[ANNC] EnvisionPC 0.7 Released

[gauntman]

This is quick note to let everyone know that I have brushed the dust off of EnvisionPC and updated it to use a modern graphics library. This means that instead of a DOS binary, EnvisionPC 0.7 is a native Windows program, which is much friendlier to Windows 2000/XP. The Linux version is also much more usable. EnvisionPC can run in fullscreen and in windowed modes.

 

A quick blurb for those who have not used EnvisionPC before:

 

EnvisionPC is a graphics editing program similar to the old Atari program Envision.

 

Features:

-EnvisionPC is a full-featured charater editor and map-maker. It supports both native-PC files and .XFD disk images. It is mouse based, and includes all the standard editing methods (flips, fills, rotates, invert, etc.)

-Support for all Antic character modes (ANTIC modes 2-7)

-Edit 10 font banks concurrently

-Edit map sizes of up to 512x512 characters.

-Export to many popular formats: MAE, Action!, Mac/65

 

You can get the program and source code here.

 

A few footnotes:

It is a very surreal experience to read C code almost a decade old!

Also, since libSDL is also available on the Mac, it should be possible to build a Mac version as well, if there is demand.

 

Here are some screenshots to whet your appitite...

 

Character editing

 

and Map editing

 

Bon Appétit!

[Heaven/TQA]

cool. variable tile size???? 2x2, 4x4 etc? that would be cool.

[Heaven/TQA]

and of course "5th colour" support... which charpad 1.0 on c64 lacks of course...

[Cybernoid]

Very cool! When can we try this out?

[pseudografx]

I'm adding to the Heaven's requests for different tile sizes. That would make my life *so much* easier :-)

[+Allan]

It is a very surreal experience to read C code almost a decade old!

Also, since libSDL is also available on the Mac, it should be possible to build a Mac version as well, if there is demand. 

 

I would love an OS X version of this! Here's your first demand.

 

Allan

[deathtrappomegranate]

Very cool!  When can we try this out? 

1010293[/snapback]

 

You can get the program and source code here.

[Goochman]

Boy that brings back memories

 

Forgot the charset editor I used for my basic Ultima type games

[atarimac]

I would love an OS X version of this! Here's your first demand.

 

Allan

 

Ask and you shall receive. I sent the author a Xcode project as well, it was a 5 minute task to build it. Unlike Atari800MacX and StellaOSX, you need to have libSDL installed on your machine (the framework version for the Mac, not the fink version). It was a quick 5 minute build project.

 

Thanks,

Mark

[+Allan]

I would love an OS X version of this! Here's your first demand.

 

Allan

 

Ask and you shall receive. I sent the author a Xcode project as well, it was a 5 minute task to build it. Unlike Atari800MacX and StellaOSX, you need to have libSDL installed on your machine (the framework version for the Mac, not the fink version). It was a quick 5 minute build project.

 

Thanks,

Mark

1010494[/snapback]

 

Thanks a million, again. (So is that 2 million? )

 

Allan

[Cybernoid]

Very cool!  When can we try this out? 

1010293[/snapback]

 

You can get the program and source code here.

1010337[/snapback]

 

 

Doh! Thanks... I didn't see the link at first... grr...

[Cybernoid]

Very cool. I was trying this out, and I like it.

 

Here are some features I would like to see if possible:

 

(1) Be able to select and change the background color

(2) Be able to select the 5th color

(3) Draw PM underlays/overlays and be able to select their color.

(4) Remove the 512x512 limit.

 

I know that (3) will be difficult, but just being able to draw the PMs in without saving or any sort of hardware check if it is valid would be useful to visualize a few things up front.

 

Great work!!!

Edited February 1, 2006 by Cybernoid

[gauntman]

A few quick comments:

 

1) Atarimac was kind enough to provide a MacOSX version of the now mildly inaccurately named EnvisionPC. The binary is available on the website along with the XCODE project.

2) EnvisionPC does not have tile support yet, although I think it should be possible to add. I will look at this over the weekend.

3) Changing the background color - this is easy and will be in the next release.

4) Selecting the 5th color - this can be done today, just select the inverse character when drawing in ANTIC 4/5. (When typing or selecting a character use ALT as the Atari key)

5) PM overlay preview - this is trickier, but I will think about how it might be done - as a preview in character editing if nothing else...

6) remove the 512x512 limit - also easy, this will be in the next release as well. At the time of the original release, this seemed huge!

 

There is also a known bug in the 0.7 release with selecting a draw character (or find character). Use the keyboard to select the character until the next release. I missed a coordinate transform in the SDL port, so picking a character with the mouse will give - er, uneven results.

