HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: TP or C ? (was: Languages to program in and ports and blah and etc...)
From: stuartw@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz (Stuart Woolford)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 21:57:04 GMT
Organization: University of Auckland, New Zealand.

psrjd@acad3.alaska.edu writes:

>In article <1992Jul27.005952.4167@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz>, stuartw@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz (Stuart Woolford) writes...
>>well..I guess you beat C there.. in C you  would have to go:
>> 
>>int BoolTest(x, y)
>>	int x, y;
>>	{
>>	if(x==y) /* or whatever... */
>>		return 1; /* or use TRUE, with stdio included.. */
>>	else
>>		return 0; /* or use FALSE,        ''            */
>>	}

>Not really.  You could do this just as easily:

>	int BoolTest ( int x, int y ) {

>	   return ( x==y )
>	}

>The value is returned based on the condition.  0 if false, greater than zero
>(or just any non zero value?) if true.

Very true...but I was trying to make it simple for the Pascal people ;-)
( and I HATE ANSI headers !!!!!! )
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
stuartw@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz

			>>>>UNIX - and PROUD of it<<<<
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: johnf@apollo.hp.com (John Francis)
Subject: Re:  TP or C ?
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 16:47:32 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Corporation, Chelmsford, MA

bruce@inmos.co.uk (Bruce Stenning) writes:
>Can you imagine writing something like UNIX in Pascal?  It would be an
>absolute nightmare.

I don't have to imagine it - I've seen it.  In fact I wrote some of it.
Domain/OS (the operating system for Apollo workstations) is written in Pascal.
It's no more or less of a nightmare than real UN*X(tm).

Now can we please all stop the "my language is better than your language"
wars?  Without knowing all the constraints, it is impossible to make any
meaningful comparisons.  for example:

If portability is the major concern, then obvously you should choose C.
If the code is only going to run on your computer, use whatever you like.
TP has a (much) faster compile-load-run cyle, so using that instead of
a C compiler can be a big win, especially on a slower machine like a 286.

As for the two languages:  any half-way competent programmer can work
equally well in either language.  Obviously each language has its own
set of features you will miss when programming in the other: in my case
I like Pascal variant records, and C conditional expressions.



-- 
John Francis                                johnf@apollo.hp.com
The world can be divided into two classes :-
 those who divide people into two classes, and those who don't.
From: sl859@cc.usu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: DPaint II...?
Date: 29 Jul 92 12:37:13 MDT
Organization: Utah State University

>          I was wondering, has anyone used a graphics package called DPaint II?
> If so, could you please critique this graphics package in regards to designing
> a game.  For example, was it easy to link this graphics package to C++ and 
> assembler code?, was the 3D graphics capabilities of this package good enough 
> to use in the design of a game?, and etc.  Please e-mail me at one of the fol-
> lowing:
> ps: BTW, this is being used for the PC.

	Do you mean the Deluxe Paint II by Electronic Arts?  I wasnt aware it
had link in capabilities?!  It is used to draw pcx or iff.  Its nice if your
friend has an amiga, cuz you can directly port drawings of .ilbm format
to it, (you do need to rename them .lbm) and then if you wish can save in 
PCX format, which is nice, but I have never used any of its utilities to link
in and was not aware they existed.  I like Dpaint because I got started on it
on the Amiga and then got it for the IBM. (256 color is HEAVEN! (I wouldn't
mind more colors though!))  Since I am used to the interface it works for me.
						wReam...
P.S.  I'm expanding the creativity boundaries by signing each .sig! so don't
call me ignorant! :)
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Subject: Re: University profs (Re: Formal programming ed)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 13:01:38 GMT


In article <jpenne.711857530@ee.ualberta.ca> jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca (Jerry Penner) writes:
>goss@micor.ocunix.on.ca (Timothy D. Goss) writes:
>
>>I want to make some comments about the previous poster who claimed that profs
>>in university don't know how to teach and blames them not the students...
>
>>Professors shouldn't teach.  If you go to university, IMHO, you don't want to
>>be taught, you want to learn.  The onus is entirely on the student.  Having a
>>professor spoon feed you an entire course accomplishes nothing.  Your prof is
>>a source of knowledge, a guide not a teacher.  Anyone who doesn't want to 
>>learn should not be at university.  If you want to be spoonfed useless drivel
>>then go to college (yes virginia there is a difference) and learn nothing.
>
>I agree that you shouldn't go to University if you don't want  to
>learn.   However,  profs  should  teach.  They have to pass their
>knowledge and experience on to the next generation if we are,  as
>a  society,  going  to progress in various fields of academia.  A
>genius prof who can't communicate with other people in a coherent
>fashion is useless to the world.

