17 Bit Software 4: Phase Four

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Text File | 1992-09-02 | 11.3 KB | 245 lines

A M O S E Y E S (c) Lee Bamber of Digital Ninja Origional Completion Date: 10-APR-1993 V1.0.0 Released: 17-Apr-1993 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The AMOSEyes Viewer V1.0.0 is PUBLIC DOMAIN ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Utilities of any sort can be real nasty peices of work if not properly explained. And AMOSEYES deserves a good going over before you start asking all those un-anticipated questions. So what is AMOSEyes? AMOSEyes is an advanced Text Reader using the latest in user interface controls, found in leading text-viewers. But what sets this one apart is it`s ability to bring in your own graphics and place them around your docs. Furthermore, it offers a Selector Screen that gives the potential user the chance to skip the instructions altogether and continue with whatever your disk is suppose to do. So what IS your disk suppose to do? Well, the primary use I am advertising this utility for is Game Instruction Manuals. Other uses easily follow but the advantages of a doc reader like AMOSEyes give those Amateur and Pro Game writers an alternative to Just Text! Your game already is full of graphics of a sort, so why not make the whole production professional! What about copyright and stuff? Well, this one is easy. AMOSEyes the View Program is Public Domain and freely distributable. It`s also freely usable and freely advertisable. In fact you could completely fail to mention me as it`s author and still get away with it! Go ahead. My job has paused for the time being. Now it`s up to you to spread the thing as far and wide as possible. The more people see it, the more might want one of there own to head their creations. And that then comes back to me. Because I have the AMOSEyes Editor! What Editor? Now, this little peice of digital engineering is the centre peice of AMOSEyes. Without it, the viewer may as well retire. The Editors main job is to create AMOSEyes Files (The .DOC file you can find on your disk). As there is only one of these files per disk, as soon as the viewer is called, it will seek out this file on the current disk and present it! The AMOSEyes Editor will be Shareware as I find this to be the best way to get payed for my time. As Shareware, updates will become a regular thing. New developments are begging to be implemented. Things you just wouldn`t believe! Moving illustrations, Actual moving ships or characters to try the controls of a game and even reference highlighters that go into more detail on a word or title. The expansion potential of such a fresh utility will require much support from eeger beavers. Who knows, maybe this could spark the first interactive instruction manual! Now that is what I call real communication! This has not been designed to replace the text viewer in any way! Those are still the most convenient way to convey alot of information in a small space. What this does do is offer the user a booklet on disk. Take for example, you buy a game and you get your instruction book and some cards with little messages and offers on. You flick through it straight to the controls section and swot up on how to fire or punch or whatever. Some even read the story line and get a real feel of the situation. Well AMOSEyes is the perfect vehicle. It`s new, it supports graphics, but more importantly, it`s easy to use. But it isn`t just Game Writers who can rub their hands at this point, for this thing can be used for all sorts of stuff. Write a Manual for one of your coverdisk collections. Port over a load of graphics into one big picture and do a spot of index writing and you have a complete tour of your entire disk collection. Make a picture book of your favourite subject like insects or aircrafts, throw in a heap of facts and figures and bang, a minature reference book. Compile a healthy pile of your amateur work and present it using AMOSEyes. Send it to a PD Library and you have you name in lights! Well basically that`s it. You know what AMOSEyes is for and I hope you find a use for it! If you want to see what the creator of this can do, get hold of any Digital Ninja Game created after March 1993. I hope you enjoy the exploits of this potential giant of a utility. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- * AMOSEYES VIEWER * The viewer is riddled with things to move you through the instruction book as effortlessly as possible. Primarily on the off chance that the user has not bothered to read the instructions and just experimented his/her way through the controls. Well for those who want the lot, read on. Using `AMOSEyes` on your disk Firstly, there are two ways of using AMOSEyes. The first is to click on it from the Window in the workbench. The second is using the CLI call to the program `AMOSEyes`. If you do not know the basics about preparing your own disk for automatic boot-up, you can skip to the end of this section now for a quick read up on it. Now, assuming you know basically what the startup- sequence is used for, you can put the line, :AMOSEyes [RETURN] in the `startup-sequence` file and when you boot your disk, AMOSEyes will then load and you will nicely proceed to the next stage. When initialising your own disks, you can put the AMOSEyes Program in the C Directory. Then all