Games All/Games All - Over 500 Value - All Copyrighted Games - No Registration Fees (Affiliated Software Distribution)(1993).bin/docs/mvppaint.doc

Text File | 1993-04-20 | 27KB | 521 lines

                   MVP Paint - 256 Color VGA Image Workshop

        +------------------------------------------------------------+
        |  Table of Contents                                   Page  |
        +------------------------------------------------------------+
        |  MVP Paint Professional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2   |
        |                                                            |
        |  Special Offer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3   |
        |                                                            |
        |  Order Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4   |
        |                                                            |
        |  General Helpful Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5   |
        |                                                            |
        |  Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5   |
        |                                                            |
        |  File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6   |
        |                                                            |
        |  The Menuing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6   |
        |                                                            |
        |  The Palette System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6   |
        |                                                            |
        |  The Palette Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7   |
        |                                                            |
        |  Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8   |
        |                                                            |
        |  Programmer's Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9   |
        |                                                            |
        |  Foreign Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 10   |
        +------------------------------------------------------------+

For a complete description of a special upgrade offer to MVP Paint
Professional, and a special CompuServe membership money-saving offer, please
see pages 2 and 3 of the following documentation.

                                  IMPORTANT

IF YOU NEED TECHNICAL SUPPORT INSTALLING OR USING THIS PRODUCT, DO NOT CALL
OUR 800 TOLL-FREE ORDER NUMBER.  THIS NUMBER IS FOR ORDERS ONLY.  THE PEOPLE
WHO ANSWER THIS ORDER LINE HAVE NO TECHNICAL INFORMATION AND WILL NOT BE ABLE
TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.  THEY WILL SIMPLY REFER YOU TO THIS NUMBER:

                                 616-245-8376

SO PLEASE CALL THIS NUMBER THE FIRST TIME AND SAVE YOURSELF THE TIME AND
TROUBLE OF MAKING TWO PHONE CALLS.  THANKS.

MVP Paint is a full-featured graphics workshop.  With MVP Paint you can easily
create or modify graphics or animation files.  It supports a variety of
advanced features, and has been used to develop two MVP Software games, Sand
Storm and Corncob 3D.  Originally created as an in-house game development
tool, it has been tested extensively in real-world applications.  Game
designers and others demanding performance will like its combination of
features and ease of use.

                +--------------------------------------------+
                |  MVP Paint - 256 Color VGA Image Workshop  |         2
                +--------------------------------------------+


MVP PAINT PROFESSIONAL
----------------------
Many users will want instead to purchase MVP Paint Professional.  It is the
"big brother" of MVP Paint.  MVP Paint Professional includes a printed
manual, free technical support for one year, the MVP Toolkit, and the Pod Bay
Graphics Library.  The toolkit can modify palettes, convert color images to
greyscale images (2 to 64 shades), display images, downscale images using a
sophisticated anti-aliasing technique, and even turn your image into
compilable BASIC, Pascal, or C code!  This code can then be compiled, or
imported into an existing program.

In addition to the toolkit, MVP Paint Professional includes the Pod Bay
Graphics Library.  This library consists of 30 linkable graphics routines for
Pascal and C programmers that provide a quick and easy way to write graphics
programs in VGA mode 19 (320x200x256).  These routines are fast and provide
quick bypass to the .BGI files that you might otherwise have to load.  The
image routines found in these libraries use images that are created by MVP
Paint and have a .VGA file extension.

Here is a list of the routines included in the Pod Bay Graphics Library: file
detection; set display to VGA mode; set display to text mode; description of
returned error code; draw a pixel at location x,y in the desired color; return
the value of the color located at x,y; draw a line from point a to b in the
desired color; draw a rectangle; draw a circle; draw an ellipse; clear the
screen while in 320x200 VGA mode; load a palette from disk; set the VGA card
to the desired palette; read VGA card to get current status; save a palette to
disk; set the VGA card to an empty palette so that screen drawing can occur
invisibly (necessary for screen fade in); fade in screen; fade out screen; set
new RGB parameters; determine bitmap variable size of an image; load an image
from disk; load specially condensed graphics files; put image on screen; put
partial image on screen for animation; grab image and place it in a pointer
variable; put an image to the screen without writing color 0 (for animation
over backgrounds); put a compressed image to the screen for animation; create
a dynamic variable that holds a bitmap.

