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From: sysop@pro-generic.cts.com (Matthew Montano)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: //gs screen resolutions...
Message-ID: <10583.infoapple.net@pro-generic>
Date: 11 Feb 90 16:00:21 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 44

In-Reply-To: message from farrier@Apple.COM


> Ever seen any games on the Amiga?

> I don't mean to sound too critical, but it is important not to make
> such generalizations about other computers. If you don't understand the
> strengths of other products and the weaknesses of your own products, you
> can't improve on your own products.

Cary, your proud to work for Apple aren't you? :)

  I work in a store where we do sell Amiga's, ST's, IBM's, IIgs's, Mac's and
AT compatibles. I see most of the new software (for the non-apple CPU's
anyways) and have worked with all of them to resonable lengths.

  What I have to put up with is that the Amiga and IBM's, have all these high
resolution modes which are perfect for still shots, and desktop applications,
but not for games. But a specific employee in my store, insists it's great for
games. He's hardly unique, many customers believe that because you have a
higher resolution, the games are better. Nothing could be further from the
truth. Hardly ANY amiga games use anything about 320*200*16 (or 256), and
those that do are just starting to appear. The Amiga has the ability with
better programming techniques to do some decent animation in these higher
resolutions, but techniques are developed over time (Prince of Persia is a
good example). 

  What the problem is now, is all these rumors of the new //gs having 640*400
resolution is getting those trigger fingers itchy, and they shouldn't be.
Unless they want to wait a few years and watch animation techniques progress
to a point where it could be done. I would enjoy 640*400 resolution, because I
can see it being used for what it is being used on other machines for,
high-resolution text, word processors, sim-city like entertainment software,
hypercard like applications. But games? Don't expect the world yet!

  Ever wonder how Dragons Lair was done on the Amiga? I can only come to the
assumption that there is a lot of uncompression and copying into the screen
buffer being done, nothing more. (That's why it is something like 6 disks
long). Dragons Lair on the Amiga is in 320*200*16.


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