
                           STOS EXTENSIONS ROUND-UP

                                By David Seaman

     Here it is, the  definitive  round-up  of STOS extensions that all you
     STOSers have been waiting for!  This  was  supposed to appear on issue
     two of my diskmag, but as  1)   I   have had no time whatsoever and 2)
     there's been a distinct lack of interest by most people anyway, I have
     abandoned any hope of releasing issue two.  So here it is in ICTARI.

     Each extension  is  rated   according   to   the  range  of  commands,
     usefulness of commands,  documentation  and   examples,  scored out of
     ten.  And, of course, there is an overall score, in percent.  Wherever
     possible,  I  will  include  a  rating  for  both  the  shareware  and
     registered versions.

     So, here it is!

     First up, the COMPACT  extension.    It   should  be an extension that
     absolutely EVERY STOS  user   has,   as   it   was   included with the
     language itself.  COMPACT,  as  the  name  suggests,  compacts things.
     Well, screens to be exact.  It comes  with an accessory to do the hard
     work for you (find the best  way  of  packing  a screen), but even non
     tech-heads can use  the  I=PACK  command  and  get reasonable results.
     Obviously, as there are basically only  two commands, it doesn't get a
     tremendous score on the range  of  commands rating, but then everybody
     needs to pack screens frequently  (don't  they?),  so that isn't a big
     problem.   The  extension  does  its  job  reasonably  well,  and  the
     surprisingly long amount of time  before   an  extension came out with
     PC? support means that it has to  be  the  most widely used extension.
     It might seem a bit  strange   that  I've  actually  reviewed this, as
     you don't actually have a choice of whether   to  get it or not, but I
     want this to be as comprehensive as possible, so there!

        RANGE:          2
        USEFULNESS:     8
        DOCUMENTATION:  6
        EXAMPLES:       3
        OVERALL:        60%

     Next up is the COMPILER  extension.   This  turns your BASIC code into
     executable code, and it has to  be  said  that, although that's all it
     does, whatever you use STOS   for   you  must get this extension.  You
     can still get it if you fish around a bit, and if you can get it, then
     you MUST get it!  Not a lot to be said really, except that it does its
     job, does it well, and it's absolutely indispensable.

        RANGE:          1
        USEFULNESS:     10
        DOCUMENTATION:  6
        EXAMPLES:       1
        OVERALL:        99%

     (I know that   99%   is   a   ridiculous   score,   but   then  it's a
     ridiculously useful extension!).

     By the way, as this  isn't  really   an extension in the normal sense,
     if I call another  extension   the  best  available, that excludes the
     COMPILER!

     Three-D.  If that phrase sends  shivers   up  and down your spine (you
     strange, sad and twisted individual  you),   then this may just be the
     extension you've been   waiting   for.    Well,   actually you haven't
     been waiting for it as it's rather  old.   (It was released to the cry
     of "ST PD will never  be  the  same  again",  or something like that).
     Heralded as the next big thing since STOS itself, it managed admirably
     to fail on every  count.   I  have  to  say  that  this isn't really a
     complete review, as my copy of  the  object editor didn't work!  I saw
     the demo's though, and  they  looked  fairly  impressive.  From what I
     have seen of the object editor though,  it does look well designed and
     easy to use, so I'm afraid I'll have to work on that assumption.  That
     said, it doesn't really matter too  much,  as
     1)  If you use STOS and are interested in three-D then you'll probably
     have STOS 3D anyway,
     2) If you don't have STOS   then   you  won't  really be interested in
     this article,
     3)  The same  as  (2)  applies   if   you  do  have  STOS  but are not
     interested in three-D and finally
     4)  There isn't really  anything  else  like  it  for STOS anyway,  so
     even  if  it   was  completely  rubbish  you  wouldn't  have  a better
     option.  Fortunately, though, it  isn't  rubbish. While not wonderful,
     it does provide  a flexible,  albeit  slow, three-D environment.   The
     lack  of  speed    is   undoubtedly   the   extensions   downfall, but
     really a STOS extension offering full three-D support and speed is not
     a feasible prospect.  Just  look   at  the  3D Construction Kit.  That
     can't get a decent turn of  speed  despite being entirely machine code
     (as far as I know), so what chance does STOS 3-D have?

