Colin McMillen

Cycliste, écologiste, gauchiste, et d'autres mots en iste. Sur mon temps libre, je fais des trucs comme du logiciel libre, des meubles, du #RetroComputing.
Des fois je poste avec mon Apple //c.

Web: https://www.colino.net/wordpress/
Shop: https://www.colino.net/wordpress/shop/
Git: https://github.com/colinleroy/
Pronoms: Il/lui (he/him)

Public Key

npub1x7qtesf7vnczj5uu3s2anz68hvq3lt7n6c2t49cm2090j4y5defq2v58s2

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsr0q9ucylxfupf2wwgc9we3drmkqgl4lfav996jud48jhe2j2xu5sprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmntvr22yf

Publishing to

relay.momostr.pink

Author Public Key

npub1x7qtesf7vnczj5uu3s2anz68hvq3lt7n6c2t49cm2090j4y5defq2v58s2

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-06-28 11:12:13 UTC

Notre jardin punk vs le jardin rotofilé du voisin, après 1 semaine de canicule.
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/116/827/427/501/412/845/original/609a504be1a13784.jpg

2026-04-09 18:21:40 UTC

Now that I am not worried about having enough connectors for my #BurgerDisk device, I am instead worried that everybody who wanted one got theirs, and nobody else likes it, and one day, I'll die and be inhumated with my 300 unused connectors 🤡
I love my brain sometimes. /s
#RetroComputing #AppleII

2026-03-22 11:54:36 UTC

Allow me to introduce #MLL coding, the counterpart to #LLM vibe coding. MLL (Manual Labor of Love) coding allows one to spend more time doing a thing, and lets one get better, faster, and 100% understood code.

2026-03-11 14:11:44 UTC

- reply

Depends whether it's always-used or not. You can pull in code when needed, overwrite it with something else when it's not needed anymore. Like the menu code for example, or even the death animation, etc. But I suppose you already do that wherever you can?

2026-03-04 16:14:52 UTC

- reply

looks good in green too 🤩
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/116/171/791/181/378/523/original/08b43cb7ec83a0f6.jpg

2026-02-26 21:02:18 UTC

- reply

Can you use segments to load/unload parts of your code as required?

2025-12-17 19:07:20 UTC

- I upgraded my RAM
- In this economy !?
- Yeah, 10.47€ isn't that much
...
*calculates price per GB
*realizes it'd cost more than my house if I could somehow fit 32GB in this Apple IIc
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/115/736/441/310/485/020/original/38e842b116c2bf30.jpg
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/115/736/441/303/400/509/original/0dea4017f21c165a.jpg

2025-11-26 11:13:01 UTC

- reply

Hi! I see captionPath is deprecated from the VideoCaption API object, replaced by fileUrl.
I cannot find since when does fileUrl exist? Thanks!

2025-11-15 15:17:02 UTC

Look at these pants my partner made me 🤩 These are #RETROCOMPUTING selvedge jeans!! With floppies on the pockets!
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/115/554/367/505/856/714/original/e1d66090f5312b86.jpg
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/115/554/367/506/122/627/original/ec146b68ea1679d2.jpg
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/115/554/367/507/583/222/original/caf51a96bf3b96b0.jpg

2025-08-28 19:01:29 UTC

Coding for speed on 6502
(1st version: ~200 cycles)
(2nd version: 38 cycles)
(3rd version: 12 cycles)
(4th version: 4 cycles, but requires 256 bytes of memory)
#RetroComputing
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/115/105/805/847/524/464/original/f2d5479a75dfd622.png

2025-08-24 19:34:20 UTC

This new release of #Mastodon for #AppleII mostly brings you the ability to view pictures and send pictures in DHGR - Double High Graphics Resolution! 560x192 in monochrome, or 140x192 in 16 colors.
You can find it via https://www.colino.net/wordpress/en/mastodon-for-apple-ii/
Attached are two examples, courtesy of [@GLaG_38](https://mamot.fr/@GLaG_38 ) and @npub1vq9…ghfv
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/115/085/407/692/382/144/original/b417a6c20d80ba52.png
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/115/085/408/247/023/512/original/eccb6d592caacf89.png

2025-07-03 19:27:32 UTC

Implement quote-toot viewing in Mastodon for Apple II: +605 bytes (https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/1c7b243a0d0abec9de04e3908204b8b4a00de73d).
#RetroComputing #AppleII
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/790/939/614/682/383/original/f7dcf3cf9e709f90.png

