Optimizes MSX CHRTBL/CLRTBL data to be more compressor friendly (both for RLE compressors and literal repetitions compressors).

Extends the original optimization algorithm added to PCXTOOLS v4.0 to use the entire charset data (instead of particular characters) and prefer larger chunks of RLE-friendly in either CHRTBL or CLRTBL data.

Compression ratio improvement will vary depending on the particular charset, the conversion (image to CHRTBL/CLRTBL data), and the actual compression tool, but expect a size reduction of up to ~14%.

Note: Some tools, such as aOrante's MSXTiles-devtool, do a really good job and generate optimal, or almost optimal, CHRTBL/CLRTBL data. In those cases, this tool cannot further reduce the compressed size.

See Precompression tools post.

Usage: java -jar precompression.jar [-hinv] [-e=<exclusionRange>] chrtbl [clrtbl]
      chrtbl      binary input file(s): CHRTBL
      [clrtbl]    binary input file(s): CLRTBL
  -h, --help      shows usage
  -v, --verbose   verbose execution
  -e, --exclude=<exclusionRange>
                  Excluded range of addresses: <from>..<to>
  -i, --invert    invert the CHRTBL/CLRTBL bytes of the entire charset

Coded by theNestruo (Néstor Sancho).

• Test graphics extracted from:
  • Original freeware version of Ninja Senki © 2010 Jonathan Lavigne
  • Pyramid Warp (1983) - Enhanced plus
  • Stevedore (MSX, 2020)
  • Youkai Yashiki (MSX, Casio, 1986) - Graphics patch