Please note: the contents of this page are being migrated to my main website here.
TAPClean Front End
TAPClean is a console utility whose key features are:
- Detects and retrieves information about TAP and DC2N DMP file contents.
- Tests and reports on the integrity and condition of the files.
- Performs structural corrections and optimizations.
- Develops a library of all detected files as their binary equivalents and allows content exporting.
- Allows conversion to audio format (.AU or .WAV) so TAPs may be played out and recorded back to cassette tape.
TAPClean Front End is built using GTK+ 2.x and is not just a front end program as its name suggests. It incorporates unique features not found in TAPClean, such as:
- Interactive report of the tape contents with graphical breakdown
- Hex monitor, Disassembler, and CBM BASIC untokenizer for PRG files
- TAP editor
- TAP splitting tool
- TAP repair tool for CBM files (fully automated but manual tweaking is available too!)
- Graphical TAP/DMP analysis tool
TAPClean FE – Interactive report
TAPClean FE – Disassembler
TAPClean FE – Automatic TAP split tool
TAPClean FE – Graphical Analysis tool
Download links for Windows (all versions):
- GTK+ 2.24.31 runtime installer
- TAPClean Front End 0.36 (includes TAPClean 0.34-pre4)
Download links for Ubuntu Linux 64-bit:
User manual:
Integrator 2012 and The Last Ninja Construction Kit
To filter my blog entries on this subject click here. This is the post where this all started a while ago!
Integrator 2012 is one of my latest works: a GTK+ 2.x based, hence cross-platform, viewer targeting those games that were designed using John Twiddy’s “Integrator”. The ones I am aware of are: The Last Ninja, LN2, LN3, Vendetta and Time Machine.
Not much of the original C64 software came to us through time, but a “Bug Free PDS Ninja III Editor” that’s almost surely based on original work done by John.
Quoting from The Last Ninja Archives: John Twiddy wrote an editor (he called it the integrator) that let Hugh [Riley] pick up the individual background elements like trees and bushes and drop them into place on screen. It also worked out the best colour combination for each element when they overlaid each other. John then designated which pixels were foreground and cut those bits out of the ninja sprite as it went past.
The above is consistent with the fact that the “Bug Free PDS Ninja III Editor” has an option for importing objects (it is possible to grab them from multicolour pictures) and combine them as part of the screen design. Actually we don’t know whether John did the rest manually or he wrote additional editors in order to complete the game design, such as designation of foreground (= sprite clipping masks), definition of events, boundaries that confine movements and trigger events, etc.
The Last Ninja Construction Kit extends Integrator 2012 and is set to be the one-stop shop for all the above mentioned activities: my aim is to make it extremely usable and intuitive. Being a cross-development tool running on modern development systems not only it offers the ability to browse what was done back in the 80’s and 90’s, but also produce new designs that could be used for a new C64 game (and consequently other platforms too).
The Last Ninja Construction Kit: main window
The Last Ninja Construction Kit: panel editor
The Last Ninja Construction Kit: object import browser with object preview
The Last Ninja Construction Kit: object grabber for capturing new objects
The Last Ninja Construction Kit: boundary editor
The Last Ninja Construction Kit: foreground editor (for sprite clipping)
The Last Ninja Construction Kit: connection editor
The Last Ninja Construction Kit: sprite position editor
The Last Ninja Construction Kit: working at a new design!
Download links for Windows (all versions):
- GTK+ 2.24.31 runtime
- Integrator 2012 LN bundle
- Integrator 2012 LN2 bundle (including load pictures)
- Integrator 2012 LN3 bundle
- Integrator 2012 Time Machine bundle
- Integrator 2012 Vendetta bundle
Download links for Ubuntu Linux 64-bit:
Graphix serie
Graphix is a plotting software for bivariate expressions. It was initially coded on the Amiga 500 with an isometric engine at its core. After that I moved to perspective rewriting the engine on a PC. I also wrote a quite complex mathematical expression parser with “pretty print” capabilities.
Graphix 3.5 sample picture
Graphix 3.5 sample picture
Graphix 3.5 sample picture
Graphix 3.5 sample picture
After the custom engine version, I did some tests with OpenGL too, retaining my parser.
Graphix 2006 based on OpenGL and GTK+ 2.x
C64 Dither 2
To filter my blog entries on this subject click here.
The “C64 Dither” tool was coded as a by-product during the design of new graphics for Integrator 2012, but it eventually became useful for generic graphic conversion activities. It too is based on GTK+ 2.x, hence multi-platform.
C64 Dither 2: Monkey Island 2 SE dithered for the Commodore 64
Lure of the Temptress: outside of the smithy
Lure of the Temptress: outside of the smithy dithered for the Commodore 64
D64 Browser
D64 Browser is a GUI application built on top of GTK+ 2.x and my own libd64fs library that handles D64 images. Initially thought as a component for Integrator 2012, this tool too became part of my standalone tools.
D64 browser
D64 Browser: PRG export
Char map control for filenames
C64 Hires to Charmode
This one is a tool I wrote in order to convert one of my designs (not the one depicted below!) to char-mode. The design itself was already done with char-mode in mind but on a non-native graphic editor.
C64 Hires 2 Charmode (logo by DMD)
C64 Hires 2 Charmode – Resulting fontset
Commodore 64 Intros
Here are a few of the intros I wrote in assembly language for the Commodore 64 starting in the year 2014. Rigorously oldskool style!
Beam Racer
My first ever intro and my favourite one 🙂
Haunted
An excellent char-mode logo by DMD finally in motion!
Ambigram
Ambigram is one of those intros that require understanding what the theme is about in order to be fully appreciated 😉
If you watched the video/ran the intro and you’re still wondering what this is about, check my notes on this production.
Border Mania
My first attempt at opening side borders on a Commodore 64 and my first attempt at creating a new logo.
Here are the work stages of the logo design itself:
Work stages of the HF logo for Border Mania
Other Commodore 64 works
I wrote a number of things for the Commodore 64 over time, but I guess it’s worth mentioning at least the ones below.
SPUTM-like implementation (also referred to as SCUMM mock-up)
It’s by no means complete, but a number of components to recreate SPUTM on a Commodore 64 are ready. I’ve put together a demo involving a location and a few objects from “Monkey Island 2, LeChuck’s Revenge”.
I converted and edited all graphics myself and obviously wrote the code too 🙂
SCUMM mock-up progressing
Here’s a video of the current state of this effort:
