=========================================================================== AMOS Updater Program - Information =========================================================================== Mandarin/Francois Lionet have now released an updater program into the P.D. that fixes many of the problems that users had reported and adds a few more enhanced features... The updater program-disc is Public Domain and can be got from your local PD library, or downloaded from the Newsflash BBS. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- AMOS The Creator Version 1.2 updater --------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Francois Lionet (c) 1990 Mandarin / Jawx Important copyright notes --------------------------- The AMOS Basic 1.2 Updater is public domain. You can (and you are encouraged to) copy and distribute it freely. It does not mean AMOS Basic itself is public domain. Copyright remains on the interpreter, and on the updated version. You need AMOS Basic V1.1 to make the adaptation. What's new in version 1.2 - by Francois Lionet ------------------------------------------------ Although we have tested AMOS during many months before releasing it, we have missed a few bugs. Mandarin and I are also VERY concerned about the user's request, and we read ALL the letters you send us. AMOS version 1.2 is the first result of your bug reports and suggestions. We all hope you find this "public domain" way of releasing new versions convenient (mostly for your purse!). Now, let's go for the list of new things! First, the bugs: 1 Nasty bugs! * HELP accessory crashed on the A500 * Accessory calling also invited the guru with certain screen configurations * GARBAGE collection caused a crash if it occurred in the middle of a string expression, and if the collection could not get enough space to finish the evaluation. (baaaad bug, I tell ya man!) * GENLOCKed Amiga could not get a still picture * Global variables in procedure calls (I could not imagine people would actually DO that!) * CLOSE WORKBENCH used to crash if a window was opened on WB screen. Now this instruction is really closer to Commodore specifications, so the AMOS1_2.AMOS program had to change the Startup-Sequence of the language disc Note that CLOSE WORKBENCH will NOT work now if you have one CLI window opened. If you want to start AMOS and actually close the workbench, you must use the following CLI instructions: RUN >NIL: AMOS ENDCLI 2 Other bugs. * LDIR now works properly * Y HARD now returns the right value * SCIN does not report hidden screens * VAL works with negative floating numbers! * PLOT works with large float expressions. In fact, the problem was in the "double float evaluation" routine. All instruction that required TWO parameters were affected. * INT is corrected * SQR(-2) and LOG(-1..) now returns an illegal function call error * Def Fn with float numbers does not report a type mismatch error any more * I SPRITE and I BOB are now tokenised * AMAL PLay instruction now works fine * AMPLAY too * AMAL OR is now understood by AMAL * ERRN reports the REAL error number (it used to add TWO to it!) * CONTROL+C now cuts the block under editor * CONTROL+S stores the block * You can now go from one label to another with ALT arrows * GET FONTS information used to be corrupted by a garbage collection - now this is fixed * MENU TO X,Y is now in the right order * DOUBLE BUFFERED , DUAL PLAYFIELD screens were not displayed, making it impossible to use bobs on dual playfield * UNPACK works fine with portions of screens * SET TAB now works in a program 3 Manual bugs. Yes! A few mistakes in the manual made us think there were more bugs in AMOS. Here are the faulty instructions in the manual. * PRG FIRST needs a filter, like DIR FIRST: =PRG FIRST$("*.*") * COLOUR BACK $RGB is an instruction that sets the background colour of the screen, ie the colour OUTSIDE of all screens. * AMREG wants the CHANNEL number FIRST, and then the register number, and not the contrary as stated in the manual. Well, sorry for the bugs. Each time a user found a new one, I felt bad! Sorry for that, but you must realise that AMOS source code is over 1 Megabyte long! The most difficult thing in such big programs, is that when you change something at one corner, it may be creating a bug in a very far routine that you had almost forgotten! New Features in AMOS 1.2 -------------------------- 1 The new improved File Selector Certainly a subject on which we had the