Game that used 'HAM' mode

Big-Byte · 20 August 2002, 10:26

As far as I recall there was only one game that used the HAM mode but what was its name?

And does it work on any emulator.

Amiga1992 · 20 August 2002, 10:32

Are you talking about Links, the golf sim? AFAIK it's the only game that uses HAM mode.

What an awful game

Tim Janssen · 20 August 2002, 10:36

Wasn’t it Pioneer Plague? When this game was released in 1989, it was regarded as the first game using the HAM-palette to the full.
The game is pretty weird - in the same league as Captain Blood. It has an UFO flying over huge city backdrops, a 3D tunnel section and more subgames I cannot remember anymore

Big-Byte · 20 August 2002, 11:05

Pioneer Plague!! That was it.. Never worked out how to play it though.

Links uses HAM mode too then? Bet it was slow.

Kodoichi · 20 August 2002, 12:42

Knights Of The Crystallion uses HAM too =|

Amiga1992 · 20 August 2002, 19:40

There you go, you have 3 HAM games now!

Drake1009 · 20 August 2002, 20:05

Question is if other games really needed the HAM mode. Take Lionheart for a shining example. I don't think that uses HAM but it looks darn good regardless.

Amiga1992 · 21 August 2002, 04:40

No, it doesn't. Lionheart just uses smart copper techniques to change the colors.

HAM is useless, specially because of "HAM fringeing"... that's the worst part about HAM imo, even worse than its pathetic speed.

fiath · 21 August 2002, 10:26

Abandoned Places 2 uses a 64-colour halfbright mode. Is that using the HAM features? Surely no game wouldn't use the full 4096 colour HAM mode would it?

RetroMan · 21 August 2002, 11:05

Labyrinth of Time for the CD³² also uses the HAM Mode

7-Zark-7 · 21 August 2002, 18:27

Hollywood Strip poker Pro, & I'd think just about every other strip poker type game on the Amiga would've used the HAM mode for the static digitised pics.
Didn't Links specs require at least an 68020/30 to even run??

Galahad/FLT · 21 August 2002, 18:57

Used HAM mode for static screens:

Phantom Fighter, Robocop 2, Strip Poker 1 & 2, Covergirl Strip Poker.

Pioneer Plague, Knights of the Crystallion, Links all used it (as mentioned).

Technically, HAM mode DOESN'T display all colours at the same time, but to the human eye, well, it simply doesn't know the difference. It alters the colours of the pixels to get the 4096 onscreen all the time, hence why its so bloody useless except for static pictures.

I am surprised Links was so bad, bearing in mind all it had to do was throw a dot around the screen!

But more games than you realise used HAM mode for intro screens. Quite a few Psygnosis games used them for static presentation screens, but coloured them carefully to avoid fringing (fringing occurs when the colours being swapped around in pixels close together that the human eye can detect)

Amiga1992 · 21 August 2002, 19:18

Quote:

Originally posted by fiath
Abandoned Places 2 uses a 64-colour halfbright mode. Is that using the HAM features?

Nope, Halfbrite is another mode (an ECS one).

As Galahad says, lots of games used HAM for static screens, but only a few used the mode all over the game.

I never checked this: does HAM8 have the same fringeing problem as HAM?

7-Zark-7 · 22 August 2002, 17:03

@Akira. If the halfbrite mode was an ECS feature, then why would Abandoned Places 2, work on A500's then?
I remember using the 64 colours half-brite mode on some of the old paint utils with the A500,(Not that a computer could ever cover up my lack of artistic talent!!

).
And there was another RPG game, from Electronic Arts from memory, Dungeon Krypt??? I dunno, that used the half-brite mode & I think that title predated A500+/600's.

Toni Wilen · 22 August 2002, 18:46

EHB is OCS feature (only some first A1000 models didn't support EHB)

Amiga1992 · 22 August 2002, 19:19

Thanks for clearing that up Tony! I thought it was an ECS feature only...

Codetapper · 23 August 2002, 04:08

Licence to Kill and BMX Simulator title pics are both HAM.

I think there was another game from 1988 published by Ocean (and possibly beginning with E or O?) which was claimed at the time in the naff rag C+VG to be the first full HAM game.

Eco perhaps? (Never played it, just going from a sometimes very poor memory!)

I think it might have been something with planets in it.

TikTok · 26 August 2002, 14:17

What about Universe (the graphical adventure)? Or did that only claim 256 colours?

26 August 2002, 14:59

There was a game, which I remember was advertised heavily as "4096 colours", HAM-mode, the most colours on any Amiga game etc.... etc...

It was a platform game, I think it was about a Bug Exterminator or something and had Bug in the title if I remember correctly.

Drake1009 · 26 August 2002, 15:10

I don't think Universe was a HAM game. It definately didn't have that many colors...I think.

Though it would explain the poor performance.

20 August 2002, 10:26	#1
Big-Byte Long time member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: UK Posts: 754	Game that used 'HAM' mode As far as I recall there was only one game that used the HAM mode but what was its name? And does it work on any emulator.

