Games that used APAC

[GroovyBee]

I've just done a search on the forum and I can't find any mention of games that used APAC back in the day. I'm not particularly interested in demos or title/static screens that used it. Can anybody recommend any games from the A8 back catalogue that make use of it?

[Rybags]

Err.. I don't think there are any, actually.

 

In fact, I don't think there's any games that use HIP or TIP either. As it was, not many games even used GTIA modes, and those that did mostly used them for static parts of the display.

[urborg]

Maybe Cygnus X1?

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-cygnus-x1_1472.html

[Rybags]

APAC = yes, for the top part of the screen.

 

Doesn't look like any gameplay takes place there, though.

[roland p]

Does that wolfenstein wip use APAC?

[GroovyBee]

Does that wolfenstein wip use APAC?

Yep! But I'm after games done back in the day.

[Rybags]

Yes.

 

If it develops further, then it could go to show what could have been done. Also, I believe he's using Timer IRQs, so the CPU loss is minimised as compared to using a DLI per line or just one long running DLI. Of course though, it's in narrow-mode, so gains some advantage there anyway.

[PeteD]

I've been trying to write code interleaved with APAC stuff so I don't have to waste any CPU with interrupt handling. My brain sploded a while back It's possible with some of the code I wanted to put in there but the rest was just too complex and probably wasted more cycles fixing up timing than an interrupt would.

 

 

Pete

[Rybags]

That'd be a chore, for sure, especially given that you're talking about 50-60 cycles per scanline that you could dedicate to code, so potentially over 10,000 in a frame for a 200-high display.

 

Simple inline stuff - easy, but loops would be a major pain.

 

I'd probably just take the approach of putting housekeeping stuff in there, and maybe a few object renders or something.

And for the times such objects aren't needed, it probably wouldn't matter anyway since there'd be plenty of time elsewhere to do stuff.

[GroovyBee]

I've been trying to write code interleaved with APAC stuff so I don't have to waste any CPU with interrupt handling. My brain sploded a while back It's possible with some of the code I wanted to put in there but the rest was just too complex and probably wasted more cycles fixing up timing than an interrupt would.

How about writing a tool that knows the instruction cycle times and can interleave the two sets of functionality for you? That would be my approach for something like that.

[PeteD]

I thought about that. It's not so much it's a problem coding it, more like I say, the time wasted trying to match code paths ends up being the same as a simple interrupt anyway. May as well make the code easier to write/maintain and use a timer irq to do the APAC.

 

 

Pete

[+CharlieChaplin]

Well,

 

afaik besides Cygnus there are some games from Anco that use APAC mode:

- Winter Events

- Kick Off

but they do it like Cygnus, as background gfx with no gameplay there.

 

-Andreas Koch.

[TMR]

Well,

 

afaik besides Cygnus there are some games from Anco that use APAC mode:

- Winter Events

- Kick Off

but they do it like Cygnus, as background gfx with no gameplay there.

 

Actually, looking at Winter Events that's actually running one of the ski-jumping events over an APAC so it's the closest example so far...?

[GroovyBee]

Thanks for the pointers. I'll have a look when I get some time.

[MEtalGuy66]

Does that wolfenstein wip use APAC?

Yep! But I'm after games done back in the day.

 

This is "the day" as far as custom graphics mode manipulation/programming goes.. Theres more of that going on THESE DAYS then there ever was in the days when ATARI stuff was sold commerdcially.