I'm Interested in starting with STOS - what do I need?

[exxos]

http://www.future-technologies.co.uk/IM ... /index.htm

At the top "its great" game was ported to the falcon , I think it used 768x240 screen res in 256 colours, also used sampled sounds.. The BETA version is still floating about somewhere.. that was all done with AH's extensions. I think the backdrop was a 256 colour LBM image too!

Chris

[exxos]

Sorry mate. Wouldn't have pointed you in that direction if I'd known it was a dud. Seems the guy who did it promised more that he could deliver.

AJ's stuff looked good, but unfortunatly I have to agree that it did not seem to get very far. I tried AJ's stuff right from the start and I just couldn't get on with it all. Gredit to the guy for his efforts of course though!

Later I came into contact with AH, We were talking for a long time and testing things, adding things.. I know AH was having some medical problems at the time and after a while I just stopped hearing form him... If I remember right he had back problems and found it hard to sit in front of a computer for any amount of time.. I assumed he just found it to hard to continue work on the extensions and I just lost touch with him in the end. I did write to him asking his permission to put his stuff into the PD but never got a reply. Either he is no longer with us or has moved house.. He was a good chap and I don't think he would mind after 10 years! I am not aware of any other copies of his work other than maybe really early versions in the PDL's. All his extensions are fully working, nothing have been left half developed and I ever started writing a whole bunch of programs using his extensions.

So I hope that you guys can make some good stuff out with these extensions! I doubt anyone else has the latest versions of them.. AFAIK I was the only one who he kept updated, but there must have been others out there too! In anycase, this stuff is valuable, far to valuable to be "lost".. I keep meaning to sort out all my STOS stuff, but I never seem to get around to it. Though I did sort out my floppies a few years ago and those zips files hould have the latest versions in there... but be carefull to check the documents and file versions to make sure they are the latest ones. the ANTNEW folder *should* have all the last versions in there.. though I have not double checked, there is bound to be some older/other versions which are going to crop up at some point.

Chrsi

[christos]

Sh3.. maybe it's time to move on and think of asm or at least GFA BASIC?

[exxos]

Sh3.. maybe it's time to move on and think of asm or at least GFA BASIC?

Burn the heretic!!! lol

[christos]

Actually I don't care what people use as long as they are creative . But I don't like that creativity being limited. Still maybe I'd like to give STOS a try just for the fun of it .

[exxos]

thats the spirit! join in the "fun"



Chris

[christos]

thats the spirit! join in the "fun"



Chris

The only problem with that is that I can see quite a few sceners starting to kick my butt for going one step backwards instead of one step forward .

[sh3-rg]

The only problem with that is that I can see quite a few sceners starting to kick my butt for going one step backwards instead of one step forward .

Well I took that backward step but my sudoku game is better than my top trumps game so something took a step forward

It's not the language you use it's what you do with it that counts. From today STOS looks even more appealing to me. If Damo started out with STOS then that's all I need to know!

[christos]

The only problem with that is that I can see quite a few sceners starting to kick my butt for going one step backwards instead of one step forward .

Well I took that backward step but my sudoku game is better than my top trumps game so something took a step forward

It's not the language you use it's what you do with it that counts. From today STOS looks even more appealing to me. If Damo started out with STOS then that's all I need to know!

I agree, And Damo starting out with STOS is a very good argument.

[distantminds]

everything i do to this day (what little that is!) involves STOS at some point! i love it, and couldn't give a poo about any so-called limitations its corny but its what you do not how you do it that matters. No scener in their right mind would kick your ass for using STOS if the end result was DECENT! any "my basic is better than your basic" argument is ultimately pointless in these days of baron releases imho

mmmmhh i might even bust out STOS now for a little session

10 key off : curs off : hide : mode 0

[exxos]

lets not try to get "too" worked up

With the extensions I do not see that STOS has any limitations other than its "BASIC" so a bit on the slow side. Though once you get coding on the falcon you get twice the speed of the CPU, plus you can pile things onto the DSP for sound and such, have as much graphics as you want, it really does give STOS a whole new life.

