Amiga ISO Collection/AmigaDemoCD2.iso/ASCII/TEXTE/UTILS/DOCS/ogn-demo.txt

Text File | 1994-03-26 | 44.5 KB | 981 lines

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    DEMOMANIAC FULL DOCUMENTATION
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            GReeTING`S mORTALS

        cHA®ON iS bACK wITH tHE fULL dOCS

              FoR DEMOMANIAC

        INTRODUCTION

Many intromakers, titling and multimedia programmes exist for the Amiga but
only a very small minority is powerful enough for you to receive what you
want as an end result.  In most cases your imagination is very limited by
the programme.  Naturally it isn`t possible to let the users imagination
run freely in all cases - the computers hardware also limits the
possibillities - but it is still possible to give them much more
possibillities than such programmes habe previously.
Demomaniac does this for you.  Demomaniac lets you create impressive demos
and presentations not requiring any programming knowledge whatsoever!
With it you are in a position to produce in a few short minutes what would
take you months to program yourself - and that is not counting the years of
programming experience necessary to do that.  You can even produce complete
presentations without touching the keyboard: totally mouse-driven.
But even if you have experiences in Assembly programming and theoretically
can make demos without Demomaniac, using it will make things for you a lot
simpler.  You can use your own routines instead of the effect modules
supplied with Demomaniac.  As the programme is modularly structured this is
a simple take.  In this case Demomaniac will become a great help in the
design and the music / sound of your demonstration.

        THE BASICS

The basic unit or structure in Demomaniac are the `EFFECT MODULES`.  Each
of these offers you an effect which can be mutated through various
parameters.  There are both simple effects such as showing a picture on
screen and very complex ones such as letting the spectator fly through a
vector world.
These effect modules are now connected to so call `PATTERNS`.  Within one
pattern up to 6 effects can run simultaneously.

Staying with our vector world example ... If you combine a fade in effect
(FADE) with the flight through the vector world (VECTORSCAPE) in one
pattern, you will get a vector world that slowly fades in.  At the same
time you could also present a text to the spectator as he is flying over
the vector world. And you can fade the text in and out at the same time,
too.
To produce a complete presentation or demonstration you will first have to
design the separate scenes (`PATTERNS`) and then sort and present them
correctly in a `SCRIPT`
There are three levels when making a presentation:  The lowest are the
`EFFECT MODULES`, the next are the `PATTERNS` and the highest level is the
`SCRIPT`.

        THE FIRST STEPS

To give you a glimpse of what is possible in demomaniac, here is a test run
in form of a simple expamle.

Enter the construct editor first by choosing it in the pulldown menu or
clicking the `CONSTRUCTION` gadget at the bottom of the screen.
Each pattern is designed in this editor.
You will now see four blue windows. The top one holds all information for
the pattern being edited at the moment and the lower three show all the
possibke effect modules sorted by type and alphabet.
Use the mouse to select `LAYER 0` in the top window just click on it and it
is already selected.  "what in the world is a LAYER?" you may be asking
yourself at this moment.  Well each PATTERN includes 6 LAYERS and each of
these LAYERS can be filled with an EFFECT-MODULE.  Why the effects have to
be place in layers and not just anywhere will become apparen later on.
To now allocate an effect to a layer you have to select one in the left
hand window below (MAIN-EFFECTS). Please choose `Stars` for this example;
if you can`t find stars on the list use the slider on the right to move the
list up and down. After a short loading period the word stars will be
allocated to `LAYER )` and further information will be presented below it
in the top window. The stars effect module has now been allocated to `LAYER
0`.  The new lines between `LAYER 0` and `LAYER 1` are the variable
parameters the stars effect have to offer.
Okease choose one of the parameters now (maximum number of stars)/ Next to
your pointer a new window will appear in which you can edit the parameters.
The value at the moment is 400 but if you now use the slider to change the
number of stars you can have up to 2000 or go as low as one single star!.
If the slider isn`t accurate enough for you then you can enter the value
using the keyboard.
Now that you have had a short play around with the parameters press `RESET`
to return to the standard value and the ok to complet the editing of the
parameters. Click on TEST PATTERN ato view the stars effect. After a short
while you will already find yourself in deepest darkest space(LAME)

Press the left mouse button to complete the test and return to the editor
Have a go at changing the parameters and effects and then view the results
of your changes by clicking on `TEST PATTERN`.  This will give you a feel
for Demomaniac.  So you don`t experience too many problems, here`s a short
explanation of the `Stars` parameters.

    EFFECT delay        :We`ll tell you what this one is for later
                 on
    START Starnumber    :The `stars` effect gradually increases
                 the number of stars on screen. This is the
                 starting value
    Starnumber incr.    :How quickly should the number of stars
                 rise.
                 (0=not at all,1=very slowly,100=v.fast)
    Maximum number        :Maximum number of stars on screen

An explanation of all parameters of the other effects can be found in the
back of the handbook.
Now that you have learned how to change parameters we can get a bit more
complex - after all, demomaniac can handle more than just one effect.

