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MSX/Coleco Sprite & Tile Set Editor


Tony Cruise

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This is an application written in C# .Net for home brew developers to create both Sprite and Tile Set designs for their home brew projects.

 

The sprite design section allows:

  • multi-layer pattern design
  • animation sequences
  • export to assembler and C formats
  • import data directly from existing source code

 

MSXSpriteEditor1.png

 

The tile set editor section allows:

  • characters can be designed in groups of four for larger objects
  • powerful colour editing and copying

 

MSXSpriteEditor2.png

 

I intend on adding more features in the future.

 

The application is free to use, but I have included a Donate button if anyone would like to contribute to the cost of the certificate.

 

You can download it here: https://www.electricadventures.net/Content/Downloads/MSX_Sprite_Editor_Installer.msi

 

RLE Compressed Data

The RLE compression in this tool uses standard RLE i.e. 1st byte data, 2nd byte run length, if run length = 0 end of data

Here is a sample assembler routine to un-compress this:

;===========================================================================
; Standard RLE to VRAM
; HL = Source data
;      1st byte data, 2nd byte runlength, if runlength=0 end of data
; DE = VRam starting location
;===========================================================================
RLE_TO_VRAM:
    di
    ld      c,CTRL_PORT
    out     (c),e
    set     6,d
    out     (c),d
    ei
    ld      c,DATA_PORT
RTV1:    
    ld      a,(hl)
    inc     hl
    ld d,a ; save our data byte
    ld      a,(hl)
    inc hl
    cp 0 ;  zero runlength - end of data
    ret z
    cp 1
    jp nz, RTV2
    ; single byte - output
    out (c),d
    jp RTV1
RTV2:
    ld b,a
RTV3:
    out (c),d
    nop
    nop
    djnz RTV3
    jp RTV1

 

DAN1 Compressed Data

See @newcoleco 's thread on DAN1 here:

DAN3 Compressed Data

See @newcoleco 's thread on DAN3 here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Tony Cruise
Added direct link to the installion MSI
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  • 1 month later...

I have released a new version that now includes a tile layout i.e. screen editor. Layouts can be output in raw data i.e. 768 bytes or compressed using Pletta. At the moment it assumes the same tileset is used for all three quadrants, and few more controls on the tab need fleshing out, but it is functional.

There is a bug in the tileset editor screen with colours, doesn't happen all the time looking into it though.

I have also updated my site to have a SSL certificate, which will prepare it for the coming July deadline (and has already cropped up for some scanner tools, warning when sites don't have a SSL certificate).

Hey Atariage, time to make the change :)

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It's best if the outputs are uncompressed. You can then use the compressor of choice. There were some other previous tile editors that didn't offer uncompressed.

 

Most results are ASM only.

 

It would be great if it supports RLE compression as well.

 

I use C, not ASM.

Edited by digress
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Most results are ASM only.

 

It would be great if it supports RLE compression as well.

 

I use C, not ASM.

You can change how the generated code is output using the options i.e. can be output in a way acceptable to pretty much any compiler/assembler will accept, including C.

RLE is very similar to Pletter I will add a RLE option soon.

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It's best if the outputs are uncompressed. You can then use the compressor of choice. There were some other previous tile editors that didn't offer uncompressed.

 

Output can be in uncompressed or compressed (only by Pletter at the moment), controlled through the options.

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It's best if the outputs are uncompressed. You can then use the compressor of choice. There were some other previous tile editors that didn't offer uncompressed.

 

 

Compressed data makes more rooms for other stuff.

 

 

You can change how the generated code is output using the options i.e. can be output in a way acceptable to pretty much any compiler/assembler will accept, including C.

RLE is very similar to Pletter I will add a RLE option soon.

 

I would be happy for it.

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  • 1 year later...

I can't seem to get the application to run I am getting the following error:

    Below is a summary of the errors, details of these errors are listed later in the log.
    * Activation of C:\Users\kynrek\Downloads\MSXSpriteEditor.application resulted in exception. Following failure messages were detected:
        + Application manifest has either a different computed hash than the one specified or no hash specified at all.
        + File, MSXSpriteEditor.exe.manifest, has a different computed hash than specified in manifest.

 

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18 minutes ago, kynrek said:

I can't seem to get the application to run I am getting the following error:

    Below is a summary of the errors, details of these errors are listed later in the log.
    * Activation of C:\Users\kynrek\Downloads\MSXSpriteEditor.application resulted in exception. Following failure messages were detected:
        + Application manifest has either a different computed hash than the one specified or no hash specified at all.
        + File, MSXSpriteEditor.exe.manifest, has a different computed hash than specified in manifest.

 

I think you fell into the same trap I did in the beginning.

Use his other thread then follow the link on the first page

or this directly.

https://www.electricadventures.net/Pages/Category/24

Best to go to his other Atari Age thread in case his direct link changes.

 

On his offsite page click on the "Download latest version"

It can be confusing because although the others are depreciated Tony has not found time to remove the buttons.

 

Remember to show Tony some love because it is an awesome program completely free of charge and he is still improving it.

Edited by Itchy Scratchy
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4 hours ago, Itchy Scratchy said:

I think you fell into the same trap I did in the beginning.

Use his other thread then follow the link on the first page

or this directly.

https://www.electricadventures.net/Pages/Category/24

Best to go to his other Atari Age thread in case his direct link changes.

 

On his offsite page click on the "Download latest version"

It can be confusing because although the others are depreciated Tony has not found time to remove the buttons.

 

Remember to show Tony some love because it is an awesome program completely free of charge and he is still improving it.

