Newsgroups: alt.cd-rom Path: cdrom.com!barrnet.net!agate!darkstar.UCSC.EDU!news.hal.COM!decwrl!netcomsv!netcom.com!pdeupree From: pdeupree@netcom.com (Patrick Deupree) Subject: Re: Stupid Question Message-ID: Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL1] References: <2rj0l6$r4o@insosf1.infonet.net> Date: Sun, 29 May 1994 19:47:29 GMT Lines: 29 markl@ins.infonet.net wrote: : Hello I am new to this cd-rom stuff and I was just wondering why alot of the : software (Myst etc.) is for windows wouldnt it run better in dos? Is there : something I am missing? Are there cd-rom games etc. that run in dos? I dont : get out much, thanks for any information. sorry if this is in a FAQ somewhere. As a person currently developing a game, I can tell you that Windows is a HELL of a lot easier to develop in. Some of this has been covered, but here's the basics. Dos is limited to 640K and, in addition to that, it is next to impossible to get a single piece of memory that is larger than 64K. Now, when storing a 320x200x256 image, 64K is fine. However, when storing a 640x480x256 image, you need along the lines of 320K, and that you will not get in DOS without some form of DOS extender. The mouse, joystick and so on are simple, so that's not really a consideration. As for the graphics, as someone mentioned VESA makes it easier to write a generic game. However, you will notice that just about every DOS game uses 320x200x256 graphics that are, in my eyes, a bit blocky. The only exception to this rule, that I've seen, is Labyrinth of Time. The sierra game Gabriel Knight does use 640x480x256 mode, but the backgrounds are still stored as 320x200x256 graphics. The hi-res VESA mode just gets a nicer tool bar at the top and a smaller cursor, both of which occupy less space in memory. -- A wise man once said that the only road to true enlightenment was through failure. Patrick Deupree Iseult Technology pdeupree@netcom.com