HOMEPAGE Hello&welcome to the Shiar homepage. On this site you can read all about me and my productions and interests. Check news to see my latest productions and findings. Be sure to check the productions page to see some of the software I made so far. (Last update 11.may.99) Best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4/5 in 800x600+ (best is 1024x768). Can be viewed with Netscape, but it doesn't look entirely as it should. The Shiar homepage is still under construction...

Made a new program: Latijn. A dutch program to learn and practice latin words (Via Nova method, lessons 1-28 = 1035 words). Plain 80x25 text mode, should work on most systems (even the older ones). I hope I can make a TI-86 port once... Click here for more info and a free download.

Does anybody still remember the game Tunnels of Armageddon?? A cool game, but almost impossible to finish. I couldn't either, so I cracked the savegame. Just use a hex editor (like hiew) to edit the saved.tnl-file to these values:

	byte nr.	cheat value	info
	--------	-----------	----
	00 01		13 00		level nr. (starts at level+1; max.value = 13h = level 20)
	02 03 04 05	00 00 00 00	score (use high value like FFFFFFFFh to get in high score table)
	06 07		12 00		X-reserve ("W"-key: continuous yellow fire; max = 0Fh?)
	08 09		5A 00		Health (max = 5Ah, ship will be damaged when >max)
	0A 0B		8A 00		Power system / health 2 (max = 5Ah, may be >max)
	0C 0D		12 02		Turbo reserve (set high value to warp through the entire level; max = 12h)
	0E 0F		12 00		Y-reserve ("R"-key: resistance??? max = 0Fh?)
	10 11		FF FF		Yellow ammo ("E"-key: try this! max = FFFFh, displays 3)
	12 13		01 00		[] (monsters don't fire; just for a brief time)
	14 15		24 00		Red ammo (max = 24, can be more)   ---> Use yellow fire ("E")
	16 17		24 00		Purple ammo (max = 24, can be more) ---> for more effective fire!

To finish the game, select recall a saved game to recall the cheat-game. Turbo to the end of the level, where you'll encounter several "monsters". Blast them away ("E"). At the end of the level, you'll see some kind of traffic light with four colors. Quickly fire a shot at each color (yellow fire doesn't work) and then destroy the big destroyer (?). This ain't very easy, but it can be done. Just try it several times and be lucky.
When you've completed tunnels, you can select randomized tunnels from the menu for different levels.

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So what is Noname? It's a new game I'm writing. The game's like the classic "asteroids" game, but without the asteroids and with all kinds of ships. It can be played against the computer and/or against upto four human players (on the same computer, keyboard only for now).

But why is it called Noname? Because I couldn't think of a good name, I made up this temporary name. As soon as I think of a better one, the name changes. If you've got any idea, please tell me.

Note this version's still very beta! It's slow, it's 320x200, I've disabled the sound, etc. Still a nice game (I hope). Major changes from v0.99 to version 0.999.321 beta are: protected mode, more accurate, most bugs removed. This version can be downloaded right here for free!

BTW: I stopped working on Noname, because I just can't make good (and fast) graphics at more than 320x200. Without at least 640x480 the game just can't be what it has to be. Maybe someday I'll continue writing for DirectX or something.

Some version changes from version 0.99 to 0.999 beta:

• Large explosions are shown correcly!
• Font, sprites and pictures are stored inside the .EXE file. So instead of eight files, you only need three.
• Huge explosions! (64x64)
• Title screen with ships moving over it, and four help/credit screens.
• End statistics display first eight ships (more wouldn't fit) and displayed on space background.
• 256 Internal directions (very accurate)! Still 32 external directions.
• AI support acceptable group-attack (multiple ships of the same team).
• Ships come through subspace portals instead of appearing out of thin air/space.
• Restart removes all explosions and ships, and resets level correctly and completely.
• No more runtime error #210.
• Static discharge weapon!
• Secondary weapon recharge bug fixed.
• Really a lot more bug fixes and small improvements.
• And... game in protected mode!! No more memory errors with 64Mb free!!

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My first rea1 game in graphical mode I ever wrote: VIPERS! Just like the classic "Nibbles" (or Ibit, Rattler Race, Snake, etc..) you will take control over a 'worm' and make sure (s)he eats all "food" (while growing longer) and doesn't run into any wall. But Vipers has all kinds of special elements like one-way arrows, moving/crushing blocks/walls, bouncing balls, traffic lights, telebricks, enemy vipers, shooting enemy vipers, teleporters, and more exotic things.
Furthermore, you can play singleplayer levels alone or with a friend, or play multiplayer levels with upto four players (one keyboard) and upto 12 computer controlled vipers. You can play with or without weapons. A lot of options.

But, the game ain't quite finished yet... haven't improved it the last few months (first my computer broke, then I began working on "noname") so this very old version is all there is. There are just a few levels (once there were 32, but then I decided to change the file format and I never got time to rewrite them), so you won't encounter most objects (no moving stuff, no enemy vipers).

Still want to download? (at your own risk)

BTW: If you really like Vipers, write me, and I just might think about finishing it...

I made Vipers after Nibbles, a demo game for Microsoft QBasic. You'll need this to run Nibbles. Years ago I rewrote Nibbles in FirstBasic (=PowerBasic), named Mibbles. Mibbles is just like Nibbles, the only difference is that the program is much smaller (easier to understand I hope), and can be compiled to an executable. Mibbles can also be run under QBasic by replacing delay D by something like for i=1 to D*50000 : next on a P133 (that's why I quit writing in QBasic). All these files can be downloaded right here.
Also included nibbleses for the TI-86 calculator (why not?) and one nice Windows clone (part of Microsoft Entertainment Pack)

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Contact Shiar (Mischa Poslawsky) at:

Sorry, no E-Mail adress... yet. Probably sometime in the future.

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This quote is by Grant Smith AKA Denthor of Asphyxia which was in one of his VGA tutors (#6). I can really recommend those tutors; Most of the graphics programming I've learned from these tutes myself. Anyway, I like this one:

"Sir! My computer has just gone haywire!"
"What?" shouts the CO. "That is a multimilliondollar machine! Find out what's wrong! This is a critical time lieutenant!" "Yes sir"
The young lieutenant furiously types away at the keyboard, but the machine totally ignores her.
"What is going on, soldier?" "I don't know sir! It is just doing totally arbitrary things after it's assigned tasks are completed. In the computer world this is known as Denthorisms."
The computer starts to make random beeps, and prints out a payroll program. "Get it working NOW soldier"
The lieutenant ignores him, and contines typing. She gets partial control of the system, she can run programs, but the computer is continually running arb tasks in the background. One of the techhies who have gathered behing her suddenly cries "Hey! It's accessing the missile codes! It wants to launch them!"
The typing gathers speed, but to no avail. Another techhie says "I could disconnect the computer from the link, but that would take hours! And this thing will have the codes in under five minutes at the speed it's going!"
A smile forms on the lieutanants face, and she leans back in her chair. "What the hell are you doing?" yells the CO. "Why have you stopped?"
Again ignoring him, the lieutenant instead turns to the techhie. "Go disconnect the machine, I know how to get you the time you need." "How on earth will you do that? The machine's going at top speed!" She smiles again, leans forward, types in three letters and hits the carriage return. The computer grinds to a halt.
The smile breaks into a grin. "Maybe it does have it's uses after all."

Grant Smith, 15:30 23-9-94

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