> Da: Eckhard Stolberg <Eckhard_Stolberg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >Hmmm, this happens here too, but I don't think that it's like you're
> >saying.
> What I meant was this:
> If you are setting up the Overscan timer for 30 lines in NTSC mode, but
> the routines, that you are executing during Overscan, take let's say
cycles
> for 31 lines, then the timer would have been run out by the time your
game
> enters the INTIM loop. Therefore the INTIM loop would have to wait until
the
> timer reaches zero again and produce too many lines while doing so.
This happened in some early version of the game. To solve the problem, I
structured the program in subroutines, and I distributed the calls to the
subroutines between vblank and overscan periods until I could find a
situation where it never ran out of time.
> You should also note, that this problem
> didn't happen with any of the older versions, so it has most likely
something
> to do with the new additions to this one.
In the older versions syncronization was much less accurate, it was a
matter of luck if it was working correctly... :)
Also, usually the effects of a timer expiring too soon are usually more
"spectacular" than a loss of color...
> Also make sure you get the new 2.0a version of PCAE. That one comes with
> an improved PAL palette by me. :-)
I'm using it (don't remember if it's the "a")... strangely, when PCAE is
set to PAL I get green borders in my game, while on TV they're pink! Maybe
I should ask to John Dullea...
> >> Therefore shifting
> >> some of the unused onscreen lines to the timer should fix the problem
and
> >> make a TV standard switch obsolete.
I removed 1 line from the kernel in the NTSC mode and now the colors are
back again on the PAL TV.
So now my TV (and hopefully most of the others) can sync correctly, without
losing color, to both PAL and NTSC modes.
However, I think I won't drop the switch to PAL: on somebody's TV the trick
could not work. What do you think?
> However the screen ratio is different on PAL and NTSC. You can fit 228
lines
> on PAL in the same space that NTSC needs to display 192 lines. Therefore
> NTSC graphics will always look a bit condensed on a PAL TV.
hmmm... shouldn't it be the opposite?
If 228 lines fill my PAL tv as well as 192, then the 192-lines NTSC image
must be expanded, that is what I'm seeing in practice.
> Did you find a name for the game yet? While playing it yesterday I made
up
> a story about it. It is a bit far fetched and you might need to change
some
> of your graphics a bit to meet the theme fully, but it's the best I could
> come up with.
(...)
> As I said, very far fetched, but at least it explains all game elements.
:-)
> I hope you like it anyway.
I liked it very much :)
> You could award bonus points for every chrystal, that has not been used
> to destroy the satellite. Also you could award extra ships, if enough
> points have been scored.
There must be 20 bytes left, and I've already optimized the code a couple
of times.
These things, and many others, could find their place in a
"Supercharger-enhanced" version of the game that I could write... when
we'll know what's going on with the Cyberpunk's projects ;)
Ciao,
P.
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