There is a huge learning curve when dealing with the PS2. However, once you've learned it...it's like any other system. The second generation of games will be very impressive. I don't think the PS2 is going away for several years. The only really bad aspect of programming the PS2 is the very limited texture memory...this will always be a problem.
Hugh -----Original Message----- From: Jim Leonard [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2001 8:49 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [SWCollect] Soccer games (was:Shock) "Lee K. Seitz" wrote: > > Jim Leonard boldly stated: > > > >Now, compared to the Jaguar, the PlayStation did deserve to conquer the > >market because the 3D unit in it was decent and it was CDROM-based, > >which kept the cost of games down. But the Saturn was the same way and > >the Saturn didn't deserve to die the way it did. > > That's funny. The things I read said that the 3D processor in the > Saturn was added later. It had originally been designed as a killer > 2D system, but then they saw where Nintendo and Sony (and the game > market in general) were going with their "next generation" machines. > > I also read that another big factor was the difficulty in programming > its dual process architecture. Which is funny, because now Sony's > done pretty much the same thing with the PS2. You'd think they'd > learn from their competitors' past mistakes. My modern programmer friends tell me that the PlayStation 2 is a bitch to code for. The docs are written like an engineering specification ("flip bit x to toggle alpha bit y", etc.) Hugh can back me up on this, I'm sure. There's nothing wrong with a dual-CPU architecture if you code for it right. Jaguar and Saturn were both multiple-CPU architecture, but that kind of system is so hard to code for effectively that you're right, it was difficult. Game coders are not used to coding multiple-reentrant event-driving routines -- most game engine flows in their most simplistic form are like this: user input variable adjustment rendering pipeline .repeated ad infinitum. To take advantage of multiple CPUs, you have to restructure how you write games. -- http://www.MobyGames.com/ The world's most comprehensive gaming database project. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/
