View source for Skyhigh 15 What does it actually mean?

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Do you ever wonder what a dycp or a tech-tech 
really is???

Well I know that in the beginnig I did not understand
shit. So I got this, at least I think so, great idea that
maybe it was an idea to do a chapter with some expla-
nations for the newcommers ...

Actually I got the idea while looking through some pd
disk from my good buddy Russ Michaels of :

===ELECTRIC BOYS ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE===

He had done it as a help for all the pd-buyers.
So that saved me for a lot of work..

This is no high-quality explanations but more like a
big helping hand. So basically it's all up to you now.
Take a look - maybe even YOU'll learn something new..


OK, cut the crap - and get started...

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===THE TECHNICAL BLURP===

As you work your way through the world of c64, you
will come accross many weird technical terms, and
blurb that are used to describe what is going on.
What we shall now endevour to do is enlighten you as
to what it all means.


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Here goes

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FLD - Flexible Line Distance

The manipulation of the 25 screen
lines in the horizontal axis,
using vic register $d011.
Usually involves some method of
bouncing or scrolling of hires.

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FLI - Flexible Line Interlacing

Taking a regular bitmap and using
raster splitting and bank swapping
to give more colors per character
square, usually 4, with fli 16

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DYCP - Different Y Character Positions

Rotating char data through other
char memory at 1 chacter interval
giving a sine effect of scrolls.
I.e a wavey effect with each
character having its individual
movement area.

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DYPP - Different Y Pixel Positions

As above except the movement of
data is every pixel within the y
y axis of the character, giving
more smoother movement.

NB - a character is 8 pixels high
by 8 pixels wide.

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TECHTECH

Take a logo swinging on a
sinus left and right, now plot
that sinus+1 on each pixel in
the x axis, so instead of the
whole logo moving together, you
get a ripple effect.

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BOBS - Blitter Object Blocks

Ok so there is no blitter chip
on a 64, only an amiga, but does
that stop them.
The effect of sprites, but with
characters, and an infinite
number of them can be used, bob
shapes, scrolls etc, can be make
to look as though they have been
done with sprites.

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PLASMA just a bunch of raster splits on
both axis, splitting all colors
and rotating in all directions
to give a weird and wonderfull
color effect. Or sometimes just
done with the screen colormemory
which of course makes the effect
more blocky.

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VECTOR the plotting of connecting lines
on a bitmap screen, of which the
positions update each frame to
give animation, see elite.

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PLOTS  as with vectors, but shapes are
make up of individual dots.

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RAYTRACING

Take a mirrorball reflect it on
another mirrorball, trace the
reflections of each in the other
and the reflections of items
in the surrounding area. This
is very mathmatical, difficult
clever and impressive, and the
general idea of raytracing.

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INTERLACE

Merging of two pictures to give
higher definition and picture
quality, plus the impression of
many more colors. Amiga quality
graphics are possible.

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SAMPLES

Recorded music, speech etc
into the computers memory and
played back through the sidchip.


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These are but a few of the technical terms you will
come across in the world of c64, but i hope these will
help you in understanding some of it.

As you view more demos, read more texts and scrolls,
you should become more familiar with the terms and
jargon used by the programmers, so until then....


Party on dudes....

Later....