MSX/Coleco Sprite & Tile Set Editor

[Tony Cruise]

I have uploaded a new version: 1.0.7635.40670 with the following changes:

- C output tidied up and should be useable now

- Added DAN1 and DAN2 compression formats - with a caveat - I haven't tested either yet i.e. tried decompression but I am pretty sure I have followed Amy's original code logic.  But let me know if you find any issues.

- Tidied up the options selections.

 

Let me know if anyone finds any issues, I will continue to work on the other suggestions.

[youki]

thanks Tony.

 

But for this version , curiously when i try to download it  , it is blocked. see picture.

 

Aside that,  a feature that would be extremely great for me , is if you tool would be able to import  DAT files from newcoleco's ICVGM tool.   then i think i will use only your tool if i'm able to rework my DAT filesof my projects with it.

 

 

 

[Itchy Scratchy]

47 minutes ago, youki said:

thanks Tony.

 

But for this version , curiously when i try to download it  , it is blocked. see picture.

 

Aside that,  a feature that would be extremely great for me , is if you tool would be able to import  DAT files from newcoleco's ICVGM tool.   then i think i will use only your tool if i'm able to rework my DAT filesof my projects with it.

 

 

 

If you are using Win 10 then it is most likely Smart Defender which is has nothing to do with being smart and is annoying.
If you have Enterprise you can disable that garbage permanently.

 

 

[youki]

2 hours ago, Itchy Scratchy said:

If you are using Win 10 then it is most likely Smart Defender which is has nothing to do with being smart and is annoying.
If you have Enterprise you can disable that garbage permanently.

 

 

Can not disable,  i'm not allowed to do that . that's not a personnal computer...

 

My own computers are not connected to the internet.

 

 

[Tony Cruise]

5 hours ago, youki said:

thanks Tony.

 

But for this version , curiously when i try to download it  , it is blocked. see picture.

 

Aside that,  a feature that would be extremely great for me , is if you tool would be able to import  DAT files from newcoleco's ICVGM tool.   then i think i will use only your tool if i'm able to rework my DAT filesof my projects with it.

 

 

 

I have digitally signed every single component, the MSI and all files inside it.  I don't know what Microsoft wants other than maybe they are jealous of great software not made by them  

 

That's not a bad idea for importing the DAT files, I'll see if I can work out the file format and add the import.

[Tony Cruise]

I submitted my website to Microsoft to review as I encountered the same thing using Edge at my work as well.

Try a different browser (I use Chrome at home).

[Itchy Scratchy]

Working on some graphics as we speak

On occasion when using two color sprites the colors switch.

 

Another suggestion if I may.

Say if I have an 8 sprite animation of a guy walking in all 8 directions.

Could you implement an easier way to copy sprites to the next sprite table.

Copy, Paste, Import Are you sure you want to change because it would erase..

 

Like the left hold down mouse button mass draw, hold the right to mass erase

 

The new Zoom?  Block on the Screen Layout is cool but later down the road can it be like a 4x4 rubiks type cube so you can work on an enlarged section.

 

peace

Edited November 27, 2020 by Itchy Scratchy

[youki]

Hi Tony,

 

May i suggest a modification.

 

In your Sprite/Pattern editor , could you make in sort  that  when you start drawing with the mouse you always draw the same thing.

 

Current behavoir is :  if you start by clicking on a white square , you draw a black square then you let the mouse button down and you move.. when you move on a white square it becomes black,  but when you move on a black square it becomes white...  i would prefer it stays black.

 

In that i would like that what you start to draw (being White or black) stays until the next mouse button up event.

 

thanks

[Tony Cruise]

Sorry wife has had me busy painting the main corridor in our house  

I think I understand both requests, and they make sense.  I'll see what I can do.  Plus I have started the full screen designer i.e. that you can draw on and paste in graphics.  It will automatically optimize the tile sets that are created and hopefully will support loading DAT files from ICVGM.

[Itchy Scratchy]

Possible Bug?

