PROGRAM PITSTOP
from Your Sinclair #28 (April 1988)

SMASH! BANG! WALLOP! CRASH! BOOM! BADOOM! CRUNCH! SPLAT! OUCH! Yes, you
guessed it, it's David McCandless once more with some more explosive
routines.


Well crucial! Have we got a packed pot of programs for you this month.
You don't believe me? Just read on then. First is Delbert Dave's Guide
to Crucial Creativity using a Sprite Designer by Dom Early (early for
what I ask myself?); and then we have Heikki Julkunen's Sampler program
which'll have you experimenting (oo-er) with all manner of sounds. Not
to mention Angelo Colucci's screen compact and skillo demo; and to
finish with, we have a simple, but useful, conversion program from
Robert Fenech.

Challenge? What challenge? Oh, the readers challenge. Okay, readers, let
me have your fastest, smoothest and coolest 3D star routine. They can
move in any direction, any speed, and be any length. If yours is the
best then it'll get printed (fuar! fuar!) and subsequently you'll get
paid. Go for it!


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =


SPRITE DESIGNER
by Dom Early
from Your Sinclair #28 (April 1988)
[files SPRTEDES.*]

[The Basic listing for this in the mag used a printer which didn't]
[print UDGs; the UDG "U" occurs on lines 240 & 780. Also, line 840]
[was incomplete. These errors have been corrected.            JimG]

Wowsers! I wondered how long a program like this would take to appear.
Do you remember the nifty sprite routine by Rafaelle "Exolon" Cecco in
the Dec '87 issue? You don't? You mean you never typed it in? Shame on
you! Go forth and extract that issue from your collection and type in
the code. Why? 'Cos this designer'll only work in conjunction with that
code. Ha-ha! [The sprite display routine was actually printed in this
article - as it says in the next paragraph - although the code was not
the same as that printed in the December issue. JimG]

METHOD

Just tap in the following Basic proggie - and don't start complaining
about its length! Then input the sprite code with the hex loader. Next,
save both of them with SAVE "SDBASIC" LINE 10, and SAVE "SDCODE" CODE
65127,280. [The code length was actually 288 bytes. JimG] Then run it to
be creative.

DELBERT DAVE'S GUIDE TO CREATIVITY

See the cursor, see the grid, now use those keys, don't be a flid.
That's right, fashion freaks, it's time for Dave the Rave's guide to
creativity. Firstly, use them crucial cursor keys to make that cursor
cruise on round the grid. Then, when creativeness hits you between the
eyes, press 0 to press a point. Well mellow! But if your sprite's nose
is too long then press 9 to make like Michael Jackson and give the
graphic a face lift.

Then when your sprite is looking totally, totally creative, jab the C
key to compile your design into memory. After about five secs, you'll be
asked to index with a number from 1 to 255. Stay totally mellow, stay
totally cool, input the sprite number, and don't be a fool.

Oh no! You've realised that a sprite you created earlier is looking
decidedly uncreative, kna'-a-mean? So whaddya' do? Press the P key of
course, to Pick up the sprite from memory and plonk it on the grid,
ready for editing.

Goshy wow-wows! If creativeness totally disintegrates in your unable
hands, and the sprite you've just designed comes out looking like Phil
South's navel (not a pretty sight, T'zer will tell you) then it's time
to reset the grid. How? I hear you cry. Press R, I reply, remembering
that this does not affect the sprite in memory.

The sponditious S key will enable all you rads out there to save your
creativity to tape. Input the start sprite, and the last sprite you wish
to save, and the proggie will save the code in between. Wow! Talk about
totally, totally, totally slick. And what's more, the program will verify
your saved code. Then at the moment when inspiration grabs you (oo-er),
just press L to reload all your saved sprites.

But when frustration blocks your brain, if ya' kna' what I mean, and you
accidentally pound the break key, pressing RUN will return you to the
designer.


Thanks bags to Dom Early for his excellent presentation and instructions.


