A82: SQRXZ 82 works...sorta

To: assembly-82@lists.ticalc.org
Subject: A82: SQRXZ 82 works...sorta
From: "Thomas J. Hruska" <thruska@tir.com>
Date: Mon, 08 Jun 1998 01:47:03 -0400
Delivered-To: assembly-82-outgoing@towerguard.unix.edu.sollentuna.se
Reply-To: assembly-82@lists.ticalc.org


SQRXZ 82 works but not exactly.  I got just enough code typed in Saturday
night and I compiled it with the most errors I've ever had in my life with
TASM:  239.  I fixed everything Sunday and ran my first test about 12:30am
today.  How did it go?  Well, the first thing I had to do was edit the
level to see if I could move about (SQRXZ was completely trapped inside and
surrounded by blocks) and then re-transfer it.  Now I have three bugs left
(2 minor, 1 fatal):

1)  Minor:  Graph_mem isn't cleared every loop (SQRXZ gets real messy, real
quick).

2)  Minor:  Long time between being able to move (timer is messed up).
3)  Fatal:  One of the functions seems to mess up the VAT a bit therefore
messing up the calculator and causing it to crash (have to pinpoint the
problem inside 2500 lines of ASM code).

Well, back to the drawing board to fix these problems.  Its good that there
are only three bugs so far.  I still have about 3 more functions to enable
and then I'll be done with my alpha version (I think I might release it to
prove I have it...but it'll be corny).

BTW, the current file size is 11,953 bytes.  7K of this is storage space.
5K or the 7K is extracted level storage space.  Should I shrink this down
any?  SQRXZ 86 most likely would use 2032 bytes storage space for the
extracted level (254 columns*8 rows=2032 bytes).  Currently, I can get
about 3 rows more than the PC version of SQRXZ, or about 11 more rows than
SQRXZ 82.  What should I do?  Cut the extracted level size down and split
the levels into several pieces?  This would possibly lose some of the
compression but would ultimately shrink the size of SQRXZ down.  There
would also be a sudden jerk in the action as the next portion of the level
is extracted into the buffer.  I still have to optimize my code (I am
currently wasting about 5000 clock cycles/sec) and remove about 1K of
useless and unneeded routines.


                 Thomas J. Hruska -- thruska@tir.com
Shining Light Productions -- "Meeting the needs of fellow programmers"
         http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/8504
                    http://shinelight.home.ml.org