For advanced users, the actual source code used for the graphics libraries is
also available.  For a $100 one-time license fee (in addition to the purchase
price for MVP Paint Professional), you will receive both the Pascal and C
source code found in the graphics libraries.  Payment of the licensing fee not
only gets you the source code, it also gives you a license to use this code in
any application or software package you create.  You may not, however, sell or
distribute the source code files themselves, or source files modified from the
Pod Bay source files.

For the low purchase price of $49.95 plus $3.00 shipping (in the US), you will
receive the latest version of MVP Paint Professional with printed manual and 1
year free technical support, the MVP Toolkit, and the Pod Bay Graphics Library.
Order today by calling 800-968-9684 from the US or Canada, or [phone]
from anywhere, using your Master Card or Visa.  Or fill out and mail the order
form below, enclosing a check or money order.  If you also wish to license
the source code to the Pod Bay Graphics Library, enclose an additional $100.


                +--------------------------------------------+
                |  MVP Paint - 256 Color VGA Image Workshop  |         3
                +--------------------------------------------+


SPECIAL OFFER
-------------
Through a special arrangement with CompuServe, the world's most comprehensive
computer information service, MVP Software is proud to make the following
special offer to registered users of MVP Paint Professional.

Your ordinary personal computer will suddenly transform into a personal
communications center, reference library, shopping mall, investment tool,
travel agent and weather man.

You can get instant briefings on late-breaking news and sports scores, go
shopping for super buys, book a vacation, give your children up-to-date
education materials, receive the latest stock quotes, open new communication
channels, even relax with a variety of games and quizzes.  Anytime you want.
As much as you want.  All for only $7.95 per month.

In addition, you get a world of shareware at your fingertips, which you can
download at any time, night and day.  Games, desktop publishing, graphics,
utilities, business programs -- over 25,000 freeware and shareware software,
the best in the world.

How do you get all this?  By becoming a CompuServe member.  MVP Software has
been a CompuServe member since 1991.  Frankly, we couldn't do without it.  Now
you can join, as a MVP Software "special friend," with a money-saving offer.

Here's what you get on this special offer.

     * One FREE month of basic CompuServe membership (a $7.95 value)
     * A FREE start-up credit of $25.00
     * A FREE BONUS credit of $5.00
     * A FREE subscription to CompuServe Magazine
     * FREE 260-page Users Guide (a $14.95 value)
     * FREE CompuServe Information Manager software

How do you qualify?  All you have to do is order MVP Paint Professional and
check the "Special Compuserve Offer" line on the order form.  Or order by
telephone [phone]) and tell the operator that you want the "Special
CompuServe Offer" with your order.  It's that simple.  With your copy of MVP
Paint Professional we'll include a form for you to mail to CompuServe to take
advantage of this special offer.  The cost to join CompuServe by taking
advantage of this offer is $25.  (This payment is to CompuServe, not MVP
Software).  But since you receive total online credits of $37.95, plus the
guide, magazine, and Information Manager software, this is obviously the most
cost-effective way to join CompuServe and take advantage of its many benefits.

We are able to make this special offer in conjunction with CompuServe
Information Service.  CompuServe reserves the right to withdraw the offer at
any time.  So take advantage of this offer TODAY.

                    MVP Paint Professional Order Form

YES!  I would like the benefits and increased productivity of MVP Paint
Professional, including the ability to view Super VGA images in Super VGA
mode, the MVP Toolkit, and the Pod Bay Graphics Library.  Please rush me
the entire package by first class mail.

Name ________________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________

City _______________________________ State ______ ZIP _______________

Country (if outside USA) ____________________________________________

CIRCLE DISK SIZE:    5-1/4" (HD)   -or-   3-1/2"         IMPORTANT!

Price of MVP Paint Professional                                    $49.95
Shipping and Handling                                                3.00
Shipping and Handling to Canada                      add $1.00
Shipping and Handling to other countries             add $2.00
Michigan residents sales tax                         add $2.12
Source code license for the Pod Bay Graphics Library add $100

Make check payable to "MVP Software"           Total enclosed:  $__________

Check here if you want the CompuServe Special Offer (p. 4)  Yes____________

Master Card/Visa information (credit card orders only)

Card number __________________________________________ Expiration _________
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOLUNTARY QUESTIONS:  Please help us determine what features you would like
====================  in upgrades and future products.

Circle what type of equipment you have:    8088    286    386    486
Circle the speed of your computer(Mhz): 10  12  16  20  25  33  40  50  ___
Circle any that apply: Joystick  Mouse  Modem_______  SVGA card____________
                                             (speed)              (type)

Where did you get MVP Paint?
    Friend   CompuServe   GEnie   AOL   Prodigy   Software Creations

    BBS (name): _______________________  phone # __________________________
    address _______________________________________________________________
    Distributer (name): ___________________________________________________
    address _______________________________________________________________

What new features would you like to see added to MVP Paint?


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Send this order form and your check to:

MVP Software, 1035 Dallas S.E., Grand Rapids, MI  49507-1407

From the US or Canada call 800-968-9684 toll-free 24-hour order line.
Call [phone] tech support, information, or overseas orders.


                +--------------------------------------------+
                |  MVP Paint - 256 Color VGA Image Workshop  |         5
                +--------------------------------------------+


GENERAL HELPFUL INFORMATION
---------------------------
The MVP Paint graphics program is designed to operate stand-alone.  This means
that you can install it somewhere on the path and then call it up by simply
typing MVPPaint at any time.  If you are new to DOS, or if you have no hard
drive, you may want to run MVP Paint from a floppy disk.  The DOS manuals
might prove useful for determining what the path is as well as how to change
it, but it is not necessary to place MVP Paint in the path.  Once the
installation program has copied the MVPPAINT.EXE file and all of the auxillary
files to the desired location, you are ready to run it.  Even though MVP Paint
does not need to be in the current directory, be aware that all files (palette
and image) are loaded and saved in the current directory.

Before running MVP Paint, run CONFIGUR and answer a few questions about your
system.  This will allow MVP Paint to operate in as efficient manner as
possible.

To begin the program, type MVPPAINT, and press the ENTER key.

MVP Paint may not recognize some really old mouse drivers.  If you experience
an invisible mouse, try getting hold of a newer mouse driver to correct
this problem.

FEATURES
--------
All of the feaures included with this program -- line draw, interpolation,
animation, etc., are described and in some cases illustrated in the online help
section.  Before working on your first image, we recommend that you go through
all of the items in this section to get a good idea about what this program can
do.  Note: The animation section is somewhat complicated so in addition to
moving the help for animation into the help section, a demonstration animation
is included with this package.  To see this demonstration, go to the animation
section and choose LOAD and then choose MVPPAINT.  Then choose VIEW.

Experienced users will definitely want to print the list of available macros.
These macros will greatly speed up the painting process if used effectively.

You can also load a palette by specifying the palette name from the DOS
command line.  Example: MVPPAINT BW will load the palette saved in the
file BW.PAL.


                +--------------------------------------------+
                |  MVP Paint - 256 Color VGA Image Workshop  |         6
                +--------------------------------------------+

FILE FORMATS
------------
File formats be confusing to many users.  In this document, the term "file
format" refers to the disk file that can hold an image, a palette, or some
other entity.  You can discern the nature of a file by its extensions.  MVP
Paint recognizes the following extensions:

    .GIF - Compuserve format  - image file
    .PCX - ZSoft format  - image file
    .VGA - MVP Paint format  - image file (compatible w/Borland .BGI drivers)
    .PAL - MVP Paint format - palette file
    .AF  - MVP Paint format - animation file

THE MENUING SYSTEM
------------------
MVP Paint's menuing system is icon-based.  This means that general categories
of features are represented by icons, or pictures.  For example, all file
operations are found under the disk icon, all palette operations under the
palette icon, etc.  To choose an option, just click the left mouse button on
an icon.  In some cases a sub-menu will appear from which you can make a
further choice.

THE PALETTE SYSTEM
------------------
The color palette allows you to choose the color in which you want to perform
drawing activities.  Simply point to the color you want and click the mouse
button.  Since only 64 of the 256 colors are visible at a time, use the arrows
on the right side of the palette to page through the colors.  Also note that in
the paint window, hitting the right button will set the current color to be
what was under the mouse.  If MVP Paint is operating in hidden palette mode,
hitting the right button will return you to normal editing and make the palette
go away.

