Search found 711 matches

by catmeows
Mon Feb 26, 2024 10:11 am
Forum: Programming
Topic: Mapa ve hře cyclone
Replies: 4
Views: 249

Re: Mapa ve hře cyclone

Nevíte někdo náhodou kde je v této hře zakódována mapa?rutina na adrese 30252 vykresluje na obrazovku a a načítá data určené IX 63310.odkud se zapisuje na tuto adresu? Diky Translation: Hi, has anyone idea how is map stored in Cyclone game. There is draw routine at 30252 and uses data given by IX =...
by catmeows
Sun Feb 25, 2024 3:37 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by Infogrames: discussion
Replies: 12
Views: 205

Re: The best Speccy game by Infogrames: discussion

Vera Cruz has French and Belgian authors. I'm not sure which of them was the coder but considering the long english tradition to wrongly recognize Mr. Poirot as French, I would count it.
by catmeows
Thu Feb 15, 2024 10:51 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: How big should new Speccy games be? 48k? Bigger? Release 2 versions?
Replies: 67
Views: 1647

Re: How big should new Speccy games be? 48k? Bigger? Release 2 versions?

For me, it is similar to movies. Some movies have 2 hours and you feel it is the right lenght, some other have 1 hour 20 minutes and you feel it is the right length. And then you have movies that ask for 2 hours and you feel they should be cut to 90 minutes. And also opposite, there are some movies ...
by catmeows
Thu Feb 15, 2024 2:29 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: How big should new Speccy games be? 48k? Bigger? Release 2 versions?
Replies: 67
Views: 1647

Re: How big should new Speccy games be? 48k? Bigger? Release 2 versions?

Or even better: Day 1: You join a super ambitious projects of an arcade conversion after a previous coder left. He stated he has problem with drinking and is not able to continue on the project. But at least he sends you source code of his work as TRD image for some obscure russian assembler you nev...
by catmeows
Fri Feb 02, 2024 5:30 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Machine code comment syntax recommendations
Replies: 40
Views: 1185

Re: Machine code comment syntax recommendations

Interesting I’ve been writing what each line does but actually the block is much better. Do you have any rules around the size of a block? Single block does single thing clearScreen ; CLEAR SCREEN ; A = attribute ld hl, 16384 ld de, 16385 ld bc, 6144 ld (hl), 0 ldir ;clear pixels ld bc, 767 ld (hl)...
by catmeows
Sat Jan 27, 2024 5:46 pm
Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
Topic: The code so bad you won't hire
Replies: 131
Views: 3797

Re: The code so bad you won't hire

ParadigmShifter wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2024 3:29 pm Well moral of that story is never ship your own implementation of a standard algorithm without first
And write unit tests. I have seen so many bugs that would be discovered even by the simplest test.
by catmeows
Sat Jan 27, 2024 10:20 am
Forum: Hardware
Topic: Could standard cassette use stereo tracks to double data density ?
Replies: 21
Views: 1048

Re: Could standard cassette use stereo tracks to double data density ?

They even made a video camera that used audio cassettes, so cassette bandwidth is actually pretty impressive if pushed to the limits. https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a25304/camcorder-audio-cassettes/ Yeah, i know about PXL camera. It Is such obscure toy hardware I cannot decide ...
by catmeows
Thu Jan 25, 2024 6:26 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Inspector Cadget - EH?
Replies: 7
Views: 485

Re: Inspector Cadget - EH?

TheMartian wrote: Wed Jan 24, 2024 9:41 pm You actually need to press "M" while next to the key to grab it. In fact, it's quite realistic. Whenever I try to grab my keys running towards them I get hurt...
You martians are missing superpowers of earthlings, obviously.
by catmeows
Tue Jan 23, 2024 11:28 pm
Forum: Brand new software!
Topic: Game Of The Year 2023 Final Vote
Replies: 25
Views: 3928

Re: Game Of The Year 2023 Final Vote

I think that Seraphima and Wycheweald are awesome games and they deserve to be amongst the best of the year. I'm myself a small part of the team of Speccy Soccer and that third place makes me quite happy. That and also knowing that so many people played it and liked it. Thanks to all those who rele...
by catmeows
Mon Jan 22, 2024 5:11 pm
Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
Topic: Anyone made any 2024 Speccy-related New Year Resolutions?
Replies: 18
Views: 746

Re: Anyone made any 2024 Speccy-related New Year Resolutions?

I have three: 1) To finish coding of shmup planned for WOOT 2023 (that is less or more sure thing) 2) Move on with Telebugs project (there is some uncertainity what we want to do) 3) Make a beat-em up game (I have very clear idea about WHAT and HOW, though I doubt my capability to draw sprites for t...
by catmeows
Mon Jan 22, 2024 4:54 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: How much self modifying code was there and did it do anything?
Replies: 26
Views: 1369

Re: How much self modifying code was there and did it do anything?