most remarks and ideas! What's new then: * You can now type stuff, and click when the directory is loading. As a consequence, the directory is not sorted any more, but I have provided a SORT button. You can keep clicking on it if you cannot stand seeing the directory in a mess! * The up and down arrows are grouped in the top of the file list. * The PARENT button is just over the arrows, giving fast access to all three buttons. * No more device list on the right of the files! To have it, just do as in the ARP file selector: click on the right mouse button. The device REAL names (including ASSIGNED devices) list will be displayed. Just click on the name to change the disc. * The requester is not disabled as it was before. If you ask for an non-existent disc, it will ask to insert it. * That's it. Some major changes that will (I hope) satisfy your needs. Note that the program selector has changed too. No kidding, how did you guess I was using the same routines? * The slider bar's display is now cleaner * Sequential files are now 3 times faster. I was really ashamed to be slower than Amiga Basic! * =DIR$ now returns the disc name, and not only the device reference. * AMOS is now even more multi-tasking. The editor and the direct mode do not do "busy" loops any more. You can normally run other tasks on the background. Of course, when a program is running, AMOS takes as much processor time as it can to have the best speed. See the new MULTI WAIT instruction below for more details. 2 New instructions Yes, as a bonus, for no extra cost! * =DEV FIRST$("filter") * =DEV NEXT$ Like DIR FIRST$ and DIR NEXT$, but for the device list. Note that you should remove the spaces with -" " to get the right name. * MULTI WAIT To make REAL multi-task programs, you must not grab all the processor time (as I used to do in V1.1), and leave some power to the other tasks. MULTI WAIT does a MULTI-TASK wait vbl. You should use it in your program's main loop, when you wait for example for a menu item to be selected. Note that you should not use this instruction to make accurate screen synchronisation. As it is designed to multi-task, this instruction is NOT ACCURATE AT ALL! It may skip many VBLs, depending on the number of running task at the moment. If you missed it in the manual, multitasking can be activated by pressing Amiga+A to flick between AMOS and the CLI or Workbench environments. This allows systems with at least 1 meg to run AMOS and programs like DPAINT III at the same time! * PRIORITY REVERSE ON * PRIORITY REVERSE OFF When I had finished AMOS, someone told me that I had made a really stupid mistake: the bob priority display order in AMOS was REVERSED to that in STOS. Silly me! It made it more difficult to port programs from STOS to AMOS - but not impossible! I had to correct this! PRIORITY REVERSE ON, as it says, reverses the entire bob's priority table. It means that bob number 1 will be first, in front of all other bobs, 2 will come in second etc... This priority list is compatible with STOS. This instruction has another really nice feature when you use it with PRIORITY ON. The bobs are not sorted from TOP to BOTTOM any more, but from BOTTOM to TOP! The highest bob on the screen will be displayed in front of the others - how to turn a mistake into a nice new feature! * Automatic sprite flipping - a very special feature - really crucial! In a great number of games, the main character needs to animate left to right, and up and down. Up to now, you were obliged to keep in the sprite bank reversed copies of small animation sequences for the main character. As the main character usually has the best animation, you lose an enormous amount of space! For the game RanXerox (out now!), which I wrote a long time ago, I produced a nice flipping routine which allowed me to keep just one copy of the main character in the bank. I have grabbed and enhanced this routines for AMOS, and it is now a part of Version 1.2. I had to be clever (who said I could not?) to find a way of including this feature and keep compatibility with older programs. How does it work? Let's imagine your character is walking to the left and then back to the right. You would only have in your bank the image of him walking to the right. To display this right image, you simply refer to the image number in the bank as usual. To display the image reversed in the X axis (left walking image), you set bit number 15 of the image number to 1. Don't