HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: neil@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Forsyth)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: Sprite storage in Mode X -- Need More ROOM!
Date: 29 Sep 92 08:27:58 GMT
Organization: Dept of Computing & Electrical Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland

In article <1992Sep28.182137.1425@CS.ORST.EDU> saidra@prism.CS.ORST.EDU (Raoul Said) writes:
>	Its true!  Gods does use only 16 colors.  If you take a snapshot with
>Dpaint's camera tsr and then inspect the palette you will see this.  This is
>probably one of the best alternatives to Modex ever!  I assume you get 8 pages
>of video ram to play with which would offer way more flexibiltiy and speed.

Yup! Plenty room for image data in there too.

>The only drawback is you would have to find an artist who can make 16 carefully
>selected colors look like 256! 

I think Mark Coleman did the graphics. He's pretty good isn't he. I believe the
art package he uses is Degas Elite on the ST, which by ST standards is old and
not that great. But I guess you are more productive on what you are used to.
Maybe he's now using a better package that just saves in Degas format.
Not that I'm implying that the package is that important. Most of the Bitmap
Brothers games use two scales of colours plus a few odd ones. eg. In Gods
they use a grey scale and a brown/flesh scale plus yellow, red and green I
think. Mixing the (sometimes improbable) colours in a checked pattern makes
them go further of course. It must be said that poor monitors and TV's help
to blend such mixtures but on a PC monitor they will be crystal clear.
BTW> Speedball 2 on the PC loads in the graphics from the Atari version.

> Obviously Gods pulls this off. I wonder if its as straight forward as
> setting 320x200x16 and setting the palette with the VGA colors you want?

Yes it is. Loads of PC games do this. Like I said it is the most ST/Amiga
compatible mode so it helps conversions of games to the PC.

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
! DISCLAIMER:Unless otherwise stated, the above comments are entirely my own !
! Neil Forsyth                                                               !
! Department of Computing and Electrical Engineering                         !
! Heriot-Watt University                                                     !
! Edinburgh, Scotland                                                        !
! United Kingdom            Email: neil@uk.ac.hw.cs, ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!neil !
! "'Have you got any?' he asked, expecting the answer no" - Monty Python     !
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: baylor@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Baylor)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: VGA MODE 13h Questions. Simple Ones!!
Date: 4 Oct 92 06:08:07 GMT
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX

>Like is it impossible to access each plane in turn?

	Kinda sorta - there's only one plane. After much arguing with
one person i think we arrived at that you only use one plane to get
the linear video mapping feel (packed pixels). So you dont' get 
another plane.

>Can you use the set_address_high and set_address_low to pan the screen
>around?
>
	Don't know - have you tried? You have no spare memory area to
scroll onto the screen, but anything can be done (and  cause an error)
in assembler. But you shouldn't be able to get anything usefull 
out of this.

>Can you use page flipping?
>
	Uh, not that i know of. 320x200x1 = 64k, and since only one
plane gets used, you use all available memory. So i doubt you can get
more. If anyone has a tweak to get to other planes for more linear
pages i'd love to see it.

>I have the feeling that the answer to all these questions. If so then
>why would anyone want to use this mode? My current scrolly is so
>processor consuming that I can't do anything else!! 
>
	1) It's the only official 256 color mode. The others are hidden
or our inventions.
	2) I've seen really good things done with it. In sprites
(pascal source on garbo) they use a virtual page by defining an
array [1..64000] of byte. All changes and masking is done to that,
wait for a vertical retrace then you can use a movsw (movsd works
too on 386s, right?).

>Should I use Mode X from now on? I believe you can do the above
>questions with  this mode, right?

	I guess if you know it already. I kinda hate doing bit/pixel
masking and using all the silly registers - you can use mode 13
without any usage of vga registers. But i guess once you write the
masking routines and all the pain is past.
	And plenty of people have written routines to help out.

						- baylor
From: uhs@jab.tucson.az.us (Rob Macomber)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Mode X
Date: 1 Oct 92 01:04:40 GMT
Organization: Just Another Bbs. Tucson, AZ

I've gathered that mode X is an undocumented VGA screen mode, so I have two 
questions:
        (1) How do I get my monitor into this mode, using either 80286 
                Assembler or Turbo Pascal 6?
        (2) What are the advantages over mode 13h?