IMPORTANT NOTE
--------------
MVP Paint allows you to work on fullscreen images.  If the image is too large
to allow the menu on-screen, you can bring the menu up by either hitting the
middle button on a three-button mouse, holding down the right button and then
pressing the left, or hitting the space bar.  Now for the tricky part.  If both
the menu and the color palette are hidden, this action will invoke either
depending on the current location of the mouse.  In the left-half of the
screen, it will call up the color palette, in the right-half it will invoke the
menuing system.  If you are working on an odd-shaped image where one of those
two is already active, say 160x200, then the hidden palette is invoked
regardless of your location at the time of calling.  This is difficult to
describe with words, so give it a whirl and you will get the hang of it.


                +--------------------------------------------+
                |  MVP Paint - 256 Color VGA Image Workshop  |         7
                +--------------------------------------------+


THE PALETTE EDITOR
------------------
The palette editor, an extremely useful feature not found in many paint
programs, allows the user to modify the 256 color palette to contain the 256
colors they want out of a possible 262,144 colors!  In addition to choosing RGB
values, other options are available.  Below is a list of the three main
operations to perform in the palette editor:

1. RGB Modification:  Click on the desired color you want to modify.  Then
   click on the box of the component (red, green or blue) that you want to
   modify.  Then move the cursor up and down until the component is set where
   you want it.  Finally, click the left button to accept the change, or the
   right to restore the component to its original value.

2. Quick Set:  In the color spectrum area (where all 256 colors are    shown),
   you choose a color by clicking the left button.  The currently chosen color
   is always outlined by a box.  If you click on a color with the right button,
   and that color is not the outlined color, the outlined color  will be set
   to have the RGB components of the color you on which you clicked.  This
   feature gives you the means to move colors around or blank them out.

3. Trending: Trending allows you to choose two colors and have all of the
   colors in between them become gradual transitions from the first color to
   the last.  You perform a trend by choosing the first color you want and then
   clicking on "Start Trend." Next, choose the last color in the trend and click
   on "End Trend." Now you are ready to click on the "Do Trend" button and
   watch MVP Paint go to work.  Naturally, the farther apart in the palette x
   and y are, the more slight the increments.  You can trend between 3 colors
   or all 256!

After finishing with the modify palette screen, click on "Quit" to return to
the program where you left off.  You must first tell the program whether to
keep any palette changes made.  Selecting "no" will return with the same
palette as when you entered modify palette.  Choosing "yes" will make the
changes active.  IMPORTANT: Changes made in the palette are not saved unless
you either (1) choose the palette menu and save the palette in a (.PAL) file or
(2) save the palette with the current image.


                +--------------------------------------------+
                |  MVP Paint - 256 Color VGA Image Workshop  |         8
                +--------------------------------------------+


ANIMATION
---------
The animation section can be useful to both programmers who want to test
images before devoting time for coding and people who just want to toy around
and have fun.  The basic approach to this animation section can be likened to
film animation.  With a movie, the scenes are just a long series of still
pictures called "frames." Because image files can get quite large and slow, you
wouldn't want to save the whole screen over and over just to move a space
shuttle across a space scene.  For this reason, you choose a background scene
and then work with all of the elements that will appear within that scene.  So,
in addition to the background, you can choose up to 5 different images to
appear over the background within any one frame.  Any one slot within the frame
will be referred to as a cell.  Once all of the cells within a given frame are
displayed, the animation routine will delay an amount of time you specify, and
then move on to the next frame.

Just as you load and save image files, you can do the same with animation
files.  This does not save image information but rather image names, locations,
delay times, etc.  An extensive help section has been implemented in the
animation section of MVP Paint.  For this reason, any further comment here
would be redundant.

