8-bit Software Disc Magazine (c) Duncan Webster 1991
Issue 14 (July 1991)
NEXT MONTHS MAGAZINE
I am going to try and address the ancient problem of SORT ROUTINES
next month. The SYSTEMS software still lacks the facility to reorder
records into numerical and/or alphabetical order simply because, after
many efforts, I haven't a clue about how to write the necessary
coding.
Chris "CHEAT" Richardson (2J3) is going to address the problem from an
understandable BASIC point of view, without worrying too much about
speed of sorting. Hopefully he shall also be able to provide a
PROCedure or Function that you shall be able to slot into your own
BASIC programs thus adding a useful sorting routines to your own
programs where necessary.
Hugh "BASDUMP" Williams will be addressing the problem from a
different angle. He will be concentrating on the technical side of
sorting routines and will hopefully supply a few programs
demonstrating how QUICKLY and effeciently the BBC Micro can sort data
within memory plus he will be giving an explanation on the different
methods of sort routines available to the machine code programmer.
If you would like to know, or already know about sorting datafiles
and/or the BBC's memory contents, then please drop me a line and I
will include your views/knowledge/questions within the Sorting Article
in the issue 15 magazine. If you are uninterested in computer sorting
routines, then do not despair as issue 15 will contain all the usual
hints, tips, reviews etc.
THE A-Z OF CHEATS
Submitted by Mark Ainsworth there will be a comprehensive list of game
cheats in issue 15 from Arkanoid to Warehouse - some you would already
have seen in 8BS before and some are new. If anyone knows of a game
cheat (however small) then please send it in NOW so that I may make
the A-Z list as comprehensive as possible.
ROT5 PROGRAM
For a simple program this ROT5 has certainly caused a lot of
discussion and the author should be well pleased! You remember
someone asking if the program could be adapted to include James Bond
(User ID 007 - get it?) to appear in the middle?? - Well nobody has
risen to the challenge literally, but Dave Stillman has got the
closest so far by sending me a demo program called "A view to a Kill"
which is very impressive. However you will have to wait until issue
15 to see this (sorry - out of disc space as it occupied 7 filenames).
COMING SOON
Matthew Smith (Alias Games Zappa!) is working on an adventure game
(surprise!). The big difference however, is that Matthew is writing
the game using HIS OWN ADVENTURE CREATOR. This system will be easy to
use and will be especially useful for the novice adventurer wishing to
create a scenario of his/her own. Watch this space.