2025-06-08 12:36:43 UTC

- reply

Annnnnd I bit the bullet, and sacrificed a bit of memory, and did 16-bit arithmetic, because Bresenham is just so much faster.
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/647/770/836/582/450/original/6f2ce34e8678929c.mp4

2025-06-07 10:27:07 UTC

My adventures in 6502-land: I discovered that drawing lines is a pain in the ass. The reference algorithm is Bresenham's (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bresenham%27s_line_algorithm), which is really smart and good, but requires to check which point is at the right/the top of the other one to know where to start from, then which kind of slope the line has (to know whether to iterate on X or Y), and even if it involves no division, it involves a lot of additions/substractions/absolutes and branches.
Another, albeit much slower, possibility is to find the middle point (which just requires two additions and two right shifts, no 16-bit arithmetic involved), plot it, then recurse on both sides.
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/641/599/592/522/915/original/6c4232b98cc77b12.mp4

2025-04-19 19:49:25 UTC

- reply

The first beta version of Shufflepuck Cafe for the Apple II is... published!
https://www.colino.net/wordpress/en/archives/2025/04/19/first-beta-release-of-shufflepuck-for-apple-ii/
#RetroComputing #GameDev #Apple2 #AppleII #RetroGaming

2025-04-18 20:20:45 UTC

- reply

The Hand is in!!
And I have a full 1024 bytes left in the CODE segment.
Big commit, I had to move lots of init code to the ONCE segment, but this had to be done at some point, and I *think* I have everything I want in ??
This week-end is probably be beta-release week-end!
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/360/817/584/420/031/original/b70aed03f1badba1.mp4

2025-04-18 16:18:59 UTC

- reply

I don't have enough space to add a score-updating robot hand... coming from the left of the screen.
But do I have enough to add it if it comes from the top (which would make a smaller sprite) ?
Answer in a few hours but I have hopes.
#retroComputing #GameDev

2025-04-17 21:05:18 UTC

- reply

Uggggh it seems I'm running out of space and don't have enough room to add the score-updating robot hand. This is bothering me too much.
Luckily I added the tournament logic and screens already. I have to show it to you but I'd like to win a tournament first and I'm having hard time with Nerual.
#RetroComputing #GameDev

2025-04-14 21:36:40 UTC

- reply

✅ Splash screen!
#RetroComputing #GameDev #Apple2 #PixelArt #Shufflepuck
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/338/463/160/473/741/original/1496d255418e958f.png

2025-04-14 15:59:34 UTC

- reply

Working on my data loader so I can add a splash screen. Shit's gonna be cleaner the second time!
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/337/140/139/881/916/original/976aa4373131f640.png

2025-04-13 17:47:23 UTC

- reply

I have searched for a way to have a splash screen instead of LOADING... text, but didn't find one yet. So instead I made a few cute animations !
#RetroComputing #GameDev #PixelArt #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/331/899/886/129/377/original/f1819b93cb432c1e.mp4

2025-04-13 14:42:40 UTC

"I'm just debugging, officer"
#RetroComputing
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/331/177/972/399/649/original/0d65995ec441ad1a.png

2025-04-12 20:36:29 UTC

- reply

Biff is done. It's basically Eneg but harder. I've started on DC3, the robot bartender, and will finish tomorrow because he's supposed to be configurable and making text UIs in assembly is tedious!
#RetroComputing #GameDev #Apple2 #shufflepuck

2025-04-12 16:09:39 UTC

- reply

Oooooh, FUUUUCK. I had to test Biff on my Apple IIgs, which is a US Apple IIgs at 60Hz, to *finally* think of the fact that the puck and opponents are faster at 60Hz than at 50.
Either I patched EVERY delta to account for the 20% difference (and it fucked up A LOT of cases where rounding errors made an opponent too easy or too hard), or ....
I went the easy way, and I drop 1 frame out of 6 at 60Hz.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/1aa3acab860d33037669089ba5d115a404e310bd
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev

2025-04-12 13:38:28 UTC

- reply

Is Biff taunting enough?
#RetroComputing #GameDev #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/325/263/810/848/011/original/1de0dc8e2db904d5.mp4

2025-04-12 11:55:58 UTC

- reply

Look at this shameless cheater.
#Shufflepuck #RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/324/858/656/183/785/original/7dc89026c95765a4.mp4

