From: aa399@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Len Stys)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Falcon030 -- Truth not Fiction
Date: 22 Dec 1992 01:08:04 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: aa399@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Len Stys)
NNTP-Posting-Host: thor.ins.cwru.edu



Ok, I'm going to ask a few questions and I only wish for people that
know enough about the Falcon030 to answer them.


If you do not believe you can answer the question comfortably,
don't answer it.

I'm finding out that many of you THINK you know the answer and reply
as you KNOW for SURE, but you really don't know what you are talking about.


IS the Falcon030 with a Motorola 68030 16 MHz CPU powerful enough
to produce games that require scaling, rotation, scrolling, and 3-D imaging?
I'm talking WITHOUT a blitter and DSP chip.

Is the Falcon030 with a 68030 16 MHz CPU and Blitter 16 MHz powerful
enough to produce games that require scaling, rotation, scrolling, and
3-D imaging?

If so, what does the Blitter do to help?  And how did Atari manage
to make the Blitter faster?

And WHY did Atari make the Blitter faster?

Can the DSP help at ALL in video games such as flight simulators?

I was told that since the DSP can only transfer information at the
rate of 1 Mb/sec, it would not help much.  Is this true?

How much slower would a game such as "Sonic" run in TRUE color video
vs. 256 color video?

How many people believe that 1 Megabyte should be the lowest amount
of memory Atari should include with the Falcon030?

How many people believe that 2 Megabytes should be the lowest amount
of memory Atari should include with the Falcon030?

How many people believe that 4 Megabytes should be the lowest amount
of memory Atari should include with the Falcon030?

Please consider this from a marketing stand-point as well as
programmers view.

Also explain WHY you believe it should be sold with this minimum
instead of the others.

Should the Falcon030 have had a graphics coprocessor in it?

How much of an advantage would the Falcon030 have with a graphics
coprocessor in video games?

How much of an advantage would the Falcon030 have with a graphics
coprocessor in video production?

There is a rumor that the Jaguar will be similar to the Falcon030
with a Motorola 68030 16 MHz CPU, but with a 64-bit graphics coprocessor.
How many of you believe that this could be possible.  Why or why not?

If it was possible for Atari to redesign the Falcon030 and incorporate
this graphics processor and then slip it into the production line
in the middle of next year, do you think it would be a good idea,
why or why not?

How many of you feel that a graphics coprocessor is so important to
the success of the Falcon030 that it would be worth delaying the machine
another 2 months to include one?


There will be flickering in interlace video mode on TV, how noticeable
will this be?

Translation:  Will it give you headaches if playing video games on TV
              in interlace mode?

How many people believe that Atari should concentrate on music with
the Falcon030?

How many people believe that Atari should concentrate on entertainment
with the Falcon030?

How many people believe that Atari should concentrate on multi-media
with the Falcon030?

How many people believe that Atari should concentrate on video production
with the Falcon030?

AND WHY DO YOU BELIEVE SO?

Is there any other market that you believe Atari should be going
after with the Falcon030?

How many people believe that the Falcon030 will be WAY underpowered
as a home computer in Fall, 1993?  And why?

How many people believe that the Falcon030 will be WAY underpowered
as a home computer in Fall, 1994?  And why?

How many people feel that they will be using a Falcon030 in 1995?

How many of you believe that Atari's present keyboard in the Falcon030
should be replaced with a better quality keyboard?

What is your greatest disappointment with the Falcon030?

What do you feel Atari should have included with the Falcon030
that they left out?

What do you think is the greatest advantage that the Falcon030
has?

Do you think Atari will still have this advantage in 1994?

If you were Atari, how would you market this computer?

Are you going to buy a Falcon030?

If so, WHY?

If not, WHY?


If you were the chief designer of the Falcon030 33 MHz computer,
what would you want it to have?  Eg: Chips, Case, ports, etc.

What markets would you concentrate with it?

If you were the chief designer of the Falcon040 33 MHz+ computer,
what would you want it to have?

What markets would you concentrate with it?


Do you have a Falcon030 computer already?


Thank you and please keep it to the net if you can, if you can't
post, send me e-mail.

Len (aa399@cleveland.Freenet.edu)

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Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st