So lets scroll down the pattern list (top window) using the slider next to
it so that the next layer (LAYER1) becomes visible and click on it.
We would like the LAYER 1 to contain the effect-module `DotText`.  So we
click on `DotText` in the MAIN EFFECTS menu.
This effect offers somewhat more parameters that wel will not be explaining
fully in this chapter.  But if you now full of enthusiaism click on `TEST
PATTERN` demomaniac will come up with an error message saying you have to
load a text for the DotText effect.  And viewing the parameters you will
realise that the parameter (`ACTUAL TEXTPAGE`) is empty.  So this parameter
is waiting for data file!. These are not loaded from the pattern editor
though but from the MEMORY EDITOR

In the bottom gadget line-up you will be pleased to find one marked MEMORY.
Select it and you will find yourself on a new screen.  Please choose `BLOCK
0` (this is the only block on the screen anyway at the moment)
After this click on `LOAD FILE` and choose a file with the ending .TXT
using the file requester and load it (`OK`). A text file is now in memory
that can be used at any time in your product.  You have now loaded all the
necessary data and can continue work on the pattern (click on
CONSTRUCTION).
Back in the CONSTRUCTION EDITOR you can now active the `Actual Page`
parameter and will be presented a list of all text files in memory. Now
choose your file from this list (the list isn`t too big at the moment
anyway)
As all parameters are `loaded` we can give it a trial run by pressing the
`Test Pattern` button.  Its starting to look good isn`t it?

Now lets have a play-around with the parameters ... Why don`t you give the
following settings a try

    X-Angle increment gl.        :44
    Y-Angle increment gl.        :77
    X-Angle increment rel.        :0
    Y-Angle increment rel.        :0
    Start X-Angle            :000
    Start Y-Angle            :000
    Speed                :2
    Number of letters        :25
or ...  X-Angle increment gl.           :000
    Y-Angle increment gl.           :000
    X-Angle increment rel.          :3
    Y-Angle increment rel.          :0
    Start X-Angle                   :130
    Start Y-Angle                   :090
    Speed                           :1
    Number of letters               :25

A bit of music and we could be as happy as a lark...(?)

Actually there is just one programme on the Amiga that is used to make demo
soundtracks- the Protracker, but there are loads of versions around, making
it impossible to play all pieces of music with just one universal player.
For this reason we have included a whole collection of players with
Demomaniac.  Before playing a song respectively module (the correct
terminology) you have to select one of these players (BEWARE: The wrong
player combined with the wrong module may cause your computer to crash.)

So lets chooes one. Click on `PLAYER` (top right) and choose `TRACKER
PACKER` from the list. All the modules include with Demomaniac have been
packed with this one. This is also the only player that is capable of
playing modules PACKED.
As we have now made our player decision we can choose a module to listen.
For this click on `SONG` (all music can be packed with the Power Packer)
And with the next test run we can see and hear what kind of a difference
sound can make.

We might as well mention another feature while we are at it. Click on
`DESIGN` in the pattern list and choose the option `NEWS SCREEN`. Another
go at `Test Pattern` will slowly give you a feeling what it is like to work
with Demomaniac.

        THE CONSTRUCTION EDITOR

We will explain this editor first because it handles the lowest level of a
Demomaniac presentation the effect modules.
You can enter the CONSTRUCTION EDITOR anytime by cliking on the
CONSTRUCTION button at the lower part of the screen or hitting the F6
function key. You can also enter it via the pulldown menus.

        THE PATTERN LIST

In this editor patterns are developed and tested. Each pattern is manager
through the pattern list that is in the top window.  The list is built up
in the following way:

NAME     :        (Pattern name)
DESIGN   :        (Name of the screen design used in this pattern)
TIME     :        (Time-length of the patterns)
RELATIONS:        (Relations between the layers)
LAYER 0  :        (Name of the effect module in LAYER 0)
            (Its parameters)

LAYER 1  :        (Name of the effect module in LAYER 1)
            (Its parameters)
            And so on ...

The pattern name is of no importance to Demomaniac itself. It is purely to
help you in your administration of the various patterns and the putting
together of a script.

Design is the screen setup. Please find more information on this one in the
chapter on `DESIGN EDITOR`

Time isrepresented - as indeed all times in Demomaniac are - in seconds and
frames.  One frame is the time it takes the electron beam to build up a
screen on your monitor.  If something happened even faster then you
wouldn`t even recognise it as the screen could`nt be prepared so quickly.
A frame is therefore the smallest time scale that is relevant for
Demomaniac. One frame is 0.02 seconds (1/50 second) in length.  Therefore
you can only enter values between 0 and 49 as 50 frames would be one
second. Times are represented in Demomaniac as
SSSS/FF

The S stands for seconds (maximum of 9999) and F stands for frames (maximum
49). One minute would thus equal 0060/00 and one minute and half a second
0060/25/

You can also programme the lenght of a pattern as `INFINITE`.  This is also
the time preset.  To set it you have to leave the time-requester by
pressing the "INFINITE" key.  If you have already calculated a time for
your pattern and only want to enter the infinite mode for a test then thats
no problem whatsoever - the number will stay in memory and will
automatically be enter once you switch back from infinite mode.

