@node "Misc"

MISCELLANEOUS NEW FEATURES


Default directories

Open the Default Directories window through the Miscellaneous Options
window. Use this window to tell OctaMED where you usually keep your songs,
instruments and ARexx scripts.

For example, if your usual songs disk is called MEDSongs1:, type MEDSongs1:
into the Songs text box. Similarly, if you store your ARexx scripts in a
hard disk directory called Work:ARexx/Scripts, then type that into the ARexx
Scripts box.

If you don't have a "usual" disk or directory for instruments, for example,
then leave the Instruments box blank. You can also select a disk or
directory by clicking on one of the small GetFile gadgets to the left of
each text box.

The default directories are loaded into relevant file requesters when they
are first opened. The Songs directory, for example, is loaded when you first
select Open or Save from the Project menu. The Instruments directory is used
when loading and saving instruments; ARexx Script is used by Execute ARexx
Script.

Module Formats

OctaMED can now load modules created on two different PC sequencers:
ScreamTracker 3 (S3M) and FastTracker 1.0. Not all S3M effects are
supported, but most modules play without trouble. The effects that are
supported are:

  Extra fine slides (commands EEx, EFx)
  Tremor (command Ixy)
  Retrig and volume slide (command Qxy)

The more popular FastTracker 2 is not yet supported
but no doubt will be in the PC version!

Play After Loading is now situated in the Project menu, under Open.

AmigaDOS Shell in the Project menu opens an AmigaDOS shell, just like the
shell you can open on the Workbench, on the OctaMED screen. You can now load
and run programs or use AmigaDOS commands like "copy" or "dir". Close the
window by typing "endcli" or clicking its close gadget.

In the Song Annotation window, Show After Loading affects what happens when
a song with annotation text is loaded. Normally, the Song Annotation window
is immediately opened, displaying the song's text. Switch Show After Loading
off to prevent this. Show After Loading is not saved with songs; the user
states whether or not the song's text should immediately shown, not the song
writer.


The Keyboard Shortcuts window

A small set of Protracker shortcuts, called PTKeys.keyboard, was provided
with OctaMED V6. Thanks to Eberhard Hafermalz, OctaMED Soundstudio includes
many more shortcuts, to help former Protracker users make the transition to
OctaMED, to use the shortcuts, check out the rexx drawer on this CD.

You can now make a copy of the current shortcut by holding down Shift
while clicking "Ins. New" or "App. New". This is useful for making a new
shortcut similar to the current one.

You can also now create an empty shortcut for the Help key, thus turning
the "press Help for Help" feature off - the Project menu item can be
selected instead.
This avoids situations where the Help file is accidentally loaded
instead of deleting a note (i.e. Help rather than Del is pressed). Do bear
in mind, though, that the organisation of the new help file should keep
loading from disk to a minimum.

The V6 manual neglected to mention that attempting to redefine a Right
Amiga menu shortcut will unfortunately fail. For example, a shortcut created
for Right Amiga-O will be ignored, because Right Amiga-O is converted by the
Amiga to the Open item in the Project menu. OctaMED has no control over
this.


Player command features

There are three new ways to make entering double-figure player commands
easier.

  To enter command types 10 to 1F, position the cursor over the second
  command type digit, and press key G to V. (Alt-0 to F also still works.)

  To enter types 20 to 2F, position the cursor as before, and press
  Shift-Alt-0 to F. (Be careful: Shift-Alt-C usually means Copy Block!)

  To enter types 30 to 3F, position the cursor as before, and press
  Alt-G to V.

In the Main Control window, shift-clicking STOP to insert a 0FFE player
command no longer works. This shouldn't be a major problem.


Many other small enhancements have been made and previously reported bugs
have been fixed.

We hope you find this, what could well be the last version of OctaMED
for the Amiga platform, useful and enjoyable it took a *lot* of work
and due to the state of the Amiga, gave us no earnings whatsoever! ;(

In fact, due to the vast amounts of piracy, we nearly went bankrupt!

So, many thanks to the thousands of Amiga users, (who will probably never
get to read this, but what the heck ),  for stealing our program instead
of being honest and buying it!!

Just in  case one of those guilty parties ever gets to read this.....

Please don't come back and say it wasn't pirated, we know for a fact
that an idiotic @{fg shine}asshole@{fg text} living here in the UK
actualy went on the net and told people how to do it!!

          @{fg shine}Do I sound bitter?, you bet your sweet ass I am@{fg text}!!!!!!


    ( no we didn't prosecute him, he is a student with no capital!!! )


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