bB:New Tool for creating PF + 48 px title screens (functional WIP)

[+Karl G]

20 minutes ago, RevEng said:

If the ADS dev gets bored like Jeff did, we're lucky enough to have the source code and license to carry on. The one weakness I'll grant, is it's tied into a Microsoft product.

Came here to say this. 🙂 Also, the core of the VS Code itself is open source (MIT license), and there exists a version of the IDE built just from open-source components - so, the IDE itself should live on, even if Microsoft were to abandon it.

[RevEng]

19 minutes ago, Karl G said:

Came here to say this. 🙂 Also, the core of the VS Code itself is open source (MIT license), and there exists a version of the IDE built just from open-source components - so, the IDE itself should live on, even if Microsoft were to abandon it.

Very good, I wasn't aware of the open-source version!

 

 

 

[+Gemintronic]

Let's not forget Nativefier has been successful so far in dropping in the files on github and making the tool "native" and offline for Winwoes and Linux.

 

Nativfier

https://github.com/nativefier/nativefier

 

How to make local web pages into stand alone apps

https://medium.com/ciiag/nativefier-turn-local-html-files-into-desktop-app-21ad70bdf35f

[+kisrael]

Progress continues! Now it supports bB PFs (regular pfcolors kernel and DPC+ w/ much higher resolution)

 

(Seems like there might be a slight bug for image import w/ the new kernels... like it works if I load the image while still doing a 48px kernel, and then switch over? Odd.)

 

Oh and I poked at Nativefier... works pretty well. I guess it makes it feel like more of a "thing" people own, then downloading and opening up an index.html, maybe I should "release" it as an app once it's more stable.

[+kisrael]

Improved Import -- now it autoadjusts the initial contrast by trying 5 values and picking which one has the best balance of on/off pixels...  that's not always the best aesthetically, so you can play with the slider, but it's better than the first load being all dark or all light..

[+kisrael]

https://alienbill.com/2600/splash-o-matic/ - minor update. 
Tweaked the auto-contrast on the image import, still playing with the UI arrangement, and added the first PF assembly kernel (still working out some details at 192px, single scanline kernels, so the max is 110 for now)

Also some some internal improvements so adding new kernels should be easier for me- can just tell it where those tricky PF bits go 

 

Oh and fixed the bug where if you were using the color tool, clicking on another tool might register as color clicks

[+kisrael]

NEW FEATURE: batari BASIC DPC+ mode now lets you paint the background separately from the PF. 

 

So the BB DPC+ kernel has always allowed you to set the color of each line's background, and then do a different color for the PF... now you can edit that

[+kisrael]

(minor improvement: replaced "show what color you're hovering over" with an eyedropper tool. That more closely matched an early suggestion, and in practice feels better)

Be sure to hit shift-reload if you've been playing with earlier versions.)

[+kisrael]

Productive Day: One Final Tool... a Gradient Tool! Take advantage of the 2600's pallet!

 

(Note: I think import image straight to DPC+ isn't working for some reason, not sure when it broke (or if it ever worked) Still, I made it so DPC+ can even do gradients for the background colors as well as the playfield colors.)

 

[+kisrael]

fixed some bugs with DPC+ image import and gradients (it's the only one that allows background color to be changed so is a bit more complicated.)

Anyway now you can do pretty interesting stuff with competing gradients (I'm not saying you always SHOULD but you CAN)

Oh also turns out, some part of me really thinks they should be spelled "gradiants" not "gradients"

 

[+kisrael]

I'm slowing down work on this for a week oe two as I move from an apartment to a condo, but am thinking about a name change... maybe "atari-background-buddy" ? 

Welcome other thoughts. It's just that splash-o-matic might not be instantly clear, and also when you google for it you get a lot of stuff from Nintendo's Splattoon...

 

(I also have some interesting ideas for updating PlayerPal, the next version being atari-player-pal.)

 

Dang, hope Atari doesn't get on my jock about the word Atari  Hate to have change everything to "tia-background-buddy" etc 

[KevKelley]

What if you brand things as "Tari" so when people refer to a particular application they will say it is "A Tari program" lol

[+Random Terrain]

4 hours ago, KevKelley said:

What if you brand things as "Tari" so when people refer to a particular application they will say it is "A Tari program" lol

 

When I worked at Toys R Us in Greensboro, NC around 1987, many kids called Atari cartridges "tari tapes" and Nintendo cartridges "intendo tapes."

[KevKelley]

I just read this in a southern accent. Lol

[+kisrael]

The effort continues! (now that I'm moved into our new condo)

 

https://alienbill.com/2600/splash-o-matic/

 

Expect a name change and significant loading/saving capabilities soon, but for now enjoy a new "inkmode" - you can have left mouse button draw, right button erase   (I had to put away my Mac and Photoshop biases of "but there's just one button" and realize that for a system so deep into the booleans as an Atari, it makes sense to leverage on and off with left and right clicks)

[+kisrael]

Name change! And for the last version I was keeping up threads in two forums (one in plain programming, one in batari Basic) I think now I'll just talk about it there.

[KevKelley]

So if I Google Ab Builder I should find it no problem? 🙃

[oceanix42]

FYI - Recent update to FireFox broke Riff machine. The audio channel edit screens are no longer visible. Could this be a new firefox security setting? Riff Machine still works on Chrome. Also noted that the last entries of any given data block for the generated Batari code, have a xx.xxx float value that I needed to clip to an int for the code to work

 

[+kisrael]

On 7/24/2021 at 3:16 PM, oceanix42 said:

FYI - Recent update to FireFox broke Riff machine. The audio channel edit screens are no longer visible. Could this be a new firefox security setting? Riff Machine still works on Chrome. Also noted that the last entries of any given data block for the generated Batari code, have a xx.xxx float value that I needed to clip to an int for the code to work

 

Huh! Thanks for the feedback.

 

So poking around - even with an upgraded firefox it works for me. And i can't see a float. 

 

Current theory: somehow you got some funky data saved in "local storage" (probably the fault of my program but still) 

and now it chokes when it tries to load that data.

 

Quick experiment: could you see if it works in Firefox's equivalent of incognito mode?

 

 

 

[oceanix42]

Ah, yes, I see. It was something funky hanging around in history. Once I cleared it, all is back up! Thanks. Grade tool, I really appreciate it!

[KevKelley]

Been playing around with this some more.  Is there an easy way to kind of inject the 48 pixel sprite into a pre-existing playfield?

 

***Been playing around with the assembly file commenting out various sections or playing around with values and right now the playfield flickers between the 48 pixel screen and the player screen because I have a drawscreen command. There is also scanline issues but I didn't know if what I am trying to do is possible.

 

 

Edited May 6 by KevKelley