Hyperion: Bug-fixed Installer for AmigaOS 4 released
Hyperion Entertainment has released version 53.12 (10.5.2021) of the Installer, which can be loaded and installed via AmiUpdate within AmigaOS 4. This release fixes a bug which mainly occured during the installation of the recent version of the Enhancer 2 package.
Detailed version notes:
Remove test for GFLG_SELECTED when handling the radio buttons as the state of the flag was indeterminate due to a race with intuitions internal boolGoInactive()
Replace FindRomTag() with equivalent function from C:Version
Mailbox: AmiExpress 5.4.0
AmiExpress 5 is a rewrite of the original mailbox program by Joe Hodge/LightSpeed Technologies written by Darren Coles in Amiga E. Besides various bug fixes, version 5.4.0 now supports the YModem and ZModem protocols. FTP authentication and a shortcut mode have also been implemented. (dr) (Translation: bb)
Turn-based space strategy: Imperium Terranum 2.816
The source code of the round-based space strategy game Imperium Terranum 2 has been ported from Pascal to C for some time and adapted to graphics cards. Since version 2.813 some minor bugs have been fixed and the package size has been reduced further:
bugfix for "pump-up" level crash - error in civilwar routine fixed
binary size reduction due to code optimization (again -1Kb)
fix for water-transport (planets lost their water)
code cleanup + binary reduction of ~2KB
starsystem jump now works correctly
water transport fixed: planets can not exceed 100% water anymore
Games announcements: Chases of Death, Swapped Arts (AGA), JetHuntERS
Developer "Coagulus" (Super Wormy, JetHunt) works on three titles, of which he presents early versions on Youtube: Chases of Death (video) is a conversion of the Spectrum classic Deathchase, Swapped Arts (video) seems to be a puzzle game while the sequel to the H.E.R.O. clone JetHunt called 'JetHuntERS' (video) seems to develop more towards a horizontally scrolling shoot'em up. (cg) (Translation: bb)
Development tool: vasm 1.8k
Three days ago already, Frank Wille has published an update of the modular assembler vasm. The list of changes in the current version can be found at the title link. (snx)
WHDLoad: New installers until 15.05.2021
Using WHDLoad, games, scene demos and intros by cracking groups, which were originally designed to run only from floppy disks, can be installed on harddisk. The following installers have been added until 15.05.2021:
2021-05-15 improved: Voodoo Nightmare (Palace Software) 68000 quitkey, 2nd button/joypad support added, new install script (Info)
2021-05-15 improved: Alien Fish Finger (Skull Army/Davis J. Cruickshank) supports another version, trainer added, new install script (Info)
2021-05-15 improved: Pro Boxing Simulator (Code Masters/Optimus Software) delay for boxer status screens added, trainer added, high score load/save added, 68000 quitkey support, WHDLoad v17+ features used (config), new install script (Info)
2021-05-14 improved: Brides of Dracula (Gonzo Games) new RawDIC imager, 68000 quitkey support, delay for title picture added, WHDLoad v17+ features used (Info)
2021-05-14 improved: Fraction Action (Unicorn Software) copperlist problem fixed, black screen problem (title pictures) fixed (Info)
2021-05-13 updated: Ultimate Golf (Gremlin) patch rewritten, real files used, title music is replayed now, self-modifying code fixed, source code included (Info)
2021-05-12 improved: Sword of Sodan (Discovery Software) imager fixed, another icon added (Info, Image)
2021-05-12 fixed: Black Lamp (Firebird) remove black border on toggle music/sfx (Info)
2021-05-11 improved: Bombuzal (Imageworks) supports another version, buttonwait added, trainer added, 68000 quitkey, manual and icon added (Info)
AmigaRemix: Further files added
AmigaRemix collects remixes of well-known soundtracks of Amiga games. Since our last news-item, the following mp3 files have been added:
Ruff 'N' Tumble - The Fantasy Forest
Obliterator
Macrocosm
Hybris Imploded!
Apidya - Credits
Desert Dream
Fury of the Furries - Title theme
Cream Of The Earth (Nothing Surpasses The Original)
Startfenster "A-FTP"
"A-FTP Server" can be started using a GUI or in background, preferably already at startup by dropping it into the WBStartup. The program requires the MUI Royale plugin.
Update: (05:50, 18.05.21, dr)
Meanwhile an update to version 1.19 is available which fixes bug on startup. (dr) (Translation: bb)
Mitigated a problem with TLS that would often cause crashes when Wayfarer was used alongside Iris
Addressed some potential ffmpeg abort() calls as seen in bugreported crashes
Trims the title lengths the in Tabs menu
MorphOS 3.15 and 1 GB RAM are required. A processor with at least 1.5 GHz is recommended. For feedback to the author, e-mails to wayfarer at wayfarer.icu or the corresponding MorphZone discussion on the topic can be used in addition to the integrated crash detector. (dr) (Translation: bb)
Author George 'walkero' Sokianos aims to extend Mediavault further. In the future it should be possible among other things to create a favorites list and also to retrieve podcasts. The program needs the oo.library v1.11 and the jansson.library v2.12.1. (dr) (Translation: bb)
Hyperion releases AmigaOS 3.2 Press Release: Hyperion Entertainment CVBA is pleased to announce the immediate availability of AmigaOS 3.2 for 68K-based Amigas. AmigaOS 3.2 includes well over 100 new features and dozens of updates to nearly all system components, as well as a battery of bug fixes that will undoubtedly further enhance the user experience.
