Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!uupsi!sunic!sics.se!bula!bjornk From: bjornk@bula.se (Bjorn Knutsson) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Game vs Multitasking Message-ID: <7411@bula.se> Date: 30 May 90 07:30:05 GMT References: <7373@bula.se> Sender: rnews@bula.se Reply-To: Bjorn Knutsson Distribution: comp Organization: Bjorn's Amiga, Sweden Lines: 81 In article mt87692@tut.fi (Mikko Tsokkinen) writes: >In article <7373@bula.se> bjornk@bula.se (Bjorn Knutsson) writes: > OK! This seems you all want to have games in your HD. Yes, why buy a harddisk if you can't use it? >> 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. Sure, but people who want to remove your protection will do so no matter how much time you put into designing your copy protection. The reason you have copy protection is not to stop knowledgable people who are determined to crack your protection. They will remove it no matter how hard you try to stop them (unless you make the protection part of the program). The ones you want to stop is the ones who will make copies if all they have to do is start a copy program. This kind of people will not whip out a debugger in an attempt to defeat your protection. As I said, word-in-the-manual is OK, if done right. Asking for a stupid word every five minutes is not "done right". > - The only conclusions seems to make parallel dongles. Sure go ahead. I sure won't buy a game that requires me to insert a lot of unecessary hardware into my system. DigiView has an excellent protection. A parallel dongle that actually does something. That's OK. Having to insert a dongle to play a game is not. > 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! Well, you can always give the user the option of running your program at priority 127. If you don't get all the cycles you need, decrease the frame rate. Some people (me for instance) would be prepared to do this trade off in order to run things in the background. >> 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? Again: Make it an option. Sometimes I will want to use the "spare" cycles for other things, sometimes I will happily give them to you. It depends on what I'm doing at the time. >> >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! Then do it. Memory fragmentation is the only trace your program should leave. >-- >Mikko "Assembler rules OK!" Tsokkinen >Internet mt87692@tut.fi : UUCP tut!mt87692 : Bitnet mt87692@fintut --- 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