The next option, relations, describes the relations between the 6 layers in
memory and `real` layers you will see on screen.  Each effect runs on a
transparency: on `unused` parts you can see the effect underneath.  To
change the order of these transparencies without have to move the effect
modules around you can use these layer relation.  This layer represebts a
layer and its positio represents the position in the pile of
transparencies.  The standard layer sequence 012345 means that layer 0 is
at the bottom and layer 5 is the top transparency and not covered by any
other one.  If you change the layer sequebce to 543210 then the situation
is exactly the opposite without you having to change the position of the
effect modules themselves.
`Weird` cp,binations are also possible sucg as 425301.  This would result
in following order in the transparencies:

    Layer 4        : at the bottom
    Layer 2        : Over layer 4
    Layer 5        : Over layer 2
    Layer 3        : over layer 5
    Layer 0        : Almost at the top
    Layer 1        : At the top

The layer sequence is not the only thing you can change in the layer
relations.  Additionally to the order you can also set the transparency for
the layer itself.  This is basically a switch whether the layer is
`painted` with normal paint or see through paint.  Is this value for
instance 1 -3 -- that means that just laters 1 and 3 are transparent.
Using the requester that pops up when you enter the layer relations option
is simple, once you have understood the principles of the layer sequence
and transparency values the top line (switches for the layer sequence) has
6 small gadgets that go up by one each time you click on them.  This way
you can enter any order you wish.  The gadget below (switches for the
transparency values) work like light switches - they are either ON or OFF.
This way you can set the transparency for each individual layer.

Now you know about all entries in the pattern list apart from LAYER
entries.  The layers contain the most important information for a pattern:
the EFFECT MODULES.
Each layer can hold one effect. Click on one of the lines that include the
word `LAYER x :` then you activate that layer.  This way, you are telling
Demomaniac in to which layer you would like the next effext loading (or
which layer the next delete effect is to affect).
If you click on a line that contains a parameter for an effect you can then
change these parameters.

        THE VARIOUS TYPES OF PARAMETERS

There are various types of parameters:

The standard are VALUE parameters that contain a decimal number. If you
choose one of these a new window will be opened.  The value of the paramter
can be changed using the slider and the arrows or just enter the number on
your keyboard.  If you mess up the parameters value totally you can press
the `RESET` key to get back to the standard values. Leave the window by
pressing `RETURN` after entering your value, press the `OK` or `CANCEL`
buttons or just click outside the window (same effect as choosing `OK`).

Apart from the VALUE parameters, Demomaniac also includes VARIABLE
parameters. Just like in a programming language you insert variables
instead of constant values.  This allows you to change an effect while it`s
running by changing the value in parameter. You can for instance define the
position of a vector object as (x, y) instead of (160, 127). If another
effect changes the variables it will automatically also change the postion
of said vector object.  if you program the value of the variables to
represent the current mouse position for instance, the user can move the
vector object with the mouse.

If all this sounds a bit too complicated, you can just ignore it. A VALUE
parameter allowing variables differ from the "standard" parameter only by
having another switch at the bottom of the window:

"VARIABLE":    Click on this switch and a string gadget and a `CHOOSE`
button will appear instead of the slider. You can choose the name of the
variable to be connected to the effect.  The name can be any character
combination as long as it doesn`t start with a space or is made up entirely
of spaces.  All names are stored in capital letters. Possible names are for
example `x`, `Hallo`, `3d`, `X position` or `#$%^&Q!`. Calling you variable
`007` for example is also possible but will surely cause some problem as
you may later not recognise it as being a variable and not a definate value
of `007`. So please us names you will recognise again later on. If you have
already been using variables in your programme you can find them and
implement them here, too , by useing the `CHOOSE` function.  And if you
decide a constant value is better after all then you can return to the
VALUE requester by choosing the `NUMBER` button.

Above we have described parameters that accept either a constant or
variable value.  Next we have parameters that ALWAYS require a variable -
they don`t read a value from the variable but a write to it.  These are
called `OUTPUT` parameters.  Some effect modules don`t actually do anything
you can see on screen (DUMMY EFFECTS) as their only function is to change
the variables and thus for example allow interactivity.

