From: raist@rmece02.upr.clu.edu (Ricardo Hernandez)
Subject: Re: **** A1200 Info **** (Part I)
Organization: UPR-Mayaguez--ASEL Lab
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 01:44:42 GMT

In article <1992Nov7.173658.17151@news.th-darmstadt.de>, wallmann@backus.pu.informatik.th-darmstadt.de (Natuerlich!) writes:
|> In article <1992Nov5.154148.5424@klaava.Helsinki.FI> lindblad@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Jarkko Lindblad) writes:
|> >HAM is as real graphics mode and I can compare it to any other
|> >graphics mode if I wish.
|> Of course you can. You may also compare cars to ships. No one will mind. 
|> 
|> >There is also one very real limitation in 16-bit truecolor-modes in
|> >Falcon - they're dog-slow (in the usefull modes). 
|> Question is how limiting is it ? Not as limiting as you hope it to be.
|> 
|> >If 'animation' now means shoot 'em up's and other games, then you're
|> >right, however the truecolor modes in Falcon aren't really better
|> >because of the lack of speed in those modes.
|> When the first truecolor actiongame comes out you'll see how much worth
|> that statement was. In the lowrez mode there should be -ample- processor
|> speed left. 

   One thing that Falcon guys overlook on the AGA:

     *THE AGA HAS 8 SPRITES!  These are, according to a once quite
     C= confidential document published on the net quite a while ago,
     64 bits wide, 16 color each, out of 24 bit!

     Sprites are WAY BETTER than just moving things with a CPU *OR* 
     Blitter.  Also remember that the AGA has DUAL PLAYFIELDS!  A MOST
     for a lot of games today!  (Check Genesis, Super Nes)

|> >> 	Falcon pallete is approx. 260000 
|> >
|> >It is not in truecolor modes - you can not choose what of the 256k
|> >colors you use.
|> Ah yes, I goofed there.
|> 
|> 
|> >> Oooh!  I see!  You want to run games in 16bit direct!  Well, ok, thats cool.
|> >> Especiallly when you get only 15Khz resoltions anyway (except 320x200 VGA,
|> >> right?).  
|> >> 	Hngh?? Are 90% of Amiga games running in 640x400 (interlaced) or
|> >> 	in 320x200 (non-interlaced) ???
|> >
|> >Actually 640x400 is rarely used - I only know one "action" game that
|> >...
|> It's kinda sad that apparently noone figured out, that this was meant
|> as a rhethoric question. The guy I answered said, "you wanna run games in
|> 320x200" ? I go "Well do Amiga games run in hirez or in lowrez usually ?"
|> Two dimwits answer "Of course they run mostly in lowrez". 
|> 
|> Hint: In a rethoric question the answer is already implied.

   Another hint: some games on the Amiga will start running on 640x400
 as A1200 gets more popularity.

|> 
|> >> 	Falcon I can do it in a window, in arguably not bombastic but still 
|> >> 	AA-bashing 640x200x65536 colors.
|> >
|> >This 640x200x64k colors dies in front of 1450x566xHAM8 even as the
|> >latter is interlaced.
|> As soon as it is interlaced it's already useless. The 1450 sound like
|> overscan eh ? Anyway we had the HAM discussion already.

   Consider 640x400 non interlaced HAM8.

|> Figure vertical rez /2 for non-interlace and we are down to (with no
|> overscan 1280/200. Figure one byte per pixel only for HAM whereas TrueColor
|> has 2 bytes you get 640/200. In terms of Mbytes/s AA is app. the same as
|> the Falcon030, whereas the Falcon chipset has (for future models like
|> the 040) still 'breathing space' as can be shown by using OverScans
|> Screenblaster, that raises the internal pixel frequency of the Falcon
|> Chipset. Someone requested the address it is:

   Again, consider 640x400 non-interlaced.  BTW, that higher pixel
frequency will cause even greater slowdown on the Falcon.

|> 
|> 	OverScan
|> 	Saentistr. 166
|>    1000 Berlin 48
|>    ---------------------
|> 	Germany (tel:030-721 94 66, Mo.-Fr. 14-18 MEZ)
|> 
|> >> 	pretty quick, whereas IDE will hopefully die.
|> >
|> >DO you honestly think that all those dozens of PC-cloners will move to
|> >dramatically more expensive SCSI-II when there is much cheaper IDE
|> >available when 95% of users don't know or care what advantages each
|> >has over the other.
|> Not in a matter of months. But the current PC architecure is a dead end.
|> A 486 on a AT-bus ?? Har har!

   True... but then, let's see who can get the price lower...

|> 
|> >You don't have an Amiga, that if probably why you can't use a HAM
|> >window. One can of course use HAM-windows - the only problem is that
|> >one should not overlap windows.
|> I'll concede on this, although I can't quite imagine it. Anyway windows
|> that don't overlap are not 'real' windows.

   Ham windows... NO, I agree... You can overlap them, but then it would
be DAMN slow... well, actually, not so depending on the App.  Considering
what Dpaint 4.1 is doing right now....  is possible in some good
applications.

|> 
|> >> Trivia note:
|> >> 	The Atari TT has a HAM mode.
|> 
|> >Another:
|> 
|> >I don't think so.
|> Computers are not a matter of religious beliefs (although the Amiga scene
|> sometimes makes you think otherwise). As much as you wish, it's not going
|> to go away.

   ATARI TT has a Ham mode?  Really?  How it works? (I *really doub it*,
as so far as I know, ATARI never stated that.  Well, feel free to correct
me.)

|> 
|> 
|> Nat!
|> P.S. Jarkko before seeing 'red' and replying, read the next funfilled
|>      post too.
|> -- 
|>  -----   Email: wallmann@backus.pu.informatik.th-darmstadt.de  -----
|>                "Bang that bit that doesn't bang"   
|> Album of the month: "The plague that.." Infectious Grooves (an oldie)
|> 

-- 
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  Raist   // Amiga 500, 38Mhz Special MegaMidget Racer
        \X/  Avid user of AmigaVision, sending mail from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 
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