September 22, 2006
Sorry about the lack of updates, but I have been incredibly busy with work related programming.
One small project I've had a chance to update is Emerson - my keyboard and mouse library for the TI-83 series calculator.
I know, I can't type layout. [rolleyes] Download the library (and demo) here.
One small project I've had a chance to update is Emerson - my keyboard and mouse library for the TI-83 series calculator.
I know, I can't type layout. [rolleyes] Download the library (and demo) here.
August 22, 2006
August 03, 2006
I'm not really clued up on the way these new-fangled modern operating systems handle running multiple threads, so I apologise in advance if this isn't really proper multithreading.
Basically, I was pondering (as one does) whether it would be possible to run any number of threads on the TI-83 Plus. I…
Basically, I was pondering (as one does) whether it would be possible to run any number of threads on the TI-83 Plus. I…
July 26, 2006
I added five-level grey:
The greyscale effect is optional (adds about 8 lines of code, only runs once per frame and can be disabled with a single switch in the engine package's Settings.inc file.
Anyway, I've started throwing together a very primitive level editor. (GDI+)
Insert inserts a new vertex a…
The greyscale effect is optional (adds about 8 lines of code, only runs once per frame and can be disabled with a single switch in the engine package's Settings.inc file.
Anyway, I've started throwing together a very primitive level editor. (GDI+)
Insert inserts a new vertex a…
July 17, 2006
I fixed most of the wall filling code. It now fills by scanline (so is considerably faster), which gives me more flexibility over what I can do with it.
For the moment, I have sacrificed speed with a routine that can handle three different fills - black, white, or 50% dithered. The routine will alwa…
For the moment, I have sacrificed speed with a routine that can handle three different fills - black, white, or 50% dithered. The routine will alwa…
July 07, 2006
I chucked some simple filling in to the engine as a test. It scans along the top and bottom edges of the shape, then fills columns. This is rather inefficient (filling scanlines is much faster - the screen is shorter than it is wide, so tracing Ys for the boundaries is faster than scanning Xs, and …
July 03, 2006
Clipping now works in nearly all cases:
One of the problems was lack of precision. Here's the typical case that worked, running in my mockup:
In this case, where |dX| > |dY|, all is good. However, switch that around so that |dY| > |dX|, and you get the following:
(Fixed point isn't so good for h…
One of the problems was lack of precision. Here's the typical case that worked, running in my mockup:
In this case, where |dX| > |dY|, all is good. However, switch that around so that |dY| > |dX|, and you get the following:
(Fixed point isn't so good for h…
June 27, 2006
Clipping (adjusting walls to ensure that they are in the field of view so that they can be drawn correctly is being a right pain).
Firstly, I rewrote some of the really ugly wall-handling code:
Clipping follows the fairly simple maths:
Clip = (Y0 - m x X0) / (1 - m)
(Where m is the gradient of the wall…
Firstly, I rewrote some of the really ugly wall-handling code:
Clipping follows the fairly simple maths:
Clip = (Y0 - m x X0) / (1 - m)
(Where m is the gradient of the wall…
June 20, 2006
There's a new Latenite beta - 1.0.6.0 - available from my site. I hope this is the last Latenite 1 release; I'm moving away from the current IDE towards a revised Latenite 2, the focus more on interactivity with the assembler and the debugger (better 'Intellisense', breakpoints, variable watching a…
June 15, 2006
I've had enough of my syntax-highlighting text editor in Latenite (it's a hack on top of the RichTextBox control, using all sorts of ugly Win32 hacks to beat it into submission). I'd much rather have a control I had some... 'control' over, so have taken to writing my own custom control.
One useful t…
One useful t…
June 07, 2006
I've been attempting to add native TI-83+/TI-73 application support to Brass. Testing with Flash Debugger has been an entertaining experience, not least thanks to helpful messages like:
I haven't managed to get a signed application running in Flash Debugger or on hardware yet - I suspect the header …
I haven't managed to get a signed application running in Flash Debugger or on hardware yet - I suspect the header …
May 30, 2006
A silly project from over the weekend: JavaScript raycaster.
