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                          VicShow v.092 beta              
             (c)1997-98 by ALBION & COLOR7 Productions!   
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1.Copyright

This is freeware program and you may use it as long as you want. It can be
also freely distributed in oryginal package as long as no payment is
charged. Disassembling, reprogramming, hacking or using any part of
executable file is prohibited without written permission of the autor!
VicShow is provided "as is" and you use it at your OWN risk.

2.Introduction

This utility was fully designed by Piotr Tracz a.k.a KaeMEGie/Albion.
VicShow allow you display oryginal Commodore 64's FLI & FLI-lace
graphic formats using any ms-dos compatible machines. The engine is
based upon my VicStudio C64 - powerfull converter for C64 which can convert
all kind of graphic from C64>PC / PC>C64. The whole program is totally
written in 80x86 assembler which made it very short and fast - I do
hate all programs which doesn't do anything special and takes megabytes
of my HDD space, Windowz'95 is my favourite :)

3.Hardware Requirments

VicShow hasn't big requirments - everything it needs is an ms-dos
compatible machine with min.80386 processor and standart VGA graphic card -
monsters kinda Matrox Milenium II are strongly not recomendet! :)

4.Using

VicShow is a command-line utility designed to be used with a Norton
Commander (and all similars) program.

vicshow.exe [option] filename_of_c64_graphic_file

where option can be:
-m :enables mixed colors during viewing FLI-lace graphic

There is no any restrictions to the filename_of_c64_graphic_file as
VicShow will automatically decide does file is supported C64 graphic
or not. Despite, I sugest you will give all your C64's gfx files the
same extension, feg. ".f64".

Meantime,graphic is showed you can press key "F10" and VicShow
will save it as a uncompressed 256 colors BMP file

5.Supported Graphic Formats

FunPainter II (uncompressed)
FLI-Designer
FLI-Draw

As the C64 graphic files has no headers it's quite hard to determine
file format - VicShow checks only the first two bytes (in C64 used
as load-address). Noting unexpected doesn't take place if you order
it to show any not C64 gfx file which it will determine as C64 gfx!

6.How To Get The Newest Version Of VicShow?

The newest versions can be founded at ALBION HQ PAGE:
http://biotop.umcs.lublin.pl/~ptracz (in download zone)
Color7 Productions On-Line:
http://biotop.umcs.lublin.pl/~ptracz/color7

Also at these ftp sites:
ftp.inf.bme.hu/pub/c64
ftp.scs-trc.net/pub/c64
replay.com/pub/c64
ftp.hacktic.nl/pub/c64
ftp.padua.org/pub/c64


7.Special Regards & Greetings

I would like send friendly waves to following people:
Kerk,Stilgar,Jetan,Lucky,Dr.Soft,Wacek,Questor,Unlock,Quamus,Cosmo,
Magic,Olsen,Hawk,Yans,+rest /Albion Crew
Explorer,Morris,Latifah,Rascal,+rest /Color7 Production
Cresh,Chris,GRG,Joe Forster,Moog,Gelan,Iopop,Sliver,Grabba,Carrion,
PVT,Lion,Elban,Skarled,Shango,Joodas,+rest (sorry if I forget anyone!)
#c-64 maniax (even if irc suck)
all people I met during my last 5 years at C64 scene...
and all spirited people around this lame world!


8.The Future Of VicShow

In next versions I would like to include the following features:
-new file formats supported (AFLI,SHI,SHIFLI,MCI,...)
-graphic interface using VESA extensions (SEA users should be satisfacted)
-using compresed FunPaint II files
- ... who know?!

9.Contacking The Autor

If you'd like to contact me from any reason then feel free to write
under below addys. But please notice, I'm too busy to trade stuff for
C64/PC exept quality tools and other warez (Guess what I mean?!).
I'm also interested in swapping C64/PC sound modules composed by
those all legendary and old C64's musicians kinda Vibrants,etc...
I'm interested in being in touch with people developping commercial
and profesional software for pc compatible machines, so don't
hesitate and contact me now!

Please, also send all comments,bug reports concerning VicShow!

s-mail:
Piotr Tracz
St.PKP 21a
22-361 Zulin
Poland

e-mail (prefered!):
PTRACZ@AJAX.UMCS.LUBLIN.PL
PTRACZ@BIOTOP.UMCS.LUBLIN.PL

irc (sometime!):
#C-64, nick: kmeg_ALB

10.The History

VicShow v0.9 (preview!), relased 6-12-97
- support FunPaint II & Fli-Designer files
- interlace/mixed color modes are disabled
- buged colour palette
- doesn't save bmp files

VicShow v0.91, 8-01-98 (never released!)
- mixed color mode enabled
- buged colour palette (Hmm,Carrion - what's up?!)
- bmp saving option enabled
- all routines were fixed/improved and can be used with C/C++

VicShow v0.92, released 13-01-98
- stack error removed (now work on all computers)
- bmp saving error removed
- colour palette still might be better (Carrion!)

11.Known Bugs

VicShow v0.9
- not detected (?!)

VicShow v0.91
- buged bmp saving routine
- didn't work on any pc computer except mine!

VicShow v0.92
- not detected (?!)