ReSet #8 compositions and results.

[rexbeng]

Heheh, the parties are better for any release anyway, because you have people gathering around to look at the screen. Even if you are not there, the thought alone makes it more enjoyable 

Super Edge Grinder was a nice little experiment and I had a secret wish of releasing it at the Reset 8 when I proposed Axelay to make it. Actually it ended up being more polished than I first had in mind, because during the whole process we got into the usual "lets do that, lets add this" story. Memory and CPU wise I think it is maxed out, but Axelay would be more... fit to talk about that.

regards,
rb

[MacDeath]

Super Edge Grinder

the intro picture looks really good...
I will give it a try.

My hope is that other CPC or 8-bits meetings will be held by other people in other locations or countries.

somewhere in Rhône-alpes (France) could be good... it is a more central position in Europe and well deserved by transportation facilities (TGV, train, A7, Satolas Airport)...

And it is closer to me...

[eliot]

somewhere in Rhône-alpes (France) could be good... it is a more central position in Europe and well deserved by transportation facilities (TGV, train, A7, Satolas Airport)...

When???

[mr_lou]

Super Edge Grinder isn't working on my CPC464 nor Arnold emulator. :-(
The intro picture loads on my CPC464, but it's slowly scrolling up and reappearing at the bottom again. The game doesn't load.
Arnold doesn't even show the picture.

[eliot]

Maybe you have a CRTC type 2... (Just test in Basic after reboot: out &bc00,2:out &bd00,50)   

[TFM]

A lot of nice GFX here, but... what's that MODE 5 stuff??? Can somebody give an complex technical explanation, means I can understand what's that MODE 5.

Is there a mode 4

I only know 0-3

[mr_lou]

Maybe you have a CRTC type 2... (Just test in Basic after reboot: out &bc00,2:out &bd00,50)   

Yes, I'm pretty sure I have a CRTC 2. But I believe the first version of Edge Grinder worked fine? Maybe I remember wrong.

[SyX]

A lot of nice GFX here, but... what's that MODE 5 stuff??? Can somebody give an complex technical explanation, means I can understand what's that MODE 5.

Is there a mode 4

I only know 0-3

It's a mode 1 resolution with an extensive and flexible use of rasters that i developed a few years ago, my idea was helping to the artists to add rasters to their graphics easily without need a coder. When PulkoMandy added it at grafx2 paint program, he made my dream true.

The FX need perfect GA accuracy, and because that you need a CPC or CPCBox, the only emulator that have enough accuracy to show the pictures perfectly. And of course, there is mode 6 (mode 2 + rasters) and mode 4 (mode 0 + rasters); but i think mode 5 is the most practical, great resolution and colourful. I love the PulkoMandy's picture by that and because is a tribute to Moebius

[MacDeath]

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_%28ordinateur%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matra_Alice
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matra_Alice
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matra_Alice

the Matra Alice was a "cheap" low specs computer aimed at education.
it was a "nice red box".







And yep, the illustration seem to have been done by Moebiüs/Gir (RIP, maestro)

The illustration is the best part of this computer sadly.



oh, and more recently (yet unrelated) this too :

nice advertisment (and gurl) but it was almost some sort of scam actually... (many customers got screwed by this company)


Personnaly I prefer this one :

one of the best Heavy Metal album ever IMO.

[Axelay]

Super Edge Grinder was a nice little experiment and I had a secret wish of releasing it at the Reset 8 when I proposed Axelay to make it. Actually it ended up being more polished than I first had in mind, because during the whole process we got into the usual "lets do that, lets add this" story. Memory and CPU wise I think it is maxed out, but Axelay would be more... fit to talk about that.

Well there is a bit more memory free, but it's starting to become awkward to use without some shuffling. 

Yes, I'm pretty sure I have a CRTC 2. But I believe the first version of Edge Grinder worked fine? Maybe I remember wrong.

Sorry, I didn't realise Overscan was a problem on CRTC 2.  The original didn't have an Overscan loading screen.  Eliot has suggested something that might help, I'll do that tonight and post it here, unfortunately I have no CRTC 2 machine of my own to try it out on first.

[mr_lou]

Sorry, I didn't realise Overscan was a problem on CRTC 2.  The original didn't have an Overscan loading screen.  Eliot has suggested something that might help, I'll do that tonight and post it here, unfortunately I have no CRTC 2 machine of my own to try it out on first.

Overscan as such can't be the problem since I've seen lots of overscan stuff running on my CPC464.
But there's apparently a bug in the CPC464 CRTC2. During development of Tracks from the early 90'ies, we ran into the exact same issue: The picture was scrolling slowly up, reappearing at the bottom. F-key (who was coding it) said it was an easy fix though, and sure enough it was fixed fast. Maybe you could ask him what he did?

But I think the scrolling issue is just a minor bug. After the title picture it also stops loading. So I'm guessing there is another bug there too.

