ÍÁÃÐÁÉÎÔ ÆÉÌÅ ÆÏÒÍÁÔ
          -------- ---- ------

           ÄOCS BY: ÖALHALLA1
           ---- --  ---------


      ÔHE ÍACÐAINT FILE FORMAT WOULD BE
REAL EASY TO CONVERT TO OUR OLD, BORING
ÄÏÏÄÌÅ FORMAT 'CEPT FOR ONE THING:
SINCE ÍACÐAINT FILES ARE SO BIG AND
DETAILED (LIKE OUR GEOÐAINT FILES),
THEY USE A SQUEEZING TECHNIQUE TO
MINIMIZE SPACE. ÉT TOOK ME ABOUT A YEAR
TO FINALLY FIND A COHERENT SOURCE ON
THIS SQUEEZING FORMAT, SO NOW É'M
WRITING A SERIES OF ÍAC TO 64
CONVERTERS AS WELL AS SPREADING THESE
ÄÏÃS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY SO SOMEONE
BETTER THAN ME CAN MAKE A PROGRAM
BETTER THAN MINE.

      ÉT'S NOT AS HARD AS IT LOOKS. ÔO
CONVERT A ÍAC FILE INTO OUR FORMAT,
LET'S SAY ÄÏÏÄÌÅ FOR THE SAKE OF
CLARITY, PERFORM THESE STEPS.

(1) ÒEAD IN THE FIRST 640 BYTES OF THE
ÍÁÃFILE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE: THIS IS A
HEADER BLOCK AND MEANS NOTHING TO US.

(2) ÒEAD IN 8 SCANLINES AT A TIME, IN
THE FOLLOWING FASHION:
     (A) ÒEAD ONE BYTE.
     (B) ÉF THE BYTE IS GREATER THAN
         128, IT'S A ÒEPEATER. ÉF Ø=
         THE BYTE'S VALUE, THEN THE
         NUMBER OF BYTES TO COUNT IS
         256-(Ø-1). ÒEAD IN THE NEXT
         BYTE AND DUPE IT Ø TIMES.
     (C) ÏTHERWISE, IT'S A ÓTANDARD
         ÄATA COUNTER.
         ÊUST READ IN THE NEXT Ø+1
         BYTES AND USE 'EM AS STRAIGHT
         DATA.
     (D) ËEEP COUNT OF HOW MANY BYTES
         YOU'VE READ AND WHEN THEY
         REACH 72 (IT SHOULDN'T GO
         OVER THAT), START A NEW LINE.
     (E) ÁFTER ALL 8 LINES ARE READ,
         YOU HAVE TO REFORMAT THEM
         INTO OUR FORMAT- BYTE 1 LINE
         1, BYTE 1 LINE 2.... UP TO
         BYTE 72 LINE 8, OR HOWEVER
         MANY BYTES YOU'RE USING
         (ÄÏÏÄÌÅ FILES USE 40).
     (F) ÁFTER THE 200TH SCANLINE (FOR
         ÄÏÏÄÌÅ), CLOSE THE FILES.

ÍY TECHNIQUE IS TO CONVERT THE ÍACFILE
SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS. ÏNE METHOD IS
TO TAKE A WINDOW OF 40 BYTES (320
PIXELS) BY 200 SCANLINES FROM THE
ÍACFILE AND MAKE ONE ÄÏÏÄÌÅ FILE.
ÁNOTHER WAY IS TO CREATE 8 ÄÏÏÄÌÅ
FILES FROM THE ONE ÍACFILE- FOUR OF
'EM COVER THE LEFT HAND 320 PIXELS,
FOUR COVER THE RIGHT HAND 256 PLUS 64
PIXELS OF EMPTY SPACE (YOU HAVE TO PAD
IT OUT YOURSELF).

ÉF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, MY HANDLE
ON ÑÌÉÎË (AS OF NOW, WHICH IS 4/6 AT
10:58 ÐÍ) IS ÖALHALLA1. ÆEEL FREE TO
ASK...... IF É DON'T EXIST, ASK ÆLEXI-
MAN OR THE GRAPHICS ÓÙÓÏÐ (ÐÈ AT THIS
TIME). ÔHEY'RE BOTH SAINTS AND THEY'D
PROBABLY FORWARD YOUR QUESTIONS TO
ME WITHOUT A HITCH.

                         ÖAL

ÐÓ..... .ÂY THE WAY, THE FIRST 1024
BYTES OF A MONOCHROME ÄÏÏÄÌÅ FILE
MUST BE ALL THE SAME. É SUGGEST A
VALUE OF 3, WHICH CREATES COLORS OF
BLACK ON CYAN, A FAIR SIMULATION OF
A ÍÁÃ'S SCREEN. ÂLACK ON WHITE IS
GOOD TOO IF YOU'RE PLANNING ON PRINT-
ING IT OUT ESPECIALLY.

ÐÐÓ..... ÆOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY
WONDER WHERE TO ÇÅÔ ÍACÐIX, É WOULD
SUGGEST ALMOST ANY ÍÁÃ-ORIENTED ÂÂÓ.
ÁLSO, ÐÌÉÎË, ÃÉ$ AND A FEW OTHER
NON-64 SERVICES (É LIKE ÑÌÉÎË, SO É
DON'T BOTHER WITH 'EM AND É DON'T
REALLY KNOW) SUPPORT THIS FORMAT.
ÁND OF COURSE, MANY ADULT-ORIENTED
BOARDS HAVE AMPLE SUPPLIES OF ÍACÐIX.
ÔHAT'S ALL FOR NOW.....