Mail Archives: djgpp/1997/12/07/09:34:51
From: | "Alex Barsamian" <bigalex AT worldnet DOT att DOT net>
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Newsgroups: | comp.os.msdos.djgpp
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Subject: | IT format; feasable?
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Date: | Sun, 7 Dec 1997 02:36:31 -0700
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Organization: | AT&T WorldNet Services
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Lines: | 36
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Message-ID: | <66dqt0$41v@mtinsc02.worldnet.att.net>
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NNTP-Posting-Host: | 12.65.131.252
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To: | djgpp AT delorie DOT com
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DJ-Gateway: | from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp
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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
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