Messages

16

General discussion about the Sega Saturn / Re: Idea of UV mapping on the Saturn

« on: August 09, 2018, 11:24:41 pm »

So, I've seen an Atari Jaguar game, Supercross 3d, and it has a billboard that shows the screen on it. Is there a way to do that on the Saturn?

In "theory" yes. A few games make a render-to-texture from VDP1 framebuffer, CPU or both VDPs... but only whit static images. Only can make a speculation about it. Is possible this feature would be to expensive to the graphic+cpu Saturn pipeline. Are be to many jumps of type of buffer, type of data... etc... I mean, is possible make it, but whit a very very slow result.

The most similar case, is Tempest 2000. This is a direct port from Jaguar to Saturn. It have in main logo screen a similar effect in the title. A render and blur in the logo. In Saturn go very low FPS, maybe 10/8FPS in Jaguar run quite well. In this case, is a render-to-texture over VDP2 layer from CPU render.

Greetings!

17

General Jo Engine Help / Re: Making a 'corrected texture' for a triangle.

« on: August 07, 2018, 07:15:38 pm »

No. I explain in my post:
http://www.davidgamizjimenez.com/inpostivegames/sega-saturn-to-the-limit-i/ ->  1.1 Triangle vs Quadrangle – EXTRA Ball: UV Mapping

Well, I try to explain. XD

18

General discussion about the Sega Saturn / Re: Idea of UV mapping on the Saturn

« on: August 07, 2018, 07:09:13 pm »

Hello

Let's see. Your idea is interesting.

The problem is that you raise it is practically programming a rendering engine of polygons. Because from somewhere the mask texture has to come out.

What you propose is practically what was done for Sonic R. Maybe in a more original way. But in the end, as I say, something must draw those masks, those "triangles"

At the UV point you can see it: http://www.davidgamizjimenez.com/inpostivegames/sega-saturn-to-the-limit-i/ ->  1.1 Triangle vs Quadrangle – EXTRA Ball: UV Mapping

Regards,

19

Share your code / Re: Monogame/HLSL Effect/Shader for Saturn-like graphics.

« on: August 04, 2018, 02:33:28 pm »

Sorry Jorhlok. I totally pass your great contribution!

It is a great project! You have thought about the possibility of adding your real preview of the graphics of the VDP1 to the work of @XL2 to export 3D geometry to SS from Blender 3D.

The possibility of creating 3D graphics in a tool with Blender, and really being able to visualize how the graphics will look. In addition to being able to later export the data to a format as optimized to the machine. It is one of the tasks that remained pending in the past. There were no plugins, or at least I have not seen for 3DS max or others for SS graphics. However for PSX there were many. This facilitated and potentiated taking advantage of both the possibilities of the artist and the machine.

What do you think?

20

General Jo Engine Help / Re: Making a 'corrected texture' on a triangle.

« on: August 03, 2018, 07:14:26 pm »

Ponut is right about that solution, but use caution as even if it has invisible pixels, the Saturn still needs to "render" them, so it can make things way slower quickly. The way around that is to use end codes, which none of my tools support. The other solution is to pre-distort the texture, but again I don't know much about it.

This assault me this dubt:
Is need it config register=0 Trasparent pixel disable, to avoid draw pixels in a texture/pattern used only to make a mask?
Or can be used End code draw in texture/pattern pixel data to avoid draw this pixels?
Or need both of then "activated"
For CC VDP1 is need both activated. But if you only need a mask texture... what option is the best to gain maxium time or use less cycles?
Wherever, I undestand that is necesary generate the data(pixel data or command table data) for this features to avoid waste cycles in draw VDP1.

The End code tells the VDP1 to stop processing that line, while transparent pixel just writes nothing to the framebuffer.
So if you have lots of transparent pixels, the processing speed is the same as an image full of colored pixels.