2025-04-11 22:00:08 UTC

- reply

Thank the 8bit gods, Bejin wins and loses silently (her serving sounds, even looped, are long enough to take all the space in the opponent segment)

2025-04-11 17:58:37 UTC

- reply

Nerual is done! he was fun but hard to write. The fact he "cheats" exposed a few bugs in the engine. Nevertheless, I'm rather happy with how he performs.
I added an 8px random on his "magic line", otherwise serving at max delta-Y was always succeeding or always failing, which was frustrating.
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/320/623/414/703/159/original/2b8e02b0fb7d3f73.mp4

2025-04-09 19:19:58 UTC

- reply

I'm reverse-engineering Nerual. He (they?) have a very cool algorithm. First of all they 100% mimic your hits - speed and angle. They'll send you the puck back how it arrived. They'll serve exactly how you served first. And finally, they seem to have a "magic band" where they guess (or look into the matrix) the puck's arrival point. The only way to avoid this magic positioning is to send a huge hit, so fast the puck's Y coordinate goes from "too far" to "too close"... And hope their standard movement speed is too slow to reach it - otherwise, you're getting the same rocket right back at you.
Demo in the screencast of the Mac version:
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/309/617/780/529/061/original/172b9828d00ea72e.mp4

2025-04-09 06:38:00 UTC

- reply

So, opinions ?

2025-04-09 05:36:35 UTC

- reply

Also the very first Shufflepuck used this method - either for cycles sparing, or memory saving, I suppose !
#RetroComputing #GameDev #apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/306/397/036/455/724/original/601b69169a6d1cbe.png

2025-04-09 05:30:18 UTC

- reply

Fell out of bed today and tried something I wanted to. I can draw the pushers using EOR (inverting the background pixels) instead of masking and saving background. This is less aesthetic, but
- it's faster enough that I can do 60 fps instead of 30
- it spares 3kB of RAM.
I'm not 100% sure yet but I think I'll go this route: Shufflepuck us a dynamic game, the smoother the better... What do you think ?
#RetroComputing #GameDev #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/306/353/652/492/128/original/70aae23f673c50de.mp4

2025-04-08 06:47:44 UTC

- reply

Quickly added Eneg's basis (he's unbeatable for now), I think the commit shows how easy this is: Three sprites, three sounds, a single file with the opponent's logic (https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/bfdd118fc2e326c25f53bc7e2eb2b4436eb40996)
Sprite by @npub1q56…e7nk again!
#RetroComputing #GameDev #Apple2 #PixelArt
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/300/997/626/156/341/original/88e79dbb9d6f5d53.png

2025-04-07 19:22:40 UTC

- reply

I'm happy with the Cafe. Here's how it will feel starting #shufflepuck on the #Apple2.
#RetroComputing #GameDev
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/298/306/207/431/890/original/3dbc9c76bdded498.mp4

2025-04-07 04:58:51 UTC

- reply

280x192 pixels is both not a lot of pixels when you want to add details and half shadowing, and also a lot of pixels when you redo all of them manually.
Eneg, Biff, Bejin and DC3 courtesy of @npub1q56…e7nk !
#RetroComputing #GameDev #PixelArt #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/294/910/441/366/623/original/8b1163cd1e451a33.jpg

2025-04-06 12:09:06 UTC

- reply

Vinnie's done ! Sprite by @npub1q56…e7nk (thanks!), win/lose animation, lose sound, and algorithm. (https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/637f34a0b3f01adaa30fff02c5a463788e306195)
My #Shufflepuck now has its first four opponents, I've reworked the linking so that I have 11kB available per opponent, which should give me room for about 1 second of audio total per opponent. (https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/fce683c3f3ad35cf33ae0990242310d8236286fc)
Maybe I'll start implementing the bar so I can choose the opponent, before continuing coding them - their algorithms are HARD in assembly.
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/290/935/705/533/785/original/989072f28ac89ccb.mp4

2025-04-05 12:09:02 UTC

- reply

"Gotcha!"
I added the required plumbing for the opponent to make a sound when they serve, lose a point, or win a point.
I probably won't be able to have any opponent with the three sounds, as they take a lot of room. But I *think* none of them have all three, so it should be good.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/b5880c21408b53a852d82402b156ef10da750168
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/285/276/104/413/873/original/3544f8bac25e532f.mp4

