
SCN=PEEK(88)=256*PEEK(89)
Now all you have to do is start a SCN and index into the location you want to check. For graphics mode 0 it would look like this
C=PEEK(SCN+X+20*Y)
Just note that C will have the value of Atari's Internal character set value not ASCII. So, the character 'A' would be equal to 33 not ASCII 65. Depending on what you need to do you can convert to ASCII.
I know a few other methods but I will have to refresh my memory on them.
~Zen
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Curt ,
That's really good news!!! =) Thanks for getting something like this started.
@cybernoid,
I can't even imagine the ammount of work this type of project requires. I would be very intersted in purchasing a product like this when it's released. I would even be willing to beta test, and submit logs.
I completely understand the need to finish JellyBeans first. (I think I saw a thread on this.)
When you return to working on Ethercart, are you going to be posting information on Atariage? I'd like to follow the status of this project.
~Zenassem
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Doctorclu,
Thank you for taking the time to answer my post. I will look at the information tonight!
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I am still constantly amazed by the knowledge of members here at Atariage. It seems that regardless of topic - someone will have the answer to any question. The people that I have come in contact with here, have truly been great and welcoming - offering advice, help, and going out-of-their way to assist even newcomers.
This site has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me and my enjoyment of Atari. The site is a great resource, and my only regret is that I didn't find it sooner. It's truly appreciated. So thanks to everyone involved here, Admins, Mods, Members.
~zen
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Just wanted to say that this is the most exciting piece of development I have seen on A8. I don't care how long it takes to complete -I'll wait-, but I definately want to play this when it's finished!!!!!
Analmux,
You are coding some cutting edge stuff. Definately pushing the limits of the hardware. I am in the process of Reading through some of your posts hoping to pick up even 1/10th of what you are doing. Particularly interested in the MCS and Sprite multiplexing threads. Thanks for being an inspiration. I would like to read anything you have written on Advanced coding techniques.
~Zen
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Hmmm. I guess code tags on this board are always expanded. Lesson learned.
Emkay,
You have just sold me on the fact that I need to learn G2F. Especially if it can help me with Image rips of the NES Castlevania Tileset. I was planning on Drawing each one. Yeah, a little OCDish!
Appended Files?? I'll have to look. Are they in English?
~zen
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@Dracon -
G2f
I looked and now I remember that I downloaded G2F and went to read the manual, only to find that all but two sections are in Polish. I'm not sure if a language translator will interpret the text right but I will give it a try. The application looks amazing.
XL-Art
I didn't know anything about it. So thanks for the info. I have downloaded it and will try to do some things with it over the weekend. At first glance it indeed looks like a better package. Better control. I'll have to look into the advanced features.
NES or c64 Source?
I feel I may have made a mistake in using the term Port. Especially if by source, you mean actual "Source Code." Because I never looked at, nor have I tried debugging, either version's source code. I will be writing all of my own source code. So I probably should have said I am coding a "remake" of Castlevania for the Atari 8-bit.
But, if you meant which game will I be using as my source, the answer would be the NES version. I do have the NES rom and the "Stake ~ Castlevania Editor". So I can accurately see how each level was built. And have access to the original's entire Tileset. To get down the gameplay ascpects I will Use JNES emulator with Cheats enabled. Plus numerous other sources, maps, walkthroughs, etc...
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@ZylonBane,
I'm wrapping this in code tags so that people won't have to scroll past all this text.
I'm sure I will need to impress myself many times over to complete this project. I think you have made some valid points. Let me make sure that I am not misleading anyone. I am not very experienced with A8 Advanced programming, in fact I am returning to the Atari after many years. You can see evidence of this in many of my posts, including one in this board introducing myself. Brief recap: The last time I programmed for the Atari I was pretty young, inexperienced, and generally stuck to Basic Programming, Compute! and Antic type-ins. I learned some neat tricks, but never really understood the Atari, and how to code quality, graphic arcade games. I really didn't know anyone who could help, and I was limited to Magazine articles, and a few books from my public library. I eventually moved on to the PC. Along the way I began pursuing 6502 Assembly for the Commodore 128 (again not doing much more than small routines). From their I moved on to C /C++ and using DJGPP and the Allegro Library. In college my curriculum was centerd around C++, VB, and 8086 Assembly language where I explored MASM, TASM, & NASM assemblers. Later I moved on to Strictly using MSVC++ and DirectX for Game Devlopment (mix in DarkBasic for fun!). After all of that, I found that game programming for Windows wasn't my cup-of-tea. I spent countless hours learning, and $, on 3-d modeling packages, Unwrapp utilities, 2d paint packages, books etc... and it was just overkill. I wasn't really having FUN! That's why I came back to the Atari. It's more enjoyable for me to have certain limits, code at the hardware level, with people who don't need to have [32-bit color - cut-scene animations - 12000+ polygon characters etc...] in order to appreciate a game. So, I have a lot to learn about my old 8-bit. I'm not affraid to ask questions or take advice from more experienced users. I am reading and learning a large amount of information on the hardware, chips, techniques, and dev tools. I know about the pitfalls of taking on to large of a project, but I also know what works for me. While it's good advice to most, I do better when I have a real goal and set high expectations. It keeps me focused. I plan on making a lot of mistakes, a lot of side-coding & experimenting, doing plenty of rewrites along the way, and tons of reading; but in the end I will put together a very respectable game.