20 August 2002, 10:36	#3
Tim Janssen Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Den Bosch / The Netherlands Age: 47 Posts: 1,271	Pioneer Plaue Wasn’t it Pioneer Plague? When this game was released in 1989, it was regarded as the first game using the HAM-palette to the full. The game is pretty weird - in the same league as Captain Blood. It has an UFO flying over huge city backdrops, a 3D tunnel section and more subgames I cannot remember anymore

21 August 2002, 18:57	#12
Galahad/FLT Going nowhere Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: United Kingdom Age: 50 Posts: 8,994	Loads of games.... Used HAM mode for static screens: Phantom Fighter, Robocop 2, Strip Poker 1 & 2, Covergirl Strip Poker. Pioneer Plague, Knights of the Crystallion, Links all used it (as mentioned). Technically, HAM mode DOESN'T display all colours at the same time, but to the human eye, well, it simply doesn't know the difference. It alters the colours of the pixels to get the 4096 onscreen all the time, hence why its so bloody useless except for static pictures. I am surprised Links was so bad, bearing in mind all it had to do was throw a dot around the screen! But more games than you realise used HAM mode for intro screens. Quite a few Psygnosis games used them for static presentation screens, but coloured them carefully to avoid fringing (fringing occurs when the colours being swapped around in pixels close together that the human eye can detect)

23 August 2002, 04:08	#17
Codetapper 2 contact me: email only! Join Date: May 2001 Location: Auckland / New Zealand Posts: 3,182	HAM games Licence to Kill and BMX Simulator title pics are both HAM. I think there was another game from 1988 published by Ocean (and possibly beginning with E or O?) which was claimed at the time in the naff rag C+VG to be the first full HAM game. Eco perhaps? (Never played it, just going from a sometimes very poor memory!) I think it might have been something with planets in it.

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20 August 2002, 10:32	#2
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	Are you talking about Links, the golf sim? AFAIK it's the only game that uses HAM mode. What an awful game

20 August 2002, 11:05	#4
Big-Byte Long time member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: UK Posts: 754	Pioneer Plague!! That was it.. Never worked out how to play it though. Links uses HAM mode too then? Bet it was slow.

20 August 2002, 12:42	#5
Kodoichi Banned Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: I'm the smiling face on your TV, I exploit you still you love me Posts: 515	Knights Of The Crystallion uses HAM too =\|

20 August 2002, 19:40	#6
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	There you go, you have 3 HAM games now!

20 August 2002, 20:05	#7
Drake1009 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Denmark Posts: 2,284	Question is if other games really needed the HAM mode. Take Lionheart for a shining example. I don't think that uses HAM but it looks darn good regardless.

21 August 2002, 04:40	#8
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	No, it doesn't. Lionheart just uses smart copper techniques to change the colors. HAM is useless, specially because of "HAM fringeing"... that's the worst part about HAM imo, even worse than its pathetic speed.

21 August 2002, 10:26	#9
fiath Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: South East / UK Age: 46 Posts: 1,930	Abandoned Places 2 uses a 64-colour halfbright mode. Is that using the HAM features? Surely no game wouldn't use the full 4096 colour HAM mode would it?

21 August 2002, 11:05	#10
RetroMan Registered User Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Germany Age: 51 Posts: 3,704	Labyrinth of Time for the CD³² also uses the HAM Mode

21 August 2002, 18:27	#11
7-Zark-7 Zone Friend Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Brisbane/Australia Posts: 1,270	Hollywood Strip poker Pro, & I'd think just about every other strip poker type game on the Amiga would've used the HAM mode for the static digitised pics. Didn't Links specs require at least an 68020/30 to even run??

22 August 2002, 17:03	#14
7-Zark-7 Zone Friend Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Brisbane/Australia Posts: 1,270	@Akira. If the halfbrite mode was an ECS feature, then why would Abandoned Places 2, work on A500's then? I remember using the 64 colours half-brite mode on some of the old paint utils with the A500,(Not that a computer could ever cover up my lack of artistic talent!! ). And there was another RPG game, from Electronic Arts from memory, Dungeon Krypt??? I dunno, that used the half-brite mode & I think that title predated A500+/600's.

22 August 2002, 18:46	#15
Toni Wilen WinUAE developer Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Hämeenlinna/Finland Age: 49 Posts: 26,516	EHB is OCS feature (only some first A1000 models didn't support EHB)

22 August 2002, 19:19	#16
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	Thanks for clearing that up Tony! I thought it was an ECS feature only...

26 August 2002, 14:17	#18
TikTok Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Malayasia Age: 43 Posts: 657	What about Universe (the graphical adventure)? Or did that only claim 256 colours?

26 August 2002, 14:59	#19
Jim Posts: n/a	There was a game, which I remember was advertised heavily as "4096 colours", HAM-mode, the most colours on any Amiga game etc.... etc... It was a platform game, I think it was about a Bug Exterminator or something and had Bug in the title if I remember correctly.

26 August 2002, 15:10	#20
Drake1009 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Denmark Posts: 2,284	I don't think Universe was a HAM game. It definately didn't have that many colors...I think. Though it would explain the poor performance.

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