Thinking in game in C with pure AmigaOS

Leandro Jardim · 18 August 2012, 03:15

Hi everyone,

I am new in AmigaOS, before I did some graphics with GDI and .NET too. My question is if in a 68000/68EC020 Amiga is possible to make games, for example a platform one, in SAS/C using pure AmigaOS graphics routines? I am not expecting commercial quality, I am interested only in the PD area.

I know that before I ask something like this, I would need to test it myself, after all, everyone should start from some point, but I would like to know from experienced persons first, because I hear things like "games can only be done in assembly" and "C is capable to do simple games", and I feel confused if I should ever begin.

And another question. Amiga have a graphics coprocessor, and for things like drawing bitmaps exists the dedicated blitter, but and if I would like to draw bitmaps using a software blitter written in SAS/C, to draw 4-bit packed pixels? Is this a task that only can be made efficiently in Assembly? Everyone with a knowledge of bitwise operations can do it in Amiga?

And more, what do you guys would think of a interpreter like the Chip16 (http://forums.ngemu.com/showthread.php?t=145620) to be written in pure C, using AmigaOS graphics routines, and for a 68000/680EC020? Would it run fast for a 1 MHz interpreter?

Or for an interpreter in AmigaOS, the only feasible option would to draw everything using the blitter and use assembly too? An interpreted language like BASIC with access to the hardware blitter would be the only thing one could do on a entry-level Amiga?

Thanks!

Thorham · 18 August 2012, 07:28

Sure, you can do games using the OS, but don't expect great results. The only way to get everything fast and efficient on 68000 and 68020 is to use assembly language or C/C++ combined with assembly language.

Notable exception: Amos. I don't like Amos because it's old school basic (it does have some structured keywords, so it's not C64 BASIC old school) and it's an interpreter, but if you don't care about that, then some good results can be achieved with it. Another exception is Blitz Basic.

If I had to choose between C+AOS and Amos, I'd pick Amos.

18 August 2012, 03:15	#1
Leandro Jardim Registered User Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Legoland Age: 45 Posts: 1,461	Thinking in game in C with pure AmigaOS Hi everyone, I am new in AmigaOS, before I did some graphics with GDI and .NET too. My question is if in a 68000/68EC020 Amiga is possible to make games, for example a platform one, in SAS/C using pure AmigaOS graphics routines? I am not expecting commercial quality, I am interested only in the PD area. I know that before I ask something like this, I would need to test it myself, after all, everyone should start from some point, but I would like to know from experienced persons first, because I hear things like "games can only be done in assembly" and "C is capable to do simple games", and I feel confused if I should ever begin. And another question. Amiga have a graphics coprocessor, and for things like drawing bitmaps exists the dedicated blitter, but and if I would like to draw bitmaps using a software blitter written in SAS/C, to draw 4-bit packed pixels? Is this a task that only can be made efficiently in Assembly? Everyone with a knowledge of bitwise operations can do it in Amiga? And more, what do you guys would think of a interpreter like the Chip16 (http://forums.ngemu.com/showthread.php?t=145620) to be written in pure C, using AmigaOS graphics routines, and for a 68000/680EC020? Would it run fast for a 1 MHz interpreter? Or for an interpreter in AmigaOS, the only feasible option would to draw everything using the blitter and use assembly too? An interpreted language like BASIC with access to the hardware blitter would be the only thing one could do on a entry-level Amiga? Thanks! Last edited by Leandro Jardim; 18 August 2012 at 03:22.

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18 August 2012, 07:28	#2
Thorham Computer Nerd Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Rotterdam/Netherlands Age: 47 Posts: 3,751	Sure, you can do games using the OS, but don't expect great results. The only way to get everything fast and efficient on 68000 and 68020 is to use assembly language or C/C++ combined with assembly language. Notable exception: Amos. I don't like Amos because it's old school basic (it does have some structured keywords, so it's not C64 BASIC old school) and it's an interpreter, but if you don't care about that, then some good results can be achieved with it. Another exception is Blitz Basic. If I had to choose between C+AOS and Amos, I'd pick Amos.

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