As certain effects require more data than just numbers further types of
parameter exist:

If you click on the PICTURE parameter you will be present with a list of
all pictures located in memory to choose from.  These already have to have
been loaded into memory via the memory-editor. This type of parameter is
therefore known as `MEMORY` parameter. There are various of these for
animations, fonts, samples, texts etc.

Apart from these major parameters (VALUE, VARIABLE and MEMORY) there are
various other ones that for instance handle the relationship between the
layer and the effect.
Others work like switches between two positions (on/off or Top/Bottom etc)

An exact description of each individual effect and its parameters can be
found when you choose info in the construction-editor.  You will habe to
select the respective layer beforehand.  When using an effect for the first
time it is best to read the info file for a complete descrition of the
effect`s features.

        THE EFFECTS LIST

All available effects are listed in the three windows in the bottom part of
the screen.  The split into three windows is purely for organisational
purposes and doesn`t have any internal significance to Demomaniac.  The
effects are sorted by type.  The left window contains the main effects, the
middle one contains transtional effects (fades, bumps etc.) and the right
one the special effects.  If you click on any of these effects it will be
loaded into the current kayer, if an effect is already in the respective
layer the programme will double check whether you really want to replace
the ol effect with the new one.

        THE PATTERN ADMINISTRATION

In the top left of the screen you will find information on how many
patterns you have already designed and the number of the one you are
working on at the moment.  To view the effect lists of the other patterns
you can use the NEXT and PREVIOUS buttons. If you press the NEXT button
when no further pattern is there then a new pattern is opened for you to
edit.  A new patern opened in such a way automatically copies the design
and layer relations of its predecessor.
The BEG and END buttons allow you to jump to the first respectively last
pattern available.  The GOTO button lets you choose the pattern to edit
from a list (only if you have more than one pattern of course)
The DELETE button ddeletes the active pattern and moves all following ones
up by one.  Of course this movement does NOT mess up any previously uses
made of the pattern numbers (for example in the script editor) as all these
matters are corrected automatically by Demomaniac. If you habe only made
one pattern you can delete it - all entries will be set to standard but it
will naturally bot be removed from the lise.
The INSERT button pushes the present pattern and all following ones up by
one position this way you get a  new and empty position that you can now
begin to edit.

`DELETE EFFECT` will delete the effect module in the chosen layer emptying
the layer again.  The execution of this command can be interrupted by
pressing the left mouse button.

`TEST PATTERN` tests the pattern being edited at the moment. The execution
can be interrupted by pressing the left mouse button.

Before we continue with the next editor we would like to point out that can
either leave the parameter editing window by either pressing the `OK`
buton or by just choosing the next parameter by mouse.  This of course
saves time as every click outside the window is regarded as an `OK`, you
could also jump directly to `Test Pattern`.

        THE SCRIPT EDITOR

After you have made all the patterns you want in the CONSTRUCTION EDITOR
you can now start thinking about putting them together to a demo.
The script editor is entered by choosing the SCRIPT gadget at the bottom of
the screen.

On the left-hand side of the script editor there`s a long list: the script.
The script is partitioned in many entries, each of which can hold a PATTERN
or a COMMAND,  The number of entries you require can be set using the
`Script entries` (top right). The minimum number of script entries equals
the number of patterns you have designed: otherwise you couldn`t show all
patterns you habe designed and therefore would be wasting memory. Press
NORMAL and the number of patterns will automatically be set to the number
of patterns designed.  Please do not exaggerate with the number of script
entries; everything takes up memory and needs to be administrated and will
slow Demomaniac down during editing.

Just below the script entries you will the Active Pattern.  This is the
pattern number you have been working on last in the construction editor.
This can be changed easily, either by the string gadget, the cursor keys or
the CHOOSE function (has the same function as the GOTO button in the
construction editor has)
If you after changing the active pattern return to the construction editor
you will automatically be editing the pattern last addressed in the script
editor.  What the active pattern is needed for in the script editor will be
explained later.
Beneath the active pattern there are a further five gadgets that define
what should happen when a script entry is selected. A blue arrow on the
right next to the gadget shows you which one is active at the moment. (you
can select the active gadget resp. function by pressing it with the mouse
pointer.)

The functions are as follows:

Choose patterns        :    Every time you choose a script entry you
                will be able to choose the pattern to be
                inserted from a list.

Choose Commands        :    Choose a script command (to influence the
                course of the script run) and enter its
                parameters.

Increase Pat.        :    If you have already designed all patterns
                in a logical order and want to spare yourself
                the hassle of having to enter them all into
                the script (first pattern 1,then 2, then 3,
                then 4 etc),.Then this function will help.
                Just click on a script entry and the active
                pattern will be stored in theat position and
                one is automatically added to the number of
                the active pattern.  This way you only have to
                click once on each of the script entries.

Decrease Pat.        :    Works the same way as `Increase Pat` but
                one is deducted after each click.

