Denial

eslapion wrote: ↑Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:52 pm Does anyone think Gyruss could be made for the VIC one day?

Mike wrote:A few pro and cons of VIC-20 compared to C64 for these kind of games:


[+] a PAL VIC-20 is slightly faster than NTSC C64 and VIC-20, with PAL C64 the slowest of the lot. Small advantage in math (translate/rotate/project),

[+] VIC-20 has a smaller bitmap (160x192 vs. 320x200). It's cleared faster, and in general there's less work to do for the graphics routines,

[+] the VIC-20 bitmap can be arranged for a much more nicely addressing scheme. The C64 bitmap addressing scheme is just a PITA for line routines, etc.

[-] the VIC chip can't hold two bitmaps (i.e. two times 160x192, with one as shadow buffer) and switch between them with a simple change of a register for flicker free redraw. You need a fast copy routine for transferring the shadow buffer into the visible screen buffer.

[-] less memory available on the VIC-20 in general. The C64 can use a full 64K RAM, VIC-20 is limited to 40K RAM in total (if we exclude non-standard usage of the I/O area as RAM, and also disregard any banked RAM expansion). Can be alleviated a bit with overlay methods, but ...

beamrider wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 3:10 am It could, but it wouldn't look great as the CPU isn't powerful enough.

Take a look at the C64 version and think blockier with colour clash. I imagine the frame-rate would be similar as the Vic doesn't have sprites (which I assume they used to draw a few things) but has a lower resolution and slightly faster CPU.

20questions wrote:any other computers capable of running it? ti-994/A, COCO? Dragon 32/64 (i have no qualms about using monochrome if it speeds up the gameplay, my only concern is control and visuals, i don't want to sacrifice graphical quality if i don't have to)

Mike wrote: ↑Sun Apr 05, 2020 1:36 am

20questions wrote:any other computers capable of running it? ti-994/A, COCO? Dragon 32/64 (i have no qualms about using monochrome if it speeds up the gameplay, my only concern is control and visuals, i don't want to sacrifice graphical quality if i don't have to)

The issue at hand doesn't become any easier for any of the other contemporary (i.e. 80ies) computers.

Besides, you are even though grossly underestimating the necessary work to be put into such a project, when you speak of 4 months. At your skill level, make that 4 years. You will spend a good part of it leveling up until you even understand what you were asking for.

I know it has been said to you on several other occasions already, but it does not harm to repeat it here: stick to one system first, learn one programming language (and in case you think HTML was a programming language, it isn't!), set yourself small programming exercises - or take them from a book - and then try to solve them.

Doing that will actually lead you somewhere. Not just looking at how games appear to work, and hoping you could 'get away' by just scripting the actions.

20questions wrote: any idea where to start? I apologize if i am causing anyone trouble

Mike wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 4:22 am

*) I actually think Star Wars on the C64 didn't use any kind of 3D engine to speak of. The shapes were most probably precalculated for different sizes and orientations of the TIE fighters and explosions.