To: 999 (all members)
From: K3H (ALBERT SCHOFIELD.)
Subject: TAPE TO DISC ON THE BBC B.
JETPAC is a game in two parts, JETPAC
and JET-PAC. Both are in machine code
and both are locked. However both
parts work equally well when unlocked.
If the first part is catalogued using
*OPT1,2 then the load address is given
as &D80. This load address is false.
To find the true load address,
catalogue the file and as soon as the
first block (00) appears press ESCAPE
and then enter PRINT÷!&3BE . The true
load address will be given. The true
load address is &5C00.
Load in the first part from cassette
with an unlocking utility using:-
*LOAD""1900. Save it to disc using:-
*SAVE JETPAC 1900+600 6000 5C00
The load address of the second part
is also given as &D80 and this is also
false. The true load address is &2000.
Load in the second part using an
unlocking utility and using:-
*LOAD""1900 . Save to disc using:-
*SAVE JET-PAC 1900+3A00 5900 2000
Entering *RUN JETPAC or *JETPAC will
now load and run the game.
From: 4WL (Martin Wilson)
Subject: Converted Screens
I've converted many foreign images to
the BBC in my time, mainly due to my
own curiosity to how good they would
appear on the BBC/Electron.
Its very simple to do and you don't
need to cough up for any commercial
software. A simple PD utility called
Beebscreen will enable you to convert
Archimedes sprites to BBC screens or
vice versa and ChangeFSI which is a
graphics utility free on Archimedes
system disks enables scaling.
Firstly load up ChangeFSI and select
Mode 1 or 0 on the Archimedes. In the
ChangeFSI options change scaling so
that it fills screen, which means
ticking either 320x256 or 640x256. You
may also consider using the sharpen or
brighten images option for best
results. Also the sharpness factor can
be varied over a wide range.
Drop your image onto ChangeFSI what
ever the format (as long as its a well
known one like JPEG, GIF, sprite etc)
and the conversion will commence. Even
on the SA there can be a delay
especially if there's a lot of scaling
involved but whatever the system it
shouldn't take too long. Sprite to
sprite conversion is always quicker
though. If your using a 3.6/3.7 OS
computer enable sprite instead of Jpeg
output before you start.
You can then view your image.
Sometimes its clearer to move back to
a decent colour mode afterwards to
view your new mode 1 or mode 0 sprite.
If you've created a mode 1 sprite you
may want to edit the palette to match
the BBCs as it will create an image
using the larger Archimedes palette
although obviously only 4 such
colours. Make sure the palette edit
option is ticked so you can edit it.
With beebscreen make sure the box
setting displays a little BBC. This
image is quite small so you may
overlook this initially. Then drop
your sprite on the right mode box.
I found ChangeFSI to be incapable of
generating other mode screens without
crashing out. It only seems to like
BBC modes which can be used by the
Archimedes desktop which is Modes 0
and 1. However perhaps an alternative
art package will enable other modes to
be used but I don't have such a
package.
It can be surprising quick to convert
a 24bit Jpeg image to a mode 1 screen
and the results I think are impressive
for what is a 1982 design in
computers. When you think about it the
BBCs 640x256 Mode 0 screen is about
three times the resolution of the 1982
Spectrum 256x192. The spectrums
attribute colour system is totally
useless for actual image conversion.
I've done a conversion of the PCs Elite
Plus title screen. Originally a
MCGA 320x200 256 colour image and you
may have seen some of my earlier
conversions on earlier 8BS issues.
Anyone who wants foreign screen images
converted to the BBC then send them to
me on a 3.5 disk (PC format if
necessary) and I will return the same
disk reformatted to DFS or ADFS with
the converted images on. Don't forget
to include a SSAE and if your feeling
generous perhaps a bonus blank disk
for my time. Each file is 20k so 18 on
a 80T DFS double sided disk and 30 on
ADFS (640k). If its for a Electron P3
send a preformatted 320k disk.
Martin Wilson
32 Grass Royal
Yeovil Somerset BA21 4JW
From: 4WL (Martin Wilson)
Subject: StrongArm and 65Host
Since getting a StrongArm PC I was
annoyed to find that 65Host didn't
work. I suppose this wouldn't matter
if the other BBC emulator 6502em did
everything I want it to but it
doesn't. 6502em's Virtual DFS doesn't
like the 8BS Messaging system and I
used to rely on 65Host as the
dependable Program for doing these
messages.
Anyway I've found a simple solution
and its called Strongcache. It enables
you to turn off the SA's cache using
double shift plus F1 to disable it and
double shift plus F2 to re-enable it.
You can do this at anytime. You still
need Game on to emulate the original
Archimedes Graphics chip so in effect
you need two compatibility programs at
the same time. You can get partial
compatibility with just StrongCache
but changing modes will crash it.
Simply boot up 65host with the cache
off and re-enable it once loaded.
ReplyTo: E3M (Steve Allsopp)
From: K8G (Jonathan Harston)
Subject: Printer not printing '0's
If Gem on your 512 board is printing
'0's, but when printing from native
BBC applications doesn't, it seems the
most obvious thing is that you have
got the Printer Ignore Character set
to 48 (ie '0'). Check *STATUS IGNORE.
Try setting *CONFIG. NOIGNORE or
setting *CONFIG. IGNORE 0.
You can set the ignore character
without storing it in the
configuration memory with *FX6. It
looks as though *FX6,48 has been
issued; ch is done by SAVE), END
is done or a LOAD/CHAIN command.
Try doing: !PAGE=0
No Bad Program message, but now press
Escape. Bad program message appears.