tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.comments2024-03-05T02:44:27.041-08:00C0DE517EDEADC0DEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01477408942876127202noreply@blogger.comBlogger1501125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-45363831907415080902023-03-16T00:26:57.730-07:002023-03-16T00:26:57.730-07:00Very nice thoughts in this post. A book would be t...Very nice thoughts in this post. A book would be totally worth it.<br /> Albertohttp://albertojaspe.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-64382390920320550012022-11-06T00:28:02.720-07:002022-11-06T00:28:02.720-07:00Try out Ditto, a copy-paste history app. Gamechang...Try out Ditto, a copy-paste history app. Gamechanger.Rubenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08284264081804997262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-14615783190239689152022-11-06T00:27:35.363-07:002022-11-06T00:27:35.363-07:00I am missing Ditto on the list. Copy/paste history...I am missing Ditto on the list. Copy/paste history, a must-have and game-changer for me.Rubenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08284264081804997262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-71509245979866122172022-06-13T14:20:44.053-07:002022-06-13T14:20:44.053-07:00I don't know why, but why doesn't everyone...I don't know why, but why doesn't everyone use C and the features of C++ that you pick and choose? For example, I only use templates if it offers distinct code paths that provide better performance (by leveraging if constexpr possibly, or the templated variable in the function).<br />Other than that, templates are rarely used, too much trouble with everything being in a header file... including in a header file more header files is far more complicated than including a header file in a source file.<br />I use classes and structs, typedefs, inheritance even multiple inheritance (though rare).<br />I use and experiment with new features from the language, but If I don't like it or am not interested, I don't use it. For example, structured bindings, there nice to return from a function, so I use it.<br />I use all the features of C, and pick & choose from C++<br />Now if only I could keep the compilation times to a reasonable.....Carandirunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-35784329463295897872022-04-21T13:22:22.874-07:002022-04-21T13:22:22.874-07:00"unknown" - I've seen only one repor..."unknown" - I've seen only one report of dos audio working for both music and sfx on the 240x, in a Russian forum, so I'm not 100% sure perhaps my thinkpad has just even an hardware issue... Would not be entirely impossible because the sound working under windows should be due to the second chip, not the 4281.<br /><br />I'm quite confident though, if your laptop has a 440ZX, that the difference is that the ZX chipset does support DDMA, while the MX does not.<br /><br />If you can, it would be great it you could copy'n'paste / screenshot what CWRDOS.exe /V says for you (in dos mode).<br /><br />I use version 3.00 which is the newest I could find, I tried an older one (2.80) but it is actually worse (does not install the TSR at all). That said, I don't know if the versions are reliable, or within the same version there were some specific patches applied by IBM.DEADC0DEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01477408942876127202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-87645277147238123732022-04-21T13:14:11.921-07:002022-04-21T13:14:11.921-07:00This is also an interesting take IMHO - from Pacht...This is also an interesting take IMHO - from Pachter Factor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7FUKzCIa_kAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-72581263986268112592022-04-18T20:15:14.082-07:002022-04-18T20:15:14.082-07:00Sorry to hear your 240x has issues with sound unde...Sorry to hear your 240x has issues with sound under DOS. Maybe you should try your luck with a different model? I haven't tested it extensively but my Thinkpad X20 and X21 use the same CS4281 sound chip and have no issues playing sound effects in Duke Nukem 3D under Windows 98se booted into DOS mode (not the Virtual DOS Machine). They use a more normal 440ZXM chipset and a 4MB Rage Mobility M but are somewhat larger 12" laptops. IIRC, the typical complaint with CS4281 is just that people don't like the FM.<br /><br />https://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:X21Liamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01368844172985448552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-31880362495269564902022-04-14T17:14:27.756-07:002022-04-14T17:14:27.756-07:00Ska - si, li ho visti su un HD - non ho provato ad...Ska - si, li ho visti su un HD - non ho provato ad aprirli o a compilarli... pero' esistono<br /><br />R - will do<br /><br />Krull - I am learning a bit more about the sound situation, it might be less dire than I pictured in the article, perhaps my laptop is just a very unlucky combination of things. If I manage to solve this, I'll update the articleDEADC0DEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01477408942876127202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-20052259904609871022022-04-14T10:35:31.075-07:002022-04-14T10:35:31.075-07:00Very good article... it's an experiment I'...Very good article... it's an experiment I'd really love to do myself.. if I have time.. heheh<br />my experience with computers is almost same as yours (first part of article) - except for never having used a C634 and Amiga... but from a XT on, it's also lots of different computers with almost all kind of brands. Another difference, well, as I didn't start on a C64 but an XT, it means I had fun programming in Turbo Pascal... :)<br /><br />And miss those old times... Krullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12607712744040887409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-61540638527173080622022-04-14T07:48:53.620-07:002022-04-14T07:48:53.620-07:00First, loved the article, thanks for sharing!
