MagicEngine

[RegalSin]

This is a question that makes a great topic. As I have asked this before.

The Hu-card limitation is probably around 255MB as proclaimed by Mooz, board where Gravis Zero haunts.

The CD-rom is able to pump out a decent amount of video. In fact the PCE
could probably even do a variation of "Dragons Lair" or even an computer interactive FMV game. The PCE could run an intro or even an 20 minute episode of an animation if a person was to link an animation together. Reducing frames would be it's goal.

The Color is based on two problems.

1. 16-color limitations, of any variety of colors in a sprite pallete. This is the main standard, as most games will not use more then 16 colors out of the PCE 9-bit range.

2. Colors can be programed. In general of what is known as pallete switching ( as with the Amiga and NES ), where you can tell the colors to change to X color at that moment. You can designate a color for each color of a sprite. Like with Star Mario flashing through all the colors of the rainbow. An easy example is how one could program the background into one color and have it cycle through as many other colors threw transitions and even transform from one color to the next.

If you ever seen the Windows "Fractorial Japanese art" startup, or the fractorial DOS colors. Or if you have seen Earthbound SNES background battles, the PCE is capable of such transitions.

3. The resolution is that of muze vision ( widescreen/kings view ) and the television standard, which is used for various purposes. Four games inlcuding "Addams family", and "Hero of Tumor ( something like that ) use the bigger resolution.

4. The max amount of spirtes on screen comparible to a beat-em up like
Hagger ( whatever that Street Fighter beat em up is ), Streets of Rage, Double dragon, etc is like four differnt on screen sprites at one time. Considering that loading one sprite and the multiplying it, is the same sprite ( we could have a number of clones on screen without slowdown ).

Think about like SOR. Where you have the end boss is in his machine and then he leaves the machine ( where we destroy that data ) and then his sprites load ( or is already loaded ). Depends on how many sprites we can show without or with having any missing on screen. A great example is
"Shapeshifter" where you can go in the forest and have huge number of big and little sprite creaturers, until it leaves.

It depends on what you consider a decent amount of on screen sprites, when it is shown on screen. Most PCE games have inactive backgrounds to save room on sprites. Even in areas where they could have some programed ( atari ) sprites, or division of bigger sprites.

[NightWolve]

*hears pin drop*
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