Not at the typical University he's not. That prof contributes to the
world by doing research; many undergrads get the impression that the
teaching of sub-Graduate-level courses is almost an afterthought. It's
"publish or perish," not "teach undergrads or perish." Those students
who really want to learn WILL learn, simply from being in the
environment, exposed to other motivated students, graduate student TAs,
and profs. Those who want to be spoon fed might be happier at DeVry or
with a Sally Struthers correspondence course.

To the earlier poster who told us all we should be using email and then
ignored his own advice and proceeded to POST yet another contribution to
this thread: what's good for the goose... ;-)
From: mst@vexpert.dbai.tuwien.ac.at (Markus Stumptner)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: TP or C ?
Date: 28 Jul 92 16:27:23 GMT
Organization: DB and ES Subdivision, TU Vienna

From article <1992Jul28.145249.16542@esds.mdc.com>, by bonney@esds.mdc.com (Greg Bonney):
> I don't see why these discussions so often
> digress to meaningless sarcasm and insults.

It did digress to sarcasm (not intended as meaningless) because your
post appeared to ridicule my arguments by taking them to extremes for
which they were not intended.  Especially if considered in terms of
the subject line.  I'm sorry if I got your intentions wrong.

>And even if I had very little knowledge of Pascal, who are you to tell
>people not to participate in these discussions?!

If somebody writes, as you did,

>>> For instance, why don't mathematicians write out "a squared plus b squared
>>> equals c squared"?

in a discussion about Pascal and C, I do assume he has no knowledge of
either Pascal or C at all, or he is getting something wrong.

>>1. Do you think it's done this way in Pascal?  Then leave this discussion
>>and read something about it before you argue.  

Note the qualifying question attached - obviously the description does
not fit you.  I don't mind people with "very little knowledge" posting
(I fit that label in as many areas as anybody else), but if someone
argues about a language he doesn't know *anything* about, then, yes, I
do, as participant in that discussion, consider myself entitled to ask
him to keep out of it, or at least abstain from posting inappropriate
answers to my articles.

>I never said anything about Pascal and neither did you
>(except in the subject heading).

What are subjects for?  I realize that apart from the subject, the
in-text references to Pascal may have been non-obvious, especially
since I referred to some other languages (such as Ada) as bad
examples.  Sorry.

> (By the way, if you think music has a
> "limited vocabulary", go to your local library and check out a music
> dictionary!)

This was your own example for utility of "special characters",
therefore I was talking about the vocabulary of musical notation, not
about the meta-vocabulary used in natural language when discussing or
describing music.  There are no special characters in the text when
somebody writes about a "sonata in C minor" - the special symbols are
in the score itself, not on the meta-level.

-- 
Markus Stumptner                                mst@vexpert.dbai.tuwien.ac.at
University of Technology Vienna                 vexpert!mst@relay.eu.net
Paniglg. 16, A-1040 Vienna, Austria             ...mcsun!vexpert!mst
From: iuzzolin@carina.unm.edu (Harold Iuzzolino)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: Using Images in Games
Date: 30 Jul 92 05:34:24 GMT
Distribution: all
Organization: Ashgon Inc.

In article <1992Jul29.141817.2441@ultb.isc.rit.edu> dxc0904@ultb.isc.rit.edu (D.X. Chin ) writes:
>Hello All:
>	I have a problem or just a question, How would I go about using
>GIF images in my programs, I don't mean 16 color images, I mean 256
>color images, I really only need 320x200. But I'm not sure how to
>manipulate them. 
>	I've tried using the Genus PCX libraries, but I can't get their
>BGI to work with Borlands. Because Borlands I think only uses 16 color
>VGA. I tried using a 256 color VGA BGI driver I found, but they didn't
>work with each other either. 

Word of advice: Do not use VGA256.BGI.  It has a problem on certain video
cards.  SVGA256.BGI is much better.  (And yes, I am STILL trying to upload
those to all who wanted them).  

>	What I'm trying to do is use a drawn image for a background in a
>game i'm working on. Any help would be great... 
>

I will post a GIF viewer in TP 6.0 as soon as I can upload.  And if you guys
want...I guess I could convert it into TC or BC or Assembly.  Can't you tell
that I'm bored?