Edit Command        :    Change the parameters of a script command.
The INSERT button stays pressed after you have selected it to show you that
you are now in the insert mode.  Just click on a script entry and all
following entries are pushed down by one.  The resulting free space in the
script can now be edited in the choosen mode (choose pattern, choose
command etc.).  That meant that immediately after the insertion of a
position a pattern or command is entered.  After the insert function has
been completed the insert gadget is deactivated again the the script list
is updated.  All commands that referred to a script position are also
updated so they don`t point to a wrong entry.

The DELETE function works in a similar fashion.  When in delete mode you
can delete entries in your script by clicking on them and all following
entries will move up one position.

You can deactivate the insert and delete functions by pressing the buttons
a second time.

The `TEST SCRIPT` and `TEST PATTERN` gadgets are at the very bottom and do
exactly what their names imply:

Test Pattern    :    Has exactly the same function as it does in the
            construction editor with the difference that it
            refers to the active pattern (the last pattern
            edited).

Test Script    :    View the whole script.  Press the right mouse
            button to break off the script test and the left
            mouse button to skip the active pattern.
            THE SCRIPT COMMANDS

We have already mentioned the fact that script are not just a list of
patterns but also include COMMANDS.

If you choose a script entry while in `Choose Command` mode instead of
being the `Choose Pattern` mode you will be presented a list of all
possible script commands.  Choose a command from this list and (if
necessary) set its parameters.  Script commands basically exist to
influence the running of the script, but are also capable of much more.
Let`s have a look....

FADE MUSIC IN    :    If the player supports fades then this command will
            fade the music in whilst the demo continues to run.
            At the very beginning you will have to set the
            music `silent`.

FADE MUSIC OUT  :    Fade-out

SILENT        :    Switches the music off. This is mainy necessary to
            enable a pause between the beginning of the demo
            and the fade in.

GOTO X        :    Jump directly to script position X.

EXIT        :    End the script.

LOOP X        :    Repeats the following scripts entries X times.

ENDLOOP        :    Marks the end of the loop block (started with
            LOOP X)

GOSUB X        :    Jumps the script position X and returns once it
            finds a `RETURN` command.

RETURN        :    Ends a subblok started with the GOSUB command.

FREEBLOCK X    :    This command only actually works in the executable
            demo as it frees any memory possible during the
            demo. CAUTION: This will of course only work if the
            date you are deleting is NOT needed later on in the
            demo!.

SKIP X=Y    :    Jumps the next script position if the relation is
            correct.

NOP xxxx    :    This command doesn`t actually have a function and
            is solely there so you can insert notes and
            comments into the script.

WAIT X        :    Wait X seconds/frames.

These script commands are possibly not very easy to understand, but they
can open the doors to amazing possibilities once used correctly.

The script commands are surely easily understandable for everyone.  Here`s
a small example:

0001: SILENT        :Switch music off
0002: FADE MUSIC IN    :Start fading the music in
0003: SMALL INFO (0001) :Start pattern
0004: FADE MUSIC OUT    :Fade out music
0005: WAIT 1        :Wait until complete

So you don`t habe any problems fading music we suggest you use the
Demomaniac player tracker packer!.  This player is also capable of fading
CIA-timed songs with many effects.

Lets continue with the other editors...

        THE MEMORY EDITOR

In a demo or presentation you will be needing loads of data apart from all
the effects we have already discussed.  This data has to be available in
memory and have to be handled in such a way that you can use the same data
more than once without having to load it into memory again.
This task is handled by the MEMORY EDITOR. Enter it by choosing the MEMORY
gadget in the bottom gadget list.

The memory editor looks a lot like the script editor. Again theres a long
list on the left and gadgets on the right.  The list (memory list) contains
all data files that have to be in memory during the presentation.  Each of
these data files is give a MEMORY BLOCK number.

When you enter the Memory Editor for the first time you will only find one
block (0000).  Once you have filled this slot with data though, another
empty block will appear.  This way you always have acces to an empty
position.

When you choose a block entry it will just be highlighted and will not
automatically open a window as most other options.  This has it`s reasons:
It is very important that data is not deleted from memory unnecessarily as
this would cut up the computer`s memory into small chunks.  Always choose
the block you want to edit before you using the gadgets.

Following gadgets and functions are included in the memory editor:

LOAD FILE    :    Load a file into the designated memory block
            (This is necessary if you want to use the file with
            an effect.)When working with disks as opposed to a
            Harddrive please always use the disk`s name and not
            `DF0` etc. in the file requester.  This way
            Demomaniac will be able to find your data at any
            time.

UNLOAD FILE    :    Empties a block

SHOW BLOCK    :    Shows you the contents of the active block.

SORT BLOCKS TYPE:    Sorts memory blocks by data types.  This does not
            affect all other lists.

SORTBLOCKS ALPHA:    Sorts memory blocks in alphabetical order.

SORTBLOCKS SIZE :    Sorts memory blocks by size.

