Article View: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Article #3791RE: games & multitasking
From: RONALD VAN EIJCK
Date: Tue, 05 Jun 1990 08:29
Date: Tue, 05 Jun 1990 08:29
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2357 bytes
After reading so much messages about Games vs Multitasking here's my opinion.
Harddisks etc:
It isn't difficult to make a game harddisk installable, If let it start
from workbench and get your cd from the icon it runs from any device,
dh0: work: df1: etc. etc.
RAM:
1: don't destroy the system and ASK!!! for the memory you need.
2: Try to keep the data in ram. If you need a data area and you can't
allocate free the memory for the title screen or some other unimportant
part of your data and reread it if you need it again. (people who have
lot's of ram don't have to wait, people who have little ram do.)
Processors:
If you don't do busy loops and you don't use the dangerous instructions
processors are the least of your worries.
Multitasking:
Don't destroy the system. I am not saying that you have to be able to run
dpain, sonix and whatsoever on the background but you should not disable
all dma and interrupts. Instead use the following:
1: Insert an input handler just before intuition (pri 51) and steal all
the input events while your game is running, nobody wants to give input
to an other task while playing an shoot-em-up game.
2: Give your task a priority of 1 (you can use a higher value if you have some
waits in your programm but be carefull.)
3: If you have a speed problem look at your algorithm instead of destroying
the system. (this'll cause me trouble)
Copy protection:
Don't use diskbased copyprotection:
1: I really want to have a backup of the programm's I buy.
2: Some hacker will write a copy program.
3: You can make copies so someone else can.
I am using dongle protection for my programs, the advantages are:
1: People can make backups.
2: It's impossible to use two copies of the program at the same time
3: It's more difficult to break hardware.
4: If someone breaks the hardware only a limited number of copies will be made
The only disadvantage is that if a lot of programs use them the users get mad.
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!telmail!neabbs!rrs From: rrs@neabbs.UUCP (RONALD VAN EIJCK) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech Subject: RE: games & multitasking Message-ID: <398658@neabbs.UUCP> Date: 5 Jun 90 08:29:38 GMT Organization: NEABBS multi-line BBS +31-20-717666 (13x), Amsterdam, Holland Lines: 41