From: "Pedro Cardoso" <pcardoso AT mail DOT telepac DOT pt>
To: "djgpp AT delorie DOT com" <djgpp AT delorie DOT com>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 97 13:18:43 
Reply-To: "Pedro Cardoso" <pcardoso AT mail DOT telepac DOT pt>
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Subject: Allegro bitmap loader
Message-ID: <19970829230328.AAA25308@gfn1-p11.telepac.pt>
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 Hi...
  
 I am programming a game using Allegro and I have found a problem that is
 driving me nuts.

 I use a datafile to store fonts, palettes and the sprites, as these require always
 to be in memory. 
 For the background pictures, I am using normal pcx files and load them as needed
 with the load_bitmap or load_pcx function. 

 The problem is: after some load_bitmap; do_some_stuff; destroy_bitmaps_previously_loaded;
 the program displays garbage and the screen is reduced to a 100-200 pixel horizontal bar. 

 After some tweaking and experimenting, when I removed all load_bitmaps and replaced them
 with normal create_bitmap; clear(bitmap); to use a blank screen as background, it works
 without a flaw! I think the problem lies with the load_bitmap functions corrupting memory or
 something. 

 I should add, that when I converted all pcx files to lbm files, the program crashes after loading the
 second lbm, and this should not happen, as it's almost the same code.

 I know what I am. I'm no experienced C programmer, in fact I'm still learning C after too many pascal 
 years, but I'm desperate for this to work. I have tried almost everything. My apolagies if this is some
 stupid newbie error, but I really don't know what else to do.

 The game runs in 640x480x256, and all background pictures are in this format. 

 Thanks.


 || pedro jose' da silva cardoso, garfield / rd
 || pcardoso AT mail DOT telepac DOT pt
 || djgpp - os/2 warp - impulse tracker - gravis ultrasound - demoscene
 || "a sufficiently high level of technology is indistinguishable from 
 || magic." -- arthur c. clarke