Subject: Ultima IV (WAAYYY off topic)

From: Owen Brand <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 17:10:28 -0500

Anyone know of a Windows compatible version of Ultima IV?  I want to  
play it as part of my research for the new RPG I'm working on.  I did  
a google search, but the one link I found for a windows DL was  
broken...  Anyone have this program or know where to find it?

Owen Brand
Opry99er.com

---

From: "Dan O'Quinn" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 17:31:17 -0500

the dos version posted here
http://www.thatfleminggent.com/ultima/u4download.html
appears to work fine under windows xp

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Owen Brand" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2010 5:10 PM
Subject: [TI994A] Ultima IV (WAAYYY off topic)

> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2720 - Release Date: 03/03/10 
02:34:00

---

From: Gregory McGill <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 14:17:38 -0800

Emailed..

---

From: Owen Brand <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 18:07:26 -0500

How did you run it in WinXP?  DOSBOX or the like?

Owen Brand
Opry99er.com

On Mar 3, 2010, at 5:31 PM, "Dan O'Quinn" <[email-masked]> wrote:

> ----------------------------------------------------------
>

---

From: Owen Brand <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 18:09:48 -0500

I'm running Win7--- I can pull up a Commandline--- but I DLed DOSBOX  
anyway on Greg McGill's suggestion

Owen Brand
Opry99er.com

---

From: Owen Brand <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 19:03:11 -0500

Oh yea, this is what I'm talking about.... What a cool game!!!  :).  
Ideas are flowing flowing flowing

Owen Brand
Opry99er.com

---

From: Owen Brand <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 19:10:00 -0500

Is it possible to set up a keyboard interface in TMS9900 and have it  
function in XB?  For instance, if I wanted 10 keys to do specific  
things, but didn't want to use a ton of XB lines to do it, could I  
slap a CALL LINK into my game loop for keyboard check?  Of course this  
would require passing the info back into XB---might not be worth the  
effort.  Just curious....

Owen Brand
Opry99er.com

---

From: tursi <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 16:14:51 -0800 (PST)

> things, but didn't want to use a ton of XB lines to do it, could I slap 
> a CALL LINK into my game loop for keyboard check?  Of course this would 
> require passing the info back into XB---might not be worth the effort. 
>  Just curious....  

The answer is probably "of course", but the question is a little vague. 
It's usually much easier to do the code in XB than ASM, but it depends 
what you're actually looking for.

---

From: Gregory McGill <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 16:20:57 -0800

I think this exists. It's like an XB macro program..  You can program
keystrokes to type out basic commands..

G

---

From: Owen Brand <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 19:35:22 -0500

Really, I'm trying to do 2 things---

1) Keep my memory usage to a minimum... I will be requiring as much  
memory as I can in this project so im trying to avoid a big string of  
"IF K=56 THEN GOSUB 1000 :: IF K=57 THEN GOSUB 2000 :: IF......." in  
my main gameloop.

2) I am looking for an assembly challenge to get me a bit further  
into  the language, and this is an appropriate use of my time, as this  
game is occupying 100% of my free time.

I'm trying to use XB as a vehicle but drive it with assembly  
support.... I know I should just go pure assembly, but to do that, it  
would require me to start from scratch.  I know it doesn't make sense  
to many experienced AL programmers, but I "GET" XB---it is human- 
readable.  Maybe I SHOULD just do it all in assembly... But if I can  
learn little things along the way, perhaps the learning curve won't be  
as painful and won't halt my project until I can fathom the AL  
language.  Lottrup's book has taught me alot--- but I haven't the  
slightest clue as to how to even START an entire game in the assembly  
language of our computer.

Owen Brand
Opry99er.com

On Mar 3, 2010, at 7:14 PM, tursi <[email-masked]> wrote:

> slap

---

From: tursi <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 17:00:07 -0800 (PST)

> 1) Keep my memory usage to a minimum... I will be requiring as much memory as I can in this project so im trying to
> avoid a big string of "IF K=56 THEN GOSUB 1000 :: IF K=57 THEN GOSUB 2000 :: IF......." in my main gameloop.

If your keys are sequential, then just use ON K-55 GOSUB 1000,2000,3000
(that example covers 56,57,58 in one line and uses no more memory than the 
assembly tests would take). You do have to range check the key and make 
sure there is a jump for every possible value.

> 2) I am looking for an assembly challenge to get me a bit further into  the language, and this is an appropriate use of
> my time, as this game is occupying 100% of my free time.  

Assembly would be better suited to tasks not involving the user, honestly. 
The one place that high level languages have it all over assembly is user 
interface. Drawing the screen, doing a little animation, handling a slow 
calculation, those are good places to put the assembly.

Of course - that's advice, not instruction! You should do whichever 
interests you the most, because you will get the most out of it.

---

From: Keith Bergman <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 20:00:18 -0500

Owen, have you considered ON K-48 GOSUB 2000,3000,4000, 5000... etc?  One
line.

On Wed, Mar 3, 2010 at 7:35 PM, Owen Brand <[email-masked]> wrote:

> 1) Keep my memory usage to a minimum... I will be requiring as much memory
> as I can in this project so im trying to avoid a big string of "IF K=56 THEN
> GOSUB 1000 :: IF K=57 THEN GOSUB 2000 :: IF......." in my main gameloop.
>
> 2) I am looking for an assembly challenge to get me a bit further into  the
> language, and this is an appropriate use of my time, as this game is
> occupying 100% of my free time.
>
> I'm trying to use XB as a vehicle but drive it with assembly support.... I
> know I should just go pure assembly, but to do that, it would require me to
> start from scratch.  I know it doesn't make sense to many experienced AL
> programmers, but I "GET" XB---it is human-readable.  Maybe I SHOULD just do
> it all in assembly... But if I can learn little things along the way,
> perhaps the learning curve won't be as painful and won't halt my project
> until I can fathom the AL language.  Lottrup's book has taught me alot---
> but I haven't the slightest clue as to how to even START an entire game in
> the assembly language of our computer.
>
> Owen Brand
> Opry99er.com <http://opry99er.com/>
>

---

From: Owen Brand <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 20:06:33 -0500

That's excellent advice, Tursi, thank you. I will be doing some screen  
draws and graphic stuff in AL with a bit of help, I was just curious  
about the keyboard thing. It will be a bit intuitive---

T-talk
E-enter
X-exit
I-inventory

That kind of thing.  ;). And this will just be in the navigational  
screens--- battles are shaping up to be menu-driven turn based  
monsters, so that will not be so tough.

Owen Brand
Opry99er.com

On Mar 3, 2010, at 8:00 PM, tursi <[email-masked]> wrote:

> > 1) Keep my memory usage to a minimum... I will be requiring as  
> much memory as I can in this project so im trying to
> > avoid a big string of "IF K=56 THEN GOSUB 1000 :: IF K=57 THEN  
> GOSUB 2000 :: IF......." in my main gameloop.
>
> into  the language, and this is an appropriate use of