--Mark Iuzzolino	  	| 
    President, Ashgon Inc.	| "The audience is now deaf" --Tiny Toonz movie
    CEO, Fantasy Squared Inc.	|
From: rajiv_sud@vos.stratus.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Loading and displaying PCX format images using turbo-C
Date: 22 Jul 92 18:00:29 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.


Hi All,
	Does anyone have information about the PCX format or source
code that will load and display a PCX image using turbo-C?

..Rajiv
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: goss@micor.ocunix.on.ca (Timothy D. Goss)
Subject: Re: Collision detection PLEASE, all geniuses respond!
Organization: M.B. Cormier INC., Orleans (Ont)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 03:36:45 GMT

The sparse matrix is a good idea if you're trying to save space.  WE ARE NOT.
Collision detection routines must work FAST and a flat array (even though it
does waste space) will be faster than a sparse matrix.  The idea to use the
sparse matrix is sound but in this case I'd have to disagree with the choice
to use it. 

 +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 |         _   /|                                                             |
 |         \'o.O'	    We the unwilling, led by the unknowning,          |
 |         =(___)=          are doing the impossible for the ungrateful.      |
 |            U             We have done so much, for so long, with so little |
 |     Timothy D. Goss      we are now qualified to do anything with nothing. |
 | goss@micor.ocunix.on.ca                                                    |
 +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: njoddson@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu (Nick Oddson)
Subject: Re: Mode Y"{
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 15:25:46 GMT

In article <1992Jul26.231431.57510@cc.usu.edu> sl8nl@cc.usu.edu writes:
>In article <Bs14M7.DKE@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu>, njoddson@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu (Nick Oddson) writes:
>> How do you setup Mode Y...  I've got code (and understand) how to initialize
>> Mode X, but I have several routines which I can only implement in Mode Y...
>> so, could someone send me code or tell me the modifications which I have to
>> make so initialize mode Y (I suppose I could figure it out myself, but I'm 
>> lazy)...
>> 
>> Thanks in advance,
>
>What is Mode Y exactly?  Is it the 320x200x256x4 mode?
>
Yes, 320x200x256x4 (ModeX = 320x240x256x4)... as per DDJ... any assistance
would be appreciated!

Thanks - Nick
(njoddson@descartes.waterloo.edu)
From: ewadams@netcom.Netcom.COM (Ernest Adams)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: Neo Geo / SNES / MegaDrive Cross Development Systems
Date: 24 Jul 92 19:36:52 GMT
	<1992Jul23.061510.11430@griffin.itc.gu.edu.au>
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Service


SEGA of America is at

125 Shoreway Road
San Carlos, CA 94070

Sega can inform you about development systems for their system. However,
they naturally want you to become a licensed developer.

-- Ernest W. Adams
From: sl8nl@cc.usu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: Game libraries...
Date: 28 Jul 92 18:07:46 MDT
Organization: Utah State University

>>I dunno.  My text adventure compiler handled everything (it was similar
>>to the ADVSYS library), and it took me a couple of weeks.  I could do
>>everything Infocom could do and more.  The resulting executable was 18k.
> 
> Cough!  Splutter!
> 
> 
> I think you should check out TADS, if you think that ANY 18k program stands
> a chance of even coming CLOSE to equal.  Sure, I can write any of the Infocom
> games with just a BASUC interpretter, but TADS would make life much easier...

I did.  That's why I wrote mine.  It works kind of like this:

  (define room
     (property north,south,east,west)
     (property desc)
  )

and then I would go like this

(room WaterRoom
  (north Room1)
  (south Room2)
  (desc  This is my description)
)

and so on...

TADS is more structured.  My language could be written to simulate an ELIZA
program if I wanted.

Josh

From: Zarniwoop.Woop@f99.n121.z1.FidoNet.Org (Zarniwoop Woop)
Sender: FredGate@p0.f99.n121.z1.FidoNet.Org
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: Where to get code for world/city/etc generation...
Date: 23 Jul 92  20:56:32 EST

If ya could send me that too, I'd be greatfull!

