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using Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines
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Message: 6399
Author: Daniel
Date: 01/04/2008
Subject: Re: R.D. Foord's JSW Sprite Library
--- In manicminerandjetsetwilly@yahoogroups.com, andrewbroad
>
Good job, Andrew! The sprite names may come in very handy one day
> I have tried to make sense of R.D. Foord's JSW Sprite Library by
> cataloguing it myself from the original TZX file (which actually
> contains three programs: the sprite-library viewer, a hex-to-denary
> converter, and a utility to view JSW rooms - you never know what
> SPECSAISIE PrintHeaders or suchlike utilities may reveal!).
when giving detailed credit for the sprites one has used.
I discovered the existence of the additional programs when analysing
MM/JSW-related files hosted on WoS and TZX Vault back in January,
when I used a very useful program called "Taper" (downloadable from
WoS, I believe). The problem of R. D. Foord's TZX files having more
than one program within them actually concerns more than one file. I
wrote to Steve Brown on Jan. 20, 2008:
"While I was checking up on the MM/JSW-related files on WoS, I have
discovered that the Manic Miner # 2 TZX file [...] has an abridged
version of 'JSW Sprite Library' attached after the proper game
(by 'abridged' I mean it doesn't have the loading screen which
the 'full' version of Sprite Library has). I have separated the files
in Taper and left only the proper game file. I have sent it to WoS
and I'm sending it to you, too, with a kind suggestion that you
replace the currently-hosted file of 'Manic Miner # 2' with this one.
I also discovered that the 'full' TZX version of JSW Sprite Library
you and WoS are hosting actually has three consecutive programs: the
Library, a program which I called 'R. D. Foord's Hex to Dec
Converter' and a program which I called 'R. D. Foord's JSW Screen
Gallery'. I have separated them and I'm also sending you these files,
with a kind suggestion that you update the currently-hosted 'JSW
Sprite Library' file by substituting it with the one enclosed (freed
from the unnecessary additions) and add the other two programs as new
entries."
To which Steve replied:
"Unfortunately I can't host tzx files of files that have been split
up, as the whole point of the site is to archive original tapes, and
the current tzx files contain everything exactly as they are on the
tapes themselves..
Martijn at WOS might though..."
"Hec to Dec Converter" has been included in the latest WoS update
(http://www.worldofspectrum.org/archive.new.080324.html) - it's in
the "Utilities" section. However, it is currently only available on
WoS in TAP format - the TZX format file would be added after Steve's
next TZX Vault update, but that won't happen, since Steve is already
hosting the whole tape and is not going to host the separate extracts
from the original TZX.
Martijn has asked me to upload the split TZX files again, but he has
also explained that normally if multiple titles appear on 1 tape,
that tape gets listed as compilation. An entry is added to the
database for each individual title in the compilation, and
everything is linked together.
This would be a solution, of course, since at present "Hec to Dec
Converter" and "JSW Screen Gallery" are kind of "hidden" - a user
wouldn't know of their existence unless he (she?) browsed through the
TZX files. What I think Martijn and Steve still need to clarify,
though, is whether the titles that are together on the TZX files in
question are "a legitimate compilation" or not. I have no idea how
they will decide it, but the result will determine whether the files
should be hosted as a compilation or as individual programs after all.
Personally, as a JSW-lover, I would much prefer to see the files
hosted individually, since it's very inelegant that "Manic Miner # 2"
should have some additional (unrelated, IMO) program and data blocks
after the proper game. Also, the R. D. Foord's tapes seem to me more
like working versions of various files dumped on tape together, not
real compilations (e.g. there are various versions of Room Designers,
alternative versions, etc.). However, the final decision as to how to
host the files is not mine, obviously.
And anyway, does anyone know anything about R. D. Foord? Who was he?
Was his software ever released commercially?
--- In manicminerandjetsetwilly@yahoogroups.com, andrewbroad
>
Gosh, I do hope my notes are correct! :-)
> For each sprite, I note which game it was introduced in. I am quite
> sure which sprites were introduced in MM, JSW and JSW II, but not
> being familiar with Technician Ted (or immediately able to browse
> it in JSW CK due to TZX2TAP generating an invalid TAP-file that
> cannot be read by SPECSAISIE PrintHeaders), I've had to rely on
> Daniel's notes (with the JSW128 file) to distinguish between
> sprites from Technician Ted and sprites presumed to have been drawn
> by R.D. Foord.
--- In manicminerandjetsetwilly@yahoogroups.com, andrewbroad
>
Unfortunately, I didn't extract all the sprites from "Technician
> I have not attempted to determine whether every single sprite in
> MM, JSW, Technician Ted, JSW II and Dr. JSW occurs in Daniel's
> JSW128 file.
Ted", only a part of them. I would have extracted all of them (also
from "Technician Ted: The Megamix"), but I don't know how to do it.
The extraction of the ones I was able to get was done with a lot of
(rather blind) experimenting and some luck.
As for MM, JSW and JSW II, I think that all of the sprites may be
there, but I wouldn't guarantee it - it wasn't really my purpose, I
was after "new" sprites most of all.
And a question to Andrew, out of curiosity: what made you deal with
R. D. Foord's Sprite Library at this particular point?
Daniel
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