Atari 8bit - Project M - demo version 1.5 - (Wolfenstein 3D clone)

[telemetry9]

no 3d graphics card required.

[MediaFilter]

@mcappp How do you guys do this? On a 2.4Ghz machine, writing a vscan heightmap raycaster in C++, I struggle to get more than 150FPS -- which is a complete joke considering you can do Wolfenstein3D on an 1.7(?) MHz machine without floating point units or any of the other amenities I have in my situation. How? How?! Where do I learn to do this?

[perplexedmoth]

@MediaFilter with lookup tables for nearly everything, and fixed-point arithmetics? Also on a modern computer you need to use hardware blitting for fast video access, in case you don't for some reason.

[GentleBen02]

The Atari XL line of computers came out in 1983 . . . that's not 30 years ago, especially not at the time this video was uploaded, lol. You're referring to the Atari 400/800 line of computers which came out in 1979.

[thorgallpl]

@GentleBen02 majority of the hardware that can be found in the xl series had been created a few years before the xl line of computers came out....

[DXSnakeEater]

That's just freaking amazing!

[1xWertzui]

Superb! Keep up the good work and finish it!

[triskalguilo]

This is simply incredible. I really hope that this project is still alive.

[Optimus6128]

That's quite impressive. I think it's a faster and better looking engine than all the good attempts I have seen in C64 or Spectrum and the frame rate is definitelly smoother too.

[BlitzkriegBR]

Can this really be/become a Atari ROM? It looks impossible to me (layman). The colours, the sound, the graphics.

[bogercs]

Atari takes a visit to "fortress Wolfenstein".

[zummone]

how about just walking forward =3

[jeremysart]

Very nice! Hope to see some updates on this!

[9esferas1]

how many frames with IA and enemies sprites?

[SYN7HOR]

Awesome! But why the SID tune?

[pseudografx]

@SYN7HOR This is not a SID tune, just pure POKEY power! :-)

[gamein60seconds]

@SYN7HOR you've obviously not listen to an Atari xe lately. Check out Bomb Jake, or the WIP on Ghosts n Goblins.

[DracIsBack]

This is amazing! Great work!

[YouGuysArnt]

Does that work by kerneling the processor to change the color set at just the right pixels (in the middle of the screen!) in sync with the raster scan? Maybe using some player/missile graphics to smooth the switch position?

[philiptwood]

@dushanostoich I think the scanlines are actually giving the Atari 8 more leverage to display raycasting 3D at a fast frame rate. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

[gamein60seconds]

@philiptwood Not really, the screen is a series of interupts to allow for significantly more colour than would otherwise be possible. There must be about 60 colours on screen at once here from the pallette off 256/128, (depending on the age of the hardware). This actually makes the display slower. And its not really raycasting which infers the use of a light source. The texturing is hard coded, just as Wolfenstien 3D was. A 2D game with the illusion of 3D. But then so is Gloom on the C64

[alizta]

@gamein60seconds When people say raycasting outside of the medical visualization scene they usually refer to the wolfenstein method of "raycasting" the distance column wise to intersections on a 2d map, so technically this is raycasting in game graphics lingo, even if it doesn't use a lightsource/accurate raytracing.

Did you mean Gloom on the Amiga 1200/CD32? I don't know another raycaster on C64 then "mood", but would be very interested if there is another.

[gamein60seconds]

@alizta yup i did mean Mood. Some friends of mine were looking at coding something similar, (the guys who wrote Tusari), but it never came to anything. For that kind of work the C64 was just too slow. Some ppl I heard were working on a conversion for the 2600, after the big con of 2600 doom came about. I still think the most impressive work so far has been done on the ZX Spectrum, though I wait for Project M with abated breath.

[tippabror]

I found a ray casting engine for mIRC, its really cool 3d

/watch?v=hFJvdGzC9zk

[jacofwudsn]

NRV, this is one of the most amazing pieces of code I've seen for a long time. The frame rate is excellent. Keep it up!

[Lutanamo]

Though now I notice that there's STILL no walking back and forth and applying that with the turning.. but at least there's an actual perspective turning now, without the walls looking like they are stretching, hehe. So perhaps that would slow it down to add the walking forward-bit?

[Lutanamo]

Now _THIS_ looks great, and hella impressive! Wow, what a cool Wolf3D engine!

Philiptwood: I don't think it's an Atari 2600..

I am thinking that perhaps I really should purchase myself a real Atari 800..

[shalroth]

You'll have more luck getting an 800XL. 800s are rare and expensive and heavy. You could get a 65XE for very little money, but they're almost completely charm free, and the keyboards are shocking!

[xoen6]

good luck, dude, it is impressive already!

[olynxmano]

Not 2600 .... Atari 8 bits ;)

I hope people do realize what this is...

256 colour raycaster on pre C64 hardware...

And, I still hope we will see a playable level in a not too far time :)

[BuckFastZombie]

For what this is, I AM AMAZED! I boggles my mind to think what people this talented could really do with some time, money, and the latest PC hardware!

[Jawattdenn]

@olynxmano GTIA is not pre-C64 hardware. Both released in 1982.

[olynxmano]

@Jawattdenn

GTIA was generally avalable in 400/800 Machines since 1981... And it was supposed to be in the Atari from the beginning. The CTIA was used because the GTIA Chips got finished too late. So they had to buy the CTIA Chips and build them in ..... Actually you find stock GTIA Ataris right from 1979 .

[philiptwood]

Holy crap you actually pulled it off... Raycasting on a 2600.