Tom

[Tom @thomin]

Check out BAILEY THE BRAVE, the new sheep herding game for the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis. In glorious 16-Bit. Play it for free at https://t.co/FJ0OkdUxx4

[Tom @thomin]

@DreadedDinosaur The NeoGeo on its own probably couldn’t run doom. But you probably could design a cartridge with auxiliary chips which would do some calculations and present the data to the NeoGeo in a way that it could deal with.

[Miskatonic University @Miskatonic1769]

As claims of pastor briefings and new federal UAP disclosures spread, Miskatonic University has convened a special review panel to examine the scientific, theological, and historical implications of so-called “interdimensional” intelligences. Read more:
https://t.co/MhJ3VXLKcS

[Tom @thomin]

@PLAION_ES @NEOGEO_EN @SNKPofficial Personally, I'd like a Zelda clone. There are plenty of arcade games already, but this would be an opportunity to grow the platform.

[Tom @thomin]

@hollywoodscifi I remember watching reruns as a kid. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Haven't seen it since.

[Tom @thomin]

@Ristangameplay If I were a collector, I would. But I'm not, so I won't.

[Tom @thomin]

@ComuDoMega Of course there are plenty of other great games, but stuff like Phantasy Star IV or Shining Force II is not designed to woo someone who is new to the system. They're slower burns. The games I chose are beautiful and fun and easy to pick up, yet still a challenge to beat.

[Tom @thomin]

@ComuDoMega 5. Beyond Oasis / Story of Thor. An Action-RPG where action really is more central than in many competitors. Great pixel-art, nice combos and an interesting magic system.

[Tom @thomin]

@Paninosoffline I think I prefer the first one, ever so slightly. The snow on the second image looks more like sharp ice crystals.

[Izu@ゲームプログラマが語る @pastel_orbit]

自己書き換えプログラムによる最適化の話

BLAZING STARとPULSTARをリードエンジニアとして担当致しました
PULSTARはそもそもVIEW POINTからの系譜であり、そちらへもテクニカルアドバイザーとして参戦しておりましたが
晴れて自分の作品としてPULSTARを実装し、BLAZING STARへ昇華していきました

BLAZING STARもとても好評を頂き大変有り難かった
が、NEO GEOという全く同じハードウェアでPULSTARを超える為に、何百もの工夫をしました

当時のゲームプログラム業界は血で血を洗う最適化と表現の群雄跋扈時代
一サイクルでも多く稼ぐ、芸術的な、それこそ思考競技と言える様な切磋琢磨時代でした

そんな中一つ、現代では馴染みのないテクニックを
プログラムコードは通常RAMへ展開されますが、という事は、自分自身を書き換えるプログラムもあり得ます

これはその一つである弾幕を扱うループ処理
言語は勿論MC68000アセンブラ

数十～数百を彩る弾幕を、現代で言えばそれこそECSの様にキャッシュを意識したコーディングが出来れば良いのですが、なにせ当時です
最適化の肝はCPUクロックの削減徹底

for 弾 in 弾幕群
update 弾

こんな言語はありませんが、全員判ってくれますね
これが無駄なんです
あの頃のアセンブラ界隈では、ループ処理すら無駄。無駄無駄無駄
CPUクロックが足り無くて仕方がありません

そこで僕はこんな事を

: 前提
弾 update
弾 update
弾 update
弾 update
↓
以下管理RAMが許すまで同じ処理を書いておく

: フレームの頭
このフレームでは「弾」が100個ある。じゃあ、100個目に「rts(ループを抜ける)」命令を上書きする

: この、手作りの料理みたいなRAMの上で実際にCPUを走らせる

: rtsに書き換えた部分を「弾 update」へ書き戻す

:毎フレームこれを行う

馬鹿馬鹿しいほどのストイックさです
これにより、ループにまつわる「変数iはn以上か？そうでなければループ」という処理すらを省いています
実効値で2倍以上の効率化です

いつの時代も、コーディングにおける最適化は芸術だと思います
なにより、楽しい

[Tom @thomin]

@PixelCNinja Thunder Force IV

[Tom @thomin]

@DrDefrib @TheMekon_Venus Well, technically, a CRT TV‘s entire principle is built on scanlines. The point is that you don’t notice lines on PAL. NTSC works with 480 lines, PAL has 576, meaning they’re denser and less spaced out, creating the illusion of a continuous image.

[Tom @thomin]

@yadspi @DreadedDinosaur @NeoCverA @8BitDo The fact that it coincides with the AES+ tells me, that it was a licensing reason

[Tom @thomin]

@RDKLInc It's a Soviet-era “Byte” (Байт) — a ZX Spectrum–compatible home computer from the late 80s/early 90s. Marketed as a “programmable TV console,” it used a Z80 clone, cassette loading, and plugged into a TV. A rare Eastern Bloc take on the Spectrum.

https://t.co/0BxwNaHe5C

[Tom @thomin]

@exQUIZitely I haven't played many and I finished even less, but the game that I loved the most was Bureaucracy. It was just brilliant in so many ways. I also loved The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy which would be my #2.

[Tom @thomin]

Time for a follow up thread to my last post (see below). I promised that I will get a bit more into BAILEY THE BRAVE's versus mode. I almost gave up on it multiple times. Luckily, I managed to get it into the game in the end.

https://t.co/rer6vfYZK1