Quick BASIC/QBASIC newsletter

 
What's New in QB Programming?
 
                QB Headlines

                        Dash
                            VirtuaSoft's screen 13h graphics library, Dash, has really grown in the last
                    two months.  Dash is 32-bit!!!!!!  Now, there are tons of new subs for those of you
                    who need more for your game projects...
                            VSSpriteT: sprite-translucency
                            VSSpriteR: sprite-rotation
                            VSPcopyT: transparent PCopy
                            VSPoke32: 32-bit POKE
                            VSPeek32: 32-bit PEEK
                            VSNegative: palette negativing
                            VSFadeToPalette: cross-fading
                            VSFadeToColor: alternative to VSFadeBlack and VSFadeWhite
                            VSPut: a solid PUT sub that is slightly faster than VSSprite
                            VSPut32: a 32-bit PUT sub that's 4x faster than VSPut and VSSprite
 
                            For more info on Dash, go to VirtuaSoft.

                        DirectQB
                           Dash has competition...and what formidable competition this is.  DirectQB is
                    a graphics library made by Angelo Mottola for QB4.5.  It has most of the same
                    subs as Dash standard and Blast! as well as subs for sound-effects, graphics file
                    formats, and EMS.  DQB also allows wave mixing for 8 simultaneous sound
                    effects in the background.  Dash(X) and DQB have been rapidly updated - as to
                    not fall behind one another.  This friendly competition has not only bettered the
                    libraries, but it has also greatly advanced the QB community.  It will be
                    interesting how this competition goes....

                        LiquidAGX
                           Another library!?  This library will be released sometime in the near future by
                    LordQBASIC.

                                LiquidAGX is written in pure 32-bit assembly, and is designed to be as
                            fast as possible without sacrificing functionality. All graphics routines
                            from primitives to sprite handling support full customizeable clipping
                            boundaries.  An LAGX program's memory is enhanced with direct and
                            fast access to EMS and XMS, while standard memory functions allow the
                            user to manipulate anything from individual bits or bytes to huge data
                            blocks with the utmost of speed.  Sprite handling allows users to draw full
                            blocks or transparent sprites very quickly.  LAGX's scrolling capabilties
                            give complete control to the user with 16 routines. The whole palette or
                            individual colors can be manipulated with LAGX's palette routines.  The
                            mouse is also supported with every standard function plus the ability to
                            change the cursor.  Text can use the standard BIOS font or a custom
                            font of any size.
                                Future versions are planned to support sound, unchained VGA
                            resolutions and page flipping, and SVGA support.

(LordQB, Nov 1998)

                        LordQB has been using the subs in LAGX for a while in his own projects
                    (like Syraphage) but has decided to release the library to the public.
                           It seems as if the trend of QB is moving from everyone making an RPG to
                    everyone making ASM libraries.... :)
 
                        The Mystical Journey
                           TMJ has seen some minor updates, but due to schoolwork, there hasn't been
                    much time to update it.  A new (unfinished) village has been added called Rangoon;
                    translucent menus have been added; the music has been dropped because it
                    crashes computers with certain sound cards; and it has been accelerated with the
                    new update to Dash.  Expect a few more levels by December 1st - unless I'm too
                    busy playing Zelda 64 then... :)
                            For more info on TMJ, go to VirtuaSoft.

                        Super Mario World: Clone
                            I never realized how fast the word would spread on this little project. :)  I
                    post it on my site, and within a few days, everyone in the QB community knows
                    about it.  Well, anyways, SMWClone is a clone of Super Mario World (duh!) that
                    uses DashX and QMidi to attain speed and music, respectively.  The music
                    comes from http://www.vgmusic.com in the form of midis.  The music is ported
                    from SuperNES emulators.  It has parallax pixel-scrolling and is compatible with
                    any 4-button game pad.
                            The people working on the project are Necrolyte, DJRed, and Danny Gump
                    (that's me!).

                       SonicBlue's Bricks
                            SonicBlue has been working hard on his new Tetris clone.  SB Bricks has
                    most of what makes Tetris the addictive game it as - as well as several extra
                    features like bomber blocks, etc.
                           For more info on SonicBlue's project, go visit SonicBlue .

                         Wrath of Sona
                           Kaddash's RPG, WOS, has seen some major updates in the past months.
                    The newest release, v.17, now uses a blend of Dash and DQB for the engine.
                    It has tons of new updates (too many to mention here).  This game is a definite
                    "must see."  Get your copy now.
                           For more info on Nekrophidius's project, go visit Kaddash.

 
 
 

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