News Archive

00:09 PST, Sunday, October 19h 2003

Uploaded a new 1.02 (D) development release to the Downloads page. This version adds a new scrolling credits display and rolls up several minor fixes and enhancements. For full details, check the SoRevision.txt file in the distribution's SGADE root.

00:48 PST, Sunday, July 6th 2003

Uploaded a new 1.02 (C) development release to the Downloads page. This version adds an initial implementation of tile-mode fonts, routines to copy linear bitmaps to tile based images and several bug-fixes. For full details, check the SoRevision.txt file in the distribution's SGADE root.

Uploaded a new 1.02 (B) development release to the Downloads page. This version adds an implementation of a module to support arbitrarily large scrolling backgrounds and contains a couple of important bug fixes. For full details, check the SoRevision.txt file in the distribution's SGADE root.

Uploaded a new 1.02 (A) development release to the Downloads page. This version adds some new contributed functions, provides some speed-ups in Bkg mode setup and contains a preview version of the completely new SoConvert application (which will replace the old SoConverter application). For full details, check the SoRevision.txt file in the distribution's SGADE root.

There's a link to a new demo over on the Demos page. This one was contributed by Erik Rounds, who has also kindly made source available on his web site.

This just in -- here's an art test for the Boulder Bombers game. No more programmer art!

23:51 PST, Friday, September 27th 2002

Chapter 5 of the SGADE tutorial is now on-line. This chapter goes through the addition of user input. Chapters 1, 3, and 4 have been updated too. See the updates page for details.

The SGADE web site is now a member of the GameBoy Advance Development Ring. If you like the content on this site, you might want to take a look at the other ring sites (see the link banner at the bottom of this page). There's a lot of good stuff out there...

Chapter 4 of the SGADE tutorial is now complete. This chapter deals with the management of sprites using the SGADE. Chapters 2 and 3 have also been updated. If you previously went through these chapters, you should download the chapter 3 solution before continuing with chapter 4. See the tutorial updates page for full details.

01:31 PST, Saturday, September 7th 2002

The SGADE web site now as a new look. This change was made as part of the conversion away from java-script constructed pages and isn't likely to be the final look.

So do you hate it? Do you love it? Let me know.

By the way, to help you save your thumbs for your next marathon video game session, you can now browse to this site at www.sgade.com.

I've just uploaded the first three installments of a new ongoing tutorial for the SGADE. You can find the tutorial here. Check back for additional installments coming soon.

The SGADE 1.01 Tile-mode release has gone final! Skip on over to the download page and get it while it's hot!

Our next release will extend the tile-mode release and include an all-new version of the data converter; which means that I'd better get back to work...

I just replaced my old computer and while I was setting up the new one I figured that I would be a good time to take a look at some alternatives to Visual Studio as an official IDE for SGADE. I spent the last week researching, downloading and evaluating just about IDE available for Windows. The most important features were that the tool should be integrated with any GCC compiler and should manage the file dependencies. Ideally, the tool would either dynamically create makefiles or directly drive the compiler itself. My search has failed. Here's a list of the products considered:

1) KDE/KDevelop (doesn't manage makes for non-KDE/Gnome projects)
2,3,4) Dev-C++, Quincy99, V-IDE (don't manage makefiles at all)
5) VisualHAM (again, no direct makefile support -- only works with HAM-gcc)
6) Visual SlickEdit (expensive, awkward UI)
7) CodeWright (very expensive, still doesn't manage makefiles)

I also considered another product that I can't talk about.

In the end I'm back to using Visual Studio .NET -- but I don't yet have it properly configured to launch the compiler. :-( If you know of any IDEs that fit the bill, I'd be really interested in hearing about them...

I've uploaded an implementation of a general-purpose memory manager. It's now available on the download page.

Ah, progress! The version 1.00 stable release is ready and is now available. Jump over to the download page. Check it out!

One release out, and the next one is already in the works. The main feature of the next release will be a complete tile-mode display system. Expect it in roughly two to three weeks.

We've also started working on a redesign of the site, so check back soon and let us know what you think, and if you haven't done so already join the mailing list. With so much good stuff in the works, can you really afford not to? :-)

Welcome to Sudden Presence, the new home of the SGADE!

Development of the SGADE will be continuing under the direction of Mark Price. There are likely to be some changes in the focus of development, but licensing will remain free for all.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be working on stabilizing the 1.00 Development release and incorporating some last-minute additions by Jaap. We will also be updating the tutorials section and taking a look at a simple site redesign. Once this has been completed, we will be announcing what's coming next, so stay tuned. But for now just enjoy using the SGADE!

So, this is it. The end of the SGADE. For me, that is. I sure hope that you people continue to use the SGADE, or even develop it further. I will continue to provide support, but I just don't have anymore time to work on it. I had a great time doing this project, getting your support, and learning to work with the GBA. The GBA scene is definitely one of the friendliest scenes I've been in, and I thank you all for the things I have learned.

Uploaded a new development release. This fixes the tool for Win95, multiplayer is in a working version now, but it still needs some work to be optimal, and I fixed some other things. Just check the SoRevision.txt file in the SGADE root. Allow me to change some minor things, and I will upload a stable release tomorrow (which I will publicly announce).

I uploaded a new development release of the SGADE. It's pretty stable but a lot of things have changed, for the better, since the latest stable release. I will take the upcoming few days to clean the last tidbits of this version, and then release a new stable release. In the meanwhile, visit the downloads section to download the new dev release.

Long time, no update. I've been busy with some other things the last few weeks, which caused a little slowdown on the SGADE. The SGADE mailinglist is going full storm though, and a lot is happening there. So if you really want to stay tuned, subscribe.

That's not why I'm updating though. I just wanted to let you know I've changed the legal info bit for the SGADE. I made it all a bit simpler to use and you can read it here. I hope it encourages more people to take a look at the SGADE.

I've also uploaded a new SGADE version, but this one is not for everybody. It's a so-called development release, and it's for SGADE diehards only. If this is your first time with the SGADE, you should just download the stable version, but if you are following the SGADE development, try the development release. You can find it here.

Even though I promised this way back, I plan on releasing a development version about every single week or so, and a stable release every three or four weeks. At the moment, the development release has changed quite a bit from the stable so I suggest that if you doubt which version you need, use the stable release.

My sincerest apologies for not making the previous release deadline, which was planned at the 25st of January. Some emergent stuff came up that had to be taken care of. That's why I didn't make it. However, here it is. And boy it is sweet. I've cleaned up quite some of the design and architecture, and the new documentation is very helpfull. I suggest you simply delete the old SGADE version and download the new one.

I've started a mailinglist, and if you're interested in the SGADE I suggest you subscribe. The mailing list is about updates, news, bugreports and general SGADE discussion. You can send an email to sgade-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

I've also written some tutorials. They might be handy if this is your first encounter with the SGADE.

Finally, I'd like to thank Gabriele Scibilia, Mark Schmidt and Benjamin D. Hale. Without them, this new release wouldn't be here.

One last thing. If you're wondering where the promised background module is. Well, let's just say I suck. It will come in a future release though.