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Video: Lesson P5 - Bitmap graphics on the TI-83 and MSX

Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 8:45 am
by akuyou


http://www.chibiakumas.com/z80/platform.php#LessonP5

The 2 color TI, and the 16 color MSX may seem odd partners, but they both have something in common... their GPU's are not accessible directly from memory!

This means we have to use OUT commands to get data to the screen.

Re: Video: Lesson P5 - Bitmap graphics on the TI-83 and MSX

Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2020 4:48 am
by John
Hello Keith,

According to

https://www.msx.org/wiki/SCREEN

screen 3 is the only true bitmap mode (screen 1 and 2 simulate
bitmap modes with tiles) for the MSX 1.
Do you show anywhere how to use screen 3 MSX?
I am looking how to plot a pixel,with a chosen
colour, in screen 3 using assembly. Of course any other shape
can be built from single pixel. Screen 3 is the fastest
16 colour mode for graphical games, that require individual
pixel control, on an MSX 1-if the lower resolution suits the game
and isn't an issue, of course.

Re: Video: Lesson P5 - Bitmap graphics on the TI-83 and MSX

Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 6:49 am
by akuyou
No, I'm afraid I don't have any tutorials on that mode... I'll be covering a pixel plotting function of the '3x tilemap' mode soon

Am I reading that right? that the screen has a resolution of 64x48???

Re: Video: Lesson P5 - Bitmap graphics on the TI-83 and MSX

Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 4:34 pm
by John
Yeah, screen 3 is 64 columns by 48; and in addition in can still display some high resolution using the 32 sprites in screen 3. Because it does not use tiles it makes it easier (and uses less memory) to program some type of games in 16 colours such as 3D games (lacking on the MSX-1) or pseudo 3D games e.g. for example this pseudo 3D game in MSX screen 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yafTKagfBpM

instead of using screen 1 or screen 2. So if the game, or part of a game,suits using lower resolution then this mode maybe easier to program in or save memory.

Re: Video: Lesson P5 - Bitmap graphics on the TI-83 and MSX

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2020 4:50 am
by John
A game entry into msx-dev twenty has a 64x48 screen 3 game and it looks great

Re: Video: Lesson P5 - Bitmap graphics on the TI-83 and MSX

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 12:17 am
by John
I did my own pixel plot function for the MSX1 in screen 2 a few months ago, and I used it for that basis of lines, then 3d wireframe models, but I found it was too slow for such 3d graphics.
I came to the conclusion that coloured 3d wire frames graphics on MSX1 can be done at a good speed in MSX1 screen 3-from the works of others and the Colecovision games that use this mode, Colecovision has same VDP as MSX1.

Can you add to your tutorial how to plot a pixel/point functions in MSX1 screen 3 to you photon tutorial?-I think such screen 3 functions are fundamental to MSX graphics.

Re: Video: Lesson P5 - Bitmap graphics on the TI-83 and MSX

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 11:40 am
by akuyou
Sorry, but I have absolutely no interest in MSX Screen 3, so unless it's the interest of a high value sponsor, I'm not covering it.

Re: Video: Lesson P5 - Bitmap graphics on the TI-83 and MSX

Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2021 6:39 am
by John
All right. Personally, to be frank, I would not sponsor you to do it-if that what your reply above may mean-because the reason but I am unable to do it, for now, is because I can't find any information,so far, on it on how to plot a screen 3.


I can't find any information,so far, on it on how to plot a screen 3 pixel in machine code (or assembly language) on the internet. If I do figure out how to plot a pixel in screen 3 I will write, how it is done, here for any other interested readers.

Also keep writing your good expositions/works of MSX assembly programming-they're fun to read

Re: Video: Lesson P5 - Bitmap graphics on the TI-83 and MSX

Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:34 am
by akuyou
Anyone can make a suggestion, but only $5+ backers can make a 'request' and be sure I'll spend time trying to solve it... I spend almost all my free time on the tutorials as it is, researching programming and documenting this topic could easily take a full day, and when it's something that doesn't interest me personally, I can't justify spending my spare time on it for nothing.

Screen Mode 3 seems to be called 'MultiColor mode (MC)' in the documentation, I've never tried it myself, but seeing as it's in the official VDP documents, I guess it should be usable if you follow the documentation of the memory layout. (I had wondered if it was 'unofficial' and prone to emulator issues).

Good luck!

Re: Video: Lesson P5 - Bitmap graphics on the TI-83 and MSX

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 1:08 pm
by akuyou
Unless I'm misunderstanding things, MC mode is not a true bitmap screen mode.

It still uses patterns and tiles, it's just each of those tiles is defined by 2 bytes per block, and strangely, which two bytes of the 8 byte pattern changes depending on the horizontal screen line.

It would not be very possible to use all 16 colors onscreen at once, as you'd be limited to which 'combinations' you could use. If I were to port Photon to this mode (which I wont) I'd have to limit it to 4 colors, as you can only define 256 'permitations' (patterns) which you will use onscreen.

I'm guessing this 'inflexibility' is probably why it's not really used.

Anyway, heres a little example... two tiles defined. Tile pattern 0 changes colors every 4 lines - taking advantage of the effect described above... Tile pattern 1 has all 4 pairs defined the same - so it appears the same all over the screen.
MSX1_Bitmap_McMode.asm.zip
(1.26 KiB) Downloaded 303 times
That's you're lot, I'm not writing a tutorial on this one.

Edit:
After some thinking, I suppose it would be possible to set all the tiles of the tilemap to 0-255, (eg tiles 0-31 of lines 1-3 would all use tiles 0-31) then alter the bytes of the corresponding patterns to allow every pixel to be manually set in 16 colors onscreen with no repetition.