Quote:

Hi, sorry, I had to close this group at the beginning of this year, as some co-workers in my company didn't like my activities on SymbOS. Of course I will invite everyone, who wants to join the group! Just give me a note! CU, Prodatron

Where do I send the note to? (don't feel like putting up my mail addy here )

Send me your email (registered for your Yahoo account) to:
mikaATfalkagDOTcom

Regards,
Prodatron

Hey all again, I plan to start the games developement side of SymStudio (The IDE not the OS yet) this weekend, with a mind to merging to some extent the CPC and MSX graphic modes together. Having thought about this somewhat I have the current cunning plan of operations.

My main interest will the the importation of graphics, and the game/level mapping system. Due to the modes of CPC and MSX2 I was wondering what people thought of this idea.
The CPC has a 16 colour bitmap mode of 160x200, (Yes thats a 2:1 ratio). The MSX mode 5 is similar but has extra horizontal resoultion. Therefore a basic graphic block on a CPC of 8x8 on the MSX2 would be a basic building block of 12x8. Meaning the MSX2 screen would become 20x25 (12x8) pixel blocks a Rez of 240x200 rather than 256. Basically meaning for each 2 pixel the CPC had the MSX would have 3 horizontally.

Similarly on the CPC mode 1 has a resoultion of 320x200 in 4 colours. Using a similar method this would be a MSX screen of 480x200 in Mode 6

This means graphics could be designed for the MSX and reduced in software automatically for the CPC version?

Does this sound a workable format? I plan to start the level mapper this weekend which will lay down (8x8 cpc) and (12x8) blocks to form levels. The Video and Font side will take the same tack of 2 pixel CPC / 3 pixel MSX.

Rob

in msx is most common 8x8 or 16x16 but 12x8 is perfectly workable. But to use only 240x200 and not all the horizontal and vertical resolution has its problems (most about horizontal) if the game design plans to do scrolling , the H and V scrolls that is just to set one VDP register that works as a BItMAP offset of where starts the VDP displaying works with all the screen, unless one copies <from to VRAM> using a VDP command that is slow and the vDP is bussy for a while.

Yes, I realised that, but there are solutions including border sprites being used to overlay the 16 unused pixels. And its only an issue with scrolling, which is awful on the CPC anyway.

I guess I could use a ratio of 16x8 MSX and 10x8 CPC which would maximise the horizontal width of both machines, but 16x8 is a little large to my mind.

No reason not to include both I guess

well, in games where the scene scrolls: how many blocks fits in the screen ? is a minor details, because it scrolls anyway!, and if the last line or column is drawed incompletely that isn't a problem because anyway it scrolls, so use all the screen.

and in games with fixed scene background is not problem about not using 16 pixels space because anyway it don't scrolls...

the sprite as a screen mask is not a good idea... first because it rest a lot of room for game's characters and doing sprite in the hardway (drawing in the bitmap) isn't good idea ON MSX

Hey, keep on working guys! I've seen last weekend Symbos on a CPC 6128 (here is a photo I took: http://www.perugorria.unlugar.com/bcn101/073.JPG) and it's really great

Here in Spain we are following every Symbos moves like a MSX port or its updates

Keep in touch! and thanks for your work.

Yours,

Quote:

Hi, sorry, I had to close this group at the beginning of this year, as some co-workers in my company didn't like my activities on SymbOS. Of course I will invite everyone, who wants to join the group! Just give me a note! CU, Prodatron

Can you send me an invitation to xenon_soft AT yahoo DOT es ?

Thanks

Already done! :-)
I am more and more motivated for a MSX port, as I really started to like the MSX scene a lot!
Hope it will be possible at the beginning of next year.

CU,
Prodatron

Humm, invitation hasn't arrive. See if domain is right

Yes, actually, MSX scene is better than ever!

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Here in Spain we are following every Symbos moves like a MSX port or its updates

You can bet for it We are very interested in this operating system and we are so amazed with the development tool. We will be looking forward for a MSX port. Please keep us reported about the progress.

Greets!

Prodatron and I are really happy and amazed that the MSX scene seems so positive about SymbOS, and comments like above will just drive us on. The emails I'm getting from Prodatron make me think a port won't be that long in coming.
I guess early in the new year we'll start getting into full gear, and hopefully SymbOs will start causing a bit more of a stir. Personally I can't wait for the discussions on how to create cross platform games libraries So when Symbos is a full cross platform OS, with SymStudio freely mixing its VB like language with z80, using the SymGame libraries with the SymMedia suite captured and modified graphics, put together using the SymMapper level editor. Now that should be good

Regards Rob

Wow, have a full cross platform OS will be one of the best news ever!

so, Prodatron, do you already have an MSX2 to work with? Or are you using an emulator? In case of the latter, please use an accurate one, like blueMSX or openMSX. Better use the real thing, of course

Oh, by the way, Trebmint and Prodatron, I don't know if someone has already pointed you, but you can get answer to almost every question that you could have about MSX on the The Ultimate MSX FAQ.

It's a good starting point to know the MSX system capabilities.