(randdom world/city generation)


 * Origin: NineJackNine / 608-256-5697 / Madison WI / (1:121/99.0)
From: nyet@cco.caltech.edu (n liu)
Subject: Re: TP or C ? (was: Languages to program in and ports and blah and etc...)
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 10:11:12 GMT

psrjd@acad3.alaska.edu writes:

>In article <1992Jul27.005952.4167@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz>, stuartw@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz (Stuart Woolford) writes...
>>well..I guess you beat C there.. in C you  would have to go:
>> 
>>int BoolTest(x, y)
>>	int x, y;
>>	{
>>	if(x==y) /* or whatever... */
>>		return 1; /* or use TRUE, with stdio included.. */
>>	else
>>		return 0; /* or use FALSE,        ''            */
>>	}

>Not really.  You could do this just as easily:

>	int BoolTest ( int x, int y ) {

>	   return ( x==y )
>	}

What about
#define BoolTest(a,b) ((a)==(b))

>>main()
>>	{
>>	if( BoolTest(10,40) ) DoTheRealProgammerThing;
>>	}
>> 
-- 
nyet@cco.caltech.edu
nyet@aerospace.aero.org
From: mst@vexpert.dbai.tuwien.ac.at (Markus Stumptner)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: TP or C ?
Date: 27 Jul 92 18:26:58 GMT
Organization: DB and ES Subdivision, TU Vienna

From article <1992Jul27.153004.9049@esds.mdc.com>, by bonney@esds.mdc.com (Greg Bonney):
>>moderately long keywords separated by whitespaces are easier to read

> This sounds like a good argument.  However, you could take this to extremes.

Note that I said "moderately long".  Nobody in his right mind would
use keywords like "begin_for_loop" (I think Ada does come close to
this in quite a few cases, but we're not discussing Ada).

> For instance, why don't mathematicians write out "a squared plus b squared
> equals c squared"?

1. Do you think it's done this way in Pascal?  Then leave this discussion
and read something about it before you argue.  

2. Did you think I advocate that?  Then read my posting again before
you twist my words.

Trying to discount arguments by taking them to ridiculous extremes is
an old technique, but your arguments have no basis in what I wrote.  I
was talking of "keywords", not operators.  I did not mention COBOL -
you did.
 
> Another example: why don't musicians write out music in English, Italian,
> or German instead of using musical notation?  In these cases, special symbols
> do increase readability.  

You are taking this to extremes, not me.  Note that music does have a
fairly limited vocabulary, and formatting in lines depends more on
line length than semantics.  When sequence and a single kind of
unconditional loop are the only control constructs you have, then a
simple notation is indeed sufficient.  Music also doesn't need
variable names, and only three data types (pitch, key, extent).  Are
you proposing cutting C down to that size?

Anyway, since you appear to like extreme examples, don't you love APL?
APL syntax is the C naming and keyword approach taken to the extreme,
with a simpler grammar thrown in for free.  Must be a dream of a
language for you.
-- 
Markus Stumptner                                mst@vexpert.dbai.tuwien.ac.at
University of Technology Vienna                 vexpert!mst@relay.eu.net
Paniglg. 16, A-1040 Vienna, Austria             ...mcsun!vexpert!mst
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer,alt.msdos.programmer
From: bjpocock@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu (Beastor the Mad)
Subject: Help with MS-DOS MUD programming for BBS
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 01:29:02 GMT

	Ok... I am thinking about running a 20-30 line BBS and want a small
MUD in it.  Any information would be VERY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!!!  The BBS
software isn't set... so it can be any program out there.

				BEASTOR THE MAD
From: gmt@reef.cis.ufl.edu (GMM)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: TP or C ? (was: Languages to program in and ports and blah and etc...)
Date: 24 Jul 92 18:48:42 GMT
Organization: Univ. of Florida CIS Dept.

In article <76207@ut-emx.uucp> andrean@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Andre Arianto Nurwono) writes:

>Well ? Would upgrading of the greatly readable, standard Pascal 
>be worth the effort, or is everyone already comfortable with the 
>cryptic {}!|\n C has to offer ?
>
>Any comments ?
>Just a crazily passing thought, he he he :) :)

Come on!  This is ridiculous!  Once you are told once what {} mean, is it
cryptic at all?  Maybe we should all program in COBOL.  (Sarcasm intended.)
These symbols are a basic part of the language which can be easily
understood by the reader of a program after, oh, maybe one time of being
told what they mean.  How does verbosity make a good language?  Truly, I
have no problem with Turbo Pascal and in fact I used to use it a lot, but I
think you need to come up with better reasons to slam another language than
your lack of understanding of its symbols.

