DemonSeed's Stupid Questions, patent number 347594...

Well, I downloaded this Sprite Converter from MRC...

Nice program, what it does and all, but... (no, I couldn't find the answer in the readme-file)

How do you load the .SPR file?

Bload won't work, copy "file" to (x,y) won't work...

I didn't even know there were more ways than those to load a binary file...

Well, assuming you're talking about Maggoo's sprite converter, I always load the text files in word-pad, add some headers and assemble them in tniASM...

Good question
I usually produce the gen file...

Whoa, guys, you're talkin' to a BASIC "programmer" here...

Generate the gen file, then convert it in a basic source replacing "db" with "data" and numbering the lines. In this way you can use vpoke to define your sprites.
Send me your pictures, I can send you back a working example on how it can be done
:-)

dunno if you're talking about the Windows Sprite converter for PC I wrote. Clearly I didn't foresee usage under Basic because I thought I was the only one to use it and I don't use sprites in Basic

But making it available in Basic's Bload format should be a fairly easy option to add. Just say how exactly you'd need it.

@Magoo
I have a comment on your sprite converter: could you integrate some simple function of editing ?

The most important is "swap the colours" !!
All the sprite I have found have white or non-black background.
If I could swap the background colour with transparent colour that
would be great.

Moreover it would be great having the possibility to open also
bmp or png 16 colour images of any size, being free to work on
any part of the image. Good SC5 files with animated sprites are
very difficult to find (nowadays almost impossible), the only possibility
is to convert sprites ripped form windows formats. If you can find 16 colour
images, they are much larger than 256*192 : - )

Last but not less important, your program needs a ZOOM function !!
Even on my 17'' LCR your program is almost useless. I tried also to reduce
the desktop resolution in windows, at 640x480 works fine, but as you can
imagine this isn't a very ergonomic solution as, for working, I need also
my cmd line with sjasm, the emulator window, the txt editor for the sources…
and all the other stuff I use....

Of course, a plus would be to have a GUI…

Quote:

Send me your pictures, I can send you back a working example on how it can be done :-)

Hey, cool, but until now I only have test-sprites...

Quote:

But making it available in Basic's Bload format should be a fairly easy option to add. Just say how exactly you'd need it.

Well, if one could just do something like

BLOAD"FILE.SPR",R

And the sprites would be in the VRAM, to be used with PUTSPRITE, that would be the most easy way...

Calling the start adress of the .SPR file with DEFUSR, PEEK or POKE (?!) would be the second most easy way.

Now I wonder, is it even possible to use multiple color-sprites with OR/XOR in BASIC?

Quote:

Quote: Send me your pictures, I can send you back a working example on how it can be done :-) Hey, cool, but until now I only have test-sprites... Quote: But making it available in Basic's Bload format should be a fairly easy option to add. Just say how exactly you'd need it. Well, if one could just do something like BLOAD"FILE.SPR",R And the sprites would be in the VRAM, to be used with PUTSPRITE, that would be the most easy way... Calling the start adress of the .SPR file with DEFUSR, PEEK or POKE (?!) would be the second most easy way. Now I wonder, is it even possible to use multiple color-sprites with OR/XOR in BASIC?

Well to load in VRAM wouldn't something like Bload"file.spr",s be better Haven't tried it but put sprite shouldn't be an issue either once the data are loaded in VRAM

@ ARTRAG: A zoom function is very easy to add, I'll take care of it (see the Zoom present for the Vscreen Level Editor). The GUI is already implemented since I ported the app to Blitz+ (still can be improved tho). Now editing sprites or importing "PC" formats is another issue. Editing required lots of new functions, while loading PC format requires many converters to be written (there's just so many file formats). Perhaps I could settle for a 16 colors BMP support. There's already tools to convert PC format files, what's the point of re-writing one that would not be as good anyway

Do you know in which position or page you have to BLOAD,S a file, to get it in the sprite-section of the VRAM?
Does it detect automatically?

Well, ofcourse you know, but I don't, so...

It pretty much depends on the screen mode you are working in. Also those tables can be relocated in VRAM using some VDP register. Anyway, using a BLOAD"",S, you can also specify an offset which makes it possible to load it at any adress you want in VRAM...

Interesting. I'll try and stunt with it for a while...

@ ARTRAG: Zoom function now built in (was just a 2 minutes hack). Just re-download the zip package.