New and never-before-seen QB graphics modes discovered!

[Rattrapmax6]

:o=b Very pretty!! Bright graphics routines...

Hmm, hay, yeah I like this... :roll: Umm, do you have a 265 color modified SCREEN yet?? Or did I miss that one? :???:

[Spotted Cheetah]

Mode Cheetah (512x384, see our page for a demo: download the current version of VGAtweak) can be set up in a 256x192 form for 256 colors what can be used with usual 320 pixels wide memory page: that way it is fully compatible with QB. If anybody would like to use that mode, i will tweak it (The only advantage there might be the unused VGA memory what can be used for temp space for GET & PUT). On the other hand unchained 256 color modes are not too hard (After messing with 16 color modes ). Other QB compatible 256 color modes not really has any use. Maybe only 272x200 for approximately square pixels (with a little more useable pixels than 256 color mode Cheetah).

I think when you try to use 320x??? unchained 256 color modes, you would have to work like having four 80x??? screens tied to each other depending on the VGA ports: each of them uses every fourth line of the actual screen. Plane 0 starts at pixel 0, then has a line at pixel 4, then at pixel 8 and so on. Plane 1 would start at pixel 1, then has a line at pixel 5, and so on and so on with the last two planes too. The only strange thing would be that QB would still think that the screen is 320 pixels wide, so each 80 pixel wide part will have 4 rows as one line. So when you would try to ask for a letter, it would be displayed like it was exploded: every pixel of it would be 4 pixels away from it's neighbours.
But if you can get used to this, you will be able to use 3 pages of ModeX, 4 pages of Screen13, or 2 pages of 320x400 what might worth to try it.


I did not mentioned yet, but when i tried to run Adigun's screen modes, only two of them worked, the others made my monitor shut down...

[Rattrapmax6]

Right, hmm,.. I got all of them to work on mine.. :wink:

What, are you asking us if you should tweek screen 13 or something?
If so, yeah, sure that be cool.. :wink:

[Spotted Cheetah]

Sorry, i will be here only after 2 weeks, but possibly i will insert some examples into our VGA tweaker from which you might get the modes sooner (Our page is usually being updated by my friend to Wednesday). That 256*192 mode is so easy that i might do it in just ten minutes (In the VGA tweaker of course ), but unchained modes will need a little more... Maybe later when everything gets clear: i will not really have time to make anything new for the next update: university starts, so i have to stop learning (Windows programming) too :???:

[Rattrapmax6]

Okay, you lost me there,.. this 256*192 mode,. thats the one with 256 colors? You say its simple,. what are the ASM routines that tweek it? or do you have the example on your site yet? :wink:

[BastetFurry]

Ok, i would fancy ModeX (256x256x256) but i dont think that that will work, or?

[Spotted Cheetah]

I will be fast as i am just before leaving to not come back for 2 weeks again:

Anything can be tweaked what can fit in a 320x200 memory page for 256 colors in QBasic. That will be compatible with it so PSetting and lines ect will work the same way. ModeQ (256x256x256) will not work this way, but if you only want to access the screen memory using POKE, it will work (I created a 68Hz, and a 77Hz version of it).

The limitation what QB gives is that the mode's memory page must be 320 pixels wide: QB stores this in some internal variables so that it can not be changed. Everything fitting in this limit is OK. By page flipping certain unchained modes (For example the ones i listed above, and the unchained form of 256x256) can be used well too (Some QB routines can be used for fast rectangle filling or screen clearing).


You will not need ASM or any library to do these, just some port access (See the mode Cheetah example). It is possible in just pure QB!

[Rattrapmax6]

Hay yeah I got your old 256 VGA tweek,.. if thats the example your on, looks right impressive..

[Spotted Cheetah]

Sorry about that the page was not updated in time (or possibly still has not been updated). Our only computer from which we could do it broke down that made this impossible: i do not know if our other member had solved it since that. If you still want the tweaker program, please ask for it at Adigun as i will not be online for 2 weeks again as usual.

The newest version of it includes some example modes, two Basic programs plus one what is not ready (but works) for Mode X. The tweaker itself was updated and a few bugs were fixed as well.

[DrV]

Ok, i would fancy ModeX (256x256x256) but i dont think that that will work, or?

There's a chain4 256x256x8bpp mode called 'Mode Q' here.

Edit: ah, nevermind; i checked your vga tweaker and saw you've already got some mode-q modes.