2025-04-05 09:33:21 UTC

- reply

Technical commit: I've changed the puck's X,Y coordinates from 8-bit integers in the range of 0-255, to 16-bit in the range 0-511. Along with one less division in the delta X/Y, this allows for twice the precision of movement.
In simple terms, it allows for the equivalent of having deltas 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 delta X/Y instead of only 0-1-2-3
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/58a70c06c62d0e7416be25d3b25da504a64f43ab
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev

2025-04-04 20:18:05 UTC

- reply

Joining Lexan tonight are Skip and Visine. I drew them myself, and I'm... OK with the result!
Of course the three of them all have their own style of play. I try to mimic the original game, but it is approximative, as I'm quite sure the original game had either 16 bit ints or floats.
#RetroComputing #GameDev #Apple2 #PixelArt
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/281/529/429/748/767/original/6b3c84e7a288ac90.jpeg
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/281/529/770/215/620/original/b6f505a91a9e548d.jpeg

2025-04-04 16:38:25 UTC

- reply

Hah I didn't pay enough attention, there are only four or five done in this repo.
Guess people will have to look at my mediocre pixel art then!

2025-04-03 20:07:48 UTC

- reply

Well hello, Lexan!
As I very much suck at pixel art, I searched for, and found, *perfect* sprites for my Shufflepuck : the ones made by Awot83 at https://github.com/Awot83/Gamebuino-Shufflepuck_cafe
They're very well made *and* GPL3+!
I've contacted the author so I can credit them, and in the meantime, I overcame a little challenge of the opponent's sprite being bigger than 256 bytes, commited that (https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/735825275fce0f74da2dd9383af88b3c3d15c254) and am now playing against an embodied opponent!
#RetroComputing #GameDev #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/275/833/099/926/113/original/d479659443bd87da.jpeg

2025-04-03 11:41:53 UTC

- reply

Another insomnia put to good use this morning with the scoreboard ! (Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/f87b515c44e5910e9610edc99cff41af406ae727)
And with that, I played my first full #Shufflepuck game after lunch.
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/273/843/285/453/671/original/2350b7398984aa0c.mp4

2025-04-01 21:28:40 UTC

- reply

this is a cool idea but I would need to remember all coordinates, and code a line drawing function instead of using the Applesoft one...

2025-04-01 20:29:33 UTC

- reply

The crash effect is now complete, after laboriously pulling a recursive tree drawing in assembly. Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/c0f4c89b4abf29829a631da46f728c48c33f41d6
Yes, I have to reload the background, this is not ideal. But I can't resolve myself to add a buffer to hold a full copy of the background, even compressed. I'll add that last if room allows.
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/264/592/221/534/583/original/9662f6a02d63474e.mp4

2025-03-31 20:16:34 UTC

- reply

I added sound. It required adding a feature to the sound player to be able to arbitrarily slow the samples playback speed.
I'm not super happy with the samples, but they must be REAL short in order to avoid visibly hanging the game.
#RetroComputing #GameDev #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/258/880/688/951/947/original/939a7aaacbc5afee.mp4

2025-03-30 20:04:56 UTC

- reply

Commited my first opponent! (https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/ee358e07527b80a9532115fee51bd4c125f9d953)
They're quite a good defender and not much of an attacker.
I have hopes of being able to implement multiple opponents' "personalities" by tweaking a few variables.
#RetroComputing #GameDev #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/253/170/819/408/541/original/0030d62b3b416712.mp4

2025-03-30 09:55:57 UTC

- reply

I have procrastinated controlling the opponent's paddle (because it scares me) and reworking my drawing functions for less artifacting. Before, I was clearing and repainting each sprite one after the other. It was hiding the puck when close to my pusher, and artifacting when close to the opponent's. Also it needed a full 8kB background copy.
Each sprite now saves its own background, and I'm doing clears and draws in order so that sprites can overlap. The clear/draw order changes depending on the puck's Y position. It makes the drawing much more satisfying. At the expense of more cycles, but that should fit.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/e6e7e8fb40a141dc9e252c42128d43eda7021d07
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/250/776/331/932/358/original/6e7f2ad260727120.mp4

2025-03-29 22:18:11 UTC

- reply

The X and Y scaling both require one 8bit x 8bit to 16bit multiplication, but I avoided the need for a division by generating tables of "256-entage" instead of percentage and it's fast enough : dividing a 16bit int by 256 means simply keeping the high byte.