But the End code just tells the VDP1 to stop processing the line, so it's faster to render.
You need 2 end codes to stop processing a line, so the way to do it is to put one in front of your first colored pixel on each line and one right after your last colored pixel.

With clut sprites, you need to waste 2 colors for the transparent pixel and the end code.

Then, not it is possible gain speed or not "process" the transparent pixel, some way? I understand, that it save cycles in the fill pixels in the framebuffer? It not write nothing not would have cost... but in the same way to process texels data no?

21

General Jo Engine Help / Re: Making a 'corrected texture' on a triangle.

« on: August 03, 2018, 05:36:56 pm »

Ponut is right about that solution, but use caution as even if it has invisible pixels, the Saturn still needs to "render" them, so it can make things way slower quickly. The way around that is to use end codes, which none of my tools support. The other solution is to pre-distort the texture, but again I don't know much about it.

This days assault me this dubt:
Is need it config register=0 Trasparent pixel disable, to avoid draw pixels in a texture/pattern used only to make a mask?
Or can be used End code draw in texture/pattern pixel data to avoid draw this pixels?
Or need both of then "activated"
For CC VDP1 is need both activated. But if you only need a mask texture... what option is the best to gain maxium time or use less cycles?
Wherever, I undestand that is necesary generate the data(pixel data or command table data) for this features to avoid waste cycles in draw VDP1.

22

General discussion about the Sega Saturn / Re: My "tribute" to Sega Saturn.

« on: August 01, 2018, 12:48:13 am »

Hi community!

Thanks for the feedback! I will hope the next part more interesting. SCU use and polycount.

I have some minor corrections and update to the first part. I added this paragraph:
"By putting specific numbers in the situation. We would be talking about 35.65% of the study that I have done have some kind of lighting. 27.13% of the games have lighting with a source similar to that of PSX. And equal or superior to PSX, 3 sources of light or more with source and with color, a 5.42%. If we extrapolate to the catalog total, as we can see, in relation to PSX only a few games. Without going into how well optimized they are."

And correct some grammar and word translate mistakes.

Greetings!

David Gámiz Jiménez

23

General discussion about the Sega Saturn / My "tribute" to Sega Saturn.

« on: July 29, 2018, 10:01:43 pm »

Finally I can go presenting my "tribute" to #SegaSaturn. For now this first part in my blog.

http://www.davidgamizjimenez.com/inpostivegames/sega-saturn-to-the-limit-i/

Greetings!

David Gámiz Jiménez

24

Share your code / Re: Spreadsheet data analysis SS featured games UPDATED: 28-05-2018 80% Complete

« on: June 25, 2018, 06:47:29 pm »

UPDATED: 25-06-2018 81% Complete:
- 1 New game: Command Conquer. -- Interesting Proprietary Format Video and use of Transparency layers.
- Complete analysis for Street Racer -- Very interesting use of the transparency possibilities of SS. Possible very first game of make use of Near Clipping fade(3 levels) to VDP2, like Sonic R for Far Clipping, but one year before.
- Complete forbidden data analysis of VDP2 CC in Sprite Screen and VDP2 Screens use in Guardian Heroes.
- Improve a lot of games.
- Complete more games.
- Add more credits games.
- Improve Lighting column data.

25

Share your code / Re: Spreadsheet data analysis SS featured games UPDATED: 28-05-2018 80% Complete

« on: June 24, 2018, 01:51:19 am »

Thanks for the update.
Have you seen a single game doing paletted gouraud?
Also, have you seen a game using RBG1?

Sorry I see the post today.

Have you seen a single game doing paletted gouraud?
Yes, but only for Normal Sprite, Polygons or Line. Not for distorted sprite or scaled sprite.
Also, have you seen a game using RBG1?
Yes, not are analysed deeply all games. And are possible that I confused RBG1 whit RBG0 or named RBG2. But are sure in this two example: Street Racer and Mechwarrior 2

Greetings!