                Rob Macomber
                 (uhs@jab.tucson.az.us)
From: egg@dstos3.dsto.gov.au
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: xlib02 at wuarchive
Date: 1 Oct 92 19:08:38 GMT
Organization: Defence Science and Technology Organisation

XLIB02.COM has been uploaded to wuarchive pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS again. I must
find a more permanent home for it.

On the subject of xlib, I'd like to extend it or assemble a sister library
targetted at the standard 16 color modes or tweaked 16 color modes (dep
ending on whether anyone knows of any!). Does anyone have some good quality
asm blt functions for these modes or any other functions that would be
appropriate for such a library ?

Themie Gouthas
egg@dstos3.dsto.gov.edu
From: Eric.Kjellman@f99.n121.z1.FidoNet.Org (Eric Kjellman)
Sender: FredGate@p0.f99.n121.z1.FidoNet.Org
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Next Computer Olympiad
Date: 01 Oct 92  14:06:48 CST

Hey there! Could you tell me what the Computer Olympiad is? It sounds really neat, but I've never heard of it before.

Thanks.


 * Origin: NineJackNine (1:121/99)
From: checker@acf5.NYU.EDU (checker)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: what do you want to know?
Date: 2 Oct 92 04:50:49 GMT
Organization: New York University

psmith@esk.compserv.utas.edu.au (Paul Jeffrey Smith) writes:

>The World Vector portion (the one with all the 3d ships) is something
>that I would like to do.  I can't understand how all these occur in a
>single fram:
>1.) rotation of all the objects.
>2.)remove hidden surfaces
>3.) calculate shading based on position to light source.
>4.) put the star field on as well.

These are all covered in Foley and van Dam (or any other respectable 3D
graphics text).  As another poster mentioned, the Graphics Programming
column in DDJ has been dealing with 3D graphics for the past year. 
Also, take a look at some of the public domain 3D graphics libraries,
like rend386.

Chris
From: jfreund@menudo.engr.ucdavis.edu (Jason Freund)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Anyone want to pick this Amiga game up?
Summary: Amiga game looking for good programmers
Date: 28 Sep 92 19:55:43 GMT
Organization: College of Engineering - University of California - Davis


	My roommate and I worked on a Dungeon Master type game for the Amiga for 
2 years.  IMNSHO, it's very advanced.  The main neat thing about it is that
you can build dungeons out of pieces of bricks.  That way each wall, pit,
monster, or anything can look completely unique.  It gets 9 fps on the 
500 and 25 on the 3000.  It's all extremely optimized for speed and memory.
About 30% assembly.  And unlike other DM games, your view is 320 X 160 X 5.
We use more colors and bigger graphics, its way faster than any other DM
clone, uses less memory, and the graphics are stunning compared to other 
games.  

    There's a very nice wall editor for building walls and a dungeon editor for
building multi-level dungeons.  Everything works.  The engine is done.  I
even drew some great graphics.  We're at the point where you can walk around
in your dungeons.  We even put objects on the ground and made an object
editor, but haven't written the tools to put objects in the game -- you 
still have to do it by hand.  There's still no monsters or buttons on the
walls.  Doors don't open, etc.

	It's really incredible.  But neither of us have touched it in a year.
We may or may not pick it up later.  We finished the main engine and then it`
kind of got tedious For now, we don't see it going anywhere and would like 
to think that all that work isn't going to just die.  We only want to give it 
to people who really will work on it and who already know how to program well. 


Jason Freund
Organization: Middle East Technical University - Computer Center
Date: Wednesday, 30 Sep 1992 15:17:04 TUR
From: HAKAN DOGAN <E66951@TRMETU.BITNET>
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject:    looking for a flight simulator for suns

     Hello i am looking for a flight simulator source code or compiled case
  for sun workstations . If there's an ftp site please e-mail me .
                         thanks
hakan...
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer,rec.games.video
Subject: Wanted: Genesis/Megadrive Development Info 
From: spacey@kauri.vuw.ac.nz (Michael Keith)
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 03:26:20 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: /u/cscs/spacey/.organization

My friend and I are interested in doing some coding on the Sega Megadrive, 
and we were wondering where we can get hold of development info etc.
Any information on the subject would be most appreciated.

