wayneck@tekig5.TEK.COM (Wayne Knapp) (04/05/88)
I just bought Quantum this weekend. It is a paint program that allows the user to paint in upto 4096 colors. I guess the program is okay, it seems to work but I'm not over impressed by it. I may just be tainted by Spectrum which really impressed me. I paid arount $40 for it. Anyway you get the following: 1. four display modes 32 colors - medium res. 4 colors changed 8 times over the picture 128 colors - low res. 16 colors changed 8 times over the picture 512 colors - kind of like Spectrum, gives 32 to 40 colors a scan line 4096 colors - adds flicking inbetween shades to the 512 mode 2. Lots of drawing tools with a fairly easy to use interface. (easier than Spectrum, but not a flexible and fewer tools than Spectrum I think). 3. A set of animation tools that allow one to make flip book style animation. (I haven't use these) Seems like a lot of bang for the buck? Well here is what I don't like: 1. Key work copy protection, key word is better than most kinds but I think all copy protection is a big pain in the butt for a honest user. 2. Spectrum gives me 48 colors per scan line, I need even more, but 32 is often too low. Even thought the manual says "There are some limitations to the number of different colors that can occur in a small area of scrren - but depending on the sort of images are being drawn anywhere from 32-40 colors are available on EACH SCREEN LINE - hardly a limitation, really!" That kind of statment dosen't sit well with me, what do they know about what I need. Spectrum gives you upto 15 new colors before the scan line and gives you a new color every 10 pixels. This program only seems to give you a new set of 10 colors every 80 pixels. Not quite the same. Still it is a lot better than nothing. 3. In the 512 and 4096 modes you can only select one color at a time to work with. There is no color selection table and you can't look at the picture while selecting the color. There are tools for setting the color but it real hard for me to compare with only one color to work with. I just don't have a good color memory. 4. You can't draw with the 512 or 4096 colors displayed. You have to draw on a 16 color version instead. Sometimes colors just go away while drawing. Kind of like using ms to make a nice document. 5. Won't flood fill in 512 and 4096 color modes. Just rings a bell at me. 6. A warning in the manual stating that you can't use Quantum pictures in your own programs if you want to sell them. They are putting together a Software House Site Licence and Source Code Kit that you can buy so that then your program can use Quantum pictures. I think they are nuts! If I make a picture I can't use it! Why should I pay than anything so that I can use MY pictures. Anyway I'm not a artist so while I think Spectrum is better, this program might be better after some updates and basic changes in attitude. Wayne Knapp