Ragstaff wrote:...
I have to confess I find all the different versions a little fractured. My thoughts (for you to ignore as you wish!) to reduce number of versions:
- I know you put work into doing the separate STE version but if the ST blitter fine scroll works on the STE, for us end users the result is the same, it's just the "how" is different. So is there a need to have separate STE versions available for download if the ST fine scroll version works?
Or am I wrong and this version can't work so easily on Falcon, Mega STE etc? - These days with internet speeds, hard drive sizes etc maybe you don't need the HD version without intro? Just have the one HD version with intro included
- For STE versions (which I questioned above, but if you need them) the STE is so easy to upgrade the RAM. I think I remember reading a survey in ST Format in the last years, even all the way back then something like 70% of STE owners had 4MB and 90% more than 1MB. So I don't think you need to worry about 512k version for the STE
Short answer would be: it is in TestMe section . I made different versions to be able to see what way is better for specific HW, to practice some coding.
Longer answer: I made first STE HW scroll version because it seemed as natural choice. But because upper part of screen is static it needed some extra coding to assure stable screen in all cases. STE HW scroll is not flexible - it works best for whole screen, and doing partial scroll of horizontal line is practically impossible with it. Doing part of screen vertically needs very good usage of Timer-B, and it makes some smaller slowdown.
Much later, months after STE HW scroll v. was done, I realized that for this game (and for Giana) blitter can be used, and that will not need any extra code for partial screen scroll.
Those diverse versions can remain in TestMe section. In main game (hard disk adaptations) section are only blitter scroll and non scrolling versions.
It was really not hard to make STE version to work with 512KB RAM - using system what I already developed earlier, so why not ? Actually, I just used code what done for non scroll version - and that works on ST too, of course.
Intro is special case. I prefer to have exact original game version always when it is possible. Intro, some extra music in game will be always as extra release.
Thanx for your thoughts, I think that you can understand now better my approach.
Famous Schrodinger's cat hypothetical experiment says that cat is dead or alive until we open box and see condition of poor animal, which deserved better logic. Cat is always in some certain state - regardless from is observer able or not to see what the state is.