panic, you can simply do it with: $8000+Image number So, BOB 1,160,100,1 will display your character walking right, and BOB 1,160,100,$8000+1 will display it walking left. The same principle is used for vertical reversing, for this, bit number 14 is used. Add $4000 to the image number. To have a vertical and horizontal reversing, use $C000. The symmetry is a full symmetry: I also reverse the HOT SPOT of the bob. For example, if we had put the hot spot in X under the feet of our character, the reversed version would also have it under its foot. So be careful if you set the hot spot on the top left corner on a bob, the reversed image will be displayed at the top left! You might say that $8000 and $C000 is a bit weird to use. I have provided special functions to give a better AMOS interface: * =HREV(image), add $8000 to the image * =VREV(image), add $4000 * =REV(image), add $C000 Use them in place of the hex values: BOB 1,160,100,10 BOB 1,160,100,HREV(10) BOB 1,160,100,VREV(10) BOB 1,160,100,REV(10) To allow easy use of the bob reverser in AMAL, I have implemented HEXADECIMAL evaluation. So you can use hex notation to refer easily to reversed bobs. If hex frightens you, just add $8000, $4000 or $C000 before all references in your AMAL strings. Example: Old AMAL string: "Anim 0,(1,2)(2,2)(3,2)(4,2)" New reversed string: "Anim 0,($8000+1,2)($8000+2)($8000+3)($8000+4)" or... "Anim 0,($8001,2)($8002,2)($8003,2)($8004,2)" If you use a register to calculate the image number, do not try to modify the calculation itself, but only when you assign the register to the image. Old AMAL string: For R0=1 To 10; Let A=R0; Next R0 New one: For R0=1 To 10; Let A=C000+R0; Next R0 How does the flip routine work? It is really important for you to understand how it works internally, so that you do not ask this system to do things it is not designed to. I'll make myself a little bit clearer. This reversing system is designed to increase memory before trying to be fast (although we would not mind if it was actually fast, would we?). I had to make concessions to have it at the same time fast, easy and powerful. The routine actually works right in the middle of the bank, and does not use any extra memory. The bobs are flipped during the UPDATE process, just before a bob is redrawn on the screen: I look to see if the image needs to be flipped in the bank. If it does, I do it and set a flag in the bank. On the next UPDATE, if the bob image has not changed, I will not need to flip it again, thus saving a lot of time. If you understand the above, you will also realise one BIG limitation: It is not wise to use more than one flipped bob pointing to the same image. Let's see the next example: Bob 1,160,100,1 Bob 2,160,150,$8001 Bob 3,20,20,$4001 Bob 4,20,100,$C001 Update During the UPDATE process, AMOS will first draw bob #1. No problem, it is in the right position. Then bob #2 - AMOS needs to reverse it in X. Bob #3 needs a Y and an X reversing (to put the bob back to normal in X!). Then bob #4 needs an X flipping. On the next update, providing the bob's image has not changed, to display bob #1, AMOS will have to flip it in X and Y, then bob #2... As you can see, for each UPDATE, ie every 50th of second, if the bobs move, they need to be reversed! This will work, but will take a lot of processor time, and the animation will be disastrous. So the golden rule is: Use the reversed bobs for objects alone on a screen (or be sure that normal and reversed images are not displayed at the same time on the screen). If you want, you can have two bobs like this - experiment! I told you before that this system was for use with BOBS. Yes, it is totally automatic with bobs. But as it directly affects the sprite bank, you can use it with sprites. When a hardware computed sprite is calculated, AMOS looks into the sprite bank and gets the image from it. If the image is reversed at that moment, the hardware sprite will display a reversed image. You can therefore have reversed hardware sprites using this method. But you cannot do for example: Sprite 1,200,200,$8001 * Pasting flipped bobs PASTE BOB also accepts reversed images. A simple trick to reverse an image in the bank without having to display a bob is to PASTE the reversed image outside of the screen. Example: Paste Bob 500,500,$C000 This will reverse image 4 in the bank, without any output (and quite fast). * Collision Detection This is an important point, and you have to be very careful