From: amipb@amipb.gna.org (Philippe Berard)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: Attn Commodore: You are making a Big Mistake (Hardware
Date: 23 Dec 92 10:46:58 GMT
Organization: IWANIMA
X-NewsSoftware: GRn 1.16e (7/4/92) by Mike Schwartz & Michael B. Smith

In article <37706@cbmvax.commodore.com> jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup) writes:
> rock@lakes.trenton.sc.us (Rockerboy) writes:
> >Forcing all future programming to be within the OS simply makes
> >everything work like the PC world, and if everything is just like the PC,
> >why not _buy_ a PC instead?
>
> 	Using the OS != works like PC.  Not even bloody close.  If you've
> ever programmed for the PC, you understand.  Using the OS ~= using OS/2 or
> just maybe Windows NT, if the PC has extra gfx hardware (blitter, etc).  And
> you still get a lot of things you can't do on a PC (though a PC running OS/2
> can do some things we can't, too).

    I agree, you must bang the hardware when programming on a PC. But, some
    games are really slow on a 386, even when banging the hardware, what
    would they be if they use OS calls ?

> said.  I hope they also think about whether a customer (who's been burned by
> software that breaks on their new 1200, or their new accelerator, or new fast
> ram, or won't install on HD, or breaks on their new low-end A8000/whatever)
> will buy their next game from that company, or bypass it for some other
> company's game.

    I'm a developper, I'm coding in C most of my programs, and use assembly
    when I need speed. But which game do I use to have some fun ? Gravity
    Force ! It's not a multitasking game, you can't install it on a HD, but
    it would be very, very difficult to code it using OS calls. Of course,
    for adventure games, using the OS is far better than doing anything 
    else, but a fast two-players game is too much joy to slow it down with
    OS stuff.
    
    BTW, I think the big problem with the game market nowadays is that many
    companies have no development guidelines to follow when programming
    their games. Another big problem (at least in France) was that CBM sold
    some game packages (for the 600 or the CDTV) with many games that 
    didn't work.
    
    But it seems that the reason to stop making HRM was RTG !? It would be
    nice to have good adventure or good 3D simulators on 24 bits graphic
    cards, but it's restricting the game area to high-end users. Then the
    1200 is a dead machine.
    
    At least this discussion has shown one fact : many programmers don't
    mind playing, at least with action games.
    
    History has proof something : it's never good to forbid something, at
    least with no substitution.
    
    Now, we will have to wait and see... Hope I'm wrong.
    
    Sincerely,
                                   -- Philippe

.----------------------------------------------------------------------------.
|  Philippe Berard  (French Amiga User)       |                              |
|  "They hold a cup of wisdom,                | UseNet : amipb@amipb.gna.org |
|   But there is nothing within" (Kate Bush). |                              |
`----------------------------------------------------------------------------'
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer