Gamedev - Answers to questions about the game Time Gal.

<b>Gamedev</b> - Answers to questions about the game Time Gal.

 Interactive animations

   The text of this answer was probably caused
nikshie you have questions about the game Time
Gal. Namely: what is the analog video,
when, where or by whom this game was released from
Initial why we have ported it, and why
We chose this is the game and it is
This particular version of it.


        Interactive animations

           on the slot machines


   You've heard of the genre FMV, boom
which took place in the early 90-ies
(If no, then read an article about ZX-Box, there
there explanation). But few know that he
is not the first. The first boom FMV-games
occurs at the beginning 80-ies, when
were the first laser video discs (subgenera
bnee of them - below.) Originally FMV-game, you
went to the slot machines. Represent
these games are interactive cartoon -
on the screen is a story in the key model
cops need to press a button, from which
depends on the further development of the plot. Usually
true is only one option
others lead to the loss attempts.

   One of the first games of this genre
(Perhaps the first) was Dragon's Lair,
Cinematronics released in 1983. The idea
belongs to Rick Dyer (the then Presi
NTU Advanced Microcomputer Systems). Ani
mation is made animator Donald Virgil
Bluth and his studio (prior to that he worked in
Disney, but in the late 70's left Ott
Yes, founding his own studio). Development
Games cost about a million dollars and a ve
las for 7 months. For these digital
frame is easy to guess that the production of
Similar games - it expensive. Nevertheless,
throughout the 80's when several tens
Cove similar games - at first similar to Dra
gon's Lair (including its extension), then
more technologically advanced - with at
expansion of computer graphics (eg,
classic vertical Fly-shot
Africa, where video is animated
background), a light gun, more
interactivity. In the early 90's, these ideas
used the well-known to many American
Laser Games (Mad Dog McCree and other u
ters), but that's another story. Amusing
fact: some of the developers in order to decrease
development cost of creating games
Slicing through Japanese animation.

   A second life to many of the FMV-game start
80 received the proliferation of home
Video player format LD and gaming wor
Wok on the basis of this technology (eg,
Pioneer LaserActive). The third life they
We have obtained during the second FMV-boom on Ac
tavkah and personal computers. In our
time, there is an emulator of the above
slot machines, he said to Daphne
(Of course, games have a huge amount, orientation
ginalnoe videos in them digitized and translated into
Deno in the usual video).

   We return to the topic. There is a country -
Japan, and lived there for shrewd yapontsy.Oni love
All the cool and tech, spy
ideas around the world and make their own, improved
Noah and enlarged. Of course, FMV-games
technology-based laser videodisc not
passed them, and Japanese developers
also made some of their similar
games. One of these games and is a Time
Gal.


              Game Time Gal


   The original version of the game developed
by Taito (which is always tight for
enced slot machines) in 1985.
Animation in the game is made well-known
our studio TOEI Animation. Known it
the fact that it was her cartoons showed
we have large quantities in the 90's, and
in earlier times it also polnometrazh
nye band to appear on our kinoteat
tures. So do not be surprised if the heroine in
the game seemed familiar to you - this is the usual
for TOEI type.

   The plot of the game is simple - what is required
for games of this genre. In the distant and the light
Scrap the future (4001 years) the evil uncle Luda yk
The integral time machine and with its help wanted
enslave the world. Our heroine - a scientist
athlete, Young Communist named Reika -
pursues a villain at all times and, of course
but eventually catches up, and a time machine
takes. As against the evildoers with their bare
hands to fight hard for Reika is weighted
mye arguments - blaster, which she Nered
to use in the process, as well as special
Noe device to stop vremeni.Vpro
than the weight of its arguments for a player is not important
- Their toys heroine uses strictly
In the story, rather than arbitrarily player. The game
16 levels, each representing some
era, from the distant past before the said
light, and not much future. Game pro
process is similar to Dragon's Lair - player
appropriate moments, presses the right buttons.

   Technologically Time Gal realized that
is similar to Dragon's Lair - Analog
DVD, simple electronics (based on
Z80, among other things), which forms the whole
Kie helpful caption on the screen and controls
process of video playback.

   The game was not forgotten, and after
some time now has been ported to a number of
 systems:

   1992 - Sega CD. The game completely before
Lana at the possibility of attachment. Namely:
remade all the animation - in SCD weaknesses in
zmozhnosti video playback, so
number of flowers greatly reduced motion
of simplified background is often static. Also, metal
hundred altered levels, altered the whole ozvu
PFA (it became less and the rest - poor
it). For all this licentiousness meets Wolf
 Team, run the port.

   1995 - Pioneer LaserActive. As far as I
I know, the game moved from the gaming machine
without fundamental changes (technology
 similar). Port complied with Pioneer LDC.

   1996 - Sony Playstation. Port is made
most Taito Corporation, of course, closely
to the original (with additional modes
game). Unfortunately, the video after digitizing with
analog videodisc and compression standards
tny format Playstation markedly lost in the
as (for some reason no one bothered to
clean it from noise and distortion). Nasco
lko I know, the game came out in the compiling of the
tion with other automatic FMV-game from Taito
- Ninja Hayate, but Russia had a propagation
injury only a single disc (with a
 Russian translation of embedded subtitles).