REMOVE UNUSED    :    Removes all blocks that aren`t use by any pattern.

MAKE TEXT    :    Use this option to edit text for the active memory
            block.

All data files in the memory editor are presented in the following way:

BLOCK {Block number} : {NAME} (Type) {Size in Bytes}

The block number is of lesser importance whereas the name and the type are
important criteria for the data management. Following data types exist:

TEXTFILE    :    Standard ASCII file (you can edit yourself).
            A Demomaniac textfile has following standard setup:

            TEXT Thisisthenameofthistextfile
            This is the first line of my text file...
            and this the second...
            ...blah blah blah ...

            The only thing you have to remember is that the
            first four letters of the text file have to be
            `TEXT` (in capital letters) followed by a space.
            Everything typed after this space before the first
            return is the name of the file. And everything
            following this return is the actual text.

PICTURE        :    Pictures are standard IFF pictures as all Amiga
            Paint programmes generate (12, 18 and 24 bit
            pictures are not supported.)

SAMPLE        :    Sampe is the term used for sound effects.  They
            have to be standard IFF format (IFF-8SVX). They are
            used to connect sound effects to actions on screen.

ANIMATION    :    These are standard animations (IFF-ANIM5) as
            generated by DPAINT.

FONT        :    Fonts are data files that can only be generated by
            the Demomaniac font converter. We regret you cannot
            use Amiga system fonts as these (for techinical
            reasons) are saved in a different format. (A
            converter will be available shortly)

OBJECT        :    Vector objects.

SCAPE        :    Whole vector landscapes.

DATA        :    If a file is described as `Data` this means a
            specific data type could not be recognised.

Now you know how to load data into memory and how Demomaniac manages it.
Try not to waste memory as you can never habe too much of it when making a
demo.  Let`s go on to the next editor.

        THE DESIGN EDITOR

The screen setup (`DESIGN`) is a very important part of a demo resp. a
presentation. As much freedom as possible in making your own screen setup
is important to let your imagination flow freely.

The DESIGN EDITOR let`s you do just this.  You can enter it by clicking on
the DESIGN gadget.

The DESIGN EDITOR gives you following possibilities:

You can limit the "action window" on the screen to any choosen area and
present graphics in the empty parts of the screen above and below this
window.  Or you can have graphics on screen that are not linked to effects
and areas ("over" or "under" the action).  The Amigas hardware sprites make
this possible.  You now can for instance lay a frame around the screen or
create the feeling that you are sitting in a cockpit .... Apart from this
graphical extras tje design editor also allows you to habe rainbows
background colours, include mirrors etc.

How do you make your own design?

Once again the whole thing is managed by an easy to understand list that
contains all effects, colours and settings. This are listen in order of
their position on screen (from top to bottom).  By clicking on one of these
entries you can change the parameters,

This design list is the large blue window in the design editor.  Above you
will find the name of the design you editing momentarily.  You can edit the
name any time by clicking on it.  Also, there are two gadgets called
`CHOOSE` and `NEW` there.  When creating a new design, click on the `NEW`
gadget and then enter a name so as to avoid complications.

When creating a design one `effect` is always there - the `ActionWindow`.
THis is the are on screen where the effect modules are actually displayed.
Outside this area the effect can not be seen.

You edit a design by using the gadgets on the righthand side of the screen:

ADD GRAPHIC    :    Show graphics on screen.

ADD RAINBOW    :    Change the background screen colours into a
            rainbow.

ADD MIRROR    :    Add a mirror effect.

ADD OBJECT    :    Define the start position for a graphical object.

ADD BAR        :    Add a colour bar to devide the screen.

These five commands add effects to the screen design.  When you choose one
of these effects you will always first asked where (on the screen) the
effect has to start and where it finishes.  Following your entry the effect
is added to the design list on the left.

Once an effect has been entered in the list you can activate it by clicking
on it`s name and edit it by clicking on the parameter you wish to change
(as in the construction editor).
Please note that object and grapgics effects require a picture to be loaded
into the memory editor beforehand.

So you can edit designs comfortably we habe include further gadgets:

CLEAR DESIGN    :    Clears the complete design list.

REMOVE EFFECT    :    Removes the active effect from the design list.

ADJUST POSITION    :    Allows you to change the position and size of the
            active effect visually.  Use the mouse to change
            the position and press the right mouse button to
            change the size.  Press the left mouse button to
            transfer the values (you have just set manually)
            into the design list.

TEST DESIGN    :    View the active design.

LOAD DESIGN    :    Load a design from disk or harddisk.

SAVE DESIGN    :    Save the active design to disk or harddisk.

When you take a look at your design with the `Test Design` Function you of
course won`t be able to see the mirrors as the actionwindow is empty.  This
can bypassed if you set up a pattern in the construction editor already
using the new pattern (and containing an effect in the Action Window)

By pressing the Amiga + T (short cut for `Test Pattern`) you will be able
to look at the pattern without leaving the design editor.  This way you can
easily habe a look at the effect a mirror has on the overall look.