[TomEtJerry]

Hello,

If you have a red background, that's a problem with the loader.

About the overscan bug, that's something classical (loosing vertical synchronization). Unfortunately, I didn't tested it with previews of the game (shame on me) as I have played only on a real cpc with CRTC 4...

T&J/GPA

[mr_lou]

No red background.

Some day when Bryce has completed the CPC464+ Mod project, then I won't have these problems anymore. But I still think someone should test on the CPC464 Amstrads with CRTC2. Afaik it's mostly a matter of small fixes that doesn't affect anything otherwise

[arnoldemu]

Well there is a bit more memory free, but it's starting to become awkward to use without some shuffling. 


Sorry, I didn't realise Overscan was a problem on CRTC 2.  The original didn't have an Overscan loading screen.  Eliot has suggested something that might help, I'll do that tonight and post it here, unfortunately I have no CRTC 2 machine of my own to try it out on first.

r2+horizontal sync width<r0.

adjust the horizontal sync position (using r2 of the crtc) and the width (using r3) so it is less than r0.
That solves most problems and is likely to be the cause.

it is worth noting that although the crtc is considered to be the "worst" of the crtc, it's not that bad. it just needs more careful treatment because it remembers certain things.

I almost had it going into and out of r9=0 && r4=0 at the weekend. Just need to check some timings

[Gryzor]

the Matra Alice was a "cheap" low specs computer aimed at education.
it was a "nice red box".


And yep, the illustration seem to have been done by Moebiüs/Gir (RIP, maestro)

The illustration is the best part of this computer sadly.

Not 100% sure this is Moebius (how I love his work!), but this is absolutely the most beautiful computer box I've ever seen.

[Carnivius]

Can't say I'd buy a computer if it had a box like that.  I'd half expect the machine inside to resemble of those Barbie themed learning 'computers' for little girls... Blech.

[Axelay]

r2+horizontal sync width<r0.

adjust the horizontal sync position (using r2 of the crtc) and the width (using r3) so it is less than r0.
That solves most problems and is likely to be the cause.

OK, thanks for that explanation.  Hopefully I've got something that'll work on CRTC2 now.

No red background.

No?  Did you try and hit space when it paused anyway?  In any case, the load routines and the overscan are the only things that have changed, so I have attached two variations of the update.  One version that is identical to the release except that it should (hopefully) have a correct Overscan implementation for CRTC 2 ("_v4").  But if it still locks up with the loading, please try the version that ends with "_v4_secldr".  This version uses the sector loader routines rather than amsdos files in the same way as Dead on Time, please let me know how you go with them.

[Gryzor]

Can't say I'd buy a computer if it had a box like that.  I'd half expect the machine inside to resemble of those Barbie themed learning 'computers' for little girls... Blech.

Well,


-it was the early 80s, aesthetics were different. Much.
-there was a conscious effort to make people not be afraid of computers
-it was an educational machine anyway.

[Carnivius]

Oh it's a pleasant enough piece of artwork alright if you're into that.  I'd just prefer a computer that had pictures of spaceships and robots and explosions on it's box.   Cos I think hey awesome I get to play some fine action games on this machine.  I don't really know what to make of that girl image at all. Some weird zen meditation levitation poetry-writing, I dunno...

[Gryzor]

The marketing target audience was not you, it was your parents

[Carnivius]

The marketing target audience was not you, it was your parents

Hey, my parents bought the Amstrad CPC 464.  Show them some respect.  Even if most of the time they don't deserve it. 

[Gryzor]

Hey, my parents bought the Amstrad CPC 464.  Show them some respect.  Even if most of the time they don't deserve it. 

Mine did, too. I utterly respect them for that decision -and for not caving in for a games machine. I really do.


This doesn't mean that this here box didn't have a certain allure with others.

[mr_lou]

One version that is identical to the release except that it should (hopefully) have a correct Overscan implementation for CRTC 2 ("_v4").  But if it still locks up with the loading, please try the version that ends with "_v4_secldr".  This version uses the sector loader routines rather than amsdos files in the same way as Dead on Time, please let me know how you go with them.

The v4 version now has the title picture jumping up'n'down insanely. Loading still stops. Pressing whatever doesn't do anything.
The v4 sec version halts rather fast with a red vertical line on the left and a red vertical line on the right. As if the screen is red, but with a big black box on top of it.

[Axelay]

The v4 version now has the title picture jumping up'n'down insanely. Loading still stops. Pressing whatever doesn't do anything.
The v4 sec version halts rather fast with a red vertical line on the left and a red vertical line on the right. As if the screen is red, but with a big black box on top of it.

Damn.  Can you give examples of overscan screens you have viewed successfully on that system?  I'd like to check their settings.

[arnoldemu]

Damn.  Can you give examples of overscan screens you have viewed successfully on that system?  I'd like to check their settings.

http://www.cpctech.org.uk/source/overscn.asm