2025-03-29 21:25:28 UTC

- reply

For now, the far side bounces the puck (makes it easier to test what exists)
The XY transformation was easier than I thought! (once I found the correct perspective factors to generate three tables using : https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/59444b6f199dee0150bf4eccda3345c5ec26c2ff#diff-9803b9b889bf9903fded1c4efc18fb51531d812245e01f1be231dc5141c2e6c6)
#RetroComputing #GameDev #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/247/822/649/018/650/original/f8c4450d961241f8.mp4

2025-03-29 12:28:47 UTC

Next project? I'm still at the "I'll never manage it" phase.
#retrocomputing #gamedev #shufflepuck
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/245/716/693/534/200/original/e36dbe402e6c4ac8.jpg

2025-03-16 09:17:14 UTC

- reply

Glider for Apple II's first beta release is available at https://www.colino.net/wordpress/glider-for-apple-ii/
I hope you'll enjoy it, and be sure to report issues if you find some!
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev

2025-03-15 20:10:30 UTC

- reply

Did four more levels, I think I should put out a beta version soon(ish)

2025-03-13 20:23:19 UTC

- reply

I've started working on a "house map" because it's getting confusing to remember which level is which when I define them in the assembler sources.
Maybe I'll get super-wild and make a house map generator?
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #gameDev
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/156/982/909/570/579/original/f4ff0a8d37618aae.png

2025-03-13 20:20:47 UTC

- reply

Working on levels. I'll have you know that I steal most of my level elements from Shutterstock, scale them down, and use them to draw my things. Here, have a hot bath!
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/156/974/737/410/046/original/51256e2100322877.png

2025-03-12 19:50:56 UTC

- reply

I've implemented two levels with stairs. (one of them very incomplete). It works quite well. Here's an example with a level that has three exit/entry zones.
Commit (mostly illegible as I renamed one level file): https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/bc971f5af2e900f9886824ef5fa7afc78c55e7d9
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev #MARCHintosh
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/151/192/383/321/545/original/cd380528caec86f7.mp4

2025-03-11 20:58:32 UTC

- reply

Also I think it's time I officially asked John Calhoun if he's OK with my use of his game's name. https://github.com/softdorothy/GliderPRO/issues/14 (Yes, the original Glider game is now available as GPL v2, since 10 years apparently!)

2025-03-11 20:39:20 UTC

- reply

I implemented dynamic exits (commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/ff28f3b1ce923d93dd93836dd933a74f54e4a545) so I added exits on the left of levels too, allowing to revisit levels (commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/f8be708eb1426c1d21b94530b17d5b42a6c0c1db).
Time bonus is only counted once otherwise it's too easy!
Level state resets when we come back to one, but that's fine by me.
(Edit: and this demo showed me a wrong hitbox on level 3's table hitbox, so commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/291e624951a68c296018c6e6b6f755b91d300bde)
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #GameDev #MARCHintosh
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/145/722/479/827/753/original/fa73b51b7f346b33.mp4

2025-03-11 11:22:51 UTC

- reply

So, with the possibility to ship 30 levels, tonight's work is cut out for me : I'll replace the "go to next level when the plane X reaches the right of the screen" with configurable level exits, as in the original game

2025-03-10 20:45:42 UTC

- reply

The only annoyance is that it requires 4kB of memory to store the compressed data before decompressing it in one go.
I should look into making it work with a 1kB buffer and decompressing in multiple reads. That's probably not obvious.

2025-03-10 20:42:23 UTC

- reply

It even helps with loading times! The floppy is slower to read 11-13 more blocks than the decompressor takes!
Double win.
(sorry for the flicker in the video)
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #MARCHintosh
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/140/074/213/620/960/original/58fff95afa5cdb78.mp4

2025-03-10 20:40:30 UTC

- reply

I was a bit annoyed that I was on track to only be able to fit nine levels on the floppy. I experimented with cc65's included LZ4 decompressor and it works really well. Now I should be able to put 30 to 40 levels on a single floppy!
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/972c56cbfda32fcabaa72437f2b6ff032c871192
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #MARCHintosh
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/140/059/182/656/517/original/8839953b976a7813.jpeg
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/140/059/996/302/244/original/af7ce6c422f0e8d8.jpeg

