Frequently Asked Questions.
This section Deals with the many questions I receive Via E-mail. I receive A lot of E-mail Daily and
I will answer any program question or bug report but I have noticed many repeat questions come up, In which I used
an Already made up reply (So if you asked one of these questions and got the below answer don't be offended. Everyone
who asked this question got the below). I finally decided to add the canned answers to this page in order to help
people online before making the last resort E-mail and wait a day for the same reply.
If you clicked on the E-mail link on the homepage and ended up on this page, don't worry. I did this because
I still get a ton of e-mails asking the same questions over and over. Since no one seems to read this page at all,
I'm forcing people to read it.
I also have decided that if I feel that the FAQ covers an E-Mail that is sent to me, I will not reply to it. It
saves me the time to copy and paste the FAQ onto the E-mail and the bandwidth of sending the thing through the
Internet.
Q: Do You release text Files? or I don't have a graphlink, can I type the program onto
my calculator?
A: I usually do not release text files simply because of the demand I get for text
files and the fact that most of the programs are in a group format so the other files have to be text converted
as well as the main program. My recommendation is that you get the Graphlink software free from Texas Instruments
(http://education.ti.com/us/product/accessory/connectivity/down/downgraph.html)
you don't need a Graphlink cable ($35 At Staples) to view programs but you do need the cable to send programs to
your calculator. Another reason I say to get the Graphlink software is because it enables you to see the text of
any Program file (If it is a Group file, you'll have to ungroup it in a temporary directory and then read the Program
files.) so it is possible to look at any program in the Program format as well as giving you the opportunity to
create your own programs and saving them on disk. Once you install the software, download the files from the page,
ungroup the Group files and read the program files directly.
Q: Why don't you release text files:
A: for these reasons:
I know that most people do not have access to a graphlink, I know that most people don't want to invest in one, and I know that you could just view the program anyway using the graphlink software, but I personally recommend that if you invested the $80 to $200 for you Ti, you should invest a little more in the Graphlink or ask your school to invest in one. This especially applies if you are using the net to find programs for you Ti. I have made some exceptions for some people for special situations, but it is rare for me to make an exception on this matter.
Q: How do you get 85G files On a Ti-86?
A: The easiest way to get 85P and 85G files into the Ti-86 is to get and use the
Ti-85 Graphlink software. It will work perfectly on your Ti-86 but you will have to manually set the calculator
to receive when you send the files. Another way that will work is to ungroup the 85G files using the ungroup utility
built into the Ti-86 Graphlink software. (under Tools:ungroup Ti-86 files) Change the *.85g to *.86g in the "File
Name" Area, find the file you want to use, ungroup the files in a temporary directory and send the files one
by one to the Ti-86.
Q: How do you open the File I downloaded?
A: First, You have to unzip the .Zip files using a unzip utility like Winzip (http://www.Winzip.com) Once the files are unzipped, use the appropriate Ti-Graph
Link software utility to ungroup, view and/or send the files. I have gotten some e-mails about the .zip files having
errors. If you are using pkunzip to unzip the files, it will give a warning when it gets to the Internet shortcut
that points to my page. this should not affect the program itself. If you have Win95, I suggest you use a unzip
utility that supports long filenames like Winzip.
Q: How do I use my Graphlink?
A: It really depends on the Calculator you are trying to send/receive data to.
The best way to answer this question is to read the help file that is included with the Graphlink software and
select the topic that closely answers your question.
Q: Why does the Graphlink software Error when I try to read a *.83G, *.85G, *.86G, *.89G *.92G
file?
A: That is a group file. You cannot Read anything in a group file unless you ungroup
the file. Most of the time the command is under the tools menu, but it varies from software to software. Read the
Help file for more information about ungrouping files.
Q: What is a group file?
A: a group file is a format used by the graphlink software to join many Ti calculator
files into one file. If you have a graphlink, you can simply send the group file to the calculator. If you want
to view the contents, you have to ungroup it first. It is usually a file called <prgmname>.<calcnumber>G
Ex: icons.92g is a Ti-92 group file of the icons program interface.
Q: Can you add a link to my page?
A: The links on my page go through a tough screening process by myself. Any links
on my page are there because I thought that the page's content was above and beyond a normal Ti page's content.
I don't really mind if people submit links to me, but don't expect it to appear on the page if it doesn't have
the following.
If you want something to link to however, join a webring. I am a ringmaster for the Ti-basic webring. If you
make Ti-basic games, join it and follow the instructions that it gives you on the registration page.
Q: Can you help me program/use ASM?
A: No. I Don't code ASM, I don't use ASM in any form, and I don't keep ASM shells
on my calculators. The reason I don't use ASM is because they can make you calculator unstable if a badly written
program is executed. If this occurs then the calculator has to be completely reset and all the work you have been
working on is lost. If you want to learn ASM, or want programs for a particular shell, then go to the Ti-files
or Ticalc.org. (links found on the bottom of the Homepage). There is enough ASM information at these two pages
to suit your needs.
Q: Can you help me program Basic?
A: The single best way to learn basic is to practice it yourself. Reading source
code does nothing if you don't understand the language in the first place. The first thing you should do it read
the first chapter in your operations manual of your calculator. You would be surprised how many people I told to
do this would come back to me with a much better understanding of how their calculator works. Once you do that,
read the Programming section completely to get an understanding of the programming language. Finally, Practice.
