New style

Well this noon I was updating the blog and I saw there was a grey layer over the blog and it only appeared on the IE (as always), the issue is inside the script of analytics because when I remove it, all works, but I have to use it, so I decide trying changing the template, after hours I found this interesting one, so now I can continue programming. I have added a visit counter too, let's see how it works

40 pages of bitmap bgs

Hi everyone, I've seen new visits these days, might be people is looking for the videos I promised. I'm not having problems I do not have enough time. What I want first is to explain the whole NDS graphic system in a book, at the moment I have 40 pages only up to bitmap bgs and now I have to add the tiles maps and sprites. I think is really complete and very well presented. I have made devkitprojects for each example so understand me, it tooks time, but I think is necessary because I thinks there's a huge lack in this matter and old code. I'll try to put a video of the bitmap bg progress this weekend but I can't promise anything.

P.S. Hey I have just received the BIG BUCK BUNNY dvds, I really enjoyed that, indeed, there's a huge amount of information as a video with 4 rectangles (sketch, block rendering, blender viewport and final render), the blender files, the script, an excel with the script timetable and else. That's like having the Trinity helicopter mind tutorial, I lust for more info. I'm having faith to make a short render on the next year.

Big Buck Bunny

Well and what's that? Well I am not used to post information of another matters, but this is special is an OPEN MOVIE, yes open source movie, well you have to pay for the DVDs with 720p and 1080p versions:

"You can help us to realize future projects by purchasing the DVD edition of the Peach project.
On the Big Buck Bunny DVD (two disks) you will find:- The movie in best DVD quality widescreen format (versions in both NTSC and PAL)- The HD version of the movie (.avi and/or .mov)- Commentary tracks by the creators- All .blend files, models, textures, and so on... the material used to create the movie.- The original script, breakdown, storyboards- Documentation and video tutorials by the team members about all technical aspects the movie; like how to re-use assets, animate characters, or add new shots."

but I found it really interesting, because it has a great quality at the trailer and in the movie frames. It has been made with blender which is improving a lot since last time I saw and practise, and taking a look at the blog you can see yesterday arrived the dvds for circulation. I have just bought a copy of the set here, maybe a bit expensive for the spanyards but well the money is not for a enormous company is for people with initiative, so here I put some of the images, I hope you help too. For further info, here

Delay due to spyware

On Sunday I had one of the most complex spy or virus I ever had. I had the virtumonde.dll spy and Spybot, Adaware, Spyware terminator, didn't work, so I downloaded combofix.exe it turned my desktop to black and the icons have only the description, I don't see the image of them, ie doesn't work, I spent the afternoon trying to restore my machine but at the end I have decided to format, so I will try to make the videos on my laptop.

Few videos "in progress" of BG library on weekend

Last night I was playing with the method to scroll strips of scanlines, at the end on the last version of dsmume it runs at 64 fps indeed, so I have decided to use as good enough method. It is a bit annoying that a interrupt can't assign a class' method, but I find a way to solve it elegantly.

I have define a bg class with the possibility of ten strips with y0,yf and own speed. This afternoon I will write code to be able to scroll not only horizontal but vertical, and for the bmp bg and tile bg you want to scroll, shake or wave. Then I'll put the example videos on the blog. A new "unof" new SMB is coming.

I have some few experiments with gravity and tile collision, the next steps after having an alpha release version are:

1.- Setting different "tile class" classes like: transparent, block, teletransport, jumper, ramp, ladder, and so on.
2.- Setting gravity and acceleration for the sprites.(I have tried 2 Newton laws with the jump and I'm delighted how it works :)).
3.- Placing animated tiles..

Libro sobre programacion para la NDS

Ha sido una ardua tarea la de programar para la NDS, la verdad que la informacion existente esta, no solo mezclada con el antiguo codigo para GBA, sino que muchas veces se explica pero no hay ni un solo snippet, he estado realizando un libro que explica de cero utilizando la libnds, como poner 4 fondos (2 tiles, 2 bgs) como hacer efectos de scroll, shaking (agitar) y wave (ondear) la pantalla, como poner mapas grandes de tiles, como utilizar sprites y aplicar la gravedad. Faltan muchas cosas aun, pero estoy pensando en publicarlo como primera parte y despues uno mas avanzado con temas mas complejos.

NOTA: Por ahora es todo sobre el 2D, ya que quiero dominar tanto horizontal, como vertical y el isometrico. Mi primer gran proyecto sera horizontal, el segundo vertical (the gusto Tyrian?) y el mas fuerte y tercero sera isometrico (te gusto Diablo? :))

First way to scroll scanlines

Yesterday, I was exhausted, but I found out a code that could be interesing, the matters was that it used PAlib, but I think it wasn't restrictive, so I tried. I explain it a bit.

"Way to scroll scanlines (strips) of a bitmap bg via registers"
link here

1.- REG_VCOUNT is a readable register, and tell us in which line, the NDS is painting
2.- If we activate the IRQ_HBLANK interruption and mix with REG_VCOUNT, when we modify the BG2_CX, only will scroll the actual REG_VCOUNT line, so we can make effects like shaking, wavy, scrolling, etc...
3.- It's necessary activate IRQ_VBLANK to make only 192 changes per frame (swiWaitForVBlank();)

NOTES: BG2_CX =_val<<8; means 1pixel scroll, <<4 1/2 pixel scroll, and so on.

Now I'm looking for the way to do with HDMA, because this way needs to use the CPU for itself 192 times per frame, so takes a lot of CPU. (I think that because dsmume puts 120 but other emulators tells more than 35 fps, so I'm not sure about consumption).