rbn%brl-bmd@sri-unix.UUCP (08/05/83)
From: Ron Natalie <rbn@brl-bmd> ----- Forwarded message # 1: Received: From Brl.ARPA by BRL-BMD via smtp; 4 Aug 83 6:17 EDT Received: From Lll-Mfe.ARPA by BRL via smtp; 4 Aug 83 6:06 EDT Date: Thu, 4 Aug 83 03:03 PDT From: "Glasser Alan"@LLL-MFE.ARPA Subject: hardware for "Dragon's Lair" To: info-micro-request@brl.arpa I've just seen an arcade video game called "Dragon's Lair" which has a quality of graphics at least an order of magnitude better than any computer-generated images I've ever seen, and at least comparable to the best, most painstakingly hand-drawn animation I've seen. The detail, shading, expression, and speed of animation are astounding, not to mention the humor with which it is done. Has anyone else out there seen this game? Does anyone have an idea what kind of hardware they use? Is there some simple trick they're using, or is this really based on much more advanced hardware than anything I'm aware of? ----- End of forwarded messages
"GlasserAlan"@LLL-MFE.ARPA@sri-unix.UUCP (08/05/83)
I've just seen an arcade video game called "Dragon's Lair" which has a quality of graphics at least an order of magnitude better than any computer-generated images I've ever seen, and at least comparable to the best, most painstakingly hand-drawn animation I've seen. The detail, shading, expression, and speed of animation are astounding, not to mention the humor with which it is done. Has anyone else out there seen this game? Does anyone have an idea what kind of hardware they use? Is there some simple trick they're using, or is this really based on much more advanced hardware than anything I'm aware of?
smith@nrl-aic@sri-unix.UUCP (08/05/83)
From: Russ Smith <smith@nrl-aic> With respect to "Dragon's Lair"...If this is the game I think it is, it's done using a video disk. It looks as good as the best animation you've seen because that's what it is. Each possible change in scene (i.e., fight-no fight, live-get killed, go through the left door-go through the right door, etc.) has been actually created and stored at a quickly addressable location on a computer-controlled video disk. As the player makes a selection (there really aren't that many to choose from) the computer accesses and displays the appropriate images (and sound). This quite probably is the way future games will go (animators LOVE it!). I believe someone once did something similar with a complete traversal of Aspen, Colorado. You could sit in a car simulator and drive around the streets of Aspen. No matter which street you turned down, the correct scene would be shown. I'm not sure what happened if you tried to drive on the sidewalk... Russ <Smith@nrl-aic>
earl@brl-vld@sri-unix.UUCP (08/05/83)
From: Earl Weaver (VLD/VMB) <earl@brl-vld> The Aspen thing was done by the MIT folks and shown at SIGGRAPH in 1980(?). The paper is in one of the conference proceedings. As I recall, one could even make a 180 or a 360 deg turn. They also had 4 "maps" of the place--each at a different season. One could drive down a street in summer, and switch to winter with snow--at the same point in the street. Unfortunately, they could not persuade everybody in town at the time to come back at the next season so EVERYTHING would be the same (except for the weather): the same cars, people, etc.
mar%mit-borax@sri-unix.UUCP (08/11/83)
From: Mark A. Rosenstein <mar@mit-borax>
Dragon's Lair uses a videodisc player with pre-recorded animated sequences
for its display. It pauses whenever the player has to make a choice because
the laserdisc must seek a different track depending on your choice. This
technique has been used at ARCMAC here at MIT for some time. They have a
system which uses two identical videodiscs so that while one is playing the
other can seek ahead to the next sequence, eliminated must of the pauses in
the animation.
-Mark