Do Videogames/Gaming Systems use Special COMPRESSION techniques ?
12-05-01, 04:30 AM
#1
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Do Videogames/Gaming Systems use Special COMPRESSION techniques ?
i've always been amazed at just how relatively small in size videogames are. From classic arcade games which are like 20k ! to games on the PS1/DC etc which fit on 1 cd but which fit a godaweful amount of stuff on that 1cd
what's the secret ?
what's the secret ?
12-05-01, 11:51 AM
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I'm not sure if they are compressed as uncompressing on the fly might be too processor intensive. I do know that in some games the music is compressed in .xa format for PS1 games like symphony of the night (which practically sounds CD quality).
I think I remember a few games using mp3 compression (I believe Top Gear Overdrive (not so good a game though) on the N64 used mp3 to include songs and even mentioned it on the title screen. And of course, Factor 5 does wonders using compression by making high quality sound take up less memory while the decompression hardly uses any processor cycles.
I don't know if that answers your question though....the secret is really good and efficient programming techniques. There's more than one way to code something, and always a more efficient way to optimize code.
With games now on DVD formats, there isn't really much need for compression, the only one they use now is Mpeg2 I believe for the video.
I think I remember a few games using mp3 compression (I believe Top Gear Overdrive (not so good a game though) on the N64 used mp3 to include songs and even mentioned it on the title screen. And of course, Factor 5 does wonders using compression by making high quality sound take up less memory while the decompression hardly uses any processor cycles.
I don't know if that answers your question though....the secret is really good and efficient programming techniques. There's more than one way to code something, and always a more efficient way to optimize code.
With games now on DVD formats, there isn't really much need for compression, the only one they use now is Mpeg2 I believe for the video.
