The Sinclair QL Forum

Yes, a truly excellent piece of programming !

Especially as program developments have been very much absent from the Forum recently....

Well done QBits !!!

Steve Poole.

_______________

Hi All
In keeping with my review of the QBITS Progs the File Tidy Program has been amended as part the general up-grade. The Menu has been extended with an EXEC option for _obj files. VIEW can display a file content in ASCII code (alphanumeric) or Hex numbers.

An early aspiration was to include a link to Compile SuperBASIC programs, ZIP (to zip along?) loads a selected File and links it into QLiberator. The arrangement requires SMSQ/E O/S and QCP2 is the only Platform I’ve been able to check it out. If it works with other platforms, please give some feedback.

QBITS

Hi All,
I did challenge myself back in 2020 to review QBITS Progs for posting in 2021 with a promised Menu system and with some way of working across multiple QL Platforms. The primary concession was to limit the SupperBASIC viewing window to 512 by 256 and maintain the Command Window#0 at the bottom of the screen.

QBITS 2023 Review
Times move on and I’ve made a start… I’m still working on my PIXArt Prog and QLSounds is in the process of getting an upgrade. This first group contain SuperBASIC_bas files (the Code) and updated accompanying Info pdf’s. Reading the code and background to some of its development I hope will expand the interest in QL S/SuperBASIC programming.

QB_Intro_doc: A little on QBITS beginnings and the use of Boot and Config files leading to QBITSProgs Menu Program.
QB_Ftidy_doc: File Management with ZIP to compile Progs_bas with QLiberator.
QB_FontEditSE_bas: Special Edition includes three Retro Games using special Font sets.
QB_TTT_bas: Tic Tac Toe or Noughts and Crosses.
QB_MDETR_bas: Mine Detector a take on the mine sweeper game of the 1980’s
QB_Tiles_bas: A 5x4 Sliding Tile game, Numbers or Minions Picture
QB_Darts_bas: Classic Darts 301 501 and Clockface.

The Plan is to join all the dots and cross all the t’s so the doc’s build into a single volume.

UNZIP the files onto a QL Drive. LRUN QBITSBoot_bas – type in the Drive ie. win1_ create QBITSConfig and then let program LRUN QBITSProgs_bas all being well the QBITS Menu should be displayed.

QBITS

Hi All,
Still working on my Reviews: A little diversion just a weekend doddle; QBITS_CharFonts_WIP
This views the different Character Fonts Posted by Andrew some time ago.
Type after Source: Device/SubDIR ie. 'win1_QLFonts_ ‘
‘No Files Found’ is returned if not available. Otherwise, a list should be shown in window below. (See Image) Scroll up/Down. Select fnt file, Enter and window#1 will now print with Font. Space exits program.
If you don’t type in any device ie. ' ' and hit Enter you exit the program.
I've also uploaded Andrews Character_fnt Bitmaps.

QBITS

Thank you again QBITS!

Hi All,
Here’s my UP Date on the QBITS 2023 Review.

The Games Tic Tac Toe to Galaxy are updated and the accompanying pdf’s just need a further read through. Apps FTidySE, Font EditSE, QLFont (viewer), 3DGraphicSE, Enigma again updates and pdf’s complete. The accompanying Data files that form part of the present package such as fonts _fnt etc are more or less sorted.

That leaves the QBITS Organiser which I have just updated the opening lines to comply with QBITS Boot & Config changes. My Autum project PIXELArt has the Sprite Generator working. The screen Tiles and other aspects have been started but are at an early stage.

That leaves the QLSoundSE which I can give more details. The BEEP Mode keyboard has been replaced with a BEEP Tracker. The Attributes of the BEEP command can create a rise and fall of pitch and loops that lend to an instrumental. Sequencing these with a Tracker will hopefully help develop worthwhile short tunes. (T)loop allows continuous looping of two or more selected rows within the sequence. You can swap rows with CTRL Up/Dn Cursors so as to re-sequence different Instrumentals.


In SCORE Mode the Keyboard has been extended to 4 Octaves. Individual keyboard Notes can be personally created BEEP settings or with [#] Command reset to default BEEP Pitches. There is now an added [Q] command this is a WIP my hope is to create a String from the Score for playback with QSound PLAY command.


QBITS

Nice improvements Qbits!

qbits wrote: ↑Sun Oct 08, 2023 8:44 am That leaves the QLSoundSE which I can give more details. The BEEP Mode keyboard has been replaced with a BEEP Tracker. The Attributes of the BEEP command can create a rise and fall of pitch and loops that lend to an instrumental. Sequencing these with a Tracker will hopefully help develop worthwhile short tunes.

I wonder if the QIMSI sampled sound interface could be a target for a future version of this software?
If unsigned byte samples could be computed at an average rate of 20 kHz, there would be lots of possibilities.
Probably nothing for a pure basic program. But who knows, maybe some routines could be written in assembler or even "outsourced" to the MiniQ68 inside QIMSI with it's fast CPU? (which also has access to the QIMSI sound buffer.)
Sorry if that idea is too crazy...

Hi All,
The QBITS Progs 2023 Review, hopefully I’ve dotted the “I’s” crossed all the “t’s” for the accompanying pdf’s and as with the S/SuperBasic Progs and data files if by some chance I haven’t managed to upload all the correct versions I apologise in advance.

Program Code changes reflect the new QBITSBoot and QBITSConfig arrangements that work with the QBITSProg Menu. There has been some reverse engineering to make some Progs more compatible across a wider range of QL Platforms and work with just extended memory and TK2. That still leave some Program aspects that require environments such as QPC2 to work [see FTidySE & QLSoundsSE].

Mostly it has been small tweaks to improve conformity across the different Progs. The upgrades have been with FTidy and especially QLSoundSE. Unfortunately, The PIXEL Art is still a WIP, but I can now concentrate on its further development.

QBITS

Your Comments to help develop and expand the Progs and identify any bugs or errors are most welcome. I will try to reply to all…

Note: Peter as to a future QLSound Tracker option for the QIMSI interface anything is possible. If you review the latest upload perhaps you can suggest some pointers to what would be needed for coding.

Hi,

I have altered your QBQLSounds programme to use the Toolkit 2, FOP_xxx functions, so that the next channel number is handled by the operating system.

Also I wanted the programme to work on a QL with Minerva, I have include a zero (0,0) origin in the LINE_R, ARC_R statements. Minerva is a little strict and needs this in. Whereas SMSQ/E does not.

I intend to modify QBQLSounds to work with QIMSI and Q68 Sampled Sound System.

One of the good things about S*Basic is the ease & flexibility of use, I will upload the update in due course.