Final Fight Ultimate development path
Added 2022-07-12 11:10:05 +0000 UTCNow I've reached a level of complexity in the project that I must choose a path.
Even Stef, the developer of the SGDK, pointed out that the sprite engine is not that optimized to use so many large sprites on the screen at the same time, but even without knowing it I got fast gameplay.
However, now I must choose a development path that will severely affect the gameplay and some future features of the game.
Help me to choose the Final Fight Ultimate development path.
Comments
I am in the "make it so it can be put on a cartridge and run properly" camp... otherwise, go crazy.
Frank Provo
2023-01-04 16:03:20 +0000 UTCPaprium uses about 80 MBytes of ROM, then isn't a fair comparison ;). Streets of Rage 1 and 2 do not use bank switching as they do not have more than 4MB, the only official game that used bank switching on the Mega Drive is Super Street Fighter 2. In the case of Final Fight, there are no equal enemies with different colors, they have some parts the same, but in general, they are not the same, since Streets of Rage used the same sprites sometimes just changing the color palette. FFU will be a great challenge, but I knew it before starting the development.
Mauro Xavier
2022-07-12 23:47:04 +0000 UTCtry to investigate how Streets of Rage 1 and 2 manage memory... regarding the number of sprites on screen, it even uses many "repeated" enemies but they don't generate slowdown, I think you could emulate something similar, I mean maybe not become so close to the original Final Fight, but the megadrive can hold more sprites, you have to know how to take advantage of them intelligently. (Paprium also does something similar, however I don't give that example because it uses more than 4MBytes of ROM and with the help of an additional chip). Good luck!
Loneken
2022-07-12 23:13:06 +0000 UTCThanks Mauro! Definitely puts things into perspective. I wish you and your team all the best in the path you choose! From what I have seen so far in the videos I think you guys are doing an amazing job, the quality is beyond what I initially expected that would be possible on the Mega Drive. Although, it would be very interesting to see what you can do utilizing all the CPU cycles without any restrictions.
Raimondo Stagno
2022-07-12 21:30:54 +0000 UTCSure! 1 - When using bank switching, we have a considerable performance loss of about 20 to 30%, but we keep an official console standard, however, it also makes the reproduction of the cartridge more difficult and expensive. 2 - When compressing the information and trying to keep to 4MB, it will be easy to reproduce a cartridge, however, the performance loss can reach more than 30%, besides that we will not be able to insert all the resources that we would like . In this case the compatibility is high, as the option 1. 3 - In this mode there is no bank switching, so CPU cycles are not consumed and memory is accessed directly, giving full performance to the game. However, using more than 4MB in contiguous memory is non-standard, as it will use the console expansion addressing, which can reach up to 15.5MB. This was done in the Mortal Kombat Trilogy ROM and Bad Apple demo. The important detail is that the SEGA CD and 32x cannot be connected to the Mega Drive for the cartridge to work, therefore, the game would not work on all-in-one consoles. Feel free to ask anything.
Mauro Xavier
2022-07-12 19:45:40 +0000 UTCWhen you state considerable slowness, what would that look like? I would like to understand the scenarios a little better. If possible, could you provide an example for each scenario?
Raimondo Stagno
2022-07-12 15:50:35 +0000 UTCBy the way, if bank switching proved to be too much problematic, I would rather have a scaled down version fitting 32mbit, even without additional characters, than an oversized non compliant rom.
Claudio Fortuna
2022-07-12 15:10:03 +0000 UTCI really don't know whats the difference between point A and C. But if it's a matter of rom size, for today standards is not a problem.....so maybe the third option will be fine...(also, I don't have aknowledgement about the sega cd and 32x compatibility are necessary in a MD game) Sorry.
Gustavo Diaz
2022-07-12 11:36:35 +0000 UTCI think making a large rom would be easiest but also be a hassle for all people keeping 32x or mcd connected, probably preventing cdx console from playing the game. Best take it slow and get proper bank switching, imo.
Claudio Fortuna
2022-07-12 11:23:40 +0000 UTC