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Shawn,
You're more than likely correct. I was a young kid back then, so for all tense and purposes, It may have just been able to get past the error tracks, and possibly it had some patches. It's also quite possible that It was just able to copy disks that normal copiers would crash on, So as a young kid I thought that it must be able to reproduce the error tracks. As far as I recall I didn't have any problems copying (backing up) my store bought copies to disk.
I also used it extensively to copy a friend's library of a 1000 or so utilities, games, Demos etc... IIRC some of my disks didn't work, but I can't be sure if it was because of copy protection, failing disks, or bad originals. Any program I valued I automatically made 3 copies of. Because I could never be certain that a Disk would go south on me.
I think everyone developed the fine technique of pushing the disk back and forth in the drive to get past difficult areas. I actually began to memorize how to finesse each disk that was giving me problem. But then again maybe I just had a 1050 and didn't know any better.
~ZEN
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Yeah, Graph2font looks impressive. I had downloaded it, but I haven't worked with it yet. I'll try to fit in some time to read the documentation and use it.
I was enjoying the nostalgia of using Rambrandt, I was actually fairly good with it back in the day. But, I'll try whatever I can achieve the finest results with. And if it can save me time in the long run, it will be worth the investment now.
~zen
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Zylobane,
I understand where you are coming from. But, I'm not just working on the title screen. And I'm fairly certain that I can port this game over. I work on the title screen and graphics inbetween coding, and experimintation with what I can pull off on the hardware. It's kind of my mental break. I'm just returning to the atari in hopes of using my PC programming experience to develop a quality game on my most beloved computer. It's definatley more challenging and restricting. Plus, I am having to learn and re-learn some of the Atari specific Hardware restrictions, and processes. As well as getting comfortable with MAC/65. But I have made a lot of progress and a lot of stumbles in the past few weeks. The Atari, is powerful, but far from simple and intuitive to get the advanced capabilities that a game like this requires.
I am really putting my heart and soul into this. That's why I am putting every ounce of effort in making this game the best I possibly can, including the Titlescreen, graphics, music/sound, control and playability. I will do everything I possibly can to keep it as close to the original as I possible within the limitations of the hardware. Give me a few days to setup a few playable screens. I think it will give you a better feel of what it is that I am doing.
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Yeah, I should also add that depending on the disk, it could take quite some time to copy. It wasn't fast, but it always did the job. I'll need to research it a bit to find out how it allowed a stock 1050 to prduce those error tracks. But I am fairly certain that it did.
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I just wanted t add that it's quite hard and time consuming to get the images to come out right, as the pixel's width is 2x's the height. So when drawing the images in Rambrandt mode 4 (zoomed in) the image looks one way, and then zoomed normal it spreads out twice as wide. So I have to double the vertical pixels in zoomed mode to get the proper scale ratio in normal view. It's a lot of flipping back-and-forth between zoom and normal. Sometimes switching after each pixel.
Add to this, that to get the additional colors dli's are used. But when working in zoomed mode you can only see the 4 original colors. I might need eye surgery when I am done with this game. It sure makes you appreciate the tools that artists have available today. Going through this tedious process, I have a new found respect for all the graphics designers back then.
~zen
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Thanks for your comments.
changes for version 3
1. I took out the big A. (wasn't even thinking about that)
2. Added some stars
3. Brightened the colors so that the emulator would display closer to my Commodore 1702 monitor. (But It's hard for me to tell what colors you will see. Being that I use a flatscreen PC monitor.)
4. Added a moon crescent with Dracula Profile
5. Added some work to the top border pattern
~zenassem
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Thanks Shawn! And sorry for mistyping your name in the earlier post.
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Shawn, That's kind of strange. because I know I had a normal 1050. And sure enough Blackrabbit allowed me to copy games that had copy protection. And I remember it marking bad sectors on the onscreen display. It used the INERSE VIDEo of the CONTROL+T graphic. In fact I never came across a disk it didn't copy.
I'm trying to find information on it. But I don't remember who wrote it. I haven't had any luck finding it on the net.
!zen
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Adapter for Atari 800
in Atari 8-Bit Computers
Posted
www.myatari.com
Looks like it seeling for $9.95
http://www.myatari.com/bc800hw.txt
~zenassem