>...First, loved the article, thanks for sharing!<br /><br />> Last time I tried, DosBox-X had issues on Mac with the mouse emulation - might have been fixed by now.<br /><br /><br />Recently I've been playing with dosbox-x and windows 3.1 on an M1 Mac, and it worked flawlessly. It might be worth giving it another shot! <br /><br /><br />Rhttps://sonnet.ionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-86243278834297991922022-04-14T06:01:52.667-07:002022-04-14T06:01:52.667-07:00perchè hai ancora i sorgenti di 0Trunk?perchè hai ancora i sorgenti di 0Trunk?Skahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05894813258308610497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-24318582901181823122022-02-16T08:17:18.389-08:002022-02-16T08:17:18.389-08:00There is a mistake in ColorFn1D
The blue color is...There is a mistake in ColorFn1D<br /><br />The blue color is inverted:<br /><br />https://www.desmos.com/calculator/cho64ygzuj<br />(Change h=1-x to h=x to see the error)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-44783186090782794002022-02-16T08:11:51.392-08:002022-02-16T08:11:51.392-08:00There is a mistake with ColorFn1D
For the blue co...There is a mistake with ColorFn1D<br /><br />For the blue color, X should be inverted:<br /><br />https://www.desmos.com/calculator/tjhz3wdzp7Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-59975735351905783522022-02-03T09:36:22.163-08:002022-02-03T09:36:22.163-08:00Rodolfo: not to my knowledge. Scratch afaik is a p...Rodolfo: not to my knowledge. Scratch afaik is a programming tool with an associated community / sharing of projects. But it is not itself a social place - i.e. the things you create are not virtual worlds, universes - so it is not a meta-verse. <br /><br />Most creativity tools have communities and sharing websites, and the communities are social, e.g. collaborating over forums, chats etc - that's all amazing and fantastic, but it is nothing new and not the meta-verse imho.DEADC0DEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01477408942876127202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-46859413081966923532022-02-03T04:14:33.458-08:002022-02-03T04:14:33.458-08:00Let me se if I got it.. is Scratch a metaverse the...Let me se if I got it.. is <a href="https://scratch.mit.edu/" rel="nofollow">Scratch</a> a metaverse then?Rodolfo Borgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10568071024163398856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-29240698063792785052022-02-02T20:19:05.091-08:002022-02-02T20:19:05.091-08:00James: it's a lot of old, messy R&D code, ...James: it's a lot of old, messy R&D code, and it's technically property of Activision. Sorry. DEADC0DEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01477408942876127202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-41745986267867257532021-05-19T21:34:40.627-07:002021-05-19T21:34:40.627-07:00Hi! Would you kindly share the Mathematica code to...Hi! Would you kindly share the Mathematica code to plot these graphs. ThanksJameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14804179724539411717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-80555836288244341652021-01-27T20:17:21.080-08:002021-01-27T20:17:21.080-08:00Very nice reads, especially the first one!
I'...Very nice reads, especially the first one!<br /><br />I'm glad to hear the conclusion about tools in particular. I think we have pretty good generic tools right now with Unity/Unreal/Godot, but when you've got a specific problem, you need a specific tool.<br /><br />One example is the last game I shipped: Streets of Rage 4. It's not 3D, nor is it AAA. But that's my point: we knew exactly what we needed and we built an engine *and the editor*, and the game, in approx 2 years with a core team of 5 people, only two of us programming (helped with a third one for a short while). I do think we have one of the best 2D rendering out there, with the rimlights and reflections and everything, and it did brought the game some praise. But while I could have put the same shaders in Unity, we - as a team - would have never been able to ship it in that timeframe with Unity.<br /><br />We put time on rendering because that's what makes good screenshots, that's what make people talk. But having a good toolset will lower the required budget, giving you more time to put on fancy rendering! Not to mention, being able to downsize the team makes everything, from communication to management to keeping a good vision, much much easier.<br /><br />...and by good tools I'm not talking about a shiny graph editor to make custom renderpaths for a specific LOD level of a specific model. Those things shouldn't be shiny, they should be hidden and automatic. My philosophy gravitates around "less data = less bug". That means giving only the useful parameters to artists, with good default values. You don't want to scare anyone with too many options and too many strange concepts. But sadly, that's what you need when you build a generic editor like Unity or Unreal, because it needs to do <i>everything</i>.Bohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11315447758650096251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-38466235652518242602021-01-27T10:21:58.285-08:002021-01-27T10:21:58.285-08:00I think we could look outside to other tech trends...I think we could look outside to other tech trends. Sound, for example. Sound in games was very hardware constrained at first. In the 80's we had chips with basically 3 or 4 oscillators, and the best musicians were also programmers, playing with register to max out all they could from the chip. Fast forward to 90's, we had FM synths that were horrible to program. So much so that most musician were using the default instrument presets. Still, the best musicians would do things like using the sound effect channel to use sampled drums instead of faking them with FM.<br />Then we got MIDI which sounded better (by default) but had fixed instruments. Then at some point we started streaming real music off CDs!<br />It sounded much better, but dynamic music (like you'd hear in Monkey Island) was now totally impossible. You would have to wait 5-10 years for it to come back.<br />In the mean time, some soundcards started offering special hardware accelerated reverbs (EAX) before getting totally obsolete.<br />Nowadays, nobody cares about dedicated soundcards. Everything is done on the CPU. Even AAA games use third party tools like Fmod or Wwise to add effects, mix the sounds, etc.<br /><br />Back to rendering. I see a (far, far) future where we'll stop focussing so much on implementation details, and start using the general approach for everything. To follow my previous analogy, my laptop is probably still able to generate a very pure 440hz pulsewave. But no one will play with registers and ports to make that sound, it's much easier to send a 44100khz waveform containing the data of a 440hz pulse. At some point raytracing will get cheap enough that we won't care about details and use it for everything, including 2D GUIs! And the chip makers will actually ditch the rasterizing logic to keep the costs low.Bohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11315447758650096251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-69797479660629332972021-01-08T02:26:34.125-08:002021-01-08T02:26:34.125-08:00This is so interesting!
