Wayzata's Best of Shareware PC/Windows 2

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Text File | 1993-04-12 | 20KB | 331 lines

WHAT'S NEW IN PCXDUMP VERSION 8.00 --------------------------------- For those who are curious, Version 8.00 of PCXDUMP contains the following additions and improvements over previous versions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 8.00 - New switch: /MOUSE. PCXDUMP can now be activated by pressing two mousebuttons. - New switch: /VIDEO=number. Will force PCXDUMP to use the specified videomode. - New switch: /ANIMATE=number. PCXDUMP will automatically dump the screen every number'th second. - New switch: /TEXTHI. When dumping a textscreen, this option toggles between 8 or 16 possible background colors. - New switch: /GAMMA=number. This switch replaces the /LIGHT option and provides much better control over the intensity of the dumped image. Will only have an effect when dumping a grayscaled imaged (hotkey G or H). - New switch: /OVERWRITE. PCXDUMP will no longer overwrite existing DUMP????.PCX files, unless you tell it to. - New switch: /AUTODIRTY. This switch works almost like the /AUTODUMP switch, just in a much dirtier way. - Recognizes and dump images in 4/8/15/16/24 bit VESA modes, up to 1280x1024! (VESA 1.2 required for 15/16/24 bit modes). - Detection and usage of OAK-77 (also Hicolor) - Detection and usage of MXIC. - Detection and usage of REALTEK (also HiColor). - Usage of HiColor modes on ATI. - Usage of HiColor modes on Paradise. - Usage of HiColor modes on Trident. - Detection and usage of 24-bit DAC on some Tseng 4000, like the Genoa 7900. - Bug fix: On some videocards, it was not possible to use the /CHIPSET option. Fixed. - Bug fix: When dumping 1024x768 or 1280x1024 screen in 16 colors, sometimes noise would show in the dumped imaged. Fixed. New program PCXLAB (replaces PCXVIEW). -------------------------------------- * Shows any PCX-file on any EGA/VGA/SVGA system (except EGA mono). * Recognizes the same SuperVGA chipsets as PCXDUMP (incl. HiColor). * Converts PCX-files to EPS/BMP/LBM/TIFF/TGA/WPG. * Dithers 4-24 bit PCX-files to monochrome PCX-files (you can adjust the contrast and gamma value of the output images). * Will show PCX/ANS from commandline. * Will write monochrome PCX (up to 640 pixels wide) to a EPSON-compatible matrixprinter. * It is possible to set video mode selection to autodetect. * Will show .ANS (ANSI-files). * When showing big pictures, you can scroll the images around FAST! by using arrowkeys or PgUp & PgDn. You can change the resolution WHILE viewing by using "-" or "+". Note however that you can not show/convert files wider than 3800 pixels. * With the proper VESA-driver, PCXLAB can show images in 4/8/15/16/24 bit modes up to 1280x1024 (VESA v. 1.2 needed for 15/16/24 bit modes). * Detects and uses the 24-bit DAC on some Tseng 4000 HiColor, like the Genoa 7900. * You can reduce 4-24 bit PCX-files to grayscale, or you can reduce 8-24 bit PCX-files to 16 or 256 colors. * Better check on memorysize on Trident cards. * Detection and usage of OAK-77 (also HiColor) * Detection and usage of MXIC. * Detection and usage of REALTEK (also HiColor) * Usage of HiColor modes on ATI, Paradise & Trident New program TESTVESA. --------------------- * A small program to check which VESA driver is installed (if any), what version of the driver and which modes that are supported. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 7.10 - The /WIDE option is improved. The syntax for this option is now /WIDE=number. Since PCXDUMP automatically determines the logical screen width (which may be bigger than the physical display width), but have no way of calculating the logical screen height, you here specify how many times higher than the physical display height the logical screen height is. Lets say you want to capture the full logical screen of COMMANDER KEEN 4. This game runs in 320x200 in 16 colors. You do not have to worry about the logical screen width, since PCXDUMP will take care of that. The logical screen height is approx. 