Cheers,
Mike
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: ce@wuee1.wustl.edu (Chris Eberhardt)
Subject: Algo Req: World Gen
Organization: Washington University, St. Louis Mo.
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 12:49:34 GMT

Anyone have any ideas and/or algorithms to create worlds similar to the 
ones generated by the game Civilization.  Possibly a little more
intelligent in the sense that it could create mountain ranges rather
than the seemingly random placement of terrain in Civ.

My current plan to do the land masses it to generate a random number
of circles of random size and then make a second pass through to
alter the perimeters and make them not so perfect looking.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

chris eberhardt
ce@wuee1.wustl.edu
From: hallch@CS.ColoState.EDU (christopher hall)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: Wolf3d programming stuff
Date: 28 Sep 92 22:13:37 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Computer Science Department

In article <17619@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> jfreund@menudo.engr.ucdavis.edu (Jason Freund) writes:
>
>	Does anyone have a copy of the article posted somewhere on the net
>describing exactly how they did wolf3d?  If anyone cares to explain it, please
>post or email me.
>
>Jason Freund

If you email a response could you please email one to me also.  I am 
especially interested in the animation of it all.

hallch@handel.colostate.edu
From: sl8nl@cc.usu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: what do you want to know?
Date: 30 Sep 92 15:17:14 MDT
Organization: Utah State University

I'd better clarify a few things here.  While I'm not sure of everything about
the demo, I have had a few Turbo Debugger sessions with it (remote of course),
and can offer the following:

>> 	A few friends an I have been drooling over the latest release of the
>> Unreal demo that Future Crew, as well as their release of the Fishtro Demo.
>> And quite frankly, these guys are impressive.
> 
> No need to get your shirt wet, UNREAL isn't as impressive as it first seems...

Quite true.

> a FLI/FLC format (or possibly their own internal format).  The "speed" is
For some of the things.  For instance, the FC that flies through on the
Something part is stored in a file called ANIM.FCA that is about 140k.  Just a
bunch of blits.

>> What I would like to know is how the hell the can do the World Vector part
>> of the demo.  Its the rotation see, that gets me.  Sure, sure there are 
>> algorithms evvery where that can rotate.  No problem there
> 
> I believe the World Vector part was the terrain of single pixels, right?

No, that was landscape.  The techniques been around for years.  It was
fractally generated terrain, only stored in a buffer and not mapped right next
to each other.  Lay you odds if all of the pixels were put next to each other
that it would be smaller than a 320x200 screen.

The World Vector part is actually just a bunch of 3d rotations.  It was
programmed for a 386 which means that 32-bit registers can be used...in other
words, fixed-point numbers.

>> 1.) Does one rotate all points or is there a spify alogrithm that can do
>> them all real quick based on one rotation.

A Bresenham line routine would do it.  The angles the same for everything
(assuming you are still talking about the Landscape part).  Just map along the
line, adjusting the pixel height based on color.

> You'd only need to rotate the points that are within the "square" that is
> currently viewable.  If your square area is only about 50x50 points, you
> can rotate them *very* quickly in real time.  You can also use fixed point
> instead of floating point... this'll give you a speed increase (unless you're
> using a co-pro).

Again, I don't know if Future Crew used the Bresenham line technique, but that
eliminates all but two sin, cosine calculations...to figure out the slope of
the line.  One you have the slope, you invert it and have the perpendicular. 
Thus you have all things necessary tomap the pixels.

>> 3.) How do they (or any one else) determine the shading for the different
>> polyogns based on a light source.

I didn't notice that.  I'll have to go back and look.

Joshua Jensen
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Date: Fri,  2 Oct 1992 15:04:18 -0400 
From: Mark Alan Lang <ml5t+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Pascal...


    Well, it seems that a lot of people know C.  However, there are a
few who don't (like me - but I'm learning!).  Anyway, I'm not going to
be any good at C for a while, so I was wondering if anybody knows of
TurboPascal 6 source code for ModeX routines.  Thanks.
From: sang@cm.deakin.OZ.AU (Shane Hyde)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: Xmode mouse?
Date: 5 Oct 1992 06:11:22 GMT
Organization: Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: aragorn.cm.deakin.oz.au

In article <1992Oct2.065853.24466@clark.edu> aaron@clark.edu (Aaron Auseth) writes:
>
>I found XMOUSE11.ZIP, but for some reason I'm unable to get it to work with
>Turbo C++ 3.0    I've even tried the non C++ compiler option.  The demo looks
>great, but after I link in the OBJ's and try to initialize the mouse my 
>machine locks up.
>
>
>Am I missing something.  Are there any other Xmode Mouse wonders out there?