 

Today when my Windows updated (without my permission) the Sprite program was running but collapsed to the task bar.

However when I received control back to my computer the Sprite Editor did not work.

 

It would work but would never enlarge when clicked on.

So I had to go to the save settings in the local area and delete the cruise research file set.

Afterwards it went back to normal.

 

So, it is go through the process of delete the settings, fix what is a big nothing bug if you want to call it that or just don't collapse the program and leave it running.

Close it out when your done and no issues.

[Tony Cruise]

18 hours ago, Itchy Scratchy said:

Possible Bug?

 

Today when my Windows updated (without my permission) the Sprite program was running but collapsed to the task bar.

However when I received control back to my computer the Sprite Editor did not work.

 

It would work but would never enlarge when clicked on.

So I had to go to the save settings in the local area and delete the cruise research file set.

Afterwards it went back to normal.

 

So, it is go through the process of delete the settings, fix what is a big nothing bug if you want to call it that or just don't collapse the program and leave it running.

Close it out when your done and no issues.

I would say the Windows Update process for some reason, told it to resize (maybe updated your video driver) it then saved that new size, so it was probably only very tiny or even placed off the screen.  You fix to delete the settings cache is the correct one.  Other programs have this problem when you update your video drivers, once again there is probably a new 'standard' for how you deal with the resize messages.  I'll have a look as I am working on other things.

[Tony Cruise]

Version 1.0.7645.28829 released with the following changes:

- Screen layouts can have a different tile set per 256 character block

 

- You can import DAT files from the ICVGM tool

 

- Right mouse button clears pixels on both the Sprite and Tile editor, and the mouse button can be held down to continue to draw while moving

 

- You can import a screen layout from well formed assembly code DB statements

[Itchy Scratchy]

That import screen feature 10000000000000X needed and much appreciated.

 

I just tried it out.

 

What I did was draw a layout and needed to adjust the screen down.

So I saved the data, added one lined of DB at the top and imported it back in.

The screen shifted down exactly as expected and I did not have to draw it all over again.

 

You are the guru my friend.

 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Itchy Scratchy

[youki]

Wonderful!!

 

I have just tried, but may be there is something i'm doing wrong.

 

But when i try to import from DAT file... it does not import the color?  All is black & white.

 

[Tony Cruise]

4 hours ago, youki said:

Wonderful!!

 

I have just tried, but may be there is something i'm doing wrong.

 

But when i try to import from DAT file... it does not import the color?  All is black & white.

 

Can you PM me your file, I think you have a newer version.  I was only guessing the file format by the sample I had and one I created with the version I have.

[Itchy Scratchy]

Premature yes but is there plans to ever update this to use JPEG, GIF or BMP scaled down to 15 colors 256x192?

[Tony Cruise]

3 hours ago, Itchy Scratchy said:

Premature yes but is there plans to ever update this to use JPEG, GIF or BMP scaled down to 15 colors 256x192?

In the Screen Pixel Editor that I am working - yes  

[Tony Cruise]

Version 1.0.7648.43002 released with the following changes:

- Supports newer file format of ICVGM Dat file

- Pixel screen editor added - works on the current Screen Layout selected, along with it's tileset(s) that are selected.  When it runs out of tiles, it will stop drawing.

- The Pixel screen editor - has an import function that will currently allow you to import from the clipboard (I will add from files later).

It tries to match the colours to the TMS Colour palette, and will optimize the tiles, stopping when it runs out (it doesn't overwrite your current tileset, just uses the space remaining, but it tries to match duplicates).

 

All very new functionality, so I expect a few rough edges.

[youki]

Thanks so much! i'm going to try it!:)

[youki]

I have just quickly tested.

 

Import of Dat file works great!

 

But now on that version i have an issue with the sprite editor.  It is extremely slow to draw.  It was not the case before.

 

And i thought you had modify the fact that when you start drawing with one color letting mouse button down , if you pass on a pixel of the same color it does not erase the pixel but keep the color.  On that version it is no more the case in sprite editor as well in pattern editor.  