600 pixels. Therefore, to dump the logical screen, you should install PCXDUMP with: PCXDUMP /TIME=15 /WIDE=3 (since 200*3 = 600) If you have access to this game you should try it! To have any effect, the WIDE values must be in the range 1-5. - New option /OFFSET. Normally PCXDUMP will save the images to files starting with the file "DUMP0000.PCX". But by specifying a file-offset, you can tell PCXDUMP to save the images to files starting with another file. - Small improvements here and there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 7.00 - All the follow tweaked 256 color VGA-modes will be recognized! PCXDUMP has been tested and works in 320x200, 320x240, 360x200, 360x240, 320x400, 400x250, 320x480 and 360x480! In all these modes, you can use the mouse or keyboard to select what area of the screen to dump. The routine is a general detection routine so PCXDUMP should work with other 256 color tweaked modes as well. - Some BGI-drivers for Turbo Pascal and Turbo C makes it possible to use tweaked modes in 16 colors, e.g. 704x528 or 720x540. These modes are recognized now and PCXDUMP will treat them like any other 16 color mode. - Some advanced games uses splitscreen techniques to implement a status panel on the bottom half of the screen (like 3D Wolfenstein or SupaPlex). PCXDUMP now knows how to handle splitscreens in both 16 and 256 colors. - New hotkey 'A'. Registered users will be able to dump a text screen to an ANSI-file with the extension .ANS. These files contain all the necessary escape sequences and can be typed with the DOS command TYPE. This option is great for SysOp's, who wants to capture text screen which can be send through a modem with color information. - I have included a fantastic new program in the PCXDUMP system: PCXVIEW. It is an easy-to-use PCX-file viewer and it is very fast! Showing PCX-files is about 2-3 times faster than with VPIC. It is able to show 2, 16, 256 or 16.7 million color PCX-files on any EGA, VGA or SVGA card. Check PCXVIEW.DOC - The /NOPEL option is removed. When dumping graphics from a program that uses horizontal scroll, use the middle mouse button or Keypad "5" to adjust frame position within a "videobyte". - New option /LIGHT=number. When you install PCXDUMP you can now adjust the palette intensity. When dumping a screen to gray scaled PCX-file it is often very convenient to make the image lighter before printing it on your favorite laserprinter. - The colors used to print the framesize and frame on the screen are now much easier to see. - You can now do a (normal or inverted) gray scale dump in 32768 colors modes. - Minor bug fixes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 6.00 - PCXDUMP is now menu-controlled. All options, such as hotkeys and videoadapter can be seen and set on screen. This means that it is very easy to compose a complicated installation. It is still possible to install PCXDUMP via "command line switches". - Two new hotkeys 'G' and 'H'. 'G' will convert the image to a gray scale image (provided the screen mode is color with at least 4 colors and at most 256 colors). 'H' will produce an inverted gray scale image. - New option /WIDE. If a program uses smooth scroll (that is, defines a virtual screen bigger than physical display), e.g. the COMMANDER KEEN series, you can set /WIDE, and PCXDUMP will try to dump the virtual screen instead of the physical screen. This option will not have any effect on an EGA-card since registers on this card are write-only. - New option /AUTODUMP.This option will only have an effect, if it's used in conjunction with either the /DISK or /TIME option. If you install PCXDUMP with "/TIME=10 /AUTODUMP" this is what happens: after 10 seconds PCXDUMP will install it's own keyboard routine and will immedia- tely start dumping the screen. - A small sound improvement. No matter how fast your computer is, the beeps should now be of same the duration. - New option /INT=number. It is possible to use PCXDUMP from another program. You specify here which interrupt PCXDUMP must use, when called from another program. - New hotkey 'T'. This hotkey enables registered users to dump a text screen to a text-file. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 5.00 - If you install PCXDUMP with a delay with the /TIME or /DISK option, PCXDUMP will now beep when it takes over the INT 09h or/and INT 08h. - It is now possible to capture graphics in virtually any program or game. I have had some problems with a number of Apogee game, such as Commander Keen and many commercial games, such as A10 Tank Killer V 1.5. or Lemmings. However, these programs represent different problems. Games such as Keen and Lemmings define a "virtual" screen, which is much bigger than the actual resolution. This is how they make the impressive smooth scroll in all directions. Games like A10 Tank Killer and many others (new ones) use a trick to gain