Difference between revisions of "Christmas Star"
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[[Category:Case Study]] | [[Category:Case Study]] | ||
==The challenge== | ==The challenge== | ||
| − | During the [https://demozoo.org/parties/4578/ Vintage Computing Christmas Challenge 2022] the goal was to create the shape of a given Christmas star with as few bytes as possible. All platforms and languages were allowed. | + | During the [https://demozoo.org/parties/4578/ Vintage Computing Christmas Challenge 2022], the goal was to create the shape of a given Christmas star with as few bytes as possible. All platforms and languages were allowed. The star should look exactly like the one shown below. |
| − | The star should look exactly like shown below. | ||
<code> | <code> | ||
* * | * * | ||
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* draw character by character | * draw character by character | ||
* mirror triangles | * mirror triangles | ||
| − | + | ||
==Winning Entries== | ==Winning Entries== | ||
=== Winning entry for C64 === | === Winning entry for C64 === | ||
Revision as of 16:46, 28 December 2022
The challenge
During the Vintage Computing Christmas Challenge 2022, the goal was to create the shape of a given Christmas star with as few bytes as possible. All platforms and languages were allowed. The star should look exactly like the one shown below.
* *
** **
*** ***
**** ****
*****************
***************
*************
***********
*********
***********
*************
***************
*****************
**** ****
*** ***
** **
* *
There were mainly two kinds of approaches:
- draw character by character
- mirror triangles
Winning Entries
Winning entry for C64
The shortest entry for the C64 was submitted by Serato with 34 bytes:
chrout = $FFD2 ; Kernal routine outputs char in A
plot = $E50C ; Kernal routine moves cursor to (y,x)
pnt = $d1 ; Pointer to the start of the current screen line
row = $b3 ; zp var that always starts at 3
* = $1000
do_2nd ldx row ; render "upside down" triangles
do_line ldy #9 ; render one row of triangle, and its x-mirror image
jsr plot ; move cursor to column 9 on row x
ldy #17 ; start x-mirrored image in column 17
lda #'*' ; the star of the show
do_asks jsr chrout ; print star, advancing kernal cursor to right
sta (pnt),y ; write x-mirrored star with mirrored cursor
dey ; advance mirrored cursor to left
cpy row ; test against line y=x to form diagonal
bne do_asks
cpx row ; check if these weere "upside down" triangles
bne do_2nd ; if not, draw the upside down ones
sys lda #$10 ; entry point of routine, start with y mirrored
sec ; wish this could be avoided, feels like a wasted byte
isc row ; increment bottom row counter and put (16 - row) in A
tax ; we need in x register
bpl do_line ; repeat until row < 0, then fall through
rtsSerato's entry was provided with the following comments:
The required octogram may be constructed as the union of four right triangles reflected four ways in x and y axes. The central loop renders one row of the triangle, plus its horizontal mirror image. The outer loop iterates over normal and mirror image screen rows. The result is all four triangles being rendered on top of each other. Saved a byte with unintended 6502 opcode ISC which combines INC and SBC to both increment a counter and load (16 minus) its value into A.