        THE CONFIGURATION EDITOR

The sole role of this editor is to establish some general settings for
Demomaniac and for the completed demo presentation.

`MINIMAL CONFIGURATION` lets you define the systems the demo should be able
to run on and with how much / how little memory the demo shouldn`t even
start. (if you habe to littl memory the computer may only crash during the
demo when it actually requires more than the available memory...)

It is best to configure these settings before you start making a demo.
This way effects that won`t run on the chosen `minimal configuration` will
be rejected when you try to load them.  The same counts for pictures with
too many colours and music that is too long.  Of course the demo will run
without any problems on any systems higher than your configuration
settings.

Also, you can set whether the copper lists should be precalculated or
realtime-calculated.  Even if you aren`t quite sure what copper lists are,
you should know the consequences this button brings with it:

Copper lists are nothing else than a description of your design lists that
the computer can understand and use (throught the graphics co-processor
COPPER).  Usually these are calculated just before a pattern is executed;
this of course causes a slight delay, but a precalculation will take
memory. (The amount can vary substantially.) It is up to you to decide if
you habe enough memory and if so you can switch this function on.

The next option if FreeUsedEffects and as you may guess is for handling
consumption and freeing of memory.  This function only has an effect in an
executable demo! it deletes all effects that aren`t to be used again from
memory during the running of the demo.  This makes the running of demos -
especially long ones - possible on systems that have substantially less
memory than the syste, used to create the demo.  The only disadvanatage
this option has is that after the demo has finished your computr`s memory
is "messy" and without reseting the machine you will not be able to
continue. Bue if your demo resets anyway or runs endlessly you can use this
function without commiting second thoughts.
All the other parameters the configuration editor offers are
selfexplanatory and are not detailed any closer here.
        THE GENERAL SCREEN

This is (as you surely will have noticed) the first screen you see when
using Demomaniac.  From here you can control all general disk and
organisational operations.

This screen contains the following:

The info panel details your system`s capacities. It details the maximum
amount of memory your system offers, not the amount of free memory at the
moment.

        SCRIPT CONTROL

Here you can save the demo, consisting of effects, data and lists.

You can save the demo without all data (graphices, music etc.), just with
the paths and file names of the data, its that when you reload the script
all can be found and included automatically.  This saves loads of disk
space, but can be a bother if you habe to find the datas on loads of disks
first pr of you want to pass on the script to a friend.  When loading the
data you will also have to remember to include the FULL path. If working
with numerous disks you shouldn`t load a file with `DF0:picture.iff`, but
with `PICTURES:picture.iff` (if the respective disk is call PICTURES).
This could otherwise cause problems trying to retrieve data from various
disks for a script.

In such cases it is much easier to save your work as a MODULE (do not
confuse this with the effect modules).  This will save the script and all
the necessary files together.  Of course this saved file is somewhat
larger, but you can be sure you won`t be missing any important data.

The most important possibility is to save a Demomaniac demo as an
EXECUTABLE fileonto a disk or hard disk.  This is a stand-alone, from
workbench or shell executable program.
A demo that has been saved as an executable can`t be reloaded into
Demomaniac and thus also not re-edited.  You should always kepp a copy of
your script or module if you want to continue work on your demo at a later
date.

We tried to keep the executable files generated by Demomaniac as short (in
KB) as possible but we do suggest you still crunch it with one of the
standard crunchers such as powerpacker, Imploader, Titanics cruncher etc.

Another form of saving an executable demo is saving as BootBlock.  The demo
is save directly onto the sectors of a disk and set so that it will
automatically start when the disk is inserted in the drive - without a
startup-sequence or other files being necessary.  The only disadvantage is
that all data previously on the said disk will be deleted.

        EFFECTS CONTROL

Apart from the script commands the general screen also contains
possibilities to alter the effect list (list of all available effect
modules).  This becomes necessary when you want to include new effects into
your system; these can either be ones you have programmed yourself or
effects from future update or expansion disks.  When adding ne effects, all
you habe to do is copy them into your DM_effects directory, press `ADD
EFFECT` and they will be automatically added to your list of effects.

`SHOW EFFECTS` lists all available effects.

To delete an effecct from the list use the function `REMOVE EFFECT`.  This
funtion is doubly secured as it is terminal.

All changes to the effect list have to be saved by selecting `SAVE
EFFECT-LIST`.  This will save your changes on disk or hard disk
respectively.

        DISK CONTROL

These commands are included to save you the job of having to enter the
Workbench or CLI for small file operations.  `CHECK FILE` tries to
recognise the tyoe if file (text, graphics, effect module, script etc) and
`SHOW FILE` will show the file.