four video pages on a standard VGA display card to obtain smooth animation with page flip- ping. Needless to say, PCXDUMP will now work in these modes, but since detecting and manipulation of these special videomodes depend heavily on register readings/writings, PCXDUMP will not recognize these modes, unless your videocard is at least a VGA-card. Reason: on an EGA-card, all registers are write-only. - Actually some programs use a special mode (X) on a VGA-card: 320 x 240 x 256. This mode provides square pixels and 2 display pages on a standard VGA card. PCXDUMP is able to handle this mode as well. The most tricky game is BANANOID (a free- ware game), that uses mode X, but defines a virtual screen about 500 pixels wide and with smooth horizontal scroll. PCXDUMP will now also capture screens from such nasty programs as well. - A new option: /NOPEL. This option will prevent PCXDUMP to read a certain register on the graphics card. Reading of this register sometimes blanks the screen while PCXDUMP is dumping graphics (normally the screen reappears when PCXDUMP has finished). This register determines exactly where the screen starts if there is smooth scroll involved (in a 16 color mode). If you explicit tell PCXDUMP not to read this register, PCXDUMP will dump a picture which is 8 pixels wider than the physical display. Later you can cut out precisely the part of the picture you are interested in. - PCXDUMP will now recognize and use VESA-cards. - All these new options will only use additional 400 bytes ! - The registered version of PCXDUMP will now capture most of all these SuperVGA hires text modes, such as 132x25, 80x60, 132x44 or 100x40 etc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 4.02 - It is no longer possible to use the mouse, while PCXDUMP is dumping information to disk. - In 16 colors VGA text PCXDUMP used a fixed palette; now it uses the correct colors, even if it is a custom color palette. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 4.0 - The registered version of PCXDUMP 4.0 will now capture screen in text modes. Both in color and in black and white. - Internal buffersize is now increased to 3600 bytes for better performance. PCXDUMP therefore uses more memory now than previous versions. This turned out to be necessary to make PCXDUMP handle 32768 colors. - Ahead A/B chipset is now recognized. - The routine to recognize Chips & Technology chipsets is improved. - On TSENG HiColor cards, PCXDUMP can be used in the 1280x1024x16 mode incl. all modes with 32768 colors. - On ATI-WONDER cards, PCXDUMP can be used in the 640x480x32768 colors mode. - On Paradise cards, PCXDUMP can handle the 640x480x32768 and 800x600x32768 modes incl. the 1024x768x256 mode. - PCXDUMP can now be used in CGA mode: 04h = 320x200x4 05h = 320x200x4 06h = 640x200x2 PCXDUMP, however, still requires minimum an EGA-card to be installed. - It is now possible to adjust framesize without a mouse, using SPACE and the arrowkeys instead. - PCXDUMP now releases the environment copy. - Improved check for pop-up in busy situa- tions. E.g. PCXDUMP will not pop up as long as INT 13h is active. - The normal hotkey sequence is now ALT+SHIFT (left shift). Previous versions used ALT+CTRL as the hot- key sequence. - There was a minor problem with the EGA- palette in mode 0Dh (320x200x16) and mode 0Eh (640x200x16). In these two modes the palette is a fixed 16 colors palette (and not as in mode 10h 16 colors out of 64). This has bow been fixed. - PCXDUMP will now beep a low and long tone if the hotkeys are pressed in an unsupported videomode. - PCXDUMP now reads command-line parameters. /ON is necessary to install PCXDUMP (only if none of the other options are used). /OFF will remove PCXDUMP from the memory. /NOSOUND tells PCXDUMP not to use any sounds. /TIME=number tells PCXDUMP to delay instal- lation of INT 09h number seconds. /DISK=number tells PCXDUMP to delay instal- lation of INT 08h by number calls to INT 13h. INT 09H will be installed 3 sec. after INT 08H. /SHIFT=number. It is now possible to choose between ALT, SHIFT and CTRL in the hotkey sequence. /HOTKEY=number. You can tell PCXDUMP to use you custom hotkey. All other hotkeys will be disabled. PCXDUMP will automatically determine to dump either a color or a mono- chrome image. /CHIPSET=number. Force PCXDUMP to use a cer- tain chipset. See PCXDUMP.DOC for details. /DIR=directory. Will tell PCXDUMP to put the PCX-files in this directory instead of in the current directory.