you do is call AMOSEyes from your startup-sequence! The Selection When you are in the Selection Screen. That is the one with the two boxes, marked `The Instructions` and `Continue`. Clicking the continue will exit AMOSEyes and return to the workbench or continue with lines from the start up-sequence. However, by selecting `The Instructions`, AMOSEyes will then load the Viewer. The Viewer The viewer is layed out to present icons along the top of the main screen, a page indicator down the right side of the screen and the main display bit that shows your text and graphics. Top Icons > | ABOUT | MORE | BACK | PMORE | PBACK | QUIT | ABOUT - By clicking* on this, the author name and credits will be shown for about 15 seconds, then will refresh the viewer. MORE - By holding down** this, the current page will scroll down at medium speed until it reaches the end of the page. At which time, the scroll will stop. BACK - Same as the MORE control, but the screen scrolls back up the current page at medium speed until the top of the page is reached. Holding down**, the mouse button will operate this control. PMORE - This is a Page More Control. It means to turn the page to the next one and position the display at the top of the new current page. This will increment the current page number. When no more pages remain, this option will no longer function. To operate this control, click* it. PBACK - Same as BACK is to MORE, PBACK will turn to the last page number and will cease to work when there are no pages to turn back to. To operate this control, simply click*. QUIT - Click* this to exit the Viewer. * Clicking refers to pressing the Left Mouse Button Once and then releasing it. ** Holding Down refers to holding down the Left Mouse Button and sustaining the hold until it is felt that the command has been carried out to the satisfaction of the user. The Page Indicator is a simple device. It will draw a single dash between the top and the bottom of the space allocated. The top represents the top of the Instruction Book and the bottom refers to the bottom of the Book. By looking at the position of the dash, the user has an idea of where the current page is situated in the book. And there`s more... By moving the mouse arrow pointer inside the display part of the screen and pressing the left mouse button once, the shape of the arrow will change. It will now point up or down. By moving this arrow within the display area, first up then down, you will see the text/graphic display will scroll as it nears the top and bottom. This is especially useful for slow reading like you see in the closinng credits of a series or film. Also... The viewer has keyboard support aswell. The arrow keys on the keyboard, I am so sorry A600 users(maybe in a later version!), will do the following: Arrow Up - Moves the text/graphic display toward the top of the page at a high rate of speed. Useful for a quick re-read of something. The scroll will stop when the top of the page has been reached. Arrow Down - Moves the text/graphic display toward the bottom of the page until it hits the bottom at which time the scroll will stop. This too is high speed for text skimming. Arrow Right - Exactly the same as the | PMORE | control above. It turns the page to the next highest number until there are no more pages to see. Arrow Left - Exactly the same as the | PBACK | control above. It turns to the previous page number until there are no more pages to turn back to. There are plenty of different ways to achieve the same goal. Find the one you like best and stick with it. I hope you find no problems with the selection of controls. If you have your own preference, then please write, and inform us and we will get to work(if it`s really clever!). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- <- Space Reserved for Later Version Instructions -> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- * UTILITY SPECIFICATIONS * Information on all aspects of AMOSEYES Versions and updates to appear in this section as updates become available. Program Requirements: V1.0.0 - 512k Minimum(no fast required) Single Internal Floppy Drive Program Compatability: 17/04/93 - Test successful on the A500 & A1200 Program Spec and Size: V1.0.0 - "AMOSEyes" = Main program for Instruction Book = 90k "AMOSEyes.DOC" = Text and graphic vectors = (any) "AMOSEyes.PIC" = Standard IFF picture(4 Colour,Lowres) = (any) Notes: *1 - The AMOSEyes.DOC and AMOSEyes.PIC must remain with the AMOSEyes Main Program at all times otherwise the AMOSEyes Program will not execute the Viewer. Also, the two datafiles must reside in the Root of the Disk(The Main part of the disk, not in any directory!). *2 - When copying the AMOSEyes Viewer(PD) for a friend , could you please throw over a copy of the docs as well(AMOSEyes_docs). Do not copy The Editor, it is copyright and is quite illegal to distribute! *3 - The Updates `improvement quality` depends on solid response from you so even if it`s a mere whim, write in to Digital Ninja! *4 - The three files for AMOSEyes (AMOSEyes, AMOSEyes.DOC, AMOSEyes.PIC), must always be in the root of the device being presented. As V1.0.0 only allows one doc per device, make sure you don`t erase over your last .DOC file! *5 - Game Writers should only need one Instruction Book File. The space allowed is plenty enough for the grossest of Docs. In Editor V1.0.1 at least!