when you detect collisions with reversed bobs! The collision detection uses the shapes in the bank at the very moment it is called. Let's see an example that will never work: Bob 1,160,100,1 Do Bob 2,XScreen(XMouse),YScreen(YMouse),$8001 Wait Vbl Exit if Bob Col(1) Loop Why doesn't it work? We have two reversed images of the same definition in the bank. After the updating process, the image in the bank is left reversed. So the Bob Col instruction will take bob shape 1, the reversed image, and this will not work! So remember what uncle Fran‡ois tells you: THOU SHALL NEVER USE COLLISION DETECTION WITH MORE THAN ONE REVERSED IMAGE ON THE SCREEN! How is it coded into the sprite bank? I use two bits in the Hot spot X definition of each image in the bank (at SPRITE BASE+6). Bit #15 for X: 0 if normal, 1 if reversed Bit #14 for Y: " " " " Before RUN and SAVE, the bank is restored to its normal state, so that it is still compatible with version 1.1... * Block Flipping Yes, I had a really nice routine, I had to use it for the blocks! Two new instructions: HREV BLOCK number, flips horizontally VREV BLOCK number, flips vertically * Bank Swapping A new and very needed instruction: Bank Swap number1,number2 This instruction will swap the pointers of the two banks. Useful if you want to turn an icon bank into a sprite bank. Example: Bank Swap 1,2 or have more than one music bank at the same time, for example: Bank Swap 3,5 etc... 3 New Programs The AMOS1_2.AMOS updater has also saved a few new programs onto your disc: * CONFIG1_2.AMOS - the new configuration program. Note that the configuration file in the AMOS_System folder is not the same as the version 1_1 file. * MENU_EDITOR.AMOS - a new one, as AMOS had some annoying bugs in fonts handling and ERRN functions. * LOCK.AMOS program! Yes, now you can lock your procedures, as said in the manual. To proceed: 1 Make a backup of your program, with OPENED procedures 2 Close all the procedures you wish to definitely lock 3 Load the LOCK.AMOS program, as an ACCESSORY 4 Run LOCK.AMOS using the RUN OTHER Menu option from the editor Your procedures are now locked, and you cannot open them back. NB: Do not try to load a program with locked procedures in AMOS1_1 as it will crash the computer! Version 1_1 is designed to disappear quickly! I am offering a bottle of (GOOD) French champagne to the first one who will send me a program that unlocks another AMOS program, and the LOCK.AMOS program unlocked. I wish you some happy hours trying to find out how I did it! Hahaha! AMOS Users Club ----------------- Issue 1 of the AMOS Newsletter is now available. The club has really taken off with over 700 members having joined - this is more than the STOS club did in a year! Adding a high score to Magic Forest, How I wrote Cartoon Capers, Public Domain Update, A500 Blues and an article on Sprites, form the main body of this first issue. Join now - you won't regret it and you'll get all the latest AMOS related news. Soundtracker fix ------------------ If you've experienced problems with the Soundtracker to AMOS converter (found on the EXTRAS disc), then have a look at the listing and ensure that line 61 is the same as below: OF_MUSIC=$43C Without this change the music tended to play out of sequence on one of the channels. AMOS's future --------------- A look to the future! In the next few months, I will program: * A COMMS extension, to handle all RS232 and parallel ports directly * An AREXX interface * The COMPILER!!! it is still time to send to Mandarin all your ideas and suggestions for this important product. We will read all the letters, as usual. I look forward to seeing what you have done in AMOS. Think about the PD library, and do not keep your masterpieces for yourself only! Send them to the club. I have already seen some amazing stuff... That's all folks! I wish you as much fun programming in AMOS as I had programming it! PS - Thanks to all these persons for their nice letters and intelligent remarks: J.M.Wright, Dr. Steve Hill, M. Radeley, T.W. Davies, Fred Potter (Canada!), Mike Laskey, Frederic Calendini, C. Savage, Michael Hawksworth, Richard A. Newbould, Robert Pirie, P.J. Hasell, Eric Sagon, R.P. Couzens, Paul Loraine, C.A. Thompson, Andrew Forrest, Rob Elsas, Matthew Clark, David Batty, Steve Bennett, David Spacey, E. Spooner, Michael Ashton, H. Gibbens, Adrian Milliner, Gary Field, C.J. Hoare, Peter Wade, Phillip Muldoon and all the ones I have forgotten!