C64VIEW v0.499.1 (freeware)
(C)1995, 1997 Cameron Kaiser and Computer Workshops, Inc.
All rights reserved.

*** YOU MUST READ AND AGREE TO THIS DISCLAIMER BEFORE USING
    THIS SOFTWARE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THIS DISCLAIMER, YOU MUST
    DELETE THIS SOFTWARE NOW! ***

C64VIEW is freeware. Give it to your friends, let your wife use it on
your anniversary. We don't care. HOWEVER, this documentation file must
accompany the program, the program's ZIP file must be sent unmolested
(no adding files or taking them away), and the copyright message MUST
BE LEFT INTACT. Failure to abide by this means copyright infringment,
and copyright infringement means getting beat up by a muscle-bound jerk
named Biff (or worse, our lawyers). Please don't.

As C64VIEW is freeware, we don't offer true tech support for it. But
still, please be good enough to tell us about bugs, and we'll see what
we can do. Send bug reports (include your computer's configuration and
information about the file you were viewing) and comments to

	spectre@deepthought.armory.com

We of course don't mind donations, made out to the author, Cameron
Kaiser. If you want to send them, or just a note to say you care:

	Cameron Kaiser
	c/o Computer Workshops, Inc.
	3612 Birdie Drive
	La Mesa, CA 91941

WE DO WANT YOUR FEEDBACK. PLEASE TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!

*** WHAT IS C64VIEW? ***

Got some legacy C64 images you're nostalgic to view again? Need to
transfer some pictures from the Commie into some PCX's or GIF's?

C64VIEW allows you to view Doodle!, Koala and colour map images in the
comfort of your PC, even in Win95. If you have a screen grabber utility,
or Win95, you can grab the images C64VIEW generates and convert them
into any convenient format (not included). And it's free!

What's new in version 0.499.1 (versus 0.3.0):

	* Faster decode time: about 30% faster on a P75.
	* Better palette support. The old C64VIEW didn't handle all
three shades of grey, which was a big omission, largely because it was
EGA. C64VIEW 0.499 is fully VGA.
	* Koala and colourmap format support.
	* Palette files for NeoPaint conversion.
	* Better documentation.
	* Works 100% within Win95, in window or full screen.

*** REQUIREMENTS ***

DOS 5.0 or higher. Win95 is fully supported.
640K memory (512K conventional minimum)
386 or better (faster your system, faster the decode time)
	C64VIEW isn't 32 bit, so technically a 286 could run it.
	But I don't recommend it, either.
VGA with 1MB of on-board memory (640x200x16 minimum resolution)

Recommended: 486+, 4MB+, Win95 or screen grabber utility

*** HOW TO USE ***

To use C64VIEW in Win95, refer to the section on capturing screens.

In DOS:
You can run it either non-interactively or interactively. Non-interactively,
supply a filename after C64VIEW, e.g.

C64VIEW.EXE MIDEARTH.DD

Interactively, type C64VIEW by itself, and enter a filename at the
prompt. Don't forget the extension in either case. Hit any key after the
image displays to exit.

Image files can be transferred verbatim from the 64. DO NOT STRIP OUT THE
STARTING ADDRESS, BECAUSE C64VIEW USES IT AS A MAGIC COOKIE. As help
to you, three files (one of each type) are included: MIDEARTH.DD (the
very famous Doodle! demo picture), NETHER.KOA (Nether's title screen,
which was handy at the time I wrote this) and SHOT1.CM (a color map
stolen from a Nether screen shot). I transferred them to the PC using a
null modem connection and CCGMS 7.0 over Xmodem.

C64VIEW determines filetype from the starting address. If the SA is
$6000, C64VIEW renders it as Koala; $5C00, Doodle; any other, as a 1K
color map. The starting address, for the uninitiated, is the first two
bytes of any C64 file, in LoByte/HiByte order (thus $00 $5C = $5C00).

IF YOU GET GARBAGE, OR WORSE, A RUNTIME ERROR, YOUR FILE DID NOT
TRANSFER RIGHT. Look at the length of the file in the directory. A
Doodle! file should be (at least) 9,218 bytes long; a Koala file,
at least 10,003 bytes long; a color map, at least 1,026. If longer,
don't worry, it may be an Xmodem transfer artifact and it should display
a-okay. If shorter, C64VIEW may crash or show funny things when you
try to view the file.

If you get a runtime error, type MODE CO80 to recover. 

