MaxCoderz

well...I came up with a theoretical preface/intro...shred it as you so desire (knows some one will)

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The xlib guru is a guide for the flash app capable Ti z80 series calculators, and for using Tr1p1ea's amazing xlib application. This guide will be a collaborative project, and I hope you will find it an invaluable resource in your advanced basic programming.
Therefore, first of all, we will make the following assumptions. You have one of the supported calculators, you want to learn how to make advanced xlib enhanced programs and games, and you have a link cable to transmit files. Well, if not, this guide might be of little to no use to you, but if so then let us press on.

The guide will be split into chapters, which cover a variety of topics within a similar skill range or purpose, and each of chapters will be split into a set of specific sections. All sections will be further split into "Concept's Theory", Tutorials and Examples "," Quiz and Challenge and the "Miscellaneous" page. The "Concept's Theory" is an explanation of the underlying principals used in this concept and its purpose and usefulness. "Tutorials and Examples" is where you will be walked through how to do something hands on, and samples of the concept's use will be provided. After you have had a good look through the other sections and want to test your knowledge, "Quiz and Challenge" will provide you a good place to practice. One or more quizzes and challenges will be waiting to allow you to evaluate your skills and see if you really are ready to move on. "Miscellaneous" is where various informations, links, and other such stuff which does not fit in the other categories.

Now then, a humble suggestion…if you going to skip a chapter, take at least the quiz first…you may know less than you think. Also, pre-planning is always a good idea, it will make things easier indeed. Well, it highly doubtful you will be swayed by this advice…so, good luck.
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so, that is how I invision it...*hides*

I like it. That'd be much more helpful to me than just reading the original xlib's readme. Quizzes are good, but don't strain youself too much to make them.

I wouldn't personally take the quiz when learning from this, but I'm sure someone will like it. I like the preface.

well...the great thing is...with a bit of java script allready avalable, a random quiz of multiple choice/fill in the blank wouldn't be hard...and a challange for each wouln't be hard either. Trick is making it fun, breif AND comprehensive.

What I would love to see is for xLib to become a standardized API for Basic, open-sourced so that other programmer's could add to it in the future (with tr1p1ea still remembered as the real programmer of xLib), and then Basic programmers could compile custom versions with the features they need. Essentially you would go to a webpage and download the code containing one feature and splice it in with whatever other features you want, compile, and voila! An API with only the commands you need.

And for every program you'd have to have a separate version of xLIB? No thanks.

Hmmm, good point.

Well...some day xlib might be like the mlc83+ that never happened...until then, it is already much better than anything else by a landslide. Now, on topic.

Here are the chapters I think there should be...please reply with your own ideas

1.) Basics of basic ((key input, moving a letter around,
2.) Basic optimizing and taboos ((nested breaks, gotos and lbls, if: subrotine, etc))
3.) Planning ahead
4.) Simplistic game components ((guess the number, text quest, boxing, 21, snake game, a simple rpg, jump man...the easy stuff))
5.) Sprites (including masking)
5.) Map data
7.) Pics as buffers
8.) AI and object substitutes
9.) Running things "simultaneously"- pseudo-multitasking (including multiple enemies, projectiles, etc.)
10.) Memory management/manipulation
11.) Advanced xlib tips and tricks- multi-layer masking, smooth-scrolling, Zelda-style scrolling, pics as buffers, parallax scrolling
12.) rpgs
13.) Side scroller s
14.) Pseudo 3D (incremental moving stuff)
15.) Gray scale
16.) Ti83+/xlib function list (as an appendix, I think this should go last)
17.) Additional links (also as appendix)
18.) Credits

Ok, some changes made... I want to keep 16 at the end as an appendix

Anyone contacting Kevin?

DarkerLine wrote:And for every program you'd have to have a separate version of xLIB? No thanks.

Maybe that's why xlib should be spliceable like L4_Wak_a_Mole_King said. Then you don't need to get different versions of xlib to play ppl's games.

@necro: This is a great idea. I think people should recommend the xlib over basic guru to encourage more people to use BASIC instead of skipping it to learn ASM. We need to maintain the strength of the BASIC community as well as the ASM community. But too many people are going to get lost without an understanding of higher level programming or Ti-BASIC. Good BASIC graphics will help encourage that. xlib guru would help me a lot too

yes...I just sent a message to bug kevin about it just now...

oh, if you spliced xlib you would have to convert the basic into asm...which would bloat it with no speed gain, not to mention every game would have a spliced chunk of the same code instead of shared library as xlib already exists. IOW, xlib and api are very diffrent and have their advantages, but trying to make xlib like api would merely be of detrement.

I think before the chapters on types of games, like sidescrollers and rpgs. we should have chapters on some of the techniques of those games, like parallax scrolling (sidescrollers) and masking (both).

Its cool to see that you guys are keen on doing this, it would be greatly benificial to all BASIC coders whether they are just beginning or even pros.

It should be made with the LATEST version in mind. Upgrading games/programs to support the lastest version of xLIB is not difficult after all, not to mention it is benificial.

@dys and every one else: how does this sound?
1.)copy the chapter list there and post it as you would like to see it, as well as saying what changes you had wanted
2.)I will update my post
3.)with the suggested changes still posted, edit to remove the the list and everything is good

necro wrote:yep...indeed we can't put the cart in front of the horse, but we can get the harness ready while the shoes are going on (ok, horribly long and dumb methaphore)

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@dys and every one else: how does this sound?
1.)copy the chapter list there and post it as you would like to see it, as well as saying what changes you had wanted
2.)I will update my post
3.)with the suggested changes still posted, edit to remove the the list and everything is good

Sounds good, the methaphore wasn't bad. I wish I could give more help to this other than "Good job keep it up!", but unless you need someone to provide a basic use of xlib like just matrix detection.