why......WHY?????

[firestarter]

Why is it that an extinct API (Glide) is capable of doing near perfect graphic emulation, and a modern and advanced API (OpenGL or DirectX, take your pick) is not even close to the level the extinct one is? Someone explain this one to me....

 

[Remote]

It's karma.. Not sure but I know that the N64 uses the framebuffer in a much different way PC graphic cards does so I'm not sure but I don't think it's a question of method instead of what API.

Somebody with skills please tell

 

[jollyrancher]

Maybe I'm not understanding properly, but you're saying that Glide64 works better than a DirectX plugin like Jabo's? Glide64 is good, but Jabo's works much better on my Geforce4. Glide64 does work better on some older graphics cards that don't support the blending capabilities of newer cards. The new Glide64 is going to have amazing framebuffer effects, but that's because Gonetz has done a great job of developing it, not because glide is a better API.

 

[Clements]

With all the fantastic progress of Glide64 showing flawless emulation of various effects that no other plugin can even emulate at all, the other plugins are being left well behind. Jabo's plugin is static and will only appear worse as more, better plugins are released.

Gonetz has been on fire lately, unlocking the secret of Emulate Clear, having motion blur, fixing some hard-to-emulate games and now it will have a high resolution framebuffer just like glN64() has. The strides Glide64 is making is great.

Rice's plugin is progressing too, just at a slower rate at the mo, but the new release looks a big step, so I wouldn't rule out OpenGL/Direct3D plugins entirely just yet.

At the mo, from the screenies I've seen, the new Glide64 + a Voodoo 5 is much better than Jabo's plugin + a GeForce card. Jabo's will not have the benefit of the extended zilmar spec of 1964 0.99 anyway so expect Jabo's Framebuffer to be trumped soon in terms of compatibilty.

 

[firestarter]

Rice's plugin is progressing too, just at a slower rate at the mo, but the new release looks a big step, so I wouldn't rule out OpenGL/Direct3D plugins entirely just yet.

At the mo, from the screenies I've seen, the new Glide64 + a Voodoo 5 is much better than Jabo's plugin + a GeForce card. Jabo's will not have the benefit of the extended zilmar spec of 1964 0.99 anyway so expect Jabo's Framebuffer to be trumped soon in terms of compatibilty.

Hmm...I suppose you got a point. Rice seems to be pulling something huge, judging from the fact that this will be the final release of 1964...(though he might continue the Daedulus plugin, which has never really worked on my computer). Perhaps I'm being a little...uptight? uptight? Oh well. I might as well wait this one out...I just kind of find it surprising that nothing seems to be done on the main front in terms of graphics beyond glide64.

resolves to play some Sea Change, OK Computer, and Avalanche at the same time, with Earthbound music on sudden occasions. It has the same effect as ether, you know

 

[Clements]

Glide64 is open source, so plugin authors can use some of their code if they credit the Glide64 Team:

http://www.emuxhaven.net/~glide64/sources.htm

Most of (if not all) the active plugins are all open source, so 'code sharing' is entirely feasible (and is probably done quite a bit). It happens with Snes9x and ZSNES all the time to great effect, and shares the hard work between authors so it makes it easier to develop plugins.

I just kind of find it surprising that nothing seems to be done on the main front in terms of graphics beyond glide64.

Perhaps Gonetz is much less busy than the other authors at this current time and is in the mood for improving Glide64! Gonetz may rest a while after he releases a plugin! I must admit though, Gonetz's current work in Glide64 is unbelievably awesome enough that you had to say "Wait a minute, how is this possible?" Now that's awesome!

 

[neoak]

Life isn't fair...

Solution: Get a Voodoo 5 64MB for now (US$22 in Ebay)

 

[gandalf]

Naaa....

I´m sure: GLN64 will make the same work in MM (the same as Glide 64)
And with another Frame Buffer effects. (boards in Mario Kart 64 or 1080º Snowboarding)


Excuse my english

 

[jdsony]

I'm sure DirectX and OpenGL are completly capable of having comparable results or better but maybe it is more work to get them. From what I understand is that the Glide API has less CPU overhead than DirectX, I'm not sure if this is still the case or even an issue but it was at the end of the 90's. It also seems that the Glide API seems to have more in common with consoles such as the N64 than DirectX. I

think 3DFX had something going for it, it's too bad they were completely eliminated from the game. They had some amazing features at the time but really started to suffer from their lack of higher resolutions (Voodoo 2) and their image quality/lack of motivation to move into 32bit colour.

 

[Reznor007]

Glide is far less capable than Direct3D9 or OpenGL 1.5.

To put a comparison to it, Voodoo5 is only OpenGL 1.1 compliant...nothing more. GeforceFX and Radeon9500+ are 1.5.

The N64 graphics chip was designed by Silicon Graphics, who also designed OpenGL. 3dfx was started by a few ex-SGI engineers, and Glide was designed as to be similar to OpenGL but easier to use, and with less features so it would be more performance oriented.

Plugins using the other API's could be made to work just as well/better than Glide, but people might not have had the time Gonetz has had to devote to it.

 

[Knuckles]

hehe, right now, for

better than Glide

, it will be hard. But really, I find that it's stranger why right now, the best plugins aren't in D3D or OGL since they are capable of more and since all other plugins are using these.... but anyway, I hope for evoodoo to get to work with glide/D3D Perfectly

 

[Tagrineth]

The thing about Glide isn't that it "has less CPU overhead"... it's just plain simpler to code. Nothing more to it.

Gonetz is basically using his incredibly awesome knowledge of N64's abilities, and applying them in the easiest possible way.