____________________________________________________________________________ Name : 'rmccdemo' version 0.03 ____________________________________________________________________________ For : CodeCraft 3 1K demo Author : Richard Murray Size : 1024 bytes Needs : RiscPC, with 1Mb VRAM Tested with X480 Y352 C16M screenmode. [option to recompile for non-VRAM machines] Descr. : Silly little demo, entry for CodeCraft 1K demo. ____________________________________________________________________________ Introduction and pointless waffling ----------------------------------- I would have gone all out with a three-dimensional first-person perspective of Aldershot, except: 1. My maths is so bad I can't do a wireframe box (!). 2. Aldershot isn't really a place worth doing that with. 3. I very much doubt it'd fit into 1K, even if I just did a fractal fog and claimed it was Aldershot on a bright sunny day... So instead, I'll do this. Why the hell not? And I'll make the source alter itself so non-VRAM users (Jeez guys, buy some VRAM already, make USE of your VIDC!!!) don't miss out. Why the hell not? Oh, and the path is anto-aliased. Well, it isn't, but it is supposed to look that way. (you know the chorus by now, "Why the hell not?"). Consider it the MicroSoft take on anti-aliasing. No, wait, that's a bad thing... Um... ____________________________________________________________________________ Files included -------------- @ ReadMe : This file rmccdemo : The demo, just click'n'run (should be &FF8 type). More.rmcc_src : The source More.SetPath : Sets the path for recompiling ____________________________________________________________________________ Easter Eggs ----------- I don't think I've yet written a program without some form of Easter Egg. Sadly, I couldn't fit it into the competition version. However, if you hold down ALT while running the "rmcc_src" program to compile this, it'll add some extra stuff into the program, including... ...the obligatory Easter Egg. This one, if you run the program while holding ALT, it will disassemble itself. Not "wicked", I know, but what d'you expect? A ray-traced picture of Alyson Hannigan? PS: If you are not aware of my obsession with this exemplary specimen of the opposite gender (hmmm, I'll bet she's never been described like that before!) then visit my website, or hack some of my code. Or watch Buffy. Or, hell... Try altavista... ____________________________________________________________________________ Older machines -------------- Sorry, this one kinda relies upon having 16 million colours available. Have a hack, but without all those colours (16,777,216 actually!) you will be missing the entire effect. Actually, I'd guess it only really uses about 1000 colours, so if you have hardware that can do this, you might be able to fudge things. Hmmm, can the ColourCard do this, or is it more severely limited by the older VIDC? If you get it looking as it should on an older (ie, ARM2/3) machine, please let me know what you did and what extra hardware is required (hint: "Econet and a RiscPC" don't count!). ____________________________________________________________________________ Source issues ------------- This source is supposed to be 32 bit compliant. I've not tested it on a 32 bit OS, but there's nothing here (that I'm aware of) that will behave differently in a 32 bit environment than a 26 bit one. The source is commented sufficiently that you should be able to see what is going on quite easily. There are a number of conditional compilations, because the source will automatically choose whether to make the proper (1Mb+ VRAM) entry, or the slightly-modified version for those without VRAM. And in addition to that, there is the 'extras' mode. This program has been developed on a RISC OS 3.70 machine with an ARM710 processor. It does do some kooky stuff with the ColourTrans colour words in order to squeeze more into my 1K, but it has all been tested and checked and works entirely as it should under RISC OS 3.70. As of version 0.02, I have included a BIC in the introduction (but not the star colourisation) so this won't (shouldn't?) be an issue any more. I do not envisage problems under RISC OS 3.60 or RISC OS 4; though I would appreciate feedback (in either case) so I can say for sure. If you are using RISC OS 3.50, I'm sure the entire RISC OS fraternity will offer you pity, and second-hand 3.6 OS ROMs. This code doesn't self-modify, so it should work entirely as expected on StrongARM/Kinetic processors. I don't have either of these, but I can dweeem and dweeem... ____________________________________________________________________________ To recompile if you do not have VRAM ------------------------------------ 1. Run "SetPath". 2. Double-click on "rmcc_src". 3. Double-click on "rmccdemo" to watch it. It only requires standard BASIC features, it will detect if you have VRAM or not and build the appropriate version for you. Just double-click three times. That's all. Hold down ALT for extras. If you get the 32-bit message, well gee - I kinda envy you much. If you later upgrade to have some VRAM (which is much recommended), then simply recompile in order to view it as it was intended. ____________________________________________________________________________ Geekisms -------- Technically, the stars should not be out on a sunny day. But then, the ground shouldn't fade away either. But, your reference point is Earth. Nowhere have I said that this is 'located' on Erf. I just said it is not Aldershot. :-) The original (BASIC) program was written because I'd just got myself a RiscPC and just looked at a picture of Alyson Hannigan and thought several unprintable thoughts (if you've ever only used a VIDC1 machine (pre-RiscPC), then nothing will prepare you for it... (and there you probably thought I was have those /other/ kind of unprintable thoughts! (actually, I was, but we want to try to keep this a PG rated helpfile! (coo, nested comments!)))). My system is all nicely gamma corrected and everything. I was impressed. But then my