Freespace for OS4 released :-)

[ikir]

http://amigaworld.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1925

Wow :-) Finally i need to purchase this game :-) It is yet software render mode (W3D for OS4 is stil in betatesting), but i'd read it flys anyway on A1 (more than 250 fps).

Thanks Hyperion!

[Cymric]

If it does > 250 fps in software mode, I'm really kinda wondering why you would need hardware accelaration :-).

[KennyR]

For coloured lighting effects, alpha blending, smoothing, antialias, and a much better appearance in general.

[adolescent]

>250CPS?  This I want to see.

@adolescent

You'd have a hard job, human eyes can barely see more than 25-30fps IIRC from school! :-)

[magnetic]

Software render? that is PITA.. especially for a game this old.

magnetic

[Gopal]

Toaks said he was kidding about the fps.

And since the OS has no HW3d, tha game can't have it.
But HW3D is right around the corner.

Gopal wrote:
Toaks said he was kidding about the fps.

And since the OS has no HW3d, tha game can't have it.
But HW3D is right around the corner.

There's always something just around the corner.

A full release would be nice.

[magnetic]

Well although there evidently is hw drivers still in developement phase, it would really suit the word of mouth ability of OS4. ATM there is the reputation that there is not much software out for it and a nice 3d game or two makes the platform look good.

  It seems to me that only a small percentage of A1 users have an OS4 install with alot of features. The point to attract 3.9  Classic Amiga people is to offer MORE functionality so they can upgrade to A1.

magnetic

[mikrucio]

The final release of OS4 ABSOUTELY NEEDS W3D.
without hardware support amiga is still in the stone age.
i hope i can say that hyperion will push for a full W3D release with the shipped version of OS4. if they dont it will be a big mistake.

pray

[ikir]

@magnetic
"It seems to me that only a small percentage of A1 users have an OS4 install with alot of features. The point to attract 3.9 Classic Amiga people is to offer MORE functionality so they can upgrade to A1."
I'm not a betatester and OS4 prerelease update 1 is already much more adavanced than AOS3.9..... i hope you are joking or trolling.

@Thread!
Yes Toask was joking! :-/
Anyway it is reported to runs very good in software render.

@KennyR
Yes, ehi but it is a little bonus, while we wait a public release of W3D, it should be included in the next update, or anyway in the final release. Anyway why do you care?

I'm going to buy this game in the next days, then i'll tell you how it works in simple software render :-)

[Rogue]

i hope i can say that hyperion will push for a full W3D release with the shipped version of OS4. if they dont it will be a big mistake.

Of course the final OS 4 will contain Warp3D, in fact the next update will probably come with full hardware acceleration for Voodoo 3/4/5 and ATI Radeon's. However, with the drivers still in beta, it doesn't make sense to release a version with hardware rendering.

About the speed, most of Freespace (unless cap ships are visible) is exactly that - free space. No hardware accelerator of anything near Voodoo class will even remotely get into trouble with that. The point really is, as KennyR said, better looks - filtered textures to remove bockiness, alpha blending for engine glows, better particle effects, true-color graphics (the software renderer is 8 bits), these kind of things.

[Rogue]

Software render? that is PITA.. especially for a game this old.

Care to explain what the age of the game has to do with it?

[SlimJim]

It should be noted that the AOS4-patch is a beta-release so far (It feels stable, but you never know).
But I can report it runs VERY nicely in software rendering and maximum detail settings. I'd guess 50 fps only from the sheer smoothness of it, but I haven't found a way to get an exact readout.

The only thing is that the cutscenes are very choppy; however, if I had had MoVID or some other realtime-capable player I could plug that in and use that to play videos (it's just a line in the config-file).
 
It's a very good game. I can recommend it.
.
SlimJim

[lempkee]

slimjim: let me put it like this , i use moovid for playback and it roxxors.

and the game is still fantastic even if its an old game.



ikir: sorry about the joke but i did write a :-P , anyway i'd guess 50 fps in sw render and for hw render i dont know really ...as my eyes can only detect 25+ fps ...ie the smoothness.

i can happily report that i have completed freespace on my classic amiga (060 with mediator) in w3d and on my classic with wos w3d... and now on my a1 with Sw render and with w3d.

noticeably the a1 was easier to complete due to the last levels (because of the fps).

The game aint slow on classic but the final levels are a pain with good detail.


I just heard some minutes ago that freespace 2 has alot more eyecandy but its also less good in playbility so there is yet another reason to why playbility roolz.


/me returns to his cave.