*** CAPTURING SCREENS ***

This section also has instructions for using C64VIEW in Win95.

IMPORTANT! Because C64VIEW uses 640x200 mode to display the image,
instead of 320x200, you may need to correct the resolution back to
320x200 in whatever paint program you import the picture to, or the
picture might appear to be abnormally wide. Check and see. (Why do
I use 640x200? Turbo Pascal's BGI drivers don't support 320x200x256,
at least not in TP5.5.)

In DOS, you're SOL for capturing screens out of the box without a TSR.
You need a third-party utility (we use NeoGrab, included in the NeoPaint 
distribution). Run NeoGrab, and press CTRL-PrintScreen to capture the
current screen. NeoGrab DOESN'T SAVE PALETTES. You'll need the (included)
C64.PAL file to convert the palette back to the 64's palette. C64.PAL is
a NeoPaint file, so I will assume you're using NeoPaint here. Load in
the PCX NeoGrab generates (something like 00000001.PCX) into NeoPaint, 
then go to File, and click Edit Palette to fix the colours. In the Palette
Editor, click File, Load Palette and change palettes to C64.PAL. When it
asks you if you want to convert the image to the current palette,
make sure you click No (clicking Yes undoes your good work). You'll
also need to resize images NeoGrab saves (use the Scale option to make
them 320x200 or 640x400).

If you don't like NeoGrab, you'll need to find some alternative utility.
Fortunately, Win95 has provision for capturing images. If you want to use 
it in Win95, here's how to display screens in Win95 with C64VIEW:

1. Go to Start, Run. Type C64VIEW [filename]. Don't forget the extension.
2. When C64VIEW decodes the image and displays it, you can capture it.
   Make sure that C64VIEW is running in a window (press ALT-ENTER if it
   isn't) if you want to do so.

To actually capture the screen:
3. Maximize the window and press ALT-PrintScreen. The window is dumped 
   into the Clipboard.
4. Go to Start, Accessories, Paint (or your favourite paint program); 
   then when in Paint, go to Edit, Paste.
5. The C64VIEW window will be pasted into the document. You can simply
   save it now, or try to erase the window border (which alas gets
   captured along with it), or whatever.

The palette is correctly captured in Win95; you may wish to resize the
image (although in 800x600 it looks okay to me).

Win95 runs C64VIEW in a DOS box, which makes quitting it a little tough.
To terminate C64VIEW nicely, switch back to its window and press any key.
If you're still running it windowed, it will probably display some grotty
message about it being out of memory. Just close the window. You can get
rid of this error by making a .PIF file for C64VIEW and making sure
"Close on exit" is checked (not included, please roll your own).

If you don't want to terminate it nicely, close the window and click Yes
on the dialogue box Win95 will chastise you with.

*** ABOUT THE FILE FORMATS ***

Doodle!
	Two byte starting address
	1024 bytes of screen memory (bgrd: high nybble, fgrd: low)
	8192 bytes of hires

Colour map
	Two byte starting address
	1024 bytes of colour memory (both nybbles equal)

Koala
	Two byte starting address
	8000 bytes of hires
	1000 bytes of screen memory (colour for 01 bitpair: high
		nybble; colour for 10 bitpair: low)
	1000 bytes of colour memory (colour for 11 bitpair: low
		nybble)
	1 byte indicating background/00 bitpair (low nybble)

*** COPYRIGHTS AND CONNECTIONS ***

Copyright 1995, 1997 Cameron Kaiser.
Written in Turbo Pascal.
Thanks to Per Olofsson for the RGB color equivalents used in the
palette portion of this program. I had to modify them a bit though.
His values, scaled and tweaked appropriately, also appear in C64.PAL.

Doodle! is a trademark of Mark Rubin.
Koala and Koala Painter are trademarks of Koala Technologies.
Nether is a trademark of Computer Workshops.
Turbo Pascal is a trademark of Borland International.
Windows 95, like everything else on this planet, is protected by
	Bill Gates' lawyers.
NeoGrab and NeoPaint are trademarks of NeoSoft. Download them, they're
	indispensible. Plus, they're shareware.
	http://www.neosoftware.com/~neosft/

Visit the Computer Workshops web site at
http://www.computerworkshops.home.ml.org/
Plus visit web://411/ and all the great services at SServ.
http://www.sserv.com/

Mail us your comments! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. TELL US IF YOU
LIKE THIS SO THAT WE CAN KEEP IMPROVING IT!

spectre@deepthought.armory.com

