From: Karsten_Weiss@ibase.stgt.sub.org (Karsten Weiss)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Documentation for A(G)A?!? THE SOLUTION!!!
Distribution: world
Date: 5 Oct 92 18:12:47 MET
Organization: Intuition-Base BBS Leonberg

  
       Documentation for the A(G)A chip-set?!? THE SOLUTION!!!
       =======================================================
 
I  decided to write this message because I think that my proposals are
the lowest common denominator and the only way to find a compromise in
this  problematic.  If you think that I am wrong feel free and send me
(net-)mail!
 
Here are my thoughts which will solve the problem (in my opinion):
 
1. Commodore  should release a new  Hardware Reference Manual!  (Don't
   stop  reading  now!   ;-)  This will prevent the hardware cracks to
   find  out  some  great  features  which  aren't  even documented in
   Commodores documentation.  (There exist some of those tricks in the
   current  hardware!  I mean e.g. the $003f/BPLCON2 trick if you know
   what  I mean!  It is as far as I know still not documented!!!  (but
   useful ;-)
 
2. Applications  MUST ONLY use the OS to make their graphics.  This is
   very  important because a computer is only as good as its software.
   In  my  opinion  it  would  be impossible for the new generation of
   Amigas  to  establish  on  the  market without a big software pool.
   This would also make RTG possible.  (CATEGORY I)
 
3. Normal  games  (in  technical  respect)  like e.g.  Monkey Islands,
   Lemmings,  role-playing-games,  adventures,  jump'n runs etc.  must
   also  only  use  the  OS  for  their  grapcs.   I  think  this is
   absolutely no problem because there is no reason for such a game to
   touch the system hardware.  (CATEGORY II)
 
4. (Euro-)demos  and  games  with  a technically high standard (mostly
   action  games)  like  e.g.   Turrican  II,  Shadow Of the Beast ARE
   ALLOWED  to  touch  the  hardware  directly.   However, these games
   should  be  marked  with  a special 'button' at the cover that they
   aren't  upwards  compatible  (Or  game-magazines  should  say if it
   touches  the  hardware  or  not).   For  a  demo this is no problem
   because they are  for  free and  nobody has a  financial  loss when
   they don't work on the next generation of  Amigas anymore. (I  even
   think that you won't like to watch  it then anymore  because a demo
   is very, very fast out-of-date!) RTG is/are NOT NEEDED here!!!
   (CATEGORY III)
 
5. Additional  Commodore  should  supply  a  routine in Kickstart that
   checks  for  the  present  graphics hardware to make it is easy for
   each game- or demo-programmer to decide what he can do.  This would
   also  solve  the  problem that such programs often crash because of
   the wrong hardware.
 
6. If Commodore would  support FAST&SMOOTH tile  based 8-way-scrolling
   with some system routines the problem would be MUCH smaller because
   smooth  scrolling  is  one  of  the  biggest  arguments  to use the
   hardware  directly! Then  most  games  would fall  in  CATEGORY II.
   Some  days  ago  Stefan  Boberg asked here in the net whether it is
   possible  to  change  the  bitplane-pointers  at  every  y-position
   without  'losing a line' (you  need  this for scrolling) and he got
   NO  ANSWER  (on  the  net).   Commodore,  if  you  really want that
   everybody  uses  the OS for graphics then you should have an answer
   for this!!! Or shall we do without scrolling?  I would like to hear
   an  answer  to  this  question  of  one  of  our  two  GFX-gurus at
   Commodore!   However,  I  have  to  admit that Commodore has done a
   great  job including Interleaved bitmaps in the system because this
   was  also  one  reason  to access the hardware...  Commodore should
   simply  get  in contact with some game producers and ask them which
   routines  they  need  to make games running without direct hardware
   access.
 
I  think the problem isn't as big as we make it.  If I buy a new Amiga
with  new  custom chips I really don't expect that all games run on it
because  for  me  it's  just like buying a completely new computer.  I
prefer a ULTIMATE-SUPER-DUPER action game/demo NOW instead of a boring
and slow one which even runs on my next 5 computers! The fact that all
applications  of my (old) Amiga still work is a however a GREAT bonus!
We  shouldn't  expect  100%  compatibility from Commodore because this
makes the development of new computers much harder and it is also more
expensive!
 
Finally  I  have  a  little question:  Will it always be compatible to
access  the ECS(!)-hardware directly?  This would mean that all future
custom chips must have ECS included. Is this right?
 
                                         So long,
                                                 Karsten Weiss

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