Multicolor mode - the mode nobody wanted

[senior_falcon]

How would you feel about adding this to XB 2.9 G.E.M.? Then one XB cartridge would be able to use ALL the graphics modes built into the TI99/4A.

There is no more room in the main menu, but CALL MCOLOR could load it and start it up.

 

BTW, I don't see a reason for the AORG in the source code. If you remove it, XB will load the routines to >24F4 instead of forcing it to load to >2600 which would give you 268 more bytes of low memory if that was ever needed.

[SteveB]

I would be honored if it was included. 

 

As this is my first assembler program since 1986 (6502 on Atari XL) and my first in TMS9900, I am not sure if version 1.0 has the maturity needed yet.

 

Regarding AORG, I had the CALL LOAD in my XB program. With AORG it is overwritten on each new load, without AORG you run out of memory when the loader tries to load it above the first load. So AORG was very usefull during development of the library. Perhaps this is not true if you develop a program using the stable library later on, as none of my programs have a CALL LOAD for XB256 either.

[senior_falcon]

19 hours ago, SteveB said:

Regarding AORG, I had the CALL LOAD in my XB program. With AORG it is overwritten on each new load, without AORG you run out of memory when the loader tries to load it above the first load. So AORG was very usefull during development of the library. Perhaps this is not true if you develop a program using the stable library later on, as none of my programs have a CALL LOAD for XB256 either.

It should be this way, without the AORG:

10 CALL INIT::CALL LOAD("DSK2.MCOLOR.OBJ")

The INIT resets low memory so you can load it again.

What happens if you use the AORG and load repeatedly is that the code is loaded to the same place (>2600) but the DEF table keeps getting updated and you can run into problems with that.

 

 

[SteveB]

Thank you, I didn't notice this!

 

Version 1.1. will have no AORG and adjusted demo-programs. Let's see what else pops up in the next weeks ... 

[senior_falcon]

On 2/16/2023 at 12:37 PM, SteveB said:

I would be honored if it was included.

Still checking it out, but it looks like this will work fine. There is no room in the menu, so you have to load and start it with a CALL. I changed the name from MCOLOR to MULTI mainly because there is only room in the XB 2.9 help menu for 5 letters.

 

 

 

[SteveB]

Hi 99ers,

 

here is an updated version of my MultiColor library.

• Switching between Multicolor and G32 standand mode works now
• Removed AORG and adjusted demo-programs
• CALL SQUARE now also works in Write-Through Mode
• Demo Multicolor-Speedy added
• various small corrections in the documentation

Enjoy,

Steve

 

MColor_V1.1.zip

 

[Reciprocating Bill]

Mulitcolor mode used to display the "Demons of Cyclic Space" cellular automaton described in A.K. Dewdney's "The Magic Machine."

 

The first is a time lapse video for speed, the second displays the actual frame rate in assembler (16-bit console modification).  

 

 

[RXB]

On 2/15/2023 at 7:44 PM, senior_falcon said:

How would you feel about adding this to XB 2.9 G.E.M.? Then one XB cartridge would be able to use ALL the graphics modes built into the TI99/4A.

There is no more room in the main menu, but CALL MCOLOR could load it and start it up.

 

BTW, I don't see a reason for the AORG in the source code. If you remove it, XB will load the routines to >24F4 instead of forcing it to load to >2600 which would give you 268 more bytes of low memory if that was ever needed.

That is not really XB it is Assembly using CALL LINKS so saying that is XB is like saying you can drive you Jet Aircraft in traffic.

Yea you can but it left being a car long ago as CALL LINK is to switch languages, from XB to Assembly.

Want proof put the Cartridge into a Console and use it, do the CALL LINKs still work? 

I am not saying XB GEM is not a good product, I am just stating facts.