One thing I am really curi...This is so interesting!<br />One thing I am really curious about is how the shadows on particle billboards were handled, for smoke and dust effects for example. Depending on the amount of particles, this seems to approximate volumetric shadows quite well. Are they CSMs projected onto the animated smoke? I'm having a hard time understanding how this was handled when the light is incoming from the opposite side of the particle.Halefallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17668817663142484557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-41205931611740441752020-12-30T11:36:14.779-08:002020-12-30T11:36:14.779-08:00Absolutely: don't get me wrong, I'm not cl...Absolutely: don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming that raytracing will simplify development. Raytracing is a paradigm shift that will require finding the efficiencies we now have after ~25 years of rasterization, only under a different umbrella that is <i>conceptually more unified</i>. In the end it's not like development stops just because this new technology allows us to get closer to doing the correct thing: the need to do it more efficiently will always be there, if not only for the fact that the possibilities enabled by it will trigger a demand for more complex content. It's the old adage about the fact that, while Moore's law should have in principle minimized our rendertimes, in practice rendertimes have remained pretty much the same (if not grown longer), just because we throw more stuff (to be calculated with less compromises) to the computer.<br />Exciting times to be part of.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-61059791608798596832020-12-29T17:17:55.405-08:002020-12-29T17:17:55.405-08:00There is no question that RT is the ultimate solut...There is no question that RT is the ultimate solution to the rendering equation, I think we have decades of research proving it.<br /><br />My articles is not against RT nor against progress - it is only dispelling an imho naive idea that RT will make our engines simpler - as most of the complexity has nothing to do with anything related to this or that technology.<br /><br />Also, we could go into technical reasons why RT stuff is not easy at all, not even "simple" things like pure RT shadows are actually simple (see the recent presentation on RT shadows in COD:CW for example - research.activision.com) - but this would be besides the point.DEADC0DEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01477408942876127202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-16412936665783162132020-12-29T16:41:57.790-08:002020-12-29T16:41:57.790-08:00I think the point of raytracing is that it unifies...I think the point of raytracing is that it unifies under one umbrella all the disparate hacks needed to make different facets of light transport work and it can be an enabling technology. Once the magic grail of realtime path tracing is enabled by having raytracing on hardware the advantages are obvious, in example:<br />-no need for specialized light types, all emissive geometry can *literally* be a light, and correct soft shadows are just a side effect.<br />-dynamic/destructible worlds can be lit with correct global illumination: indirect illumination is hard, and probe-based solutions (complemented by ambient occlusion approximations) leave a lot to be desired against even a single bounce correct solution.<br />-in short, light and materials tend to behave in a more realistic way, which means the way to achieve a vision is much more intuitive for an artist.<br />-the points above are just about realistic lighting quality but, in more general terms, correctly modeling reflections and refractions could simply open up game design ideas that are currently out of reach.<br />As pointed out above, on the artistic side less hacks are necessary and artists can focus on producing content instead of spending a good portion of their time figuring out how to realize their ideas or simply working around limitations: I've seen this happen in the offline rendering world when the transition from old reyes renderers (depth/deep map/brickmap preprocessing anyone?) to path tracers led to a higher volume of content, at higher quality, being produced by the same number of artists.<br />In the end we are moving towards the creation of bigger, more intricate and believable worlds, and if we use what raytracing gives us, we can get there faster and with less pain.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-72997954271810173332020-12-28T23:59:01.721-08:002020-12-28T23:59:01.721-08:00I agree. In the feature VFX and animation world, t...I agree. In the feature VFX and animation world, the transition from scanline renderers to physically accurate global illumination ray tracers has allowed much more accurate modeling of light behavior and simplified the generation of realistic images but the expectations of the volume and quality of produced content have also increased. Although the nature of progress dictates that we will keep pushing the scale of what can be made, successful content requires that design and technology are in line with each other. Art doesn't get simpler, it evolves and reflects what is possible. Ultimately, it succeeds only when we can relate to it on a human level and that has nothing to do with the tool, even if generally artists are drawn to the potential of new technologies.Thomas Hollierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05096890842215271598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950833531562942289.post-81139406362005048772020-12-28T12:02:59.998-08:002020-12-28T12:02:59.998-08:00The best take I have seen on graphics trends in th...The best take I have seen on graphics trends in the industry that I have seen in awhile!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08257268614320172113noreply@blogger.com