Its the main reason I brought CT60 so see what really could be done with STOS, though its a project which is still on the distant back burner unfortunatly.. I know some STOS stuff has real problems running under CT60, but STOS can and is, still awesome on the falcon.

[STT]

Though once you get coding on the falcon you get twice the speed of the CPU, plus you can pile things onto the DSP for sound and such, have as much graphics as you want, it really does give STOS a whole new life.

I don't have a falcon but would very much like one!
Can I borrow yours, Chris

Even today I am still working behind the scenes with Stos on my real atari ST!!!
That's the power it has, even if it is just Basic

Chris, thanks very much for answering the questions in this forum!
Apppreciate it.
Cheers
Lee

[exxos]

Hi Lee!

You can borrow my falcon if you can finish of installing the CT60, find all the screws, then solder in the overclocking thingy...

Actually I have a feeling STOS does not run on the CT60 too well..so Not sure what will happen there! its on my "to do list" honest!! lol

Wonder if anyone here can try the extentions for the falcon on a CT60 ? Just imagine how fast ZOLTAR will run at 100mhz! get sampled sound in there, 256 colour sprites, true colour backdrops... ohhh... its just gotta be done!!!!

Chris

[STT]

Yeah fine, if you pay for the postage and you are happy to have your Falcon back as "Toaster"

ZOLTAR , my god I remember that game...
It would be interesting to see what can be done with Stos and the CT60?

How much do the Falcons go for and where is the best place to find one, and don't say Ebay?

Later
Lee

[bullis1]

ZOLTAR , my god I remember that game...
It would be interesting to see what can be done with Stos and the CT60?

I searched for Zoltar on AL and couldn't find it. If it's not on the site I would like to add it. Does anyone have this game or the information about it?

[PaulB]

That's probably because Orbit, Zoltar and Bullet Train were 3 complete games that were bundled with STOS basic. You had to buy STOS to get them in code form. I don't believe a compiled version was ever sold seperately.

[exxos]

Are these not on the STOS site ? Should be ? If not then I do have the floppies, but no way to get them over to my PC at the moment...

If nobody has them, then I will get them imaged..

chris

[Mug UK]

Bullet Train was released commercially in France in a tweaked / compiled version.

[PaulB]

Just noticed that Bullis must have clicked on edit on my post instead of quote. His answer to me is at the bottom of my post lol.

[bullis1]

Just noticed that Bullis must have clicked on edit on my post instead of quote. His answer to me is at the bottom of my post lol.

Yeah I just noticed that too. Sorry about that! I'll fix your post now...

I'm the one who wasn't aware that STOS was bundled with 3 (not just 2) games

[Heavy Stylus]

ok, here are the AH's files, I was a BETA tester for all this stuff, so many versions and such that I really lost track!

There is all the docs and examples, extensions, stos folders, everything I could find actually on my drive. I doubt anyone has seen this stuff yet, and trust me these extensions are awesome.

I have no looked at this stuff for a long time, but everything is documented in there. maybe my stos setup just has a buggy file, but everything should be there for your guys to look into it. I cant do much as I dont have real hardware to hand at the moment.

from memory..........

In short, the BASIC208 loader was probably updated, this was becasue it used to crash when going back to the desktop and turn the screen yellow. The compiler ACB was updated to patch the TOS tables... its possible some of the LIB files got updated for use with the new extensions also.. you would have to check the docs... the DAT files are the TOS tables the compiler reads in... there is a program GENFIX.. I really can't remember what that was off-hand, though I think it generates a list of TOS tables for the compiler to use....

Chris

Thanks for posting this up Chris - but how do I load the editor in this version?

[exxos]

There is a text file which explains all the files, what they are, what they were updated with etc.. they are in the STOS and COMPILER folders so really you only need to overwrite your old files.

I have not had chance to sort out whats what, though it is all documented there anyway.