Looks interesting, can you explain that one in a bit more detail? I can't quite get my head around it... As HL is decreasing, it will rewrite second byte of JR instruction. Since series of multiple xors over chunk are deterministic, you can choose start value in A register such that result of XOR w...
by catmeows
Sun Jan 21, 2024 8:34 pm
Forum: Graphics
Topic: Iconic Character Sprites
Replies: 66
Views: 3070

Re: Iconic Character Sprites

hitm4n wrote: Sun Jan 21, 2024 12:43 pm
Image
Who is that guy in right bottom corner ?
by catmeows
Sun Jan 21, 2024 7:29 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Understanding BASIC memory map
Replies: 16
Views: 819

Re: Understanding BASIC memory map

Any ISR that would destroy HL would be most likely useless. What I mean than you can reserve space on stack like this: ld hl, -1000 ; reserve 1000 bytes add hl, sp ld sp, hl and free reserved memory like this ld hl, 1000 add hl, sp ld sp, hl basically any high level compiler supporting stack frame w...
by catmeows
Sun Jan 21, 2024 6:32 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Understanding BASIC memory map
Replies: 16
Views: 819

Re: Understanding BASIC memory map

ParadigmShifter wrote: Sun Jan 21, 2024 6:28 pm If you change SP you need to do that inside a DI/EI block too.
Why you should not change stack pointer, Basic does that all thé time.
by catmeows
Sun Jan 21, 2024 6:28 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Understanding BASIC memory map
Replies: 16
Views: 819

Re: Understanding BASIC memory map

IMHO, you can use all space between STKEND and Z80 stack. Still, remember that USR is just Basic function and it should work even when it is part of more complex expression so you should not touch anything bellow STKEND.
But why not to reserve space directly on Z80 stack ?
by catmeows
Sun Jan 21, 2024 4:44 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Understanding BASIC memory map
Replies: 16
Views: 819

Re: Understanding BASIC memory map

Edit: 1) that 3E byte is mark for bottom of GOSUB stack 2) yes, FREE MEMORY is that one you want - use PRINT 65536-USR 7962 3) I would really use variable area: 3a) read value of VARS to get start of variable area 3b) reserve space for a dummy variable by calling MAKE-ROOM with HL=pointing to addres...
by catmeows
Sun Jan 21, 2024 2:27 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Understanding BASIC memory map
Replies: 16
Views: 819

Re: Understanding BASIC memory map

P.S. The goal is to allocate a large chunk of memory in your machine code without asking user to explicitly set RAMTOP. But RAMTOP is there exactly to limit memory used by Basic. Anything below it is not guaranteed. UDG area can only be moved explicitly, right? Unless something modifies UDG sys var...
by catmeows
Sun Jan 21, 2024 10:47 am
Forum: Programming
Topic: How much self modifying code was there and did it do anything?
Replies: 26
Views: 1369

Re: How much self modifying code was there and did it do anything?

The practical examples I see quite often: 1) store SP value directly as argument of LD SP, nnnn 2) update a byte/word value and inject new value back to computation code - RNGs use it quite often 3) compute jump argument for JR - very often it works as replacement for SWITCH CASE statement 4) variou...
by catmeows
Sat Jan 20, 2024 10:44 pm
Forum: Preservation
Topic: Run and take screens from Planet Protector by Nigel Stuart (UK)
Replies: 2
Views: 324

Re: Run and take screens from Planet Protector by Nigel Stuart (UK)

In my opinion the tape is incomplete. I was looking what is on the tape (some sound routines, at least one screen fx routine, udgs and the compiler) and I think, it contains just last code block from game. When I was looking on some other games by same author I noticed the games usualy contain three...
by catmeows
Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:32 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Best game music/sound
Replies: 37
Views: 1873

Re: Best game music/sound

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu_clMGOdTI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlIn7Y2jt2I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twc22gZkrRM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLycESojiCU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSErh0ZGpBw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0g1tv1gXvk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX2G...
by catmeows
Thu Jan 11, 2024 1:42 am
Forum: Programming
Topic: Best way to fill screen in basic?
Replies: 26
Views: 1508

Re: Best way to fill screen in basic?

Well, perhaps you could just change CHARS and print string like "abcdefghijklmn .... " for each character line.
by catmeows
Tue Jan 09, 2024 4:38 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Spectrum +3 printing the CATalogue
Replies: 2
Views: 189

Re: Spectrum +3 printing the CATalogue

IMHO, you can use Alphacom/ZX Printer in 48K mode only by default. Using it from 128K mode would need a printer driver.
by catmeows
Mon Jan 08, 2024 7:55 pm
Forum: Music
Topic: Blasphemy! Your favourite C64 SID chiptunes...
Replies: 14
Views: 789

Re: Blasphemy! Your favourite C64 SID chiptunes...

Sorry, I can't help myself:

by catmeows
Mon Jan 08, 2024 7:49 pm
Forum: Music
Topic: Blasphemy! Your favourite C64 SID chiptunes...
Replies: 14
Views: 789

Re: Blasphemy! Your favourite C64 SID chiptunes...

Comic Bakery


Ghouls'n'Ghosts


Sanxion


Golden Axe
by catmeows
Thu Jan 04, 2024 6:41 am
Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
Topic: The code so bad you won't hire
Replies: 131
Views: 3797

Re: The code so bad you won't hire

Yes, but again I'm specifically talking about this specific ROM for the spectrum having little in common with the functionality required on a bbc micro so there's nothing to "port" Boss: Hey, you, programmer ... Programmer: Me ? Boss: We need to code this stuff... by Friday. Presto, prest...