Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!scea!greg_labrec@interactive.sony.com
From: mperdue@hrtc.net (Mario Perdue)
Newsgroups: scea.yaroze.programming.2d_graphics
Subject: Re: Too many GsSortSprites?
Date: Sun, 03 Aug 1997 04:41:26 GMT
Organization: SCEA Net Yaroze News
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On Sat, 02 Aug 1997 16:42:23 -0700, Scott Cartier
<dsyaroze@concentric.net> wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>I'm having a locking up problem that I've been tearing my hair to
>figure out.  I've had this problem for some time and have run out
>of ideas for debugging.  It seems rather simple.
>
>I have an array of sprites which represent my game objects.  Every
>frame I loop through this array and use GsSortSprite to put them
>on the screen.  Whenver this loop is greater than about 6 my
>program locks up.  The only thing I could think of is that I'm
>overloading the GPU with packets.  So I tried adding a DrawSync(0)
>after each GsSortSprite call, but no luck.  Here's my basic flow:
>
>  initialize_sprites();
>
>  while(pad_state[PAD_SELECT] == 0) {
>    move_sprites();
>
>    for (i = 0; i < num_sprites; i++)
>      GsSortSprite(&sprt_array[i], &WorldOT[activeBuff], 2);
> 
>    cnt = VSync(0);
>    ResetGraph(1);    // hi-res mode
>    GsSwapDispBuff();
> 
>    GsSortClear(0, 0, 0, &WorldOT[activeBuff]);
>
>    GsDrawOt(&WorldOT[activeBuff]);
>    activeBuff = GsGetActiveBuff();
>    GsSetWorkBase((PACKET *)GpuPacketArea[activeBuff]);
>    GsClearOt(0, 0, &WorldOT[activeBuff]);
>
>    compute_new_sprite_pos();
>  }
>
>This is over simplified of course, but you get the idea.  Is there
>anything obvious that I'm doing wrong?

Scott,

I'd try something more like this:

  initialize_sprites();

  while(pad_state[PAD_SELECT] == 0)
    {
    activeBuff = GsGetActiveBuff();
    GsSetWorkBase((PACKET *)GpuPacketArea[activeBuff]);
    GsClearOt(0, 0, &WorldOT[activeBuff]);

    compute_new_sprite_pos();

    move_sprites();

    for (i = 0; i < num_sprites; i++)
      GsSortSprite(&sprt_array[i], &WorldOT[activeBuff], 2);

    DrawSync(0); 
    cnt = VSync(0);

    GsSwapDispBuff();
    GsSortClear(0, 0, 0, &WorldOT[activeBuff]);
    GsDrawOt(&WorldOT[activeBuff]);
    }
  
  ResetGraph(1);    // hi-res mode

Mario