Skyhigh 15 What does it actually mean?
_ 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...
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.
Here goes
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
VECTOR the plotting of connecting lines on a bitmap screen, of which the positions update each frame to give animation, see elite.
PLOTS as with vectors, but shapes are make up of individual dots.
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.
INTERLACE
Merging of two pictures to give higher definition and picture quality, plus the impression of many more colors. Amiga quality graphics are possible.
SAMPLES
Recorded music, speech etc into the computers memory and played back through the sidchip.
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....