AmigaOS 3.2 is the result of more than two years of intensive and tireless work by over 60 contributors to this new milestone in AmigaOS history. Hyperion Entertainment CVBA is at a loss for words to express our gratitude to this talented and resilient team for their impressive work ethic.
The most comprehensive version of AmigaOS 3.2 is now available on CD-ROM and includes floppies and Kickstart ROMs for all Amiga models ever produced, allowing customers to install AmigaOS 3.2 on different Amiga types simultaneously.
Purely digital, but then model-specific releases of AmigaOS 3.2 will follow soon.
AmigaOS 3.2 FEATURE LIST SUMMARY
ReAction GUI toolkit integration
Built-in ADF (Amiga disk file image) management
Integrated Help subsystem
Updated Data Type system
Workbench and other user interface improvements
Improved Tools, Utilities and System applications
Enhanced Shell behavior
New and reworked command set
Touched up Preferences
Polished MultiView
Revamped Commodities
Expanded BootMenu
Inclusion and refinement of the AmigaOS 3.1.4 feature set
Flexible delivery media
Many remarkable additions
1. REACTION GUI TOOLKIT INTEGRATION
The incorporation of the ReAction GUI Toolkit not only opens up a plethora of existing applications for AmigaOS 3.2 users, it also ensures much easier portability and cross-development between different versions of AmigaOS
No additional installation required, it just works, even on low-end 68000 systems
A new multi-file text editor called "TextEdit" is included as a show-case
ReAction has its own Preferences editor which lets you set backfilled patterns for ReAction based programs
Fresh and bug fixed Classes backport from AmigaOS 4.x with many exclusive characteristics and brushed up aesthetics
2.BUILT-IN ADF (AMIGA DISK FILE IMAGE) MANAGEMENT
DAControl & trackfile.device provide unprecedented functionality, as they enable users to create, mount, insert and eject ADF files
ADF images are handled just like any physical floppy disk
On "Workbench" you can mount an ADF image by double-clicking on it
ADF handling can be accomplished via Shell through the use of an extensive set of available options
Accessing such mounted ADF disk image files is fast and requires very little memory
Multiple ADF disk images can be mounted at the same time
A shared cache system is available in order to speed up ADF operations
3.INTEGRATED HELP SUBSYSTEM
A complete "Reference Manual" covers all commands and most complex topics
An AmigaGuide based central "Help hub" is available by simply pressing the HELP key
The Help database can be quickly queried from the Shell/CLI
Preferences and many other programs contain Help menu items
In the WBStartup folder, MenuTools adds the "Help" menu item to the "Tools" menu but can be customized to add other Tools as well
4.UPDATED DATA TYPE SYSTEM
New AIFF uncompressed audio data type
New GIF image data type
New WAV audio data type
New JPEG picture data type
New PNG multi-platform image data type
New BMP data type for Windows/OS2 bitmap images
New Icon.datatype enables use of ".info" files as images
New ACBM picture data type (used in AmigaBASIC & SpectraPaint)
The AmigaGuide data type can now display inline images
Text data type with search functionality
Faster and more configurable CDXL and ANIM data types
Sound.datatype manages bit rate samples of 8, 16, 24 and 32 bit
Picture.datatype is now stunningly fast even on low-end 68000 processors
5. AMIGAOS WORKBENCH AND OTHER USER INTERFACE IMPROVEMENTS
Resize windows from any border
Window iconification
Workbench title bar customization
Maximize a window by holding down the SHIFT key and clicking on the window zoom gadget
The [ESC] key quits easy requesters
Scalable "GadTools" user interface adapting to different font sizes
Workbench menu "Open volume"
Menu Window -> Sort Order (Forward or Reverse)
Off-Screen windows is a built-in default that is now configurable
Scrollers and sliders now feature 3D-style embossed knobs and a darker container background
C:Assign incorporated DENIED and DISMOUNT switches
C:Type supports AUTO, TEXTONLY, WIDTH and BUFFER options
C:Reboot restarts your Amiga but waits for any ongoing write operations to prevent validation issues
C:Group and C:Owner commands added for networked environments
C:MD5Sum calculates and compares checksums of files and volumes
C:MountInfo command helps in the creation of MountLists
C:Break and C:ChangeTaskPri NAME handle wildcards options
C:DefIcons identifies files and applies a default icon to them
C:AssignWedge allows users to create or deny an assign on the fly
C:LoadMonDrvs simplifies and quickly starts monitor drivers.