   1997 - Sega Saturn. Port is made
Eguzeko Development. I have not seen this ver
plain, they say - is the same as for the Playstation
(And also in the compilation).


             Analog Video


   Now about the technology used in
Slots 80.

   Its origins are in 1958, before ne
rvoy public presentation she had grown in
1972, and the first device appeared in the
Sales only in 1978 (separate eq
Legal Addresses players met in Russia, I
himself saw this in the early 90's, home of one
grader with a major parent). Called
is it Laserdisk (abbreviated as LD), is
The first commercial storage technology
video data on optical media, ie
diske.Proshu pay attention - not on someone
pact disc, which is well known.
LD is not compact, it has a diameter of
30 santimetrov.Disk double-sided, one-
placed side from 30 to 60 minutes form
deo. In the process of watching a movie disc with
hodilos hand turn. In addition to
standard LD, there were several metal
her position options - 18-centimeter
ness and 12-centimeter (as a normal CD).
Of course, when writing to them was less
above - 20 and 5 minutes on a side, respectively
but.

   The principal difference between LD from appearing
Xia 15 years VideoCD (VCD, video
normal CD-ROM) that the video does not
was digital. As you know, in those boroughs
datye years, there was no digital technology
rovogo video.Vmesto compression of data containing
ing packed video stream to disk Save
lsya directly to video (Promod
isolated in a special way). The sound could store
tsya well as in analog format, or a chi
frovom - of course, without compression (with quality
PTO conventional Audio, as we
we know now). Only in 1995, Pioneer
developed a standard LD-ROM, allowing
store in LD up to 540 megabytes of digital
data (in addition to 60 minutes of analog video
and sound). These data could be digital
audio track or other data - per hour
tnosti, game code (this feature and ISPO
lzovalas in Pioneer LaserActive).

   Since the video data on LD are not stored in
digital format (automatically provide
equation describing the possibility of error correction), iso
map and the sound they can have their
'Artifacts' that arise because of failures in
reading (LD drive is quite easy to damage)
changes in the properties of the reflecting layer (this
suffered early LD), and because of features
of the format - in particular, every flicker
mapping with a frequency of 25/30 hertz (there
due to a fundamental lack of buffer
frame). Thus, any dust or dirt on the disc leads
ance of the noise in the image. With
time of the recording quality on the disc can
worse - certainly not to the same extent as
on videotape. In general, the quality of every
LD mapping is higher than that of VHS - Resolution
almost twice as high as possible to digital audio
(Including alternate audio tracks).
Custom features and you
above: first, random access (does not require
buetsya rewinding to the right place, as
cassette), and secondly, LD cheaper videokas
Set as easier to manufacture.

   LD players have lost popularity only
with the advent of the DVD. Nevertheless,
manufacture disks for their continued
until recently - the latest LD-releases
films were released in late 2001
(It's in Japan, and elsewhere in the world - for a year
earlier).


       How and why the TG hit on ZX


   The very idea of porting any integral
the interactive cartoon came to me
in connection with the successes of Hedge (and then PSB and
AlCo) in writing a video player with CD. When
draw public attention to just
video player - pretty hard, because something
similar has already happened before. But the games on the basis
basis of video - were not. Implementing such a
game is quite simple and does not require large
effort (respectively, runs fast
ro). I suggested the idea AlCo, and we decided to re
activated to implement the project.

   Why the same was chosen few who izves
tnaya Game Time Gal (and it Playstationversiya), but not the 
same familiar Mad  Dog McCree? Reasons include:


  1. This game was easier to implement (in
Specifically, for videotira need to invent,
how to put the cursor on the image, and re
shat a number of other problems).

   Alone: Since the engine using the TG
tsya two screens, work with a cursor we conclude
decreases (when switching screens) in his
erasing the visible screen and drawing on
Invisible (which now becomes visible).
But if we want to frame-pointer, then
exists to hang it on the break, checking
More and semaphore - we do not handle this
 hour end of the frame.

  2. Playstation-version of the game had
Available at menya.Na Playstation exists
standard for storing audio and
video converters have long existed in these
formats into standard. Thus, from
attraction video has been simple task. U
rovoy script is also stored in the open form
de, but fully understand it did not succeed
los.Vprochem, it is not required - eye
It turned out easy just watch the video
each level in Virtual Dub and make
script in a convenient form.

   Version of the TG for SegaCD (also available in
available) seemed more appropriate variation
ntom for porting to the ZX, as the video
it has a much smaller number of
colors and can be converted more
qualitatively. But on the SCD is no standard pho
RIAT and there are no ready tools for Math
treatment of data from the game - it is unknown how
the time taken to process research / distribution
kovyrivaniya, and would result obtained in
obsche.Danny project, we planned a quick,
and therefore have chosen a more simple and real
option.

Shiru Otaku