I couldn't work out how to handle keypresses in Firefox, and Firefox is too slow and flickery to make it worthwhile. IE runs it fine but at less than 1FPS, meaning that more often than not you end up walking through the walls. Opera is a…
May 22, 2006
One part of the Latenite 'suite' that's needed some dire attention is the PindurTI interface. This talks to the excellent TI emulator via a non-interactive mode, and can therefore sit between Latenite (and your source code) and the emulated calculator (which is running your binary).
The current inca…
The current inca…
May 15, 2006
I added Emukon patch file export to Brass - Brass will export all the labels, variables and breakpoints from the source and Emukon can then load them in. It makes debugging much simpler...
Click for legible
In my Game Gear-related fiddling, I optimised the tween demo code significantly, but then slow…
Click for legible
In my Game Gear-related fiddling, I optimised the tween demo code significantly, but then slow…
May 09, 2006
When developing an assembly program, you need to 'declare variables' by attaching an address (in RAM) to a label.
The problem here, of course, is having to calculate all the relevant positions in RAM for each variable. For example,
The problem here, of course, is having to calculate all the relevant positions in RAM for each variable. For example,
ram = $C000 ; Assume RAM starts at address $C000
var1 = ram+0
var2 = ra…
May 03, 2006
What with the weekend having an extra Monday tacked on for good measure (Labour Day), I felt the need to be productive.
I also felt the need to listen to VGM files converted to MIDI, so rustled up a VGM to MIDI converter. There already is one (available on the SMS Power! site), but I could never get…
I also felt the need to listen to VGM files converted to MIDI, so rustled up a VGM to MIDI converter. There already is one (available on the SMS Power! site), but I could never get…
April 28, 2006
One of my ongoing projects is Brass, a Z80 assembler.
The newest release adds all sort of goodness, especially nested modules - for example:
The newest release adds all sort of goodness, especially nested modules - for example:
.nestmodules
.local
.module Animals
.module Cat
Legs = 4
.endmodule
.echo "Humans have ", Human.Legs, " legs.\n"
.module Human
Legs = 2
…
April 20, 2006
You can download the source to the DOOM project below here.
It's a real mess in places, mainly in the way it loads level geometry. DirectX initialisation is hard-coded with no fallback code if some feature is missing or unsupported.
Usage: DOOM
eg:
DOOM DOOM2.WAD MAP31
DOOM DOOM.WAD E1M3
DOOM TNT.WAD M…
It's a real mess in places, mainly in the way it loads level geometry. DirectX initialisation is hard-coded with no fallback code if some feature is missing or unsupported.
Usage: DOOM
eg:
DOOM DOOM2.WAD MAP31
DOOM DOOM.WAD E1M3
DOOM TNT.WAD M…
April 12, 2006
I switched from 16/8 division to 24/16 division, and wall heights are now calculated rather than being dragged off a lookup table.
There's also backface culling (the cylinder around the central cube is marked as double-sided, hence no culling there) but there is still no clipping or occlusion.
@phili…
There's also backface culling (the cylinder around the central cube is marked as double-sided, hence no culling there) but there is still no clipping or occlusion.
@phili…
April 05, 2006
All this DOOM work had got me interested again in simple 3D engines, and so thoughts turned to my favourite Z80 platform, the TI-83 Plus.
There are a handful of 3D engines out there for it already; Matt3D is a vector-based wireframe engine put to good use in a roller-coaster builder/simulation game …
There are a handful of 3D engines out there for it already; Matt3D is a vector-based wireframe engine put to good use in a roller-coaster builder/simulation game …
March 22, 2006
I've also added a MUS lump (music format used by DOOM) player, using the MIDI message functions in winmm. The only feature left unsupported is the pitch wheel, as I can't quite work out the MIDI command for it.
