FutureOS corner

[CraigsBar]

No volunteer with a Plus maybe?

I can do it from Thursday.... Wife and son out of the country for a week!

[TFM]

I can do it from Thursday.... Wife and son out of the country for a week!

Awesome! Wiil email you. 

[TFM]

To celebrate the 30. birthday of the CPC I did a release yesterday. Here is the change log...



I. FutureOS
===========
- Update of the Documentation
- New expanded automatic installer created:
  - supports choice of number system (hexadecimal or decimal)
  - Allows to select a ROM number for the Dobbertin / dxs RTC
- New OS functions:  RBB_8, RBB_16, ZEIBI, ZEIBJ, GET_DIR, R_RTC
  RB_8, RB_16, B8DIN, B16DIN, E2XRAM, FER7F added
- Enhancements for Monitor TV and LCD TV
- Bit 0 of config variable KF_CPC decides if UI works in HEX or DEZ
- IDE Icon disappears in SPARtan mode (when not used)
- Hot keys for the Desktop added :-)
- FDC error tolerance increased
- Expanded TYPE Icon functionality:
  - Added ability to show regular 17 KB and compressed OCP screens
- Enhanced management of the CPC Mini-Booster and the MultiPlay card
- Spanish and French language interface improved
- Some Bugs in format function cured
- Error message for File-Copy added
- OS function LADE_N expanded: Set 8. bit of drive number
  to ignore file header and load according to user data
- OS functions ICON6ON and ICON3ON expanded
  - They now work with all (MODE 2: 6-104) values for columns
- RRB0 corrected, generates free E-RAM instead of Short-Time-Memory
- REName corrected, will save lower RAM
- Read DIR related bugs killed
- Better VN96 support
- Some more bugs killed


II. Wallpapers
==============
- Automatic display of OK Icon in SPARtan mode added
- Added a second disc with just a few but nice Wallpapers


III. CBM - Application Shell
============================
- Devices can be selected (A-M) and their DIRectories can be read
  without the need to return to the Desktop. This file overworked
  Restart restaurates SP save. File selector ESC makes warm start.
- Hot keys added
- X-Menue added, more functionality


IV. ROManager 2.14
==================
- Function added to ReRead DIRectories
- Static display of time and day at menu entry
- bugs killed
- Support for CP/M Graduate software E-ROMs enhanced


V. Applications
===============
- "Little Help" / "Kl.Info-Sys" updated
- Update of "Konfig OS" / "Config OS"


VI. CP/M Plus ROMs
==================
- ROMs and documentation on FutureOS homepage now

[TFM]

Please let me know your opinion. 

EDIT: if you want a personal version or a Cartridge for the 6128 Plus with personal configuration / colors etc. Just email me). 

EDIT2: Of course anything is free of cost. 

[TFM]

Little update added. 'OS Infos' now provides information about the full 4 MB expansion RAM (E-RAM). It's very specific for the first 512 KB E-RAM and informs if the other 3.5 MB are connected or not (the first in 16 KB blocks, latter in 128 KB blocks). See download section: System Utilities. 

[TFM]

You all did read of Pulkos USB interface, and thanks to this:

out &FE81,6 

out &FE80,&55

? hex$(inp(&FE80)) 

Prints AA - bit-reverse of the input

I already provided support for FutureOS! The card will be recognized and marked as available in the configuration bits.   

[TFM]

Hi there! I would need somebody who tried my Giana Sisters Clone on an non-CTM644 monitor and sees jerking in general. Can you do a test for me? I would send you a version of Giana which does not jerk on the Sony monitor. Can you test on your monitor?

[TFM]

Tried the new AVI record function of WinApe. Mode 2 works a lil better now, but still not perfect. But overall IMHO an improvement.    But have a look for yourself:

[HAL6128]

Great, you made a (huge) progress of your tribute since last published version!

[TFM]

Thanks. Being back at it now, even if spare time is very limited. But it will be finished! 

[Audronic]

@TFM


FutureOS Installs Ok on a 6128 with Megaflash Plus SX.


Thanks      Ray

[Audronic]

OOPs


Ray

[TFM]

@TFM


FutureOS Installs Ok on a 6128 with Megaflash Plus SX.


Thanks      Ray

Thank you very much for pointing that out! And thank you so much for taking the time!    Over X-MASS ehm... xmas I had time to check the ROManager 2.14, works fine with MF2 and SF2 btw.

[TFM]

Be one of the next six people visiting www.futureos.de and become visitor 45.000!!! Then post a picture here! And you will have the chance to choose the title of the next game being made for FutureOS. 

[remax]

44996

[robcfg]

Ach! Du meine Güte! 44999... 

[Fessor]

Das hab ich nu von meiner Neugier...

[TFM]

Das hab ich nu von meiner Neugier...

Dafür kannst Dir ein Spiel aussuchen, dass ich für FutureOS konvertiere. 

English: Fessor is now entitled to decide for a game which shall be converted to CPC and FutureOS. He can decide for a title and I will do the coding. [nb]Examples could be: Mutant Camels, Berzerk, Tron, or something we don't have. But the choice is totally up to him.[/nb]

[AMSDOS]

Interesting.


[attachimg=1]

[Fessor]

Dafür kannst Dir ein Spiel aussuchen, dass ich für FutureOS konvertiere. 

English: Fessor is now entitled to decide for a game which shall be converted to CPC and FutureOS. He can decide for a title and I will do the coding. [nb]Examples could be: Mutant Camels, Berzerk, Tron, or something we don't have. But the choice is totally up to him.[/nb]

With todays knowledge of the capabilities of the hardware it should be possible that the CPC could have a nearly perfect conversion of Moon Patrol so i would appreciate that.

[TFM]

With todays knowledge of the capabilities of the hardware it should be possible that the CPC could have a nearly perfect conversion of Moon Patrol so i would appreciate that.

It shall be done. You probably talk about the Arcade version here, righ?

[Fessor]

Yep, the Arcade-Version.

[TFM]

Yep, the Arcade-Version.

Oh well, let's see how to do it. 3 scroll levels (with some piexels moved in extra) can do the scrolling. GFX can be taken for CPC too. Resolution and colors seem to be similar. Hardest part is to precisely cony the backgrounds and the 'plan' means at which time to which object appear and what do they to.

[Fessor]

Maybe this would help as they dissassembled the Game and commented the sourcecodes

Moon Patrol

(and not only this game)

[TFM]

Maybe this would help as they dissassembled the Game and commented the sourcecodes

Moon Patrol

(and not only this game)

Well, there is at least some documentation. I had a look, and maybe the way to go it to write an Moonbuggy-Emulator for the CPC. OUT's could be replaced by CALLs to emulator routines.
On the Plus this could be done more easy IMHO, or would it better to have it for all CPCs?

What's time consuming?
- Scrolling
- Sprite movement

Using hardware scrolling could strongly reduce used CPU time.
Using hardware sprites could reduce some CPU time for sprite management, but only Plus then?

Screen mode seems to be MODE 1, not really, but no scan line has more than 4 colors right. The game seems to have a big resolution in X, so MODE 0 wouldn't fit anyway.

Sprites may *break* that a bit...