Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- sd:how_to_write_retro_games_on_the_sd-8516 [2026/05/06 12:16] – appledog
+++ sd:how_to_write_retro_games_on_the_sd-8516 [2026/05/06 12:20] (current) – appledog
@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 Where you will start to run into trouble is in 3d emulation; games like Doom, Quake, and Ocarina of Time. Whereas a ~50 MIPS 486 or Pentium could run Doom at 30fps, you would need at least 90 MIPS to run it on the SD-8516; there is simply no 3d emulation, you would need to do it in software.
-The N64 is the theoretical upper limit; and then, only if 3d acceleration was enabled. I may add something to enable "a decent port" of a game like Ocarina of Time, but that really would be the theoretical max. In my opinion, some 3d games are good but most are not. This machine is intended for the pre-3d acceleration era. The N64, much like the PS1, was a polygon machine. You will notice, all the extra RAM and CPU went towards 3d acceleration, not game depth. Case in point, Ocarina of Time was not a significantly larger game than "A Link to the Past". The SNES Zelda had more dungeons; the N64 had longer dungeons, and was a little larger; but not what you would expect from a machine literally 100 times as powerful as a SNES. A game like GTA 3, Tomb Raider or Ocarina of Time would be the theoretical upper limit for this system, and not for quite some time.
+The N64 is the theoretical upper limit; and then, only if 3d acceleration was enabled. I may add something to enable "a decent port" of a game like Ocarina of Time, but that really would be the theoretical max. In my opinion, some 3d games are good but most are not. This machine is intended for the pre-3d acceleration era. The N64, much like the PS1, was a polygon machine. You will notice, all the extra RAM and CPU went towards 3d acceleration, not game depth. Case in point, Ocarina of Time was not a significantly larger game than "A Link to the Past". The SNES Zelda had more dungeons; the N64 had longer dungeons, and was a little larger; but not what you would expect from a machine literally 100 times as powerful as a SNES.
-For 2d/2.5d however, the SD-8516 has everything you could ask for.
 == Limit System Speed
@@ Line 87: / Line 85: @@
   * Older consoles/VIC-20 (4k-32k programs): Stick to the hardware + cartridge limitations.
-For Amiga/PC or SNES-era games, request more RAM. 640k to 1MB is appropriate for Amiga 500/SNES-tier, and 4MB is a safe upper limit for larger machines. However, above 4MB and you are leaving the comfortable constraints of retro gaming behind. By 8mb you will be looking for 3d graphics acceleration; the system is not designed to support that yet. What are you going to do with all that RAM? :)
+For Amiga/PC or SNES-era games, request more RAM. 1MB is appropriate for Amiga/SNES-tier, and 4MB is a safe upper limit for larger machines. More than this and you start to leave retro-land and enter the world of post-90s PC gaming. It's not that the system couldn't handle the RAM, it's the processing speed. As a single threaded system, we have our limits. Someday, single core performance will enable this to run at Dreamcast level speeds -- a generation or two above the N64 -- maybe by then it will make more sense to give it the kind of polygon engine in an N64 or PS1 -- but not today.
 == How to Add RAM