 

5 hours ago, kynrek said:

I can't seem to get the application to run I am getting the following error:

    Below is a summary of the errors, details of these errors are listed later in the log.
    * Activation of C:\Users\kynrek\Downloads\MSXSpriteEditor.application resulted in exception. Following failure messages were detected:
        + Application manifest has either a different computed hash than the one specified or no hash specified at all.
        + File, MSXSpriteEditor.exe.manifest, has a different computed hash than specified in manifest.

 

Yep that is correct, I need to clean-up the links in the older articles on my website, but my admin sections is currently not working.  Haven't had time to fix it with all the other stuff I have going on.  Make sure the old version is uninstalled as well, otherwise it can cause the new version not to install a short cut icon on the desktop and you will still be trying to run the old version.

And I am in Australia so my time zone means I am asleep when most of you guys are awake.

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  • 2 months later...

After picking up the most recent Windows 10 update and the corresponding .Net updates, unfortunately the sprite editor stopped working on my PC.  The app launches and I can see the icon in the taskbar with the focus highlight indicating it's active but there is no app window.  I deinstalled and reinstalled the app with no change to the behavior, ran it as administrator, no dice.  Is there any log I can look at or any other method of debugging I can employ?  The Windows update affected a lot of things it shouldn't have (isn't that always the case) and I fear that, in my case, the sprite editor has been affected by some security fix or other patch.  

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2 hours ago, AnalogKid said:

After picking up the most recent Windows 10 update and the corresponding .Net updates, unfortunately the sprite editor stopped working on my PC.  The app launches and I can see the icon in the taskbar with the focus highlight indicating it's active but there is no app window.  I deinstalled and reinstalled the app with no change to the behavior, ran it as administrator, no dice.  Is there any log I can look at or any other method of debugging I can employ?  The Windows update affected a lot of things it shouldn't have (isn't that always the case) and I fear that, in my case, the sprite editor has been affected by some security fix or other patch.  

The application uses screen size information stored in the .config file.  Even if you uninstall this might be left behind.  Try uninstalling and checking that the directory is completely gone and then re-install.  I'll do some checks on the latest build of Windows 10, as  I just installed it yesterday as well.

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On 3/17/2021 at 6:18 AM, AnalogKid said:

After picking up the most recent Windows 10 update and the corresponding .Net updates, unfortunately the sprite editor stopped working on my PC.  The app launches and I can see the icon in the taskbar with the focus highlight indicating it's active but there is no app window.  I deinstalled and reinstalled the app with no change to the behavior, ran it as administrator, no dice.  Is there any log I can look at or any other method of debugging I can employ?  The Windows update affected a lot of things it shouldn't have (isn't that always the case) and I fear that, in my case, the sprite editor has been affected by some security fix or other patch.  

And also tonight there is a rather quickly pushed out 'Quality Update' for Windows 10 Version 20H2 :) 

2021-03 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 20H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5001567)

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  • 2 months later...

A tip for anyone else who ran into trouble launching the app after a Windows update: I found that changing the shortcut's Run property to Maximized solved the issue.  Maybe something about my particular Windows configuration caused the app window to come up with a 0 by 0 window size, who knows.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/27/2021 at 3:11 PM, AnalogKid said:

A tip for anyone else who ran into trouble launching the app after a Windows update: I found that changing the shortcut's Run property to Maximized solved the issue.  Maybe something about my particular Windows configuration caused the app window to come up with a 0 by 0 window size, who knows.

 

 I have got the same problem ,  yesterday i ran into trouble when i launched the tool. (i did not used it since a while) ... and after reading your post i changed the Run propery to Maximized and it worked.  Thanks :)

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...
3 hours ago, Tony Cruise said:

Released a new version, with some bug fixes to the repainting the sprite list when you change the order of the sprites i.e. move them up or down in the list.

Fixed a crash when loading an old file.

May i have a request for a future version?

 

Give the possibility on the tool , to change the background color for the sprite.   It would be help to see how the sprite render if the background is black or blue... and more visible when your sprite need to be white....

 

And but less critical for me , would it be possible to be able to create 3 and 4 colors sprite? (triple and quadruple sprites)

 

 

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8 hours ago, youki said:

May i have a request for a future version?

 

Give the possibility on the tool , to change the background color for the sprite.   It would be help to see how the sprite render if the background is black or blue... and more visible when your sprite need to be white....

 

And but less critical for me , would it be possible to be able to create 3 and 4 colors sprite? (triple and quadruple sprites)

 

 

Both good suggestions, I'll see what I can do.

 

Also I had another thing I wanted for myself (specifically with the bigger sprites needed in Kangaroo and the mothership in Lunar Rescue), the ability to view final sprites together.  So you still edit one at a time, but you can lay out more than one sprite in perhaps up to a 2 x 2 grid of sprite shapes.

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6 hours ago, Tony Cruise said:

Both good suggestions, I'll see what I can do.

 

Also I had another thing I wanted for myself (specifically with the bigger sprites needed in Kangaroo and the mothership in Lunar Rescue), the ability to view final sprites together.  So you still edit one at a time, but you can lay out more than one sprite in perhaps up to a 2 x 2 grid of sprite shapes.

Thanks a lot , and yes, i would need that also it would be great!

 

May be you can let the option to set the size of the sprite freely up to  64x64 pixels ?    Even if in 64x64 you can not do multicolored sprites, you can let the option ,it can be useful if you plan to manage some flickering for instance.

  

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On 7/27/2021 at 4:54 PM, youki said:

Thanks a lot , and yes, i would need that also it would be great!

 

May be you can let the option to set the size of the sprite freely up to  64x64 pixels ?    Even if in 64x64 you can not do multicolored sprites, you can let the option ,it can be useful if you plan to manage some flickering for instance.

  

Version 1.0.7882.36063 Uploaded.

Minor update shows four sprite patterns on the right hand side.  Click in each segment to change that segment to the current sprite.

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