Canvas 3D Renderer updated
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
I've updates the Canvas 3D Renderer with new sample data, a few performance tweaks, background image support, support for colored polygons and a few tweaks here and there.
Note however that the car you see is not a sprite, it's simply an image put in front of the canvas for my amusement. So don't get confused if it doesn't behave the way you expect it to do.
Right now the sample data has around 200 faces and while the code is almost ready for shared vertices (which means that one vertex belongs to many faces, resulting in a much lower number of vertices in memory and therefore a lot less calculations) right now a face still consists of 3 vertices, meaning that it does about 500-600 rotations, projections,clipping and collision tests per frame update, with very few optimizations so far and for that the speed is (at least in my opinion) amazing.
What's interesting to me are the test results... I didn't time them, so I can't give you any numbers, but
Opera 9.1 is definitely the slowest one, but with a very steady framerate, which probably means that drawing and garbage collection are very fast (as these tend to take up a variable amount of time), but arithmetic is slow.
Firefox 2 is pretty steady as well, and a lot faster than Opera.
Firefox 3 Alpha is certainly the fastest browser, but with a very unsteady framerate. I guess the new garbage collector is causing this while drawing speed is increasing thanks to Cairo.
You can still find it at http://tapper-ware.net/canvas3d/ (Note that the background gets drawn during the first screen update after the image has loaded, so it will probably take a second or two to appear the first time you load the page. Screen updates happen whenever you move around).
P.S. I'd appreciate it if you could send me mail if you want me to answer your comments. hansschmucker at gmail dot com
Note however that the car you see is not a sprite, it's simply an image put in front of the canvas for my amusement. So don't get confused if it doesn't behave the way you expect it to do.
Right now the sample data has around 200 faces and while the code is almost ready for shared vertices (which means that one vertex belongs to many faces, resulting in a much lower number of vertices in memory and therefore a lot less calculations) right now a face still consists of 3 vertices, meaning that it does about 500-600 rotations, projections,clipping and collision tests per frame update, with very few optimizations so far and for that the speed is (at least in my opinion) amazing.
What's interesting to me are the test results... I didn't time them, so I can't give you any numbers, but
Opera 9.1 is definitely the slowest one, but with a very steady framerate, which probably means that drawing and garbage collection are very fast (as these tend to take up a variable amount of time), but arithmetic is slow.
Firefox 2 is pretty steady as well, and a lot faster than Opera.
Firefox 3 Alpha is certainly the fastest browser, but with a very unsteady framerate. I guess the new garbage collector is causing this while drawing speed is increasing thanks to Cairo.
You can still find it at http://tapper-ware.net/canvas3
P.S. I'd appreciate it if you could send me mail if you want me to answer your comments. hansschmucker at gmail dot com
Labels: ajax, browsers, games, javascript, mozilla
posted by Hans Schmucker @ 5:42 AM
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Sudoku! (Update: Now with 1000 puzzles)
Monday, February 5, 2007
OK, so yesterday evening I started working on a new Javascript minigame: Sudoku.
I know what you're going to say: there already are way too many Sudoku games around. And you're absolutely right.
Problem is, there are very few good games around, and even less that run in your browser and almost none that require no plugins.
There's already a first Alpha version available here (but with just a single puzzle):
Here!
The feature list is already longer than for most other Sudoku games:
Update:
Now there are 1000 new puzzles available. While there is still no generator in this, I have instead opted to instead create a converter for the files generated by QQwing, A free Sudoku generator published as OpenSource. Now, on launch the game will select a random number between 0 and 1000 and load the level with that number. However there are no difficulty levels yet: While QQwing supports this, it is not being used yet. All levels are difficulty "Expert".
I know what you're going to say: there already are way too many Sudoku games around. And you're absolutely right.
Problem is, there are very few good games around, and even less that run in your browser and almost none that require no plugins.
There's already a first Alpha version available here (but with just a single puzzle):
Here!
The feature list is already longer than for most other Sudoku games:
- Use the buttons at the bottom to add notes to the selected field.
- Use the buttons at the right to confirm a number.
- Use the "?" to get all notes automatically.
- You can't confirm numbers that collie with other numbers in the field, however you can enter numbers that are simply wrong.
- Automatic Solver
- Generator
- Tabs for different versions of the same puzzle
- True handwritten notes
- Menu to enable/disable solvers.
Update:
Now there are 1000 new puzzles available. While there is still no generator in this, I have instead opted to instead create a converter for the files generated by QQwing, A free Sudoku generator published as OpenSource. Now, on launch the game will select a random number between 0 and 1000 and load the level with that number. However there are no difficulty levels yet: While QQwing supports this, it is not being used yet. All levels are difficulty "Expert".
Labels: ajax, browsers, games, javascript
posted by Hans Schmucker @ 6:46 PM
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Another World for Tapwave Zodiac
Monday, January 1, 2007
I think it's high time I started posting about something for my beloved Tapwave Zodiac 2 and frankly, I think there has never been a better reason than the release of Another World (a.k.a Out of this World) for the Zodiac by Chrilith.
And what a port it is! This is probably the first port of a PC game that truly feels like if it was made for the Zodiac. In fact, this game looks even better than the original PC version, and not only because the screen is a bit smaller, but because it indeed features a higher resolution than the original (of which you can see the intro movie on the left).
But, first things first: Another World is what most people would describe as an Action Adventure game, where you run and jump through large levels, always looking for the next item, while shooting at everything that comes in your way.
