PROGRAM PITSTOP
Your Sinclair, September 1989

Ever been lost on a morass? Irritated by an inculcation? Well,
Jonathan Davies has, and he's got the thesaurus to prove it. Go grab
that vocab, JD!

Ah! You're here at last. Please step into my haven of peace and
tranquillity amidst the veritable morass of throbbing lasers, alien
invaders and other distasteful artifacts that forms the rest of the
mag. For this is Pitstop, the section for the more discerning reader.

First off the mark this month is C Joyce, whose Toolkit performs a
number of useful, menu-driven functions and achieves them all in under
a K. Michael Holdstock also puts in an appearance with Avaunt,
guaranteed to add a bit of sparkle to any previously anti-climactic
games you may have tucked away.

Finally, there's the second half of Setsearcher, Antony Purvis's
meisterwerk, along with full instructions.

So, type carefully, and be home before 12.

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TOOLKIT
by C Joyce

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AVAUNT
by Michael Holdstock

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SETSEARCHER part 2
by Antony Purvis

[see YS8908PP.ZIP for full details & program file]

Here is the second half of Antony Purvis's staggeringly wonderful
Setsearcher. This makes him the first contributor ever to have
appeared in three Pitstops in a row. Probably. If you missed last
month's issue with the first batch of Hex in, order a back issue right
away.

Typing It In
Assuming you've made a copy of the Basic Loader, and maybe some of the
Hex, now is the time to enter the rest of the Hex dump and save it
after the Basic. Then type in the second Basic listing and save the
code it generates (a character set) after the Hex.

Then, to install it into your multiface, reload from the beginning of
the tape. When prompted, make sure the multiface is activated and then
press a key. The computer will reset, and you'll be able to load in
the program containing the character set you're after.

Instructions
Having done that, press the multiface button. As long as you haven't
made a complete oreille de cochon of the thing, a radically different
menu will pop up. If the program has successfully located the game's
font it will appear at the top of the screen and you'll be able to
save it out by pressing S.

If, however, you get a load of garbage on the screen, fear not. It's
time to go over to manual. Using keys 1 and Z, whizz through the
memory until you find the set. Then, fine-tune with Q and A until it's
just right. The set should start with a space, then an exclamation
mark and so on. You should also see "12345 CAPITALS small" lower down
the screen (although some games omit the lower case). Then press S to
save it, typing in a filename first, and either go hunting for another
set or press R to return to the action.

To use the set in your own programs, choose an address to store the
set at (64500 would do, but I'll put x to save on typing) and do the
following:
CLEAR x-1
LOAD "" CODE x
POKE 23606,x-256*INT (x/256)
POKE 23607,INT (x/256)-1

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What The Hex?
It has come to my attention that an alarming number of you are, how
shall I put it, unacquainted with the principles underlying the Hex
Loader. In an attempt to remedy this sorry state of affairs, here's
what to do.

Type in the Hex Loader and save it (or load in one you prepared
earlier). Run it, and you will be prompted for the start address. This
is the first five-digit number in the Hex dump (like 60000 for
Avaunt). Enter it, and then enter the filename you want the code to be
saved under when you've finished.

Now, line by line, enter the Hex. You will be given the address at the
beginning of each line, so there's no need to enter that. Type in the
16 letters and numbers that make up each line, but don't put spaces
between each one - and press Enter. Then enter the checksum. If the
computer coughs up an error, merely type that line in again.

When you get to the bottom of the listing, take a deep breath and
press 'STOP' (Symbol Shift and A). Then save the code as directed.

Simple, eh?

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Adieu
As the flow of Hex finally peters out it's time for me to sign off,
after making my familiar request for contributions. I'd be especially
interested if anyone's still doing anything interesting with Basic, to
make a change from all these mammoth Hex dumps. It had better be
blimmin good though. Send the stuff to me, paying particular attention
to the spelling of my name at Program Pitstop, YS, 14 Rathbone Place,
London W1P 1DE.
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