[Cybernoid]

4) Selecting the 5th color - this can be done today, just select the inverse character when drawing in ANTIC 4/5.  (When typing or selecting a character use ALT as the Atari key)

1010756[/snapback]

 

This is great work! I think I can use the tool for my next big Atari game project. I actually don't need tile support, but I know others are asking for it. Having a

65536x65536 map limit would be fine.

 

As for number 4 above, I found how to select the 5th, but not how to change the color of the 5th color. How is that done? I only see 4 register settings for playfield 1-4.

 

Thanks for the great work and feature request support!

[Heaven/TQA]

huj...maybe we get a real nice crossplatform map editor inkl. tiles... great...

[Cybernoid]

huj...maybe we get a real nice crossplatform map editor inkl. tiles... great...

1010769[/snapback]

 

 

Yeah, I know. This is awesome. Being as it uses the SDL lib, there could even be a port for my Zaurus... and I could work on maps on the train!

 

Keep this coming....

[gauntman]

As for number 4 above, I found how to select the 5th, but not how to change the color of the 5th color.  How is that done?  I only see 4 register settings for playfield 1-4. 

 

Thanks for the great work and feature request support!

1010766[/snapback]

 

If I recall properly,

PF1 = 708

PF2 = 709

PF3 = 710

PF4 = 711 <- The "5th" color

 

The missing color is the background (PF0 - 712);

[Cybernoid]

Ah, yes... You are correct! My Bad.

[pseudografx]

Any progress on the requested features? :-) Can't wait getting this editor. In fact, I heavily depend on it with my current project :-)

[gauntman]

Any progress on the requested features? :-) Can't wait getting this editor. In fact, I heavily depend on it with my current project :-)

1014575[/snapback]

 

Progressing. I will post a preview of the next version tonight. This is not the full release, as there are a few features still missing. However, this version does include:

1) change all color registers

2) removed 512x512 map limit (now 65535x65535 is the max)

3) "Go To" command on the map screen

4) Prompt for exit dialog

5) Option to edit a map of tiles w/custom tile size (i.e. a map can use 2x2 tiles or 4x5 tiles, etc.)

 

Still missing:

1) Documention

2) automatically Untile/Tile a map

3) a few save/load options

 

Note that this will be a preview release in anticipation of the next real release.

[gauntman]

This is the preview of EnvisionPC 0.8. This adds some new major features as well as fixes a few bugs that snuck into the last release. The official release will probably be this weekend, once I have had time to update the documentation and finish one or two additional items.

 

 

In leiu of documentation, here is a walkthrough of how to use the new tile-based map mode (note, the normal character map editing still works fine, don't panic!):

 

1) Start-up EnvisionPC, and click on the title screen to enter Edit Mode

2) From Edit Mode, press 'm' to enter Map Mode

3) From Map Mode, press 'b' to enter Tile Mode ('B' for blocks, I need to fix the hot-keys!)

4) In Tile Mode, press 'z' to define the tile size. If the tile size is ever larger than 1x1, then the map mode will use tiles instead of characters. In this case, enter a width of 2 and a height of 2.

5) In Tile Mode, use the same drawing methods as in map mode - notice however that now you are actually defining the tiles. The upper left corner is tile 0. The tiles are laid out in a 16x16 grid.

6) Define tile 1 as something more interesting then blank space.

7) press 'b' again to toggle block mode. You are now back in Map Mode, but notice a few things are different. The status bar now displays the drawing tile instead of the drawing character. Also, your cursor is now the size of the tile, rather then the size of each individual character

Draw in Map Mode using the current draw tile.

 

That should be enough to get you started. Let me know if you have any problems so I can fix them for the next official release.

envision_0.8_preview.zip

[Gury]

Great tool, nice to see such programs alive and maintained as needed. I will use it in my future projects.

 

Keep up the good work, Gauntman.

[Cybernoid]

Very cool!

[gauntman]

I am looking at wrapping up the 0.8 release of Envision this weekend and getting it out the door.

 

So -- Has anyone run into any crippling bugs or have suggestions for more sane keyboard commands?

[hawk]

Yeah, I know.  This is awesome.  Being as it uses the SDL lib, there could even be a port for my Zaurus... and I could work on maps on the train!

 

 

Cybernoid, have you had a chance to try porting this to your Zaurus yet? I'd also like to be able to run this on my Axim. I've yet to compile anything for the Axim yet, and wondered what sort of problems I could expect to come across.

 

Gauntman, I've yet to try out the new tile mode, but that will certainly help me out with my current project.

 

Thanks.