Make something and expand on it by using other commands. It may take awhile to get used to the language, but you
will have a much better understanding of the limits of what the calculator can and can not do and you'll be a much
better programmer for it.
Q: Can you publish my program on your page?
A: I do not publish any program on my page that wasn't made by me. it saves me
the trouble of having to update it and such. If you want a place to publish your program, go to ticalc.org and
follow the instructions on how to submit your program. It gets many more hits than mine and is sure to pop up on
other pages as well.
Q: Can you release Final Fantasy VII for the <insert calc name other than Ti-89/92 here.
Usually Ti-86>
A: FF7 uses a lot of sized pictures or sprites that simply cannot be done in the
Ti-8x series except for ASM, and since I don't know enough ASM to do a ASM project, there is a slim chance that
this will happen. There are some programmers that are trying to do FF7 in ASM, but I don't know anything about
an ASM project other than the information I find in various "upcoming games" sections of webpages. I
know that most of the stuff could be done on an 86, but the fighting system would really suck (no animation at
all) and the walking part of the game would basically look exactly like Final Fantasy X3 only without the walls
and stuff.
Q: can you add <Insert game feature here> to FF7?
A: As of 5/26/99, the FF7 Project (Final Fantasy VII Clouds: Quest as well as the Directors Edition)
has been put on maintience only updating, which means that the program will only be updated when bugs are found
and are necessary to fix in order for the game to function correctly. This is due to the fact that the game itself
is over two years old and Me and Nomad Software feel that it is time to move on and start another RPG project instead
of adding features to an older one.
Q: How do you make the Pictures seen in FF7?
A: I use John Hanna's IView Program to convert bitmaps into Ti Images. You can download it from http://www.johnhanna.us/iview.html.
Q: How do I send a bug report?
A: If you do find a problem, Please State EXACTLY what you do to cause it
so I can repeat it. It also helps to tell me exactly what you see on the screen if you decide to view/goto the
error and to send me everything that is on your calculator so we can figure out if other software you may also
have installed is conflicting somehow with the program. If I E-mail you back, PLEASE RESPOND! It drives
me nuts when people e-mail me saying basically "I was Playing <insert game name here> and it Crashed"
and when I e-mail them for more information, They never reply. I want to make the Highest Quality Games possible,
But that cant be accomplished if I receive no (or Useless) information about possible bugs in the software. Remember,
The More Information you give me about the crash, the Better! Just Remember that I am not a psychic.
Q: How do I run Programs on a Ti-89/Ti-92/Ti-92+? Everytime I type in the program I get an
Argument Error.
A: On these calculators, every program has to be executed by the name of rhe program
and and open and closed parathesis. In other words if you are trying to run FF7, typing FF7 on the homescreen will
result in an argument error and typing FF7() will result in the program executing. There are execptions to this,
but this goes for most programs you will find for these calculators.
Q: Can I use the code from <Insert My Game or Program Here> in my new program? or Can
I modify <Insert My Game or Program Here> to make it better?
A: I have a very lenient system when it comes to program code using and modification. Basicially, if
you use a part of my code from one of my programs into one of your programs, All I ask is that you give credit
to Fryed Software somewhere in the credits. Thats it. If you want to modify one of my games to make it better,
I also ask for you to do the above as well as E-mail me before putting it in a public archive.
Q: What is this ff7-2.zip file that I always see around the
net? It's not on your site. Is it a pirated or user modified copy of FF7?
A: For those of you confused as to why there are two of these programs online, Here's The Explantion.
The file FF7-2.zip is usually the Official Version 1.4 of FF7. The one called ff789.zip is also an official version,
but it's 1.3. I have no clue why Every Ti archive on the planet decided to set it up this way but I believe that
it was because an unofficial program was released by Tip DS to add a map feature and fix some graph problems. A
map was planned to be in the 1.4 release. We were testing various ways of incorporating it when the unofficial
version was released without our knowledge. Me and Hiryu studied it and decided to use the map system and bug fixes
in the unofficial release and also apply the bug fixes that cropped up during the 1.3 release schedule. That is
why Tip DS was added to the credits in Version 1.4. When We updated the Code on Ticalc.org, they decided to replace
the Unofficial version with the Official version instead of Deleting the unofficial version by our request and
replace version 1.3 with 1.4. and of course every archive on earth followed this design. We have E-mailed Ticalc.org
as well as other sites to try and fix this with no replies let alone results. So we just accept this as the way
it's going to have to be. Keep in mind that the file on my site is the official 1.4 release of FF7 for the Ti-89
Q: How do I do <Insert Any Feature seen in Any Ti-basic Program on any M68000 Based Calculator
Here> on my <Insert any Z80 Based calculator Here>
A: You most likely cannot do it. It's That simple. The reason is because there is a huge difference
between M68000 Ti-basic (The Ti-basic on the Ti-89, Ti-92 and Ti-92+) and Z80 Ti-basic (The Ti-basic on just about
everything else). M68000 Ti-basic has support for grayscale, animation, program indirection, picture placement,
mass pixel change via pictures, sized pictures, enlargement, text in matrices and much more. and all of these things
excluding grayscale and animation cannot be done in Z80 based Ti-basic without the use of ASM.
If you still have questions after reading the above, then Post your Question in the forum Here.
The question may be put on this page if enough people answer the question. Check back frequently for updates.