From ramsays@access.digex.net Sun Jun 19 21:04:24 1994
From: ramsays@access.digex.net (Scott Ramsay)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.pascal,rec.games.programmer
Subject: SPX 3.0 and official ftp site now available (LONG POST)
Date: 16 Jun 1994 01:17:42 -0400
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA
NNTP-Posting-Host: access3.digex.net
Summary: Announcement and description
Keywords: SPX FTP GAME PROGRAMMING PASCAL


This post is to announce:

  * SPX version 3.0 is now available
  * The official SPX ftp site is open

spx30.zip and other releated files can be reached by anonymous ftp at:

ftp.digex.net   /pub/access/ramsays/Spx

Documentation, sample games, source code, examples/games fro SPX users
are also available at the site.  Email me at:  ramsays@access.digex.net
if you would like to place your sample code/Demo/Shareware/Freeware game at
the site.

If you don't ftp access, e-mail and I can send you the spx file via e-mail 
uuencoded.

---------(CUT HERE)-----------------------------------

The SPX Library Copyright 1994 Scott D. Ramsay version 3.0
==========================================================
  The (shareware) SPX library allows Turbo/Borland Pascal 7.0 programmers to
EASILY write games in the native 320x200x256 VGA mode.  It includes all the
routines needed for a game. Animation, Sound, text and various input 
devices, advanced graphic techniques, parallax scrolling,  tile and hex map 
scrolling, expanded memory, displaying sprites on layers, 3D perspective 
drawing, 3D objects ... buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, scroll bars.
  Advanced features such as direct screen writes. Complete control of the
keyboard to allow of simultaneous multiple key presses.  Direct access
to sound devices.  Eight real time clocks for acurate timing regardless of
computer speed (four are acurate 18.2sec resolutions, the other four are
adjustable for even faster resolutions). 
  New features: Archive files, Darkening tables, .CEL/.FLC Animator Pro 
playback, Multi-color/mono_clip fonts. Translated color sprites.  Line 
collisions...

  The library also includes full GUI programs to help you create your game.  
Such as the Sprite maker, PCX2VSP converter, Tile map maker, and even a POCO 
program to convert CEL2VSP for Animator PRO users.

The SPX library is a Shareware program.  Registered users (of $30US or more)
obtain updates as well as source code to the games.  The entire source code 
is available for the low price of $220US.

For more information, questions, or just a chat, contact me at the 
addresses below.

Scott D. Ramsay
PO BOX 3426
McLean, VA 22103-3426  USA

Internet email:  ramsays@access.digex.net
Compuserve:      73133,264       


Changes from 2.0 to 3.0
==========================

SPX_VGA:
  @ bug fix in FileVSP
  @ LoadColors & SaveColors
    Now supports loading/saving Animator and Ani Pro .COL files
  @ added functions:
      setclip - set the WinMin/Max variables
      resetclip - resets clipping variables to default
      TranslateBox - changes pixel color in a region specified
                   by a table
      LightColor - Lights a color by a percent
      DarkColor - Darkens a color by a percent
      CreateDarkTable - Creates a darkening translation table
      CreateLightTable - Creates a light translation table
  @ moved sprite routines to unit SPX_VSP

SPX_KEY:
  @ rewritten unit - flags for all scan codes
  @ ReadKey, Keypressed, Readln - simulations
  @ allowReboot:boolean;  ENABLE/DISABLE use of CTRL-ALT-DEL
  @ constant defines for most common keystrokes
  @ ch:char; - removed obsolete
  @ funct:boolean; Now returns TRUE if the last read from ReadKey
    was an extended key (function key)

SPX_EFF:
  @ added function:
    procedure cycleline_trans(f,t:longint;cyclex,cycle_width:word);

SPX_GUI:
  @ Now works with SPX_KEY interrupt enabled

SPX_FNC:
  @ added functions:
    min/max  - returns minimum/maximum values passed from two integers

SPX_T3D:
  @ added functions:
    CalculateAngle - returns an angle of a line in 0-512 coordinates
    LinesIntersect - returns if two lines intersect

SPX_VSP:
  @ new unit - moved all sprite routines from spx_vga to here
       MatteVsp, fget, ScaleVSP, fput, fput_clip, fput_mask,
       ftput, ftput_clip, displayer, eraselayer, dispvirt, displayer_clip
       dispvirt_clip, erasevirt, copyvirt
  @ new sprite functions:
      ftput_clip_mask - displays a transparent clipped sprite based
                        on a virtual page
      fctput_clip - displays a transparent clipped sprite setting all
                    non-zero pixels to one color
      fxtput_clip - display a transparent sprite using non-zero pixels
                    on a translation table
      pointvsp    - retrieve a pixel color from a location in a sprite
      psetvsp     - set a pixel color to a location in a sprite

SPX_OBJ:
  @ TObjs is now a descendant type to TObject from TVISION objects
     Now requires TVISION units STRINGS, OBJECTS
  @ Changed the following to functions:
    function addp(var nkbeg,nkend:plist;p:plist):plist;
    function addbeg(var nkbeg,nkend:plist;p:plist):plist;
    function addend(var nkbeg,nkend:plist;p:plist):plist;

SPX_TIM:
  @ Add global variable uclock, a longint counter that increments
    every 18.2 times a second.

SPX_GUI:
  @ Added two variables to object Tmouse_io
    mdx,mdy  - Mouse movement swpeed
  @ Tbutton tree is now Streamable.  Object Id's now correspond to
    stream object type

SPX_LIB:
  @ New unit - reads files from archive
  @ Methods for loading .VSP, .COL, .PAL files

SPX_FLI: 
  @ removed - obsolete

SPX_TXT:
  @ removed - obsolete

SPX_FLC:
  @ New unit - reads/plays Ani FLI and Ani Pro FLC/CEL files
  @ Added flc_playLib - plays FLI/FLC/CEL files from archive file
  @ replaces SPX_FLI

SPX_SFN:
  @ New unit - multi/single color fonts. clipable, replaces SPX_TXT
  @ function to load fonts from archive file

SPX_GEO:
  @ TMorph init changed to:
    constructor init(geomx,geomy,six,siy,gvw,gvh,scrx,scry:integer);
  @ Added two variable to placegeo/nogogeo methods:
      procedure placegeo(x,y,geonum,cx,cy:integer);virtual;
      procedure nogogeo(x,y,cx,cy:integer);virtual;

  @ LoadGMPLib - Load .gmp file from library
  @ New Methods and variables to object TMorph
     yaccum,xaccum,yinc,xinc : word;
     procedure yaccumulator(inital:boolean;at:integer);virtual;
     procedure xaccumulator(inital:boolean;at:integer);virtual;

SPX_MOS:
  @ Renamed mouse unit, was MOUSE.TPU
  @ Removed obsolete function normalizeMx 
  @ Removed obsolete variable skl

VSP2SFN.EXE:
  @ Converts .VSP files to .SFN files

SFN2VSP.EXE
  @ Converts .SFN files to .VSP files

SPXARCH.EXE:
  @ Archive utility. concats files to an archive