2025-03-10 06:18:02 UTC

- reply

The high scores table is done and I didn't post a screenshot yet because I finished it in HGR mode having reimplemented about the all the char ROM before figuring out it would be more practical to just switch to text mode. After that it was late.
#RetroComputing #apple2

2025-03-09 10:06:35 UTC

- reply

Added the start of a high score table. There are four steps in a high score table:
- load it
- figure if player has a spot in it
- ask them their name
- save it.
I've started with step three because I felt like it and also because it's easier to do steps 3 and 4 so I have data for step 1 and 2.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/9f0897c276dcae0c7a3c4d0142261a110288a2dd
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #MARCHintosh
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/131/910/490/941/852/original/fa0d92012b957824.mp4

2025-03-06 20:23:27 UTC

- reply

I've done level 6 and am a bit happy with it, it's twisted, you have to think fast thanks to downward vents and an inconveniently placed switch, and if you don't you lose access to the extra life! and/or you lose one!
It's also the first level I can commit without touching the core engine, which must mean something's good in it!
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/841822c22a0e3abc879c8d023894c32110f3cea9
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/117/344/425/505/268/original/44d0239631d6b2dc.mp4

2025-03-06 17:40:57 UTC

- reply

I've added a "you win" message at the end of the game, a a going back to the start screen, instead of just quitting.
We know the game is won when loading the next level from floppy fails, so I wanted the victory message to acknowledge that, a bit tongue-in-cheek.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/acf87dadbc0582866ccd30734d550292eb12242d
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/116/708/344/470/670/original/56054de7595ddfe9.mp4

2025-03-05 20:37:20 UTC

- reply

New side quest unlocked, extending cc65 in a satisfying way to include the original 48kB Apple ][

2025-03-04 20:29:38 UTC

- reply

The start screen, integrated. Also just committed a reorganisation/cleanup of the code, splitting it into more functions rather than the previous enormous loop. This allows me to get nice call graphs with KCachegrind, in which I confirm that my whole screen drawing is just under 4000 cycles on average.
It makes it faster than it takes the ray to reach the top-left of the screen during vertical blanking (4550 cycles) and leads to no tearing or flickering!
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #MARCHintosh
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/106/044/906/004/258/original/ffd4e98e487db2f4.jpeg
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/106/048/280/172/906/original/219c25527790947b.png

2025-03-04 11:41:04 UTC

Does porting Glider to the Apple II count as a #MarchIntosh project ?

2025-03-03 21:36:03 UTC

- reply

I have prepared, very laboriously, a start screen. (Yes I did place every letter one by one haha). I'll install it in the game later because my eyes are tired.
#RetroComputing #Apple2 #PixelArt
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/100/649/212/453/110/original/afb618ffaabe444b.png

2025-03-03 19:53:15 UTC

- reply

By the way, @npub1zsq…3q2k, the game is now keyboard-controllable.
Not only that, but it can also run without a MouseCard installed!

2025-03-03 19:51:08 UTC

- reply

✅ Here is level 5 !
With it there are two new sprites - the sheet of paper (which gives the player an extra life), and the toast. As you can guess, the toast is fatal.
I'm happy about my toast's ballistics, which are approximated using maths and python. I am very smart.
This level is a little bit hard but can be made easier if one doesn't try to get the extra life. Dying after getting it means one can try again, I like that the player has options.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/0182b212b0ce4f3b169fdd18369c1fa84df68a2f
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/100/235/252/661/307/original/819cadc8f8a0399f.mp4

2025-03-02 19:21:41 UTC

- reply

I wanted to make level 5 also today, but the time bonus feature took me more time than I expected and I'm gonna go to bed early!

2025-03-02 19:20:18 UTC

- reply

Previously, but I forgot to post, I have, as you've seen from the previous video, implemented a interstitial screen between levels, showing your score and the next level.
It required completing my font, and a little bit of code: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/4f227989ad474025d5a041ca61556b6cd665354d

2025-03-02 19:18:09 UTC

- reply

I implemented time bonus. Each second not used from an allocated 10s per level is now counted as score.
How to keep track of seconds on an Apple II? With the mouse interrupts, which come at 60 or 50Hz depending on the country.
How to know the frequency of the interrupts? Easy, calibrate by counting the number of loops between two mouse interrupts.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/1a4fc760c12f27d3c25bbc26ece4ca3f7aad3f74
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/094/441/553/884/796/original/d32673bfaef9abc3.mp4