However, one other topic does warrant mention in this document.  In Frame 1,
and only in Frame 1, you can choose for a cell to have continuancy and thus
avoid entering an image that is going to have a linear path multiple number of
times.  Just choose an image as you would normally, choose its location, and
then you will return to the regular animation screen.  Now click the right
button on the cell you want to make continuous.  You will return to the
location select screen once again.  This time, however, you are not entering
the location of the cell but rather the x and y offsets to be used in each
successive frame.  Although this may sound confusing it is really rather
simple.  For an example load the MVPPAINT.AF animation file.  The shuttle has
the continuancy feature associated with it.  To remove this feature from a
cell, click the right button a second time.  Also, remember that it continues
only as long as other animation or delay times continue.

                +--------------------------------------------+
                |  MVP Paint - 256 Color VGA Image Workshop  |          9
                +--------------------------------------------+

PROGRAMMERS' NOTES
------------------
Here is an example illustrating the VGA file format.  This example considers an
image that is x pixels wide and y pixels high.  Assume that each of the pixels
are identified by the name given to them in Table 1. Therefore, the pixel
located at x=2, y=3 is called 23.  Now look at Table 2 and you can see how each
pixels maps to a predictable location in the .VGA file!

  Table 1:          | 1   2   3  . . .  X
                  --+---------------------
                  1 | 11  21  31 . . .  X1
                  2 | 12  22  32 . . .  X2
                  . |
                  . |
                  . |
                  Y | 1Y  2Y  3Y . . .  XY

  Table 2:
  +----------------------------- Offset  0                 (x dimension) - 1
  |       +--------------------- Offset  2                 (y dimension) - 1
  |       |   +----------------- Offset  4                 Pixel 11
  |       |   |  +-------------- Offset  5                 Pixel 21
  |       |   |  |         +---- Offset  3+x               Pixel X1
  |       |   |  |         |     Offset  3+((y-1)*x)+(x-1) Pixel XY
  |       |   |  |         |                                |
  |       |   |  |         |                                |
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+   +--+--+--+--+     +--+--+--+     +--+   +--+--+-->
|(x-1)|(y-1)|11|21|31|...|X1|12|22|32|.....|1Y|2Y|3Y|.....|XY|...|Palette->
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+   +--+--+--+--+     +--+--+--+     +--+   +--+--+-->
                                                                   |
                                                                   |
Image Size = ((((x - 1) Div 8) + 1) * 8) * (y-1) + 6  -------------+

VGA File Size = Image Size (if palette is not saved)
VGA File Size = Image Size + 768 (if palette is saved)

IMPORTANT:  MVP Paint does NOT use the Borland VGA256.BGI driver.  This
driver has difficulty displaying full-screen images.  We recommend the
SVGA256.BGI driver for better results.  If you wish to use the VGA256
driver and use Borland putimage routines, you must first add 1 to each of
the dimensions (x and y).  The best alternative is to avoid the .BGI
drivers altogether and use the Pod Bay Graphics Routines available with
the Professional version of this program.  These routines are lightning
fast and will keep your code size to a minimum.

To license source code for the Pod Bay Grapics Library, send $100 to MVP
Software and request the Pod Bay Graphics Library source code and license.  You
will receive the source code in C and Pascal, plus a license permitting you to
use the code in any program -- personal, shareware, or retail -- that you
develop.  However, the license does NOT give you the right to sell or otherwise
distribute the source files themselves, either in original or modified form.

The Pod Bay Graphics Library source code license is available only to
purchasers of MVP Paint Professional.


                +--------------------------------------------+
                |  MVP Paint - 256 Color VGA Image Workshop  |         10
                +--------------------------------------------+

Below is a list of MVP Software overseas agents.  You may purchase MVP Paint
Professional from any of these authorized representatives.  Call for current
pricing.If your country is not listed, order from MVP Software at 1035 Dallas
SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507-1407.  Or call [phone].  NOTE: The CompuServe
special offer is available direct from MVP Software only.

Canada
------
Distant Markets
Box #1149, 194 - 3803 Calgary Trail South
Edmonton, Alberta  T6J 5M8
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Australia
---------
Budgetware
9 Albermarle St.
Newtown NSW 2042
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

United Kingdom
--------------
Testware Ltd
46 The Avenue
Harrogate, N Yorks HG1 4QD
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Sweden
------
Svenska PC-Klubben
Box 83
511 21 Kinna
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Denmark
-------
Prof. Shareware
Benloese Skell 4 G
DK-4100 Ringsted
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]