thoughts weren't so much about that as about who I was looking at... So I wrote a little BASIC program to generate colour bars. I wondered that although they say the eye cannot resolve all 16 million colours, it's only 256 shades of each of the three colours, so why can't we see them all? I'll leave it to you to decide. So, here's the thing, CodeCraft announce a demo competition. Now being the author of the assembler programming site http://www.heyrick.co.uk/assembler/ I figure it's the LEAST that I can do to create a 1K entry. I mean, I probably could Build A Better Mandelbrot, but being utter crap at maths more or less precludes that. And I wanted something that looked interesting (which, again, rules out those little system utilities (which are in a different category anyhoo)). So I decided to ARMcodify my colour test program. ____________________________________________________________________________ Disclaimer ---------- This program is distributed as an entry in the CodeCraft 3 competition. There is no warranty, neither explicit nor implied, that this program will function or do the described functions, or even be fit for electronic consumption. I, Richard Murray, am not liable for a single thing resulting from the use of this software. Copyright is mine at all times. If you include this software on a CD or coverdisc or some sort, I'd like a freebie copy of the CD/magazine/whatever. Oh, and everybody who uses this software must buy me a beer if they ever meet me. Heineken Export by preference, or Kronenbourg. D'you think there is any rule to how silly these licence conditions can get? I know...if you use this software more than once, please send a dollar to NASA. Failing that, send a few ring-pulls so they can melt them down into a spacecraft. With any luck, we might be able to smuggle Michael Portillo on the next mission to Mars, and be done with him for good! In fact, if you are an American, don't bother with ring pulls and beer. Unite to treat 2B/UCITA and any of its perverse and twisted offspring with the utter contempt that it deserves. Okay, serious now. I disclaim everything. I'm not liable. At all. Ever. I mean, I could go into a ten paragraph discussing exactly what it is that I am not liable for (even if I've been warned of the possibility), and could refer to your use/inability to use, and exclusions for states/territories that don't allow exclusions. But let's face it. You don't read that crap. I'm sure 99.9% of Windows users look at the licence conditions window that appears when installing software, and they just click NEXT. For all I know, my Windows licence requires me to fly to Seattle and lick Mr. Gates III's rectum. I doubt it, but I've never read the entire thing, so it might. So enough of the pseudolegal crap already. Bored now. ____________________________________________________________________________ Thanks ------ I'd like to thank my mom for making it all possible, God for being... oh, gosh, you love me, you really love me. Sob! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Oops, I've not won an academy award or a Brit. Well, thank goodness for that! I'd just like to give a few thanks anyways... ...Mom, for being there. ...Acorn, for such a nice processor, and for RISC OS. ...Abacus, for giving me work to do so I can buy stuff and pay the phone bills. ...Certain people in certain nursing homes who make life bearable by working with me so I don't need to work with the unbearable assholes. ...everybody with the misconception that care assistants read stories and make tea for old folk. That's the only logical explanation I can think of for a steady stream of young girls (by that, I mean school-leavers - get your mind out of the gutter) who come to do this job, last a shift, never come back... ...Dido, for giving me music worth listening to. UK release, track 9. My favourite. ...Limp Bizkit, for soundtrack to accompany those times when you've been looking for a tiny obscure bug for six hours straight and still can't f...ing find it! ...Stephen Hawking, for books worth reading. ...Pleasantville, for being one of the best movies I've seen in a long while. ...Troma, for making some of the worst movies I've seen in a long while. Though, there's a certain twisted fascination to Class Of Nuke'em High and the Toxic Avenger. ...Joss Whedon, y'all know what for... ...David Pilling, for Spark[FS|Plug], HearSay, and Ovation[Pro]. ...Clipper teas, for making a decaffeinated tea that actually tastes like tea. ...Matthew Bloch, for porting XEarth. ...MicroSoft, for making wads of memory and massive harddiscs cheaper by the day. ...Peter Bondar, for chainsawing a PC. Extreme silliness, but highly amusing. ...Paul Vigay, Justin Fletcher, druck, Sophie, and Stewart, for all they've contributed for RISC OS and its users. ...The regulars at comp.sys.acorn for assistance, discussions, and some damn fine put-downs. ...The Eagles. ...Greg Henessy, why the hell not? (ps: I'm not sure that's spelt right) ...Everybody who has made AcorNet a reality. I don't use it, but the fact that it exists at all is worth noting. ...Penguins, for everthing. ...Jochen Leug, for his alternative views on stuff (ZFC stuff, that is). ...Vince Hudd, for his even-more-alternative views on stuff. ...The horse-head nebula in Orion. If I could go anywhere in the universe, that's where. ...Marks and Spencer, for nice cookies. ...Gustov Holst, for Jupiter. ...UCITA, for reminding me why I don't really want to live in America. ...and Alyson Hannigan, simply for existing. ____________________________________________________________________________ Contact ------- A movie starring Jodie Foster, based upon a book by Carl Sagan. Amazingly, the movie is remarkably similar to the book. Website : http://www.heyrick.co.uk/ Assembler area : http://www.heyrick.co.uk/assembler/ Email : codecraft@heyrick.co.uk ____________________________________________________________________________ The bottom line --------------- No user servicable parts inside (and since when did that stop you?).