The game starts with a long and extremely well done intro sequence that explains how you end up in this bizzare world and this is something that continues throughout the game. Wherever you turn, you are greeted by yet another movie and to tell the truth, that's what keeps you going. And indeed you'll need all the motivation you can get to pass all the levels in this game (I have to admit that I never got very far, so if you really want an in-depth review about the WHOLE game, you'll have to look somewhere else).
But enough about the game itself, most of you have probably played it anyway while in highschool (I still have my original SNES cartridge). I said at the beginning that I think this port is special in that it actually feels like a native Zodiac game:
It starts with the fact that Another World doesn't display some oddly coloured launcher screen or annoying debug messages. Instead you get a nicely done welcome screen that, which after maybe half a second of loading gives way to the intro sequence. An intro sequence with loud digital thunder, wonderful music and native 480x320 resolution.
That's right: 480x320, not 320x200 like the PC version. That's because Another World is one of those few 2D games that use vector graphics instead of the usual raster graphics. And unlike raster graphics, vector graphics stay sharp no matter what resolution you choose. Oh, and not only do they look great, but they are also really fast. There's never any noticeable slowdown and if I had to guess I'd put the framerate somewhere around 30 fps.
Next are the controls, which are special in that they are really simple. You duck, jump and walk with the analogue stick and you do pretty much everything with the yellow button: run, jump, shoot, activate, build up a shield and so on. I know it sounds crazy to have so many controls on a single button but it really works perfectly. The only button that behaves slightly unusual is the Function button: This button takes you to a menu, where you can enter a four letter code, which will take you to the level specified by the code. The reason for this is that sadly, Another World doesn't have a savegame function. Instead you are given a code at the beginning of each level. I really hope that later versions will automatically remember any given codes, because this is pretty much the only evidence that you're not dealing with a native Zodiac game.
Speaking of differences to a native game: The installation is of course slightly different as well. You have to get the files from the PC version and put them (together with a few files from the Zodiac version) on the SD card. Don't worry, it's about 1MB and you don't need any additional libraries like Timidity. Sadly, the legal situation is a bit... well... difficult... to say the least. The PC version is what most people refer to as "AbandonWare". That means it's not available for purchase anymore, but the copyright holder is still alive and well. On the internet it's now common practice to publish these "abandoned" games (just search for abandonia on google), even without the consent of the original author, but it is almost certainly not legal when you're not a registered library like archive.org. On the other hand, there is no victim with true abandonware, so I'll leave this up to you (while I'm holding on to my SNES cartridge).
And what a port it is! This is probably the first port of a PC game that truly feels like if it was made for the Zodiac. In fact, this game looks even better than the original PC version, and not only because the screen is a bit smaller, but because it indeed features a higher resolution than the original (of which you can see the intro movie on the left).
But, first things first: Another World is what most people would describe as an Action Adventure game, where you run and jump through large levels, always looking for the next item, while shooting at everything that comes in your way.
The game starts with a long and extremely well done intro sequence that explains how you end up in this bizzare world and this is something that continues throughout the game. Wherever you turn, you are greeted by yet another movie and to tell the truth, that's what keeps you going. And indeed you'll need all the motivation you can get to pass all the levels in this game (I have to admit that I never got very far, so if you really want an in-depth review about the WHOLE game, you'll have to look somewhere else).
But enough about the game itself, most of you have probably played it anyway while in highschool (I still have my original SNES cartridge). I said at the beginning that I think this port is special in that it actually feels like a native Zodiac game:It starts with the fact that Another World doesn't display some oddly coloured launcher screen or annoying debug messages. Instead you get a nicely done welcome screen that, which after maybe half a second of loading gives way to the intro sequence. An intro sequence with loud digital thunder, wonderful music and native 480x320 resolution.
That's right: 480x320, not 320x200 like the PC version. That's because Another World is one of those few 2D games that use vector graphics instead of the usual raster graphics. And unlike raster graphics, vector graphics stay sharp no matter what resolution you choose. Oh, and not only do they look great, but they are also really fast. There's never any noticeable slowdown and if I had to guess I'd put the framerate somewhere around 30 fps.
Next are the controls, which are special in that they are really simple. You duck, jump and walk with the analogue stick and you do pretty much everything with the yellow button: run, jump, shoot, activate, build up a shield and so on. I know it sounds crazy to have so many controls on a single button but it really works perfectly. The only button that behaves slightly unusual is the Function button: This button takes you to a menu, where you can enter a four letter code, which will take you to the level specified by the code. The reason for this is that sadly, Another World doesn't have a savegame function. Instead you are given a code at the beginning of each level. I really hope that later versions will automatically remember any given codes, because this is pretty much the only evidence that you're not dealing with a native Zodiac game.
Speaking of differences to a native game: The installation is of course slightly different as well. You have to get the files from the PC version and put them (together with a few files from the Zodiac version) on the SD card. Don't worry, it's about 1MB and you don't need any additional libraries like Timidity. Sadly, the legal situation is a bit... well... difficult... to say the least. The PC version is what most people refer to as "AbandonWare". That means it's not available for purchase anymore, but the copyright holder is still alive and well. On the internet it's now common practice to publish these "abandoned" games (just search for abandonia on google), even without the consent of the original author, but it is almost certainly not legal when you're not a registered library like archive.org. On the other hand, there is no victim with true abandonware, so I'll leave this up to you (while I'm holding on to my SNES cartridge).Labels: abandonware, emulation, games, mobile, palmos, tapwave
posted by Hans Schmucker @ 11:02 PM
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About Me
- Name: Hans Schmucker
- Location: Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
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