 

Thanks!  I 'll continue to do some other tests.   love your tool!

[Tony Cruise]

6 hours ago, youki said:

I have just quickly tested.

 

Import of Dat file works great!

 

But now on that version i have an issue with the sprite editor.  It is extremely slow to draw.  It was not the case before.

 

And i thought you had modify the fact that when you start drawing with one color letting mouse button down , if you pass on a pixel of the same color it does not erase the pixel but keep the color.  On that version it is no more the case in sprite editor as well in pattern editor.  

 

Thanks!  I 'll continue to do some other tests.   love your tool!

Cool thanks, I made a lot of changes to the underlying classes, might have something going in a loop of screen refreshes slowing things down.

 

Also after I went to bed I remembered I haven't done any re-paint optimization as yet on the new sections (my new laptop is a beast so I wouldn't notice, but it might affect performance on lessor machines).

I also realised you can set the foreground pixels (left click) or background pixels (right click) in the full screen editor, but you can't reset pixels - oops

 

If you have already applied the TMS Palette to your graphics before pasting in, hopefully the colour matching should work, but it might need some tweaks to how it does the matching.

 

The allocation of which colour is the fore colour and which is the back colour in a 8x1 segment is a bit dumb at the moment.

 

More changes later tonight, but thank you for your fast testing, appreciated, I am enjoying this.  And it will clear the blockages (lazy excuses) for me to finish more of my own games  

 

[Tony Cruise]

I have uploaded a new version of the tool: Version 1.0.7653.39096

- Hopefully have fixed the painting speed issues in the Sprite and Tile editor sections (my new laptop is too fast so hard for me to test)

- Import image works reasonable well, suggest you reduce the image to 16 colours 1st for best auto colour mapping - I will tweak the matching tolerances.

- Full screen editor, now has separate colour selectors for foreground and background colours and left and right mouse button functions hopefully make more sense

- Pixel zoom cursor inverts the current colour so should be visible at all times Note: bug when you flick the mouse around randomly - probably exiting the draw area too fast.

- Rough sample here fit in one tileset with room to spare, so duplicate tile matching is working well

 

That will probably be the last release for a couple of weeks, I have added what I wanted for the immediate time.  Back to some game dev for me over Christmas.

Of course let me know if you find any issues.

[youki]

I'm going to try it!

 

hum... are you working on Kangaroo?    Next Secret Game of Collectorvision Club?

 

[Tony Cruise]

1 hour ago, youki said:

I'm going to try it!

 

hum... are you working on Kangaroo?    Next Secret Game of Collectorvision Club?

 

Maybe  

[youki]

I did some test.

The drawing speed now is ok!  Thanks.

• but i still notice that the color change when you pass on another color.  See attached screenshot of the sprite editor.  When i draw a line left to right and go other the black square in the middle, i expect that the part i have yellowed stay black and not switch the pixel to white.

 

• Then i got exception on the screen editor.  If you start to draw something , keep the button down and exit the drawing zone you have an exception.

   System.IndexOutOfRangeException: Index was outside the bounds of the array.
   at MSXSpriteEditor.EditScreen.pbScreen_MouseDown(Object sender, MouseEventArgs e) in C:\Users\tcrui\source\repos\MSX\MSXSpriteEditor\EditScreen.cs:line 69
   at MSXSpriteEditor.EditScreen.pbScreen_MouseMove(Object sender, MouseEventArgs e) in C:\Users\tcrui\source\repos\MSX\MSXSpriteEditor\EditScreen.cs:line 132
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnMouseMove(MouseEventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseMove(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

 

• in import char set from clipboard, i got also an exception when i clique "import"

System.IndexOutOfRangeException: Index was outside the bounds of the array.
   at MSXSpriteEditor.ImportCharsetFromClipboard.bImport_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e) in C:\Users\tcrui\source\repos\MSX\MSXSpriteEditor\ImportCharsetFromClipboard.cs:line 139
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnClick(EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mevent)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.ButtonBase.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Button.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)