1. Re: graphical engines
- Posted by Ralf Nieuwenhuijsen <nieuwen at XS4ALL.NL>
Apr 20, 1999
-
Last edited Apr 21, 1999
> I'm questioning the need for highly-optimized code these days, considering
> the power of the hardware available. I would say a majority of hardcore
> gamers have the PII(I) or similar chips, tons of RAM, and good video... I'm
> not saying we can bloat without care, but I think what programmers need to
> concentrate on these days is playability/concept. What do you guys think?
I totally agree with you here. Real games are challenging and closer to art than
to entertainment.
I mean Half-life graphics are less compared to Unreal, but I know I had more fun
playing it.
I can still play a 'Oil's Well' on my C64-Emulator. (I'm using VicE) and from
the top of my head these games rocked the world
with superior levels and challenges:
-- Bram's Stroke?? Dracula (Gameboy/Ness)
-- Oil's well (C-64)
-- Boulderdash (C-64)
-- Police Squad (Adventures/action)
-- Wolfenstein: 2nd Episode only. (PC)
-- Doom: most of it. (pc)
-- Quarantine (PC)
-- Grand Theft Auto (PC)
-- Unreal (fascinating.. and many new concepts and challenges) (PC)
-- Half-life (the total illusion and extreme challenges, the Xen-levels are
btw near art, the scary feel of total
interaction, the same kind of feeling you have walking the woods with any
'western' life around) (PC)
Although there really is a difference, between 'esthetic' games and 'puzzle'
games.
Unreal is enjoyed in the way one can enjoy a surrealistic movie, its an
emotional thing, you either feel 'at home' .. 'touched'
or you don't. Same with 'Quarantine' .. but this also had to do with good and
moody music that came with it.
While 'puzzle' games are more rational challenges, and mind 'massages' ..
> My other question is, can EUPHORIA be used to write that killer game?
Surely it can. Look at the above list. Each of them, can still be played for
fun, nowadays.
Irregardless of your hardware. The comment that Euphoria is too slow is a untrue
statement.
Look at Unreal. 99% of the code runs is UnrealScript, interpreted in real time.
Especially with the amount of memory and chip's
speed, you can easily 'spare' some memory and cycles. The real speed bottlenecks
are in the tiny part of code, that actually
does the rendering.
I mean, just because we didn't write the standard MS- mouse driver ourselves,
does this mean an euphoria program using such a
driver is not a real euphoria program ? Silly, IMHO.
Ralf