9.TOUCHED UP PREFERENCE EDITORS
Custom printer output device and unit number
WBPattern has layout options for Backdrops, Screens and Windows which include both color and dithering
PointerPrefs has been overhauled to support 40 different pointer types
Font Preferences comes with Shadow and Outline font options
IControl received a massive makeover which introduced new functionality such as Window and screen border aspect ratios customization
10.POLISHED MULTIVIEW
A new "Edit/Paste" menu item opens the contents of clipboard unit 0 (thus complementing "Edit/Copy")
The "About" window now reports the width, height and depth of the currently displayed picture or animation
The names of ARexx scripts for user menus can now be up to 40 characters long and may contain "spaces"
Pressing the [Shift] key while the "Save as..." menu item is selected, forces MultiView to save the displayed document in IFF format
Now lists pattern matching in its ASL requester that, if removed, can also display icons (useful in conjunction with the new icon.datatype)
11.REVAMPED COMMODITIES
"RAWBInfo" is an improved replacement of the icon information tool
"AsyncWB" is an AmigaOS Workbench enhancement Commodity with divers functionality
"AutoPoint" KEEPSTRINGS prevents this Commodity from automatically stealing focus from a window with an active string gadget
"ClickToFront" TOBACK_QUALIFIER selects a qualifier for sending windows back (with a single click)
"ClickToFront" no longer brings Workbench windows to the front when double-clicking on an icon
"NumericPad" allows numeric pad keys to be remapped to the standard keyboard
The "AutoArrangeIcons" Commodity-like set of scripts automates the ordering and snapshot of icons in the active window
12.EXPANDED BOOTMENU
An option to trace the Startup-sequence line by line is now available
The user can disable ROM Module updates by clicking on a gadget
The hardware expansion screen displays expansion board addresses and sizes
A new option to redirect serial port output to a file is available with the "Enable System Log" option
The "Failsafe" boot gadget starts the Amiga in a robust and safe environment to carry out maintenance and troubleshooting tasks
More keyboard shortcuts for the majority of options
Displays AmigaOS Kickstart version numbers
13.INCLUSION AND REFINEMENT OF THE AMIGAOS 3.1.4 FEATURE SET
Support for storage media bigger than 4 GB
Modernized AmigaOS Workbench
DiskDoctor for disk diagnostic and salvage operations
Native support for pipes, softlinks, hardlinks and long filenames
CrossDOS supporting FAT 32 and long filenames
CD-ROM file system that supports Rockridge and Joliet extensions as well as UDF and now also Macintosh HFS
Both FFS (FastFileSystem) and the CD-ROM file system are now smarter, faster, and multi-threaded
Fully reworked and bug-fixed printer drivers
Built-in GlowIcons support as an installable option
More than 2100 icons in GlowIcon style included on the AmigaOS 3.2 CD-ROM
14.FLEXIBLE DELIVERY MEDIA
The distribution AmigaOS 3.2 CD-ROM contains ADF disk images that can be transferred to physical floppy disks or Gotek-type drives
All Modules disks perform as emergency boot disks too
The DiskDoctor disk can help users to quickly get back on their feet when facing disk failures
The AmigaOS 3.2 CD-ROM content can be copied "as is" to an Amiga formatted hard drive and booted right away for installation thanks to the "Amiga Preinstallation Environment" (AmigaPE)
All Amiga model disks and AmigaOS Kickstart ROM set images are available on the AmigaOS 3.2 CD-ROM
Attractive printable labels are available for all your favorite AmigaOS 3.2 storage media variants (AmigaOS 3.2 CD-ROM version only)
Experimental CD-ROM-based Amiga CDTV and Amiga CD32 support
15.MANY REMARKABLE ADDITIONS
Wheel mouse support for scrolling on AmigaOS Workbench windows
IPrefs stacks multiple changes and refreshes the screen only once
IPrefs points out names of blocking windows when refreshing
No more DF0:???? icons as disk.resource now does proper checking
Increased ROM Modules flexibility by loading more modules from disk without requiring an additional reboot for them
Game Announcements: Krogharr, Polar Panic, L'Abbaye des Morts Krogharr is the new project of Inviyya developer 'Tigerskunk'. In this beat'em up you have to control the sword-wielding barbarian of the same name, the title is inspired by the SMS classic Black Belt.
The platformer 'Polar Panic' (video) is created with the Scorpion Engine. The game is still in an early stage, further details are not yet known.
'L'Abbaye des Morts' (video) is also being developed with Scorpion. The title was originally released for the PC and has since been ported to various 8- and 16-bit platforms. (cg) (Translation: bb)
MorphOS: E-mail client Iris 0.117
Jacek 'jacadcaps' Piszczek's "Iris" is going to become the standard e-mail client of MorphOS. It supports IMAP and can display as well as create HTML e-mails.
Changes in version 0.117 include removal of own e-mail addresses when replying "to all", down-scaling of large pictures when displaying e-mails, a spell-checking selector cycle gadget in the e-mail editor toolbar and a fixed bug regarding TLS that caused crashes when Iris was used alongside with Wayfarer. For feedback to the author, the corresponding thread at MorphZone can be used. (snx)