I too got hold of xmouse, but was dissappointed, no source :-(

So, in a reading frenzy, I found what I needed to know about getting a mouse
to work in modeX.  The code is in assembly and works only with Xlib02
which was posted recently.  The only thing is that I ported Xlib to large
memory model (I think?, I'm not much of an assembly programmer).  But
I'm FAIRLY sure it will work with the posted version (i.e small model)

So, I'll post the source as soon as I upload it.

Shane..(sang@cm.deakin.oz.au)


--
Shane Hyde (sang@cm.deakin.oz.au)|'Tell me, who's the real patriots, the Archie
Dept. of Computing/Mathematics   |Bunker slobs waving flags, or the people with
Deakin University                |the guts to work for some real change?' -
Geelong Vic 3217                 |                 Jello Biafra.
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: hamrick@milton.u.washington.edu (Mike Hamrick)
Subject: Re: player interaction in multiplayer games
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 07:24:43 GMT

djohnson@cs.ucsd.edu (Darin Johnson) writes:

>It's not that player-player combat is wrong, it's that if not agreed
>upon by both sides, it is socially unacceptable.  98% of the people
>who do kill other players end up complaining when players try to
>prevent this (and how it's not fair that players are ganging up
>against them).  It is extremely disruptive to players who are trying
>to play the game, solve the puzzles, etc., to suddenly have someone
>kill them, take all of their possessions, and lose a level.  In a
>single-player game, at least you can restore a save game.
>(Imagine a multi-player nethack, where high level players waited
>on the first level to kill players just entering)

I am currently fiddling with the Diku source, working on my own MUD.
I may or may not run it on my SUN 4/100 for people in local Seattle area.
If I do decide to run the thing there will be the following changes:

1.  One character per account.
2.  Death is FINAL.
3.  Computer enforced mourning period where a specific account may not
    access the game after the death of their character for a certain
    time period (depending on level).
4.  No restrictions on player killing.
5.  There will be no Gods, Immortals, Wizards, or any support staff.

I think I will call it AnarchyMUD.  I expect people to deal with "bad
people" the same way they do in real life.

I am not sure if people will enjoy playing this mud, but it will be an
interesting experiment.  Oh yeah, gotta get more phone lines, sigh.

mikeh
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: scd@cs.brown.edu (Steven C. Dollins)
Subject: Re: Mode X and Soundblaster: How?
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, Brown University
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 20:31:59 GMT

You can find a hacker's version of a mode X library at
ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu in the file outgoing/sdollins/modex.zip.  Friends
and I wrote this library specifically for a networked 3-D space
dogfight game -- to be released RSN under the name Netspace -- so it
may not be as general as you might like.

The library uses the large memory model and includes assembly code and
object files for both Microsoft and Borland compilers.  The only docs
are comments in the header files, but, of course, true hackers will
prefer to refer directly to the code. ;^)  Have a blast trying to step
through the self modifying line routine.

A single player prototype for the game is in the file xspace.zip in
the same directory.  It requires a 32-bit machine for the fixed-point
math/vector routines.

Note that my address for comments/questions has changed from the one
mentioned in the library.


Anyone have the time and resources to start up the CFD for
comp.graphics.pc?  Such a group is LONG overdue IMHO as I'm sure many
readers of both this group and comp.graphics would agree.

					- Steven Dollins
Brown Computer Graphics Group		scd@cs.brown.edu
From: brads@natinst.com (Brad Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: What about us MAC game developers
Date: 1 Oct 1992 15:20:04 -0500
Organization: National Instruments, Austin, TX
NNTP-Posting-Host: eagle.natinst.com

In article <1992Oct1.143913.24189@javelin.sim.es.com> WPORTER@130.187.183.14 (WENDELL PORTER) writes:
[questions about Mac programming deleted]

Check out the FAQ for comp.sys.mac.programmer.
Brad Smith (brads@natinst.com)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: baruch@gallifrey.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Robert Baruch)
Subject: Re: real sprites
Organization: NYNEX Science & Technology, Inc.
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 92 18:24:50 GMT

Hmmm... For some reason my e-mail address in the header is wrong.

