AMOS FULL DOCUMENTATION


How was it all done?
AMOS Basic was designed and progrqammed by François Lionet. His clever
ideas and inspirational work have produced what we feel to be by far
the best high-level programming language available on the amiga to
date.

AMOS was developed using the following programs:
        DEVPAC II Assembler - HiSoft
        Deluxe Paint III - Electronic Arts
        Pix Mate - Progressive Peripherals & Software
        Cross-Dos - Consultron
        Mini Office Professional Communications - Database Software

Mandarin Software would like to thank the following people for their
kind help during the development of AMOS:

Allistair Brimble, Aaron and Adam Fothergill of Shadow Software, Peter
Hickman, Rico Holmes, Commodre UK for the international keyboard
layouts (an the Amiga), Commodore France for the help with the A1000
problem, 17-Bit Software for samples and demos, Martyn Brown for fonts
and support, Virus Free PD for Soundtracker, Simon Cook for his
constructive comments and bugfinding, Lee, Alex, all other AMOS
developers for their kind help and all of you who have waited patienly
for this software. We hope, like us, you feel it was well worth the
wait.

This manual (the original , not this ASCII file) was written using
WriteNow on the Apple Macintosh and paged up with Page Maker.

Copyright Notice
Amos will enable you to create some very impressive software. It is
very important that you acknowledge AMOS in your programs using a
phrase such as "Written by John Smith using AMOS", and, where possible,
include the AMOS Sprite.

If your program is released commercially, the words
" AMOS © 1990 Mandarin/Jawx " must be included on the back of the
packaging and in the printer instructions.

1: INTRODUCTION
WELCOME to the exciting world of AMOS - The Creator! As you know, the
Amiga is a truly amazing computer. For the first time, all that power
is at your fingertips.

  In Septemper 1988, Mandarin Software released STOS Basic for ST. This
made history as the first programming language to reach number one in
the ST Gallup games charts! Now STOS has been rewritten from the gound
up to produce AMOS Basic for the Amiga. AMOS Basic includes a vast
range of over 500 commands - many of which are staggeringly powerful.
You can, for instance, bounce a screen, or animate a sprite using just
a single Basic instruction.

  AMOS is not just another version of Basic - it's a dedicated games
creation system which comes with its own built-in Animation Language
(AMAL). AMAL programs are executed 50 times a second using a powerful
interrupt system. They can be used to generate anything from the attack
waves in an arcade game, to a silky-smooth hardware scrolling efect. At
the same time, your Basic program can be doing something completely
different!

  Whatever you knowledge of programming, AMOS has something to offer
you. If you have newer written a game before, the prospect of creating
your first game may be quite daunting. But do bear in mind that many of
the all-time classics are uncomplicated programs with one or two
original features - just look at Tetris for example. The strength of
your game will depend on the quality of your ideas, and not just your
programming skill. With a little help from AMOS, you'll be able to
produce professional-looking games with just a fraction of the normal
effort. All you really need is imagination.

  If you've written a game in AMOS basic, don't keep it to yourself.
Mandarin Software is very keen to publish any program written using
AMOS. Don't worry if your programming is a little rough. If your ideas
are good enough, you could have a real future as a professional games
writer. So please send us your programs. Mandarin would also be
delighted to hear your comments or suggestions for the AMOS system.
Several features in AMOS were taken directly from the ideas which were
sent to us from existing STOS users. Address your correspondence for
the attention of Richard Vanner, Development Manager, Mandarin
Software, Adlington Park, Adlington, Macclesfield SK10 4NP.