Wolf32X - finally in beta!

[Alvatron]

I must say this is beyond awesome. As others have mentioned in this thread, please release this on cart or CD. I would pay full retail price in an instant.

Maybe some day you could make a proper version of Doom for the 32X. I would buy it as well.

Excellent job!

[Chilly Willy]

I must say this is beyond awesome. As others have mentioned in this thread, please release this on cart or CD. I would pay full retail price in an instant.

Maybe some day you could make a proper version of Doom for the 32X. I would buy it as well.

Excellent job!

Would that there were cheap flash carts that people could buy... I spent over $100 for the one I use for testing. I'm not about to have ROM carts made... especially given the licensing on this project.

I am working toward the CD version now, so that should help folks who have picked up a CD unit. Once I get that going, I will be looking into a new version of Doom 32X. W3D is mainly my learning project for figuring out how to make homebrew for the 32X and CD.

[A Black Falcon]

Saving's in now? Hadn't noticed, awesome!

64KB SRAM, huh... it'd need a big one for a save-anywhere like that, wouldn't it.

For the Sega CD version, unless you make it require a CD Backup RAM Cart for saving, that 8KB internal save memory size might be an issue, even beyond the obvious major graphical problems...

And even the CD Backup RAM Carts are 'only' 128KB, and expensive, so having to use a full half of it for one save file wouldn't be great either.

Of course with emulators that's not a problem, but with emulators you can just run the 32X version.

[Chilly Willy]

Saving's in now? Hadn't noticed, awesome!

64KB SRAM, huh... it'd need a big one for a save-anywhere like that, wouldn't it.

Actually, the save game is just a smidgen less than 32 KB, which is good because that's all you get from flash carts like the MD-Pro, despite them saying you get 64 KB.

For the Sega CD version, unless you make it require a CD Backup RAM Cart for saving, that 8KB internal save memory size might be an issue, even beyond the obvious major graphical problems...

And even the CD Backup RAM Carts are 'only' 128KB, and expensive, so having to use a full half of it for one save file wouldn't be great either.

Of course with emulators that's not a problem, but with emulators you can just run the 32X version.

Yes, the save game is an issue for the CD. I doubt it would fit in the built-in SRAM, even with compression, and then it would use most of the space. That's why games like Doom 32X use a code that you get at the end of each level completed. I suppose I could do something similar, but instead of a code, make that the save state. It would be MUCH smaller as I'd have much less data to keep track of. Of course, the issue then is you only get to save at the end of each level.

[Tears of Ash]

Is the Sega CD version that you're working on regular Sega CD or is it 32X CD?

[Chilly Willy]

Is the Sega CD version that you're working on regular Sega CD or is it 32X CD?

32X CD. I might take a stab at a plain SEGA CD version some time in the future, but not right away. The SEGA CD could handle it, but I'd need to do more work on the graphics... process the textures and sprites to use 16 colors and separate palettes. It would also not be in the same resolution. Instead of 320x200 like the 32X version is, I'd probably run the VDP in 256x224 mode and make the game screen 200x160.

[matteus]

I'm probably being dope of the year here but what resolution did the SNES version of Wolf3D run at P 256x224, 512x224, 256x239, 512x239?

I'd never realised the mega drive had such poo resolutions by comparison: 256 x 224, 320 x 240

[TmEE]

MD has 256/320 x 192(only on real HW and with some tricks)/224/240/448/480. And to comfort you, those higher res of SNES were used very infrequently, mainly because it requres too mcuh PPU resource so you can effectively use them for static things or only slightly dymanic things like menues.

And on MD you have Sonic2 2P in 320x448, and its not a menu but action

[matteus]

MD has 256/320 x 192(only on real HW and with some tricks)/224/240/448/480. And to comfort you, those higher res of SNES were used very infrequently, mainly because it requres too mcuh PPU resource so you can effectively use them for static things or only slightly dymanic things like menues.

And on MD you have Sonic2 2P in 320x448, and its not a menu but action

always nice to have an expert present hehe Still do you know the SNES resolution of Wolf 3D Tiido?

[Tears of Ash]

32X CD. I might take a stab at a plain SEGA CD version some time in the future, but not right away.

Awesome. I'm looking forward to the 32X CD version then.

[Chilly Willy]

As far as I know, it was 256x224, but in low detail (pixels doubled horizontally), making it 128 wide. It's one of the major complaints in most reviews I've read about it (can't tell a bad guy from a vase at more than a few feet away ).

It's the same thing DOOM 32X did (run in low detail mode). It really helps the speed on such slow processors, but really lowers the display quality. Supposedly, early alphas of DOOM 32X didn't run in low detail mode. I don't plan to run in low detail in my version. Wolf32X doesn't. 320x224 is low-detail enough as it is.

[tomaitheous]

IIRC, the res is 112x80 for SNES wolf 3D. It used BYTE pixel mode(8bit indexed color) and scaled the screen(play window) to 224x160 - which helped reduce processing overhead. All in game objects and enemies are software rendered too (no hardware sprites used for them).

I'm probably being dope of the year here but what resolution did the SNES version of Wolf3D run at P 256x224, 512x224, 256x239, 512x239?

256x224, 256x448, 512x224, 512x448. The higher vertical res modes are interlaced. The higher horizontal res mode is only for BGs. It does not effect sprites which are still rendered at a dot clock of 5.37mhz in relation to the BG. The higher res horiztonal modes eat up some PPU resource, thus restricting some of the effects the SNES is known for. I've only ever seen it used for text boxes/windows.

Vertical resolution is a more noticeable improvement in overall resolution to the human eye than horiztonal resolution increase, if the dot clock is ~5.37mhz or higher. Neither of the system would have benefited much from a higher res horizontal resolution and vertical resolution increase because the requirements of VRAM are quadrupled. As it is, running a 256x448 interlace mode is basically halving the VRAM in ratio aspect. It works well in Sonic 2 two player because both split screens have access to the same tiles and other sprites, etc and they are being display squished (half res).

[Joe Redifer]

Which SNES games have an interlaced screen on them? I have never seen my SNES interlace, not even for a second.

[tomaitheous]

Which SNES games have an interlaced screen on them?

I don't remember off hand, but very few. Like I said before, it's not very practical when it requires twice as much vram to display (tiles and sprites).

I have never seen my SNES interlace, not even for a second.

And if it weren't for Sonic 2, you'd probably never have seen it on your Genesis either. The same downside applies to the Genesis as well - requires twice as much vram for a correct aspect ratio. But it doesn't mean either systems can't output an interlaced signal.

[A Black Falcon]

Actually, the save game is just a smidgen less than 32 KB, which is good because that's all you get from flash carts like the MD-Pro, despite them saying you get 64 KB.

Really? Then why is Kega's save file 64KB? I thought those files were usually the proper size...

Yes, the save game is an issue for the CD. I doubt it would fit in the built-in SRAM, even with compression, and then it would use most of the space. That's why games like Doom 32X use a code that you get at the end of each level completed. I suppose I could do something similar, but instead of a code, make that the save state. It would be MUCH smaller as I'd have much less data to keep track of. Of course, the issue then is you only get to save at the end of each level.

Hmm, I think that Doom 32X actually doesn't have any saving, and instead just lets you choose from any of the levels at the start. It doesn't have save memory or passwords or anything.

But anyway, something like that, saving between levels, is probably about the best you could do. Maybe also have a save anywhere' option as well for if you have a CD Backup RAM Cart inserted?