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =


SCREEN COMPACT
by Angelo Colucci
from Your Sinclair #28 (April 1988)
[files SCOMPACT.*]

I know what you're thinking (call me Uri!). You're thinking "screen
compacting - boring! Easey-peasey-japaneasy!" I thought that as well
until I sighted Angelo Colucci's program and frankly, I was amazed. Not
only is Angelo's program the smallest, most efficient, and user-
friendly of the lot I received, but also has possibly the most visually
stunning demo you'll ever see on the Spectrum ever! Wow!

METHOD

Angelo's screen compact program is self-contained. Type in the Basic
prog and it'll tell you what to do. Type in the demo program, run it,
and leave it for about two hours, and then be prepared to be as amazed
as I was.

[The CODE file for the animation has already been generated and saved]
[in SCOMPACT.TAP . To view the animation:                            ]
[LOAD "DEMO" : CLEAR 25999: LOAD "FRAMES" CODE 26000 : GO TO 1000    ]
[JimG                                                                ]

HOW DOES IT DO IT?

This routine will compact most screens into under 50 percent as large. 
It does this by firstly searching for a byte that is not used in the
screen and using it as a flag. Then, the routine will scan the screen
and search for 4 to 255 repeats of the same byte and it'll then compress
this repetition into 3 bytes:
	1st byte = flag byte
	2nd byte = number of repeats
	3rd byte = value of repetition
This is clever and you can see its effect in the incredible demo which
should take up 122880 bytes but only takes 38620 bytes which is 60
percent smaller! Brilliant!

BASIC PROGRAM

This program contains the machine code and instructions on use. Type it
in and save it with SAVE "LOADER" LINE 10.

DEMO PROGRAM

This is the amazing bit. Type it in, SAVE it with SAVE "DEMO" LINE 10
[DM had a habit of always saying to "SAVE ... LINE 10", whether or not
LINE 10 existed in the listing or was the correct line from which to
auto-run. In this case it should be 2000. JimG]. Then leave it for an
hour or two. The effect is stunning.


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =


S-S-SAMPLE
by Heikki Julkunen

Now don't get your knickers (or boxer shorts) in a twist. Heikki
Julkunen's sampler is no menotronic, attacked, faded, sycronic,
suthetic, 85 band, C-5, Fairlight, deluxe sampler ... well not quite
anyway. It's just a simple, no hassle, but still quite effective way
to sample your fave sounds and music.

I DUNNO WHAT SAMPLING IS
Not knowing what sampling is, is totally unhip. You've got to be some
kind of moron not to know what sampling is ... so here's Phil to tell
you. Thanx, Dave. Sampling (or more correctly,Sound Sampling or
Digitising) is the technique of digitally recording a sound or short
burst of music into the memory of your computer. When you record a
sound onto a normal tape, the different levels of sound are etched
continuously onto the magnetic surface in a sort of wavey line. When
you record a sound digitally, however, the sound is stored in the
memory of the computer as a string of digital values (like 34,36,49
...) roughly the same as the wavey line we just mentioned but
separated into discrete steps. The length of sound is governed by the
amount of memory available, and the quality of the sound by the amount
of steps you cram in, called the "sampling rate". Got that? Okay, back
to you, Dave.

METHOD
Well what can I say? Type in the short machine code, save it, with
SAVE "SAMPLERC" CODE 32768,96, type in the Basic prog, and save that
with SAVE "BASIC" LINE 10. Then RUN it.

S-S-SAMPLING
To sample sound, remove the Mic lead from your tape recorder and
computer, but leave your Ear lead connected. Follow the on-screen
instructions and have your tape playing before you sample. The length
of the product can range from two to five seconds.

Dum-dum-dumdumdum-dum! That was - in true Blue Peter style - a drum
beat I prepared earlier. Aaarrrghhhh! That was a sampled screen. Pant!
Groan! ... ahem, must have left that flippin' sampler on again (blush)!


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

CONVERSIONS
by Robert French
from Your Sinclair #28 (April 1988)
[files CONVERSN.*]

Well I think it's useful. Yes, I know it's boring, but it's useful.
Honest! This little program will simply allow you to do several
conversions of the mathematical kind (metres to feet / centimetres to
inches) [It actually does: Inches to Centimetres, Feet to Metres, Miles
to Kilometres. JimG] all using this one user-friendly program by Robert
French.


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =


