From: "Alex Barsamian" <bigalex AT worldnet DOT att DOT net>
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject: IT format; feasable?
Date: Sun, 7 Dec 1997 02:36:31 -0700
Organization: AT&T WorldNet Services
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Message-ID: <66dqt0$41v@mtinsc02.worldnet.att.net>
NNTP-Posting-Host: 12.65.131.252
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Precedence: bulk

I have completed my engine for a RTS top-down strategy game (in the style of
Red Alert, etc) in DJGPP, and now music has become an issue.  My friend, a
quite able composer, has offered to do some music for me, but he absolutely
*insists* that he is allowed to write in Impulse Tracker, because it has of
course gazillions of channels and it is much more flexible to write in (e.g.
pattern lengths greater than 64 frames, etc).  Unfortunately, it seems
proportionately more painful to have to code for.  I can't very well fire
him as I'm not paying anything (no one on the project is getting any money,
unless the game goes commercial).  So I have a few questions:

1.) Are there any shrink-wrapped, ready-to-go sound libraries with
     decent hardware support and the ability to play back ITs with many
     channels effeciently?  Preferably one that will link right off with
     DJGPP, porting code is not fun, especially if you did not write it...

2.) If not, where can I obtain information about the structure of the IT
     fileformat?  I checked the official page of Pulse/IT but found
     nothing...

3.) Finally, is it feasable to play back IT files of sometimes 30 logical
     and 9 "actual" (song) channels (my friend goes pretty heavy on the
     NNA=Continue parameters) along with a smooth-scrolling
     tilebased map game with many onscreen entities (will be using
     dirty rectangles for screen updates)?  I am afraid the music will
     break up whenever the user scrolls, because the whole screen has
     to be updated...Will a P133 (projected requirements) handle it?
     Or, should I just give in, buy ITWAV.DRV (which is well worth the
     $30 for all the punks who pirated it, but that's a whole other
     issue....), and stream the music off of a CD like all the "proper"
     game developers do? :^)

Thanks in advance!

Alex