Simon Windmill, 15, Holt Farm Close, Holt Park, LEEDS, WEST YORKSHIRE, LS16 7SE 20/5/91 Ey up! Master Beat here! Just thought I'd put digit to keyboard and write to ACC. You see, I've been feeling guilty after sitting at home and not sending anything in to Mark, while personally benefitting from the ACC tutorials. (Did you understand that, cause I'm not sure if I did...) So, I've sent in a few sources, which will hopefully be on this disk. The details of these will be in the readme.doc file (when I get round to writing it. I shouldn't really be writing this, I should be hard at work doing college assignments. BTEC National Diplomas in Computer Studies don't come easily to a 17-year old you know) so I won't go into too much detail, but basically I've sent: Three 3D vector graphic equaliser type things (the 3D code is by Kreator of Anarchy UK, who will be taking his university finals about now. Good luck Michael, and thanks for HunkWizard) A small intro I made whilst experimenting with dual playfields, again with Kreator's 3D routines And my personal favourite, a menu. Seeing as menus seem to be all the rage, I've made one that features a moving copper bar to select what you want, and you control it with mouse, keys, or joystick! Wow! A shortened version of the sine intro from ACC 9. You will notice, if you have been getting ACC for a while, that I draw very heavily on other people's code. I don't think that this means I am a LAMER, coz I acknowledge the fact that other people were involved in the coding. And anyway, surely even the best coders must have copied routines at one time or another, without saying so! Mark has asked what we think about the layout and presentation of the disk. Well, if it hasn't changed since I last got it (issue 11) I would like it to stay as it is, using Nico Francois' Selector. But maybe changing the colours and pointer would help make it more varied. The selector program is definitely the best way when choosing a lot of options, like ACC. Help! ----- Why can't I get the 'fast NoiseTracker replay' routine to work? All I get from the speakers is a load of little crackles. (Yes, I did turn the switch to the line in position....) Can anybody help? I could also do with some help in trying to put scrollers onto an overscan screen. Blaine has tried to help, but I'm still having trouble understanding. I can set up the screen, and I think the problem is with the blitter modulos, I just can't work out the correct ones..... What I would really like to know is, how do I read a file into memory? I would like to make a music disk, and of course, reading a module into memory is a vital task. I realise that the module would have to be loaded into a fixed memory location, but how on earth can I do it? I think this is going to be the last of the basic things that ACC can cover in the hardware stakes, after all, we've done scrollers, the blitter, displaying pictures, and most of the ACC members can now do all these. But reading files into memory is something I can't do. Include files - the debate rages on. I personally agree with Raistlin that they cause an annoying delay in compilation, BUT I do believe they make code a hell of a lot easier to understand. Satisfied? Right, I think it is about time to mention Unity. What the f**k is Unity, I hear you ask. (Actually, my hearing isn't superhuman, so I don't hear you ask anything to be honest...) Well, if any of you out there are well into the 'scene', then you will have probably heard of the 'Friendship' movement, formed by Apex a year or so ago. It is not like a normal group, but is made up of lots of other groups and individuals like Rebels, Red Sector, etc. All the members agree that people who are selling software and causing trouble in the scene are ruining things for everyone else, and their motto is 'Friendship not Business'. So what has this got to do with me? Well, nothing really, but I would like to start the same sort of thing, but not just concentrating on the anti-business feeling. The plan is still in an embryonic stage, so read on and see if you agree. The aim of Unity would be to tell people that there is no point in all this competitiveness, the 'I'm a better coder than you' crap, and to give credit where its due. For example, Mike Cross says that Stolen Data etc. are crap. I don't know whether he was serious or not, but so what? ACC is great at teaching people coding and stuff, and Stolen Data caters for wider tastes such as music and gfx. The point I'm trying to make is that we shouldn't really care who is 'the best', and start realising that everyone has to start somewhere. We should be sharing tips and hints, not just with ACC and coding, but other stuff. Seeing as ACC readers seem to have the right frame of mind, I would like to take this oppurtunity to ask people to join Unity. Write to me at the above address (preferably with an sae, coz us humble students with no grants don't have much cash) for more info and stuff. Also write for swapping stuff. Remember, being a Unity member doesn't mean you leave your old group or anything, it just gives you a chance to contact other like minded Amiga freax and help each other out, young or old, male or female, (where are all the female freax?), black, white, yellow, brown, red, blue..... it doesn't matter, we're all individuals. Okay, I think that's about it for now, please contact me about Unity (I need feedback!), and remember Stay Cool, have Fun, Unity in '91 ( Lame phrase, but so what? I'm tired...... ) P.S. I personally think that Paul 'Fat Get' Gascoigne did his stupid tackles in a deliberate attempt to injure himself and therefore give himself more time to think about his proposed transfer to Lazio Roma P.P.S Having just read this letter, I've come to the conclusion that I have an obsession with the word 'stuff' ********* ED. Have to clear up one point here. Mike Cross never said Stolen Data was crap. If I am correct, Mike was refering to CSM. Stolen Data was a great disc mag, it dissappeared after issue 4. I here that it has just started up again and am looking for issue 5, so if you have it please send me a copy. I will supply anyone with issues 1 to 4 if they send discs and sae. The Friendship movement seems to be getting a mixed response if Zine magazine is anything to go by. Personaly, I'm for it and will support 'Unity' in any way I can. I owe most of what I have learned from people who have been writing to me through ACC ( have you seen my code from the early issues! ). I have even been labeled as a 'Lamer' by Count Zero on some issue of CSM, not very nice even if it is true. I have never and will never degrade another programmer ( though I may be a little sarcastic from time to time ). If 'Unity' gets off the ground I will carry an advert in future ACC issues on it's behalf, so get DPaint out Simon! If you wish to voice support for 'Unity' write to Simon, or write to me and I will pass your comments on. Mark.