Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!motcsd!starnet!sschaem
From: sschaem@starnet.uucp (Stephan Schaem)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games
Subject: Re: FA/18 Flight Sim Multitasks on A-3000
Message-ID: <1991Mar5.175821.12047@starnet.uucp>
Date: 5 Mar 91 17:58:21 GMT
References: <521@cronos.metaphor.com>
Organization: Starnet Connections---Public Access UNIX
Lines: 35


 I heard alot about people complaining about game not multitasking
 not being HD instalable or else...
 For F-18 I haven't seen any thing that would make it not multitasking.
 Sometime its hard to share things with intuition...
 Sprites for example, you might need them all and need copper control.
 So if you open a screen for your display you need a better way 
 handle the copper list than with the OS.It would be possible, but slow
 , REALLY slow.
 Also if you are involve in game programing you will see that there is
 alot of display methode.F18 for example use 2 page, other for other
 need only have one page.So blitter timming is crytical would really
 mess things up on the display.
 The memory issue is also here, since developers need the all market
 available especially when they offer amiga only product.
 If everybody Had 1meg you will have games that can alway come back to
 the OS, not all multitasking but not 'destroying' it...
 In fact their is hundreds of reason why ACTION GAME act that way.
 I program in both world of 'system' and 'hardware', system programer
 are not smarter or do things better or the other way.
 This is really 2 complete diferent things, and most cant swap field
 just like that (depand on level).
 I done 3 games on the amiga ("OVERDRIVE" is the latest) and profesional
 duplicator driver/software, 400 function libraryes (intuition,gfx
 extension), gfx display (IRIS MOSTLY) etc... Curently doing a
 multitasking game at 60 frame second using only one page (take cpu 
 during scroll).
 The fact is: all game can be HD installable, can come back to system
 AND NOT all game multitasking.
 HD instalabel is for protection and development time.
 Back to system is to deal with ALL amiga owners.
 Multitasking is not a choice at start.
  
  It's easy to know if a game could have been the above, just look 
  for special indication....