        THE MENUS

The menus are sorted the same way as the various editors.  Each editor has
its corresponding menu that includes all the functions you can reach using
the gadgets but also often contain further functions, too.

A very important one for instance is the `Record Time` function in the
construction menu.  It allows you to change the length of a pattern by
clicking on the mouse button at the chosen moment instead of having to
enter the number in the TIME parameter manually.  It`s very simple to use:
Once you have sekected the `Record Time` function the pattern begins to run
as usual. Let it run until you feel it should switch to the next pattern in
the actual demo (for instance a rhythm change in the music) and then press
the left mouse button.  The time passed will automatically be entered in
the TIME parameter.  A similar possibility has been included for the whole
script.  The `Record Times` function here starts the script and runs as it
is supposed to, meaning times will be used as set (this is why it is only
possible to lengthen the times). Press the left mouse button to shorten the
playing time of a certain pattern and the new time will be saved.  When you
rerun the pattern from the beginning this new time setting will be used.

All other functions in the menu should be easy to understand.

        LIMITATIONS

Demomaniac tries to leave you as much freedom as possible when making
demos, but naturally there are certain limitations and knowing what they
are is very useful and important.  The most important limitation is set by
your computer system`s memory - especially the graphics memory (called Chip
Mem).  The rule here is that you can almost never have enough.  As a
programmer you are often given the choice between memory consumption and
speed and when developing Demomaniac we decide to produce the most flexible
and also fastest demomaker on the market.  So we decided to use an extra
few bytes and instead have the highest possible speed.  It will always
require more memory to produce the demo than to actually watch it.

The first limitation is memory, the second are bitplanes.  Demomaniac uses
the bitplane system of the Amiga hardware.  This wau each effect that is
shown on the monitor gets its own bitplanes and can be presented without
loss of speed.  There is just on problem: The amiga can only handle a
maximum of 8 bitplanes and on an old (non-AGA) machine you can only present
5 bitplanes. This means you can`t place as many effects over each other as
you want even if you have empty layers.  An effect with 2 colours uses one
bitplane, an effect with 4 colours uses 2 bitplanes, 8 colours 3 bitplanes
and 16 colours 4.  32 colours use 5 bitplanes and 64 requires 6.  128
colour effects require 7 and 256 colour effects the full 8 bitplanes.  This
means a four coloured stars effect (2 planes) and a 8 coloured font (3
planes) already use up a standard Amigas 5 bitplanes.

If we have now confused you, don`t worry.  You will notice what is meant
when playing around with the demo maker.

        REPLAYERS

The replayers we have included all have different characteristics we would
like to list:

Noise packer V3        quite old

Noise Tracker V2    To be used with very old modules

Sound Tracker V2    For old songs,doesn`t support CIA-timing

Sound Tracker V2.6    For old songs,doesn`t support CIA-timing

Star Trekker V4        Getting a bit long in the tooth...

Pro Tracker V1-V3    These are the original replayers

Pro Packer V2        Can play modules packed with the propacker
            WARNING:unpacked sounds will cause this to crash

Pro Packer V2Fx        At the moment the only replayer that allows you
            to play music and sound effects simultaneously

Pro Runner V2        A good replayer for Pro Tracker music. The module
            is automatically packed after loading and is kept
            and played packed. Thus replayer also allows music
            fading!.

Tracker Packer V3    The standard Demomaniac player! It plays programmes
            packed with TrackerPacker, supports CIA-timing and
            music fading.

NONE            This isn`t really a replayer as it can`t play any
            modules.  It can play sound effects as is basically
            for use in demos you just require sound effects
            its fine.
            Its supports music fading and will thus fade any
            any active sound effects.

As you se there isn`t really a replayer that has all the features you would
wish for (play packed songs, Protracker compatible, CIA timing, sound
fading, sound effects amd speed)

        INTERNAL

Demomaniac`s modular system works in the following way.  Each drawer
contatins data of just the on type (for instance effects in the DM_effects
drawer).  This drawer also has to be assigned so that the data can be found
on disk or hard disk.
Example: You need to assign the DM_effects drawer that you have placed in
the partition then include the following assign

Assign DM_effects: HD0:demomaniac/DM_effects
           ©Black Legend Software and Complex Developments
Dox type in by CHA®ON-OGN

Greets goto:

TANG0,MAD DAN,NERO,TWISTER,DREAM WARRIOR,OEDIPUS,TAS,STAB,LAMPHREY,HOGSTER
TROLL,TROOPER,SUGGS,BLADE-RUNNER,GHOST,ICON,JUICY FRUIT,ULTRAMARINE,
LSD,DA LOONS,CANDYMAN,
    AND EVERYONE WHO KNOWS ME

    ~THAT IS NOT DEAD CAN ETERNAL LIE
        YET WITH STRANGE AEONS
        EVEN DEATH MAY DIE~

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