1) it shouldn't be such a big problem to get a game like raiden work relatively fast on a p120. if your graphics-card supports blitting, it won't be, unless you use too many special fx.

2) There are some good programs available to create nice tiles.

ProMotion

Identity Texture (very kewl)

Wally

3) such games are normally not published by big publishers, but there are several budget-publishers who publish those games for 10-15$. developing a hit is nearly impossible for lone programmers, you can make (with a bit of luck) some $$$, but developing a real hit is hard. a raiden clone won't be a hit today, maybe you'll sell some copies, maybe not.

cu

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Skullpture Entertainment
#40842461

something to think about:
How much VRAM are you aiming for?
res: 640x480x16
one primary surface = 640x480x2 bytes
= 614400 total bytes
one back buffer = 614400 total bytes
THEREFORE: about 1.2mb of vram for holding surfaces in 16 bit. This would be appr. halved if you use 8bit. Now for a 2mb card [that's what i have], that leaves you with less then a meg to fool around with... so.... it depends how many gfx you have (and how big... a boss guy would kill a lot of vram [raiden right? if i remember correctly, their bosses are like... almost half the screen?].

When you factor in the vram needed for all the other gfx (ships, etc.) you may be in a bit of trouble. It really depends on your target machine.

//what you could do is write a memory manager thingy that only keeps the surface as long as it's used (that's what i do [it was thrown in there in a few minutes (cuz i despartely needed something...)) and deallocates it after an X amount of 'no usage' time.

Good luck on the game... shooters kick ass

~Queasy.

Thanx queasy and nuFAN for your replies. First of all, I tried a test app in 640x480x16 DirectX mode, and it was slow as hell even though all it was doing was moving a few small sprites around. Should I put my GFX in Video RAM or system RAM? Is it a good idea to update my video card? What should I update to, if I should?

nuFAN suggested that I could use an app like ProMotion to make background tiles. How can I do such a thing when I am artistically challenged? Is there anybody out there on the Net who provides such a service?

for putting gfx in vram or sysram, it all depends on how much vram you have. if all you have is one meg, then i would go with sysRam and optimize in asm (i think using movq would speed it up a bit... but sprites would have to be divisible by 8 (oh,... wait... 120? no mmx!!! then, mov will do 4 bytes)).

if you have two, then you really have to think about it.

If you upgrade, my rule of thumb is always to get the cheapest card on the market. That way I know my game will work on the lowest common denominator.

As for the tiles... sorry, i can't help you there... I make the tiles in photoshop. I suggest you try to learn to make the gfx though.. it'll help you in the future when you need more art, but can't find an artist.

Hi,
I've got a few hundred tiles here, tell me what you need and I'll put some of them online.

CU

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Skullpture Entertainment
#40842461

Two questions:

NuFAN, you said that you have some background tiles and that you're willing to share them with me. What I'm looking for are background tiles suitable for use in a vertical shoot-em-up where the scrolling background shows land and other stuff below. If you don't know what I mean, look at Apogee Software's classic hit Raptor: Call of the Shadows or one of those types of games in the arcade.

For Queasy: Is it possible that the 640x480x16 mode is slow because of the cheap material Packard Bell uses to build their systems? Would getting a 3D accelator help (I already have one with only 1MB of Video RAM).

Hi, if you can't find anyone to do your gfx then may I suggest using a screen capture program while running a game (eg Raptor, Project-X, etc) and cut the gfx out yourself. I know that if you do this you won't be able to market your game, but just change them so that they don't look much like the original. Well, if the game is good enough then I'm sure a company will look at it (as mentioned before, only Budget) - an use they're own gfx anyway.

Well, I apologize if any of that sound like crap but I've had a few drinks

Anyways, if you can't find anyone, then I'd be glad to help out with the gfx. I'm not that good, mind you, but I get away with it.

Contact me on ICQ: 42406817

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If I had just 1 wish, I'd ask for a big enough ass for the whole world to kiss - Eminem

Yes

Getting any video card with more memory will help. I currently develop on a p200 w/ 2mb of ram. When i ran it on a p166 with 4 mb ram (same S3 virge/dx video card, just more vram), it ran many times faster. Just think... by creating a simple flipping chain, you've already eaten up MORE than 1mb of vram. You'd be doing sysRam to vRam blts!

I am currently writing a vertical shoot-em-up for Win9x and DirectX similar to the arcade hit Raiden, and I have a couple of questions: First, is it a good idea to run the game in 640x480x16 mode, and how can I maximize the Frame Rate in such a mode on my ancient Packard Bell P120? Second, I need some background tiles for my game, and I want to know if there is anyone on the Net who can provide such a service. Third, if my game is addictive and I can get it published, what are the chances that it could be a successful shareware hit like DX-Ball?

Three questions:

I am thinking of using a particle system for explosions in my game. Is that a good idea? If it is, how can I implement it (I am using CDX class library in my game)? If not, what should I do?

Second, how can I implement pixel-perfect collision detection using CDX? I can't find such a resource anywhere on the Net.

Third, does anyone out there have some good BMPs of cool ships and planes that I can use in my game, hopefully as bosses? NuFAN says that he has some background tiles I can use. Can you please send them to me, NuFAN?