If somebody could please explain the logic behind MUS, please tell me. It's essentially t…
March 20, 2006
It might have looked liked I'd got all the walls drawing and texturing correctly, some particular combinations were still wrong.
Some walls looked completely wrong until you got up close, and with a flickering burst of z-fighting they'd resolve themselves. Or rather, fuzzy patches would resolve them…
Some walls looked completely wrong until you got up close, and with a flickering burst of z-fighting they'd resolve themselves. Or rather, fuzzy patches would resolve them…
March 17, 2006
With the exception of some very bizarrely shaped sectors, I've patched up the holes by making the floor splitter a bit more intelligent. It also removes some redundancies.
The more exotic levels generate about 5000 triangles, which is fairly reasonable.
Now I need to do battle with the physically imp…
The more exotic levels generate about 5000 triangles, which is fairly reasonable.
Now I need to do battle with the physically imp…
March 16, 2006
As with many programming problems, a potential solution presents itself at about 2AM when you suddenly awake and hunt paper and pencil before the brilliant idea vanishes into the groggy murk that is forgetfulness.
In this instance, a solution did present itself, but it's far from 'brilliant'.
I was p…
In this instance, a solution did present itself, but it's far from 'brilliant'.
I was p…
March 13, 2006
A few years back I had a go with DirectX 8, helped along by the excellent DirectX4VB website and tutorials.
The best thing I cranked out was a simple DOOM-ish 3D engine, minus sprites (just walls and floors).
(All images are click-for-big).
I fancied another go, this time not in VB6 but in C# and not …
The best thing I cranked out was a simple DOOM-ish 3D engine, minus sprites (just walls and floors).
(All images are click-for-big).
I fancied another go, this time not in VB6 but in C# and not …
March 02, 2006
Seeing as I spend my working time doing web development, I thought it might be time to rework my site and remove the nested mess of tables [wink]
For once, I actually have content, but at the moment it's spread out in seperate mini websites in my "bin" folder. It would be nice to unify it...
After an…
For once, I actually have content, but at the moment it's spread out in seperate mini websites in my "bin" folder. It would be nice to unify it...
After an…
February 27, 2006
It's not as if I didn't already have an excess of projects, but anyway...
Vinegar - CHIP-8/SCHIP interpreter for the TI-83 (+)
The binaries are here. I've tested them fairly extensively on my TI-83 Plus, but be warned that (as it's beta) they might cause odd crashes. Back up any important files!
Vinegar - CHIP-8/SCHIP interpreter for the TI-83 (+)
The binaries are here. I've tested them fairly extensively on my TI-83 Plus, but be warned that (as it's beta) they might cause odd crashes. Back up any important files!
February 23, 2006
Seeing as the MaxCoderz fora have died (I can't read or post on them at the temporary hosting), and I know at least kv reads this... [wink]
Latest beta: http://benryves.com/bin/latenite/ (full install).
General
Latest beta: http://benryves.com/bin/latenite/ (full install).
General
- No more hanging or locking up when running the PTI debugger (huzzah!) PindurTI debugger is …
February 21, 2006
I had another go with my AT protocol routines to see if I could persuade a PS/2 mouse to do anything.
It would appear that I could...
Click to view a video clip (1MB WMV)
There are two cables for the mouse as there were for the keyboard - one goes to the TI, the other goes to the power supply. The mou…
It would appear that I could...
Click to view a video clip (1MB WMV)
There are two cables for the mouse as there were for the keyboard - one goes to the TI, the other goes to the power supply. The mou…
February 13, 2006
They say that pictures are what make a journal interesting... but I don't really want to show the pretty pictures I have, as they'd spoil the surprise. Of what, you might ask? Well, I've been developing a TI-83/83+ scene demo, entitled "Microhertz" (for no particular reason). You can download it (a…
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