Quote:
Originally Posted by eXeler0
Honestly, at this point it *would* be interesting to just know what can be done on a 50MHz 030 + AGA + 16MB RAM. Forget Virtua Fighter Arcade experience, but if really pushed, what could be done on a 030 system.. If someone wants to start playing I can provide custom 3d models for testing..
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50 MHz 030 with 16 MB RAM sounds intriguing...
To really push the visual envelope we can't be doing fast-paced games that suck at low framerate. This rules out the following genres:
- racing
- FPS
- fighting
- simulations
You need a genre that can get away with 8 fps. Like a turn-based action squad game - something like Incubation or Space Hulk.
There, you have the -mostly static- overhead camera that only moves when you need to scroll over the map, so the low framerate doesn't hurt that much, as say, in FPS game where you must be able to make a quick 180 turn.
Or, a 3D indoor platformer (with sprites for characters) that will play fine at 10 fps, giving you 6 full frames of CPU+Blitter time. Something like Prince Of Persia on X360 (minus the perpixel shaders).
I've done a lot of experiments at various framerates for such 3D Platformer on Jaguar. As long as you keep the framerate constant (no framedrops, even one framedrop completely kills it), the movement is actually smooth even at 12-15 fps. It's quite a balancing act, but it can work very convincingly.
The reason why even 12 fps works is that if the front (near) plane of the 3D walls moves only 12 pixels per second, then every frame jumps only a single pixel. Which feels smooth (even if somewhat slow).
Alternatively, you move 2 pixels per frame, which doubles the scrolling speed, but is obviously less smooth...