It's baruch@nynexst.com

--Rob!
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: gyugyi@leland.Stanford.EDU (Paul Gyugyi)
Subject: Re: Looking for Tom Poindexter (CROBOTS)
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 92 03:53:51 GMT

In article <1992Sep30.193744.20823@schunix.uucp>, sonix@schunix.uucp (Duane Morin) writes:
|> I'm trying to contact Tom Poindexter, author of CROBOTS.  From what I remember,

Try tpoind@uswest.com, or post on rec.games.corewar.  That's the last place
I saw him...

-- 
Paul J. Gyugyi
Grad student, control systems, Stanford University
(and an avid LEGO collector)
gyugyi@earthsea.Stanford.EDU
From: ron@zooid.guild.org (Secret Mud)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: What about us MAC game developers
Date:  5 Oct 92 13:30:45 GMT

From: rossw@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz (Ross Williamson)
>
>	The subject says it all.  Whenever I read this group there is
>nothing of use to anyone except for those developing on PC's.  What
>about the reset of us.  There is more to games programming than 'VGA
>modes' and 'BIOS' there is the way to construct mazes, scenarios, etc. 
>Why is there *never* any discussion on these topics?
>What about programming hints for mac people or just general algorithmic stuff?
>
>Ross Williamson ( MAC developer )

Well, if no Mac developers ever post, then there won't be any Mac messages,
will there?  If you need something solved, answered, or whatever, just jump in
and ask.

Meanwhile, the PC people will keep getting on with it.
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: rwirthli@nyx.cs.du.edu (Ralph Wirthlin)
Subject: Re: USML archive site
Organization: University of Denver, Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci.
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 13:31:34 GMT


Sorry about that, I *meant* to only send a followup without quoting.
Unfortunately I'm using a line editor for email and I hit the wrong key.
Thanks for the info :).
From: cyberman@toz.buffalo.ny.us (Cyberman)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: CGA 160x100x16
Date: 1 Oct 92 03:24:29 GMT
Organization: The Tower of Zot - (716)691-3865

isc30108@nusunix1.nus.sg (AMBAT SASI S/O PALISSERY P) writes:
> i was referring to a 160x200x16 mode (if any)
> i've already obtained code from a kind soul for the 160x100x16 
text mode.
> i saw a reference made to a low res mode 160x200x16 in an old
> book. just wondered if anyone had code for that.
You know I think this is a PC jr mode you know 320x200x16 and 
160x200x16 was one of them
Cyberman  
 


************************************************************
* Cyberman@TOZ.BUFFALO.NY.US                               *
*   "Life is what you put into it" - Cyberman              *
* Optimistic - running through a barn of manure looking    *
* for the horse!  /\ [] ( )                                *
From: cyberman@toz.buffalo.ny.us (Cyberman)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: what do you want to k
Date: 26 Sep 92 00:31:24 GMT
X-Maildoor: WaflineMail 1.00r


   Ambat Sasi S/o Palissery was espousing about 'Re: what do you want to k',
   on [09-23-92  13:47] to All!
 ASSP> 1. is there really a low resolution mode in CGA ?
 ASSP> 160 x 200 x 16 color GPHIC mode (not tweaked text mode..)

    So I've heard but I've never been able to find info on it
    either.

 ASSP> 2. is there a generic way of addressing more than 512K for 
 ASSP> most VGA cards (assuming of course the card has that much memory on
 ASSP> it) 

    NO!  Thier is not unless you use VESA.  a 64k segment is the
    limit.

 ASSP> 3.has any1 tweaked a 512 x 512 mode for most vga cards ?

    Not that I've heard of.

        Stephen Cyberman@Toz.Buffalo.NY.US
        Scripted at Thu  09-24-1992  12:55:38

... if (you_love('C')||you_love("C++")) honk();
--- Blue Wave/QWK v2.10
                                                                                                     
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: kennehra@craft.camp.clarkson.edu (Rich"TheMan"Kennehan)
Subject: Collision/Detection Routines!!!!!
Organization: Clarkson University
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 00:53:54 GMT



Hi.  Could someone please give me some simple collison/detection
routines?  the routines used for the games "Sopwith" and 
"Robotron 2084" would be ideal.  Thanks in advance!

- Rich
  kennehra@logic.camp.clarkson.edu