     Ultimately, if you want to  do   three-D   in  STOS, then this is your
     only choice and, as  long  as   speed  isn't  a major requirement, you
     should be quite happy with what this extension has to offer.

        RANGE:          5
        USEFULNESS:     6
        DOCUMENTATION:  6
        EXAMPLES:       7
        OVERALL:        68%

     Along with the  3-D  extension   you   get  a  little thingybob called
     the SQUASHER extension.   This,   surprisingly,  squashes  files  to a
     fraction of their original size.  Well,  that's  what it's meant to do
     anyway.  AVOID THIS LIKE THE  PLAGUE.   It doesn't work properly, it's
     not very good when it does, and...  do you get the message?!!

        RANGE:          2
        USEFULNESS:     1
        DOCUMENTATION:  1
        EXAMPLES:       1
        OVERALL:        4%

     And so, with much aplomb,  we  come  to  the Shareware extensions, and
     start with the STE extension,  which   by  the  way was on last months
     disk.  Unfortunately, although I sent  off my registration money yonks
     ago, I still haven't heard anything yet.  (Methinks I won't, somehow.)
     What I can say, though, is that this is an excellent extension.  There
     are quite a few  commands,  although  not  as  many as most extensions
     these days seem to have, for  controlling the STe's enhanced hardware,
     such as DAC sound, hardware scrolling and the extended joystick ports,
     and colour palette.  A great extension by ASA BURROWS.  Unfortunately,
     there are no example files,  but  as  most  of the commands are fairly
     easy to get to grips with this isn't really a problem.

        RANGE:          7
        USEFULNESS:     8
        DOCUMENTATION:  6
        EXAMPLES:       1
        OVERALL:        81%

     By the same author, the   BLITTER   extension  gives you commands for,
     you guessed it, the  BLITTER  chip.  The commands themselves seem very
     powerful, although sadly  they  are   also  very  slow.  (The BLITCOPY
     command is actually SLOWER than STOS's  notoriously   slow  SCREENCOPY
     command).  This mars  what  could  otherwise  have  been  a tremendous
     extension.  Some example files would have been helpful, too.

        RANGE:          8
        USEFULNESS:     3
        DOCUMENTATION:  6
        EXAMPLES:       1
        OVERALL:        43%

     The CONTROL extension, by  Les  Greenhalgh,  a great extension indeed.
     Mainly written for  the  STe,  it   gives you sprite commands that are
     much faster than STOS's  own   commands  (although  not quite as nippy
     as    the   MISSING   LINK),   and   are   fully    compatible    with
     hardware  scrolling   screens  from   the   STe  extension.  There are
     many other invaluable commands, and  overall  this  is one of the best
     extensions  available.    There   are   example   files   for  all  of
     the commands, and the documentation is very good as well.

        RANGE:          9
        USEFULNESS:     9
        DOCUMENTATION:  8
        EXAMPLES:       9
        OVERALL:        92%

        REGISTERED VERSION.

     Not really a  lot  different,  at   least  I  didn't  think so. Still,
     some improvements made, and it's  well  worth  registering so that Les
     keeps supporting the ST.  Also, upon  registering I got my copy of the
     NINJA extension!

        RANGE:          9
        USEFULNESS:     9
        DOCUMENTATION:  8
        EXAMPLES:       10
        OVERALL:        95%

     The EXTRA extension is  another  that   you  really should get. The 52
     commands   are   many   and   varied,   ranging   from   the   totally
     indispensable like the disk format and  copy commands and the ones for
     controlling the printer port,  to  the  slightly  obscure ones such as
     those  for  reading  the  COOKIE_JAR.    (Where  the  computer  stores
     information such as the TOS number, sound  chip info etc).  It is also
     one of the few  extensions  with  a  really nice installation program.
     Again, the documentation and examples are  superb.  Oh, it's by Martin
     Cubitt, by the way.  He's updating it  soon, version three I think, so
     expect to see more good stuff shortly...