26

Share your code / Re: Model converter (.ZTP) -0.05 - WIP

« on: June 11, 2018, 10:35:06 pm »

Ok, scratch that last one, I just did minimal clean up of the code.

Just remember : you need to have 1 base model, the other models will use that name +  "_000001" to whatever amount of frames you want.
The base model needs to write the material data, but not the animation.
Just make sure you keep the vertices order (I think it does it by default in Blender).

I'm also sharing the source code for the converter, it should be cleaner than last time...but I did make a mess while adding animation support!

Enjoy!

Absolutely amazing!

27

Share your code / Re: Model converter (.ZTP) -0.05 - WIP

« on: June 07, 2018, 08:37:49 pm »

Fantastic news! Really making projects like mine possible. One thing though excuse my lack of concept but in my Katamari project I ported the PSP level and decimated it and made it quads. When loading the ZTE it missing a few select faces even some simple 4 vertex quad with correct normals, but will let me add more complex things like the plate of snails.

I fixed a lot of the levels glitches by merging the vertices of the separate objects and making sure there isn't a face underneath another. But having a hard time making any more 3d objects show up without being clipped out by the floor or whatever. .

For example of a simple quad clipped: the shopping bag that goes up to the table here
https://i.imgur.com/pa150nf.png

Is clipped on the saturn build but let me add the plate of all this stuff on it, if merged the plates vertices to the ground.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnBsa35S4MA


Can I make a level this way if I clean it up more or is the Zsorting(?) too much with all the stuff and need a proper map?

Amazing project!! Katamari Damacy in SS whit RT Gouraud Shading!!! OOOOOHHHH!!!

28

Project announcement / Re: Sonic Z-Treme

« on: May 28, 2018, 09:58:42 pm »

I think I found a solution!
By using gouraud shading on 8 bits paletted sprites, I could simply register 8x 256 color banks with different light intensity. By using gouraud changing the color value of bits 9 to 12, it would just switch the color banks!
That means I could get gouraud lightning AND transparency.
Of course, only 8 intensities is a bit of a bummer, but it's better than none and it should look smooth enough.
I'm not 100% sure that it could work with realtime gouraud as it would require to register the 8 values and tell SGL to onpy choose among those.
Another benefit is that if your quad has flat lightning, you don't need to use gouraud, saving VDP1 rendering time.
I think it's a much better solution than what Sonic R does, but fitting all my colors in 256 values isn't that easy and it might not look that great and it prevents differently colored lightning (so you only have 8 intensities for any given levels), but we'll see I guess.
Of course, if I could somehow fit all my colors in 128 values, I could get 16 intensities, and full 32 intensities if I make it fit in 64, but I doubt it.

Edit : Ok, so the answer is that it wouldn't work for full gouraud (only flat lightning). I'm now looking at other solutions with 32 colors and green gouraud or 256 with red gouraud.

You are great, that you fight for put more at limit the machine. Bravo!!!
I hope, soonly share it with you a little draft of my render pipeline idea.
See you soon!

29

Share your code / Re: Spreadsheet data analysis SS featured games UPDATED: 23-05-2018 79% Complete

« on: May 28, 2018, 07:52:04 pm »

UPDATED: 28-05-2018 80% Complete:
- Complete analysis of: SEGA GAME SAMPLE 1 for SBL 1.1 (1994-08-01)
- Complete Dragon Ball Z Games.
- Improve description and data analysis of "Lighting" and "Layers / Color BPP and Type" columns.

30

Share your code / Re: Spreadsheet data analysis SS featured games UPDATED: 24-03-2018 73% Complete

« on: May 23, 2018, 09:58:16 pm »

UPDATED: 23-05-2018 79% Complete:
- New games. Up to 257. No comment. 
- Improve a lot of games, in various columns.
- Improve title columns.
- Improve some most important SEGA games.
- Complete more games.
- Add more credits games.
- Improve Lighting column data.
- Basis Analysis to Altron games.