2025-03-02 13:10:56 UTC

- reply

Level 4 is done ! @npub1kz8…j78f you wanted to see real phosphor so here you are 🙂
#retrocomputing #apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/092/997/261/804/064/original/fea2a938ceff313d.mp4

2025-03-02 11:01:25 UTC

- reply

Done. Back to level design!
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gimp/+bug/2100703

2025-03-02 10:53:34 UTC

- reply

It happens only when the Patterns dialog is visible, and it's because the preview of a 40x1 copy buffer is scaled down to 16x0, and it's indeed fixed upstream (https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/-/commit/64f45df6ce6)

2025-03-02 10:50:27 UTC

- reply

The side quest of the day is to figure out why Gimp crashes when I copy thin bands of pixels, patch it, figure out it's already fixed upstream, and provide an Ubuntu package patch.

2025-03-01 20:47:16 UTC

- reply

Full write-up on how to use my sound player in a#cc65 Apple II binary.
https://www.colino.net/wordpress/en/archives/2025/03/01/apple-ii-a-simple-way-to-play-sound-samples/
#RetroComputing #Apple2

2025-03-01 15:44:29 UTC

- reply

I went off a tangent and cleaned up my sound player/samples generator.
It is fully configurable and allows one to play sound clips from .wav files in an Apple II program.
From a otherwise very small program, it is able to play a 4kHz, ten seconds file from memory.
Maybe it will be of use to other people.
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/087/941/235/732/683/original/1bea08186cec20dc.mp4

2025-03-01 08:23:57 UTC

- reply

Let's start the weekend with a little animation on crash. It's a mix of hacky and clean and I like how I did it, so there's that!
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/c51ff3f98a23c2734fd25dd1dad229d178508fa9
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/086/208/874/461/421/original/1aa51f06f8845541.mp4

2025-02-27 21:12:23 UTC

- reply

The commit with the cool new graphics for the three first levels of Glider for Apple II is pushed!
Now, if somewhere here on Mastodon, someone who likes black and white pixel art and/or the Glider game is interested, I will gladly take contributions for the levels!
(If you are, there's no need to do a pull request or anything if you're not comfortable with that, just send me the xcf files and a description of what dynamics elements (bonuses, traps) should be and where!)
You can find the files at https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/tree/master/src/glider/assets/levels
Retrocomputing people, feel free to RT if you think of people that would like that in your TL
#RetroComputing #PixelArt #BlackAndWhite
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/077/901/743/750/653/original/0c974829eaea9ff1.png
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/077/903/399/620/023/original/3074284bef67e360.png
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/077/904/495/132/715/original/5d74b0194cb9e0c3.png

2025-02-27 21:05:39 UTC

- reply

Third level done!
#RetroComputing
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/077/881/526/717/590/original/6c2525ea1a71878b.png

2025-02-27 20:27:54 UTC

- reply

Level 2, what do you think?
#RetroComputing #SubtleMessages
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/077/722/368/660/956/original/623509b6ad9f0297.png

2025-02-27 19:18:22 UTC

- reply

Of course, with the cursed Apple II colour implementation, it looks like shit on a colour screen.
But to me, the Apple II experience is better with a monochrome screen, and I'm OK with that.
More info about The Curse: https://paleotronic.com/2018/10/03/apple-ii-colour-computer-graphics/
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/077/450/693/637/858/original/40a4fee497996c31.png

2025-02-27 19:14:24 UTC

- reply

I think it's time to work a bit on the level design. I find it hard to make things look neat on 280x192 pixels, but I'm quite happy with the result of this one hour session?
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/077/442/108/979/726/original/66848e735e98e53b.png

2025-02-27 16:56:30 UTC

- reply

having the computer generate the code is always a win

2025-02-26 20:42:18 UTC

- reply

Here is the battery booster. It works by doubling the plane's speed as long as there's battery. It depletes fast, as in the usual game.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/0ade03b21811e41171f147dea0753683466ceebf
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/072/123/042/962/737/original/37a7f72081116178.mp4

2025-02-26 17:05:55 UTC

- reply

Invisible, technical commit : Some of my sprites (the clock, balloon, rubber band box for example) have a fixed X coordinate. That means that, if I align them on a multiple of 7 X coordinate, I don't have to store 7 versions of them. And I can gain 10% rendering speed.
I initially made it for the speed, but the size gain is not bad: 3kB, which will come in handy at some point.
This constrains the level design just a little bit, but I can completely live with that.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/1aaa2837f18d181c805bd7c25d64824cd0212018
#RetroComputing #Apple2

2025-02-25 21:07:48 UTC

- reply

This commit will also allow me to implement the "battery booster" bonus as found in the original Glider game.
Previously, it would have been impossible.
But this will be for another day, as I am now gliding towards my bed and tomorrow I'll have to work actual work.
Blessed are four-days week-ends!