-Gary



Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: cullhane@medusa.itc.gu.edu.au (Cullhane Gibbs)
Subject: Re: Collision detection PLEASE, all geniuses respond!
Reply-To: cullhane@medusa.UUCP (Cullhane Gibbs)
Organization: Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 92 02:22:52 GMT

Greetings,

	I personally believe that the both the sparse array approach & quad
	tree method for programming collision detection in arcade type
	games is inappropriate - mainly because there are much faster
	methods
        available. While its always a speed/memory tradeoff in
	arcade type games, you really should endeavour to
	get everything running around 50 frames a second thereby
	allowing smooth animation etc. I really hate jerky scrolls and
	jerky character movement. Having said that this is the way I
	would approach the collision detection problem.

	(1)	For aliens on the screen - say in a shoot em up - unless
	your'e lucky enough to be programming a machine with powerful
	hardware sprites and collision detection, create rectangular 
	boundaries around the aliens and just test for overlap. Even
	the the boundaries around the aliens are square during the heat
	of action (and depending on the size and shape of aliens) most
	players won't notice that a rectangular boundary, rather than a
	pixel perfect collision has occurred.

	(2) Background are a little more complex. Every one
	whose created a scrolling or large playfield for a game will know
	that you don't store a contiguous huge bitmap for the playfield.
	Rather the playfield is built up from a set of , say , 16*16 blocks
	that can be reused over and over. Under this method one ends up with
	two main files:

		(a)	The bitmap graphic data describing the 16*16 blocks

		(b)	A gamefield data file describing which block are
		placed where on the screen. The gamefield file contains
		numbers that reference particular blocks.

		One could now have a third file that contains tag info
		on each block in the gamefield data file. Each number in
		this file references the block numbers in the gamefield data
		file. However these numbers may be constructed as follows:

			If bit 0 of this byte is set then the player
			can't walk through this block.

			if bit 1 of this block is set the player loses
			energy, etc, etc.

			Now when the player is on the screen you convert
			his position to a block position equivalent and
			offset this position into the third file just
			discussed, test the bits and then take the
			appropriate action, e.g. stop moving or decrement
			energy. Of course there are various variations on
			this setup, but it is fast. You may also which to
			increase the resolution on the blocks in the third
			file, i.e. down to each fourth pixel set. Have you
			ever noticed in some games, e.g. Turrican that when
			you move your player to the edge of a platform he
			can at the edge be standing on thin air. This is
			because the tag information is only accurate to
			a 16*16 block or what ever. This process may also
			sound
			painstaking for large playfields but if you write a
			map editor or something the process is easily
			(fairly) automated.


			See ya,

					Cully
				

Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: bonney@esds.mdc.com (Greg Bonney)
Subject: Re: Game libraries...
Organization: Visual Simulation Systems
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 16:00:00 GMT

In article <Bs1z68.Dt3@news.cso.uiuc.edu> tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan) writes:
>
>In article <1992Jul27.141122.11139@wam.umd.edu> dmb@wam.umd.edu (David M. Baggett) writes:
>>
>>>	The graphics books out there don't really cover anything to useful
>>>to games programming (except maybe the never-can-find abrash book).
>>
>>(BTW, does *anyone* have a copy of Abrash?  Where can you get it?  I've
>>tried every big bookstore I know and no one's ever heard of it.)
>
>Depending on which Abrash book you're talking about, it may be out of
>print. Abrash's "Zen of Assembly Language," which I very much wanted a
>copy of but no local bookstore ever carried, went out of print just a
>couple months before I got fed up waiting to find it in a store and
>tried to mail order it. :-(
>

Is this the same guy that writes for Dr. Dobb's?  If so, I believe he was
going to put out a book based on his series of articles on PC graphics.
I'm pretty sure the publisher was going to be M&T books.  If you can't locate
the book, look for back-issues of Dr. Dobb's.  Also, I found his code
somewhere on anonymous ftp.  Can't remember where, but if I was looking, I'd
start with wuarchive.wustl.edu.  Good luck.
From: gmt@reef.cis.ufl.edu (GMM)
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: <None>
Date: 29 Jul 92 15:36:51 GMT
Organization: Univ. of Florida CIS Dept.

What is Stony Brook?
Newsgroups: rec.games.programmer
From: cullhane@medusa.itc.gu.edu.au (Cullhane Gibbs)
Subject: Neo Geo / SNES / MegaDrive Cross Development Systems
Reply-To: cullhane@medusa.UUCP (Cullhane Gibbs)
Organization: Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 92 06:15:10 GMT


es anyone know if there are any cross development or programming devices
for the Neo Geo, MegaDrive or SNES game consoles? Does anyone have
a contact address for SNK or Sega?

		Thanx,
				Cully