This program is to make SPRITES to use with sprite printer. A maximum of 255 sprites can be in memory for a TOTAL of up to 10,000 bytes. The program assumes that there is at all times 255 sprites in memory. Each sprites can be of different size (maximum width 13 chr$, maximum height 20 chr$).
MAIN MENU…
Moving the arrow (using joystick or Q-A-O-P-SPACE) and then pressing the button (or SPACE BAR) will select…
RETURN TO SPRITE…..Go back to the working sprite
CREATE NEW SPRITE….Well, create a new sprite
EDIT A SPRITE……..Edit and Modify any of the 255 sprites
DELETE ONE SPRITE….Erase one sprite
SAVE SPRITE FILE…..Save the sprite file
LOAD SPRITE FILE…..Load an old sprite file to be able to edit and modify any sprites
MERGE SPRITE FILE….Load and old file after a selected sprite, this allows to assemble 2 or more files together
CLEAR WHOLE FILE…..Erase all 255 sprites
QUIT PROGRAM………Quit program and reset computer
CHOOSE A SPRITE…
(this applies for EDIT A SPRITE,DELETE ONE SPRITE,SAVE and MERGE)
Using the JOYSTICK or KEYBOARD move the arrow over the appropriate box, and press the button.
At the bottom of the screen 3 options are possible [MAIN], [NEXT] and [PREVIOUS]. These options will allow you to go back to MAIN MENU, see the NEXT page of sprite or see the PREVIOUS page of sprite. Each page contains 12 sprites, the complete file is 22 page long for a total of 255 sprites, the last page contains only 3 sprites (252 to 255). To select a sprite move the arrow over the sprite box and press the button.
EDITING / MODIFYING A SPRITE…
(This applies for EDIT,CREATE and RETURN TO SPRITE)
Using the JOYSTICK or KEYBOARD you can draw (design) a sprite, moving the cursor in position and pressing the button will print or erase a dot in the sprite. You can see the sprite in real size beside the working area which is 64 times bigger, only 16 pixels by 16 pixels are displayed at a time, but you can move the working SECTOR to be able to create a big sprite (say 13 chr$ by 20 chr$ that’s 104 pixels by 160 pixels!)
DIRECT COMMAND…
Pressing 0 to 8 on the keyboard will execute the following commands…
0…return to MAIN MENU
1…Move the woking SECTOR (use JOYSTICK or KEYBOARD then press the button)
2…COMPILE sprite (STORE SPRITE IN FILE, you can store in any of the 255 sprite box)
3…HORZ FLIP, flips the sprite horizontally
4…V FLIP, flips the sprite vertically
5…Scrolls sprite 1 pixel LEFT
6…Scrolls DOWN
7…Scrolls UP
8…Scrolls RIGHT
S…Allows you to change the actual size of the sprite (Width 1-13,Height 1-20)
When SAVING the sprite, the LENGTH of the sprite file will be displayed. If you need more than 10,000 bytes for your program, you can save the sprite file (note the length), clear the file, create all sprites you need (if you use 30000 you’ll need at least to save 3 sprite files). Then when all the work is done, Load the 1st File (say at 28000), then the second (at 28000+length of file #1) and so on. Note, that if in the 1st sprite file there was 70 sprites, then the first sprite of sprite file #2 is #71.
Supposing a sprite file is 4080 bytes long, You can load the file at 60000 and load the SPRITE PRINTER at 64080 and then you can save both the SPRITE FILE, and SPRITE PRINTER at the same time this saves on loading time.
TECHNICAL DETAILS…
Each sprite data begins with its size, then the data itself. So the data of a sprite 5 characters wide by 2 characters long would look like…
2,5,graphics data… the graphics data would be similar to UDG’s data…
ABCDE First Row
FGHIJ 2nd
Each letter represents a UDG like graphic.
Note that the smallest possible sprite is 8*8 pixel (1 by 1 chr$).
Loading name MAKER
Program type Graphic utility
Written by Eric Boisvert