Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!news
From: gil@snsys.com (Gil Jaysmith (Telecommuting))
Newsgroups: scee.yaroze.programming.sound
Subject: Re: vabs & SFX
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 1998 00:29:42 GMT
Organization: PlayStation Net Yaroze (SCEE)
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On Wed, 04 Feb 1998 21:03:53 +0000, James Shaughnessy
<james@manc.u-net.com> wrote:
>The thing is my game already uses my own compression routine to store
>in the region of ten 640x512x8 bitmaps (my levels) as around 700k
>which would otherwise need 3.2 Meg.  I am also loading my game .exe
>to 0x801c0000 to make room, and have the 640k quad-size virtual screen
>on the frame buffer (not desirable as I'm using my own putpixels).
>I decided on using a CD player instead of seq music, so people listen
>to their kind of music and I get the space; everyone's a winna!

700K for level bitmaps? Cripes. These levels must be intricate...
can't you subdivide them and store type data for each cell to index
into a smaller bitmap? This would also reduce the virtual screen
memory requirements. Obviously won't pay off if you don't have at
least some identical cells (eg all black) but if you're getting 75%
compression there's clearly something which repeats...

(Bit off the subject, I know, but you could also save some space by
not compiling with -O3 - if you aren't doing so already, compile with
-O2 for choice - since inlining functions often adds to code size.)

>PS Anyone know how I get PAL mode to use all 256 lines (not 240)?

PutDispEnv, most likely.

- Gil