Message-Id: <3382D395.118@canvaslink.com>
Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 06:51:01 -0400
From: Tom Grandgent <tgrand AT canvaslink DOT com>
Reply-To: tgrand AT canvaslink DOT com
Organization: Canvas Link, Inc.
Mime-Version: 1.0
To: fwec AT juno DOT com
Cc: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: How fast can you get in 640x480? (allegro)
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Precedence: bulk

> Greetings.
> 
> I am working on a birds eye view type crpg, ala final fantasy.
> I am trying to get it to work in 640x480x256 using allegro.  I
> have had very little success so far.  the fastest I can get is
> about 18-20 fps.  I am just wondering if my code is stupid, and
> I should keep trying, or if you can't really get that fast in 640x480.
> 
> 
> 
> Here is the fastest approach so far.
--snip--

I have a function very similar to this in my game to draw a tiled
background.  On my P166 and Diamond Stealth 64 VRAM in 640x480, the game
speed maxes out at the refresh rate (about 72hz/fps) usually.  On my
sister's 486/66 with a Number Nine VLB video card, the speed is around
20-30 fps (which is playable).

One difference is that I am using compiled sprites to do the drawing,
rather than normal sprites.  From slowest to fastest, you have: regular
sprites, RLE sprites, then compiled sprites.  Take a look at allegro.txt
about these.

Another -very important- difference is that it totally helps to dword
align the x coordinates when you draw a sprite.  In other words, you
need to use multiples of four.  In 640x480 this really isn't that bad if
you do it right, and it brought my frame rate from around 20-30fps to
60-70fps (!!!).

Hope this helps...

	Tom Grandgent
	tgrand AT canvaslink DOT com
	Canvas Link, Inc.