2025-02-25 21:06:14 UTC

- reply

I changed the mouse handling from a simple plane_x = mouse_x * 2 to a constant increment/decrement based on the mouse's direction.
This will prevent people from rushing through levels.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/853eff3ce93ee5f02dd9008846fc6959d0732b13#diff-5918498f1bc8f1bf9a56d8a10d46b6e6bd46abdd283b7771856ed3ce929d5278
Before/After video:
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/066/555/741/997/484/original/a34a59fce8928063.mp4

2025-02-25 14:35:26 UTC

- reply

EXT4, RAID10. I'm a simple person. I like simple things.

2025-02-25 14:29:58 UTC

- reply

Back to sprite work - Introducing animated sprites!
Hack: they're only animated because their X-coordinate changes. The sprite generator can now take 7 images instead of a single one, and outputs them as previously, shifted by a pixel - but with a different image!
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/f963dc1f99ae84e0a390568fd37af20a8ea84759
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/064/999/363/283/855/original/5481f9d3a4e81715.mp4

2025-02-25 09:59:59 UTC

- reply

A bit more work to use the usual "play each sample twice to heighten the volume and drown the carrier", Glider for Apple II sounds good now, I think?
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/82b659311486d843f96ab27971b3f0cd49840821
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/063/938/668/563/049/original/4e6a0325a8a17e60.mp4

2025-02-24 23:47:30 UTC

- reply

"I'm back on my bullshit."
The sound player and a sound sample asm files look like utter shit. But it works.
The sound generator has duty cycle functions that PWM the speaker. It is 4.4kB. The sound clip function jumps to each appropriate level. Each is about 600 bytes for 0.02 seconds. (It would be 24kB for one second of sound).
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/061/504/559/975/697/original/c24e5912d4086e9c.png
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/061/505/630/650/133/original/bacc71820f0ee045.png

2025-02-24 23:38:16 UTC

- reply

I have added sound! After the #Wozamp project, I couldn't settle on manually tickling $C030, so I've tested a thing.
I can play samples at 8kHz with a precision of 7 bits... As long as they're very very short to fit in memory.
The sound player and samples are generated by C code.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/db409caccc53b2298719ea159d1d5a8d9b36f47d
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/061/490/676/256/777/original/5dcd86a4b0526d39.mp4

2025-02-24 17:40:02 UTC

- reply

Real-life testing on the real hardware showed that some sprites were tearing. This effect is not correctly emulated by MAME and is due to drawing "too late".
When the Vertical Blanking Interrupt is emitted, the monitor's electron gun moves from the bottom-right corner back to the top-left. This journey takes 4550 cycles (4.5µs).
Then, it starts drawing line by line, and each line takes 65 cycles (6.5µs) to draw.
Reference: https://rich12345.tripod.com/aiivideo/vbl.html
So one should start drawing the highest things first.
Technical commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/af406473bb9940687f01b8c8dea898740c9d9bce
- draw dashboard on odd frames
- draw first, think later
- draw the lowest-Y sprites first

2025-02-24 15:53:52 UTC

- reply

And a score counter.
Each time I grab a clock, it increments by 5. Destroying the balloon earns 15.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/b977fb055c9932a89861504578a066ff3a548c08
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/059/666/283/631/380/original/476865bf625d1c94.mp4

2025-02-24 15:52:05 UTC

- reply

We have a lives counter!
When no life remains, reset the game to level 1.
Commit: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/4309816f825ff189e56ee619e814bf6a0131b60b
#RetroComputing #Apple2
https://static.piaille.fr/media_attachments/files/114/059/657/750/260/102/original/e82b12cf735cd14c.mp4

2025-02-24 13:36:58 UTC

- reply

And an invisible commit that cleans up the Makefile, target dependancies and resources hierarchy: https://github.com/colinleroy/a2tools/commit/2fd2afe1f895c9e7cf1bb978501a5186496df9c3