Path: utzoo!yunexus!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!rpi!uupsi!sunic!tut!mt87692 From: mt87692@tut.fi (Mikko Tsokkinen) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Game vs Multitasking Message-ID: Date: 29 May 90 15:41:45 GMT Article-I.D.: kaarne.MT87692.90May29184145 References: <7373@bula.se> Sender: News@tut.fi Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga Distribution: comp Organization: Tampere University of Technology Lines: 70 In-reply-to: bjornk@bula.se's message of 29 May 90 08:09:23 GMT In article <7373@bula.se> bjornk@bula.se (Bjorn Knutsson) writes: > [...] > >Okay, that's about that, now I had few other questions (or more specific I > >would like to hear your opinions on following subjects): > > > >1. Should game be HD-installable? > > > Yes. If you have a harddisk, you don't want to fool around with > floppies. I wouldn't buy a game that can't be installed on my > harddisk. You may think this is useless, but a lot of people don't. > And besides, the kind of people who buy harddisk are the same kind > of people who are prepared to BUY your program. You don't want to > piss them off since they're your (potential) customers. OK! This seems you all want to have games in your HD. > >2. Should game multitask? > > there are few drawbacks: Copy-protection is alot harder to make and you > > very easily run out of memory. > Again, I wouldn't buy a game that won't let me multitask. I don't even want > programs that take over the display. Also, if your program is copy protected > I will hesitate to buy it. Word-in-the-manual, if done right, is OK. Any disk > based protection is out. The reason I said copy protection is harder to make I mean this: - game multitasks so one nice fellow starts Debugger and then the game which for example asks the words from manual. As soon as the title screen appears back to debugger and save the whole thing to disk and check the tasks pc and search the starting point. GREAT words are gone! And if it asks manual words all the time nobody plays it. - The only conclusions seems to make parallel dongles. And BTW my game contains fractal landscape and complex 3D objects, you seriously think 68000 can run it and some other programs simultaneusly? NO WAY MAN! > >3. Should game detect extra memory/diskdrives/processors? > > notice the speed increase and add new things to game (BTW my program notices > > but noone of my friends has 68020/68030 so I dunno how much it helps:-). > A program should, of course, use as little memory as possible if it's > multitasking. Offer the user the ability to cache stuff that is needed > often. Use as little CHIPMEM as possible. The program should, of > course, not use CPU based timing. If you detect a faster processor > give the user the OPTION of adding extras if you like. But don't use > the CPU more than you need. Think about those other tasks. Also, you > shouldn't adapt to faster processors because CBM has released the > A3000. Even an A1000 can have a 68030. In my programs case the speed isn't actyally increasing but you can see the objects much better. BTW do you really like that I don't use extra speed and let other programs run is better than extra details? > >4. Should game be exitable? Floppy users and low mem people will reset their machines anyway thanks to fracmentation and viruses! But this can be easily provided! > --- > Bjorn Knutsson / USENET: bjornk@bula.se or sunic!sics!bula!bjornk > Stangholmsbacken 44 / Phone : +46-8-710 7223 > S-127 40 SKARHOLMEN / "Oh dear, I think you'll find reality's on the > S W E D E N / blink again." -- Marvin The Paranoid Android MITT -- Mikko "Assembler rules OK!" Tsokkinen Internet mt87692@tut.fi : UUCP tut!mt87692 : Bitnet mt87692@fintut