Subject: VR386 and Watcom C

From: [email-masked] (Curtis Gray)
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 94 18:55:01 EDT

Hi all,

While looking over the VR/REND 386 drivers, I found that there may be a way
to easily handle the adding of objects, backgrounds, foregrounds, explosions
etc to the scene that is rendered. It should be faster and more efficient
to implement a buffer in system RAM to write to, then, after everything is
drawn to the system RAM buffer, simply blit that to the video memory. 

Since system memory can be moved around on a 386-25DX at around 140 frames
per second, there shouldn't be any significant speed decrease with adding
foregrounds and backgrounds to rendered scenes. 

It should be easy to implement for someone intimate with the video drivers.
I have looked at them, and ... whew... there is ALOT going on there with
trying to make the most of latches in mode X, or Y... Believe me, if you 
haven't tried to add a background to VR/Rend 386 before, it is a real 
pain. I have implemented a multiplayer tank simulator that has bitmapped 
scrolling backgrounds, animated foregrounds, a HUD radar system, and real-time 
communications console. It took me *weeks* to get a decent frame rate.
And, although it is getting around 40fps (because of some heavy modification
of R386) it is nearly impossible to add things like bitmapped explosions,
or texture mapped polys when so much hinges on the VGA's ability to write
4 pixels at a time.

Somebody, pleeeeze volunteer to implement this. It would take me the 
better part of 3 months to do it, and I am sure there are better 
qualified gurus out there.

Drop me a line!

Curt