Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!scea!peter_alau@playstation.sony.com
From: Darco <darco@bigfoot.com>
Newsgroups: scea.yaroze.freetalk,scee.yaroze.freetalk.english
Subject: Re: Net Yaroze Tutorial Preview
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 16:42:44 -0400
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James Shaughnessy wrote:
> 
> Darco wrote:
> > Once this routine is called, the GPU automaticly "turns off" the
> > screen by default. Not sure why it does this..
> 
> It will surely be because you don't want to actually see the gibberish
> that's probably on the frame buffer; so it turns off, and will then
> automatically activate when the next GsSwapDispBuff() is called -- so
> calling SetDispMask(1) is not necessary.  I know for the sake of the
> Hello World tutorial OTs and double buffering are a bit too much for
> the beginner, but they are unavoidably only a whisker away.

I won't be getting into OT and double buffers for another lesson or two.
Generally, each concept will have 2 lessons... For example, you may have
noticed that this is Lesson 2, rather than lesson 1. Lesson 1 contains
an explanation of the hardware, and concepts behind how it works, terms,
etc... All of the basic stuff, but no code.

Next lesson, I think I'll be describing double buffering and OT's. 

> 
> >      RECT screen_c;
> 
> I think this would be the best time to tell them that the display
> area defaults to the upper left 320x240 of the 1Mb 1024x512 frame
> buffer, with a nice diagram too perhaps.  Clearing the *whole* frame
> buffer may confuse them don't you think?  Also a quick hint that a
> second 'buffer' will invariably be right below it, and the rest of
> the video memory is used for sprites and/or 3D object textures.

The frame buffer is described in Lesson 1, along with alot of the other
hardware. Lesson 1 has no code -- just descriptions and explanations.
 
> Also the macro setRECT should be taught from the start I think, as
> it really tidies thing up (no need to tell them that it's a macro and
> not a libps.h function yet though :), so you could do this:
> 
> RECT screen;
> setRECT(&screen, 0, 0, 320, 240);

Whoah. Cool. Learn something new every day. Yeah, I'll use that instead.
Thanks.

> 
> I am curious why you use the "_c" as it may perhaps scare a few people?
> 

Yeah, you are right. It stood for "clear" as in "screen_clear" but I
guess I'll just change it to "screen".

> Hope you don't think I'm being too pedantic or picky by the way!

It's ok... That setRECT is alot simpler than what I as doing. Thanks.

'Darco