The Dink Network

Is anyone playing Dink on a computer that is slower than a P200 MMX with 48 MB of RAM, 4 MB graphics card?

I'm testing Pilgrim's Quest on such a computer - and it's performance is poor at certain sections due to large graphics. I'm curious to know how many people might get frustrated at the performance....

: Is anyone playing Dink on a computer that is slower than a P200 MMX with 48 MB of RAM, 4 MB graphics card?

: I'm testing Pilgrim's Quest on such a computer - and it's performance is poor at certain sections due to large graphics. I'm curious to know how many people might get frustrated at the performance....

Not me.

BTW, did you see me "savebot idea" in the Smart Catche thread? It may or may not be aplicable to your situation, I don't know.

: Is anyone playing Dink on a computer that is slower than a P200 MMX with 48 MB of RAM, 4 MB graphics card?

: I'm testing Pilgrim's Quest on such a computer - and it's performance is poor at certain sections due to large graphics. I'm curious to know how many people might get frustrated at the performance....

Well, uuh, I got a P200 MMX, 28 MB ram and 3 MB graphic card.

: Is anyone playing Dink on a computer that is slower than a P200 MMX with 48 MB of RAM, 4 MB graphics card?

: I'm testing Pilgrim's Quest on such a computer - and it's performance is poor at certain sections due to large graphics. I'm curious to know how many people might get frustrated at the performance....

No my computer is a tad better than this base minimum, but I still get frustrated when playing thru a section with animated background. The more animated the background is, the worse it goes. For instance, the fire in hell scenes, the moving water like in tware etc, makes my dink moooooovvvveeeeeeee sloooowwwwllllllyyyyyyy very slow jerky motion, I push the attack button and it's a noticable pause before dink moves and the hit is counted.

: Is anyone playing Dink on a computer that is slower than a P200 MMX with 48 MB of RAM, 4 MB graphics card?

: I'm testing Pilgrim's Quest on such a computer - and it's performance is poor at certain sections due to large graphics. I'm curious to know how many people might get frustrated at the performance....

As long as it doesn't crash from lack of memory, alls good.

You get used to the wair when downloading movies and having a dialup.

: Is anyone playing Dink on a computer that is slower than a P200 MMX with 48 MB of RAM, 4 MB graphics card?

: I'm testing Pilgrim's Quest on such a computer - and it's performance is poor at certain sections due to large graphics. I'm curious to know how many people might get frustrated at the performance....

PIII 900mhz, 640MB RAM, 128 MB video card. No problems running Dink.

: Is anyone playing Dink on a computer that is slower than a P200 MMX with 48 MB of RAM, 4 MB graphics card?

: I'm testing Pilgrim's Quest on such a computer - and it's performance