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From: c60a-3ec@e260-4g.berkeley.edu (Matthew Hills)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Misc. Questions
Message-ID: <1990Mar16.064659.4149@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 16 Mar 90 06:46:59 GMT
References: <2514@quiche.cs.mcgill.ca>
Sender: usenet@agate.berkeley.edu (USENET Administrator;;;;ZU44)
Reply-To: c60a-3ec@e260-4g (Matthew Hills)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
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Questions Regarding Sound:
  In using the Four-Tone Synthesizer, I want to produce 3-part music.
  Since any given Sound Rec only represents one set of notes, what is the
  best technique for sticking them together?  I understand that I should
  play asynchronously; but I'm curious what to do when I have a continuing
  note for 1 part, and need a new note for another.  Finally, the 3rd part
  will be a regular rhythm, and it will be playing the same note repeatedly;
  thus, I need a bit of a gap to distinguish between beats.

Questions Regarding Graphics:
  To get fast action, I will be saving everything as offscreen bitmaps (I'm
  not terribly worried about memory), and will by using CopyBits to bring
  them on screen.  Basically, I need to move the objects smoothly (and
  quickly) over the screen.  What is the best combination of erasing/
  shifting/redrawing?  I was thinking of using EraseRect to erase old
  picture, update the rectangle boundaries manually, then use copybits to
  bring the bitmap into the new rectangle.  Would this produce too much
  flicker?  Any comments on ways to make this more efficient?

General Questions:
  Is it generally faster to do stuff manually (ie: "if (x>3) v=0;"--have
  a lot of if's and cases) or to call procedures that will deal with a more
  general case?

Any advice on making a program fairly fast?  Basically, it will be a game
  program (no, no music while the game is playing).  I am planning on
  having movement of missles/bad_guys/good_guy spread out over a loop.
  (ie--1 loop consists of a bunch of "impulses", and fastest objects move
  every other impulse, slower objects move every 3rd, 4th, etc...).
  When is it best to check for player going "out of bounds"?  I was planning
  on checking on *every* impulse before he was moved.  Is there some ingenious
  way of avoiding checking every time, to eliminate unnecesary calculations?
  (I'm using Lightspeed, err Think, C).

Thanks Much,

==============================================================================
=--Matthew Hills-=--"You know, it just doesn't--=--Any viewpoints expressed--=
=----(KC6FGM)----=---get any better than this"--=--herein are my own.--------=
==============================================================================