        RANGE:          9
        USEFULNESS:     10
        DOCUMENTATION:  9
        EXAMPLES:       9
        OVERALL:        94%

     One of the  more,  um,  specialist   extensions  now.   STARS,  by Lee
     Upcroft, gives you some  commands  to  create  fast  starfields in the
     background (or even the foreground  if  you  want,  I suppose) of your
     games.  Limited appeal, certainly, but it has  to be said that it does
     what it sets out to do extremely well.  If you want starfields in your
     games, well, you can't really do  better  than this, and if you don't,
     then you'll probably  wonder  what  the  point  is.   A good extension
     overall, but with a rather limited appeal.

        RANGE:          2
        USEFULNESS:     5
        DOCUMENTATION:  6
        EXAMPLES:       5
        OVERALL:        59%

     The   CYBER   extension   is    an    extension   for   playing   back
     animations created  with  CyberPaint.   And,  um,  that's  it  really.
     Again, if that's what you want then it's fine.  'Nuff said.

        RANGE:          1
        USEFULNESS:     5
        DOCUMENTATION:  3
        EXAMPLES:       1
        OVERALL:        55%

     One of the newer extensions,  the  GBP extension is, amazingly, by GBP
     software.  Hmm.  Anyway, what's it  like?   Pretty good, although most
     of the commands have  been  seen  before elsewhere, although there are
     a couple of  innovative   features,   such   as   the DAC oscilloscope
     readout when you're playing samples.  There  are also some good screen
     manipulation commands that are probably  the  best  I've seen.  A very
     good extension indeed,  although  not  quite  the  best.  No examples,
     which is a big let-down.  I would have reviewed GPB 2, which hopefully
     has some example files with it,  but  after  I'd sent off my cheque to
     register, I received an  envelope  with  a  nice  letter telling me to
     please find enclosed the disk with  GBP  2 on it.  Unfortunately, that
     was it, there was no disk to find enclosed!  Still, never mind.

        RANGE:          9
        USEFULNESS:     9
        DOCUMENTATION:  8
        EXAMPLES:       1
        OVERALL:        87%

     Hopefully by now some of you  have seen the NINJA extension in action.
     I think that the version I've seen  is  quite an early version, so the
     replay quality may be even  better than I've heard.  The replay speeds
     go up to 21Kh, and it sounds  really good, and even the slowdown isn't
     too  drastic   if   the   replay   speed   is   kept   down.   Another
     excellent extension by Les Greenhalgh.

        RANGE:          4
        USEFULNESS:     8
        DOCUMENTATION:  6
        EXAMPLES:       7
        OVERALL:        77%

     Misty is   one   of   the   best   known   of   the   STOS  extensions
     available, and  for  good  reason.   It  contains  more  powerful  and
     flexible versions of many  of  the  STOS in-built commands, especially
     the screen commands.  There is a  disk available called "Misty Demos",
     which contains not only the extensions  themselves but also some demos
     written using Misty,  and  quite  impressive  they  are  too.   A very
     impressive demo that all game programmers are well advised to get.

        RANGE:          8
        USEFULNESS:     9
        DOCUMENTATION:  8
        EXAMPLES:       8
        OVERALL:        86%

        REGISTERED VERSION.

     When you  register,   you   get   an   updated   version,  which  also
     includes very extensive examples.  Very highly recommended.

        RANGE:          8
        USEFULNESS:     9
        DOCUMENTATION:  9
        EXAMPLES:       10
        OVERALL:        91%

     The little brother of Misty  (or  should  that be big brother?) is the
     famous MISSING LINK.  This,  besides updating even further some of the
     commands  found   in   Misty,   gives   you   some   new   and   often
     incredibly powerful commands.   The  BOB  command,  which replaces the
     SPRITE command found in STOS, is so much faster as to defy comparison.
     A tremendous  extension,  and  one  that  many  STOS  users  swear by.
     (Although you shouldn't swear anyway).

        RANGE:          9
        USEFULNESS:     10
        DOCUMENTATION:  8
        EXAMPLES:       8
        OVERALL:        93%

        REGISTERED VERSION.

     When you register, you get  an   incredible  FOUR disks of source code
     and other goodies, this has  to  be  one  of  the best value for money
     extensions going.  You also get an  updated  version of TML, with some
     new commands even.  Just pips  the  CONTROL  extension at the post for
     being the best extension available at the moment.

        RANGE:          10
        USEFULNESS:     10
        DOCUMENTATION:  9
        EXAMPLES:       10
        OVERALL:        96%

     The 512  extension,  as  the   name   perhaps   suggests  to  the more
     perceptive among you, allows you to display SPECTRUM 512 pictures from
     within STOS.  An that's it.  As far as I know, you can register to get
     a version that allows  you  to  use  512  pictures inside windows etc.
     Well, if that's what turns you on I suppose.

        RANGE:          1
        USEFULNESS:     3
        DOCUMENTATION:  6
        EXAMPLES:       4
        OVERALL:        35%

     Potentially one of the most  interesting  of  all the extensions, MIDI
     allows you  to  connect   two   ST's   via   the   MIDI ports (ouch!),
     allowing communication between the two  computers and maybe two player
     games?  It has been done,  and  there  is  a  lot more potential to be
     exploited...

        RANGE:          2
        USEFULNESS:     5
        DOCUMENTATION:  5
        EXAMPLES:       1
        OVERALL:        58%

     Finally,  the  TRACKER  extension.    Programmed  by  Francios Lionet,
     one of the original STOS coders,   this  allows you to play .MOD files
     from within STOS.  To   be   honest,   it   does  its  job pretty well
     really, although it's slow and  you  have  to  convert the file first.
     Still, sound quality isn't bad, as  anyone who's heard the intro music
     to GRANDAD 2 can testify.  Hopefully  will  be superseded by the NINJA
     extension very soon on the STe as the standard...

        RANGE:          4
        USEFULNESS:     7
        DOCUMENTATION:  6
        EXAMPLES:       5
        OVERALL:        69%


     Well, that's  it.    Or   is   it?    Apart   from   there  being more
     extensions coded all of  the  time,  there  are  a  few more that just
     missed  being  included.   These   included   the   GBP   2  extension
     (omitted from the envelope!),  the  GBP   Blitter   extension (which I
     haven't seen  yet,  but  which  looks  potentially  the  most exciting
     extension for some time...), the EAGLE  extension, which looks like it
     could be brilliant, the latest   version   of  EXTRA,   and   the  old
     Manderin favourites, Maestro  and  Maestro  Plus.   There  may even be
     others that I don't know of yet.

     Here's  some  miscellaneous  tips   for   using   some   of  the  STOS
     extensions:-

     If the NINJA  or   TRACKER   extensions   sound   rubbish,   it may be
     because you're running at 60Hz instead  of 50.  Just use the FREQUENCY
     command or EXTRA's SET SCREEN HERTZ command to get back to normal.

     The CONTROL   extensions   documentation   says   that   the  OVERSCAN
     commands don't work on the STe.  It's lying.   It worked on mine...

     To make the NINJA extension  sound  even  better,  use  the STe or GPB
     extension's commands for setting  the  master,  left,  right, bass and
     treble values.

     The following STOS extensions  can  be  obtained  from  the ST Club on
     disks :-

     Disk    Disk Title          Contents
     No

     PR 463  STOS Extensions.    Missing Link, Blitter, MIDI, STE 2,
                                 Bitcopy, Border, Misty,  OverSTOS, Raster,
                                 Sound-FX, Error base.

     PR 464  EXTRA EXTENSION.    EXTRA Extension V 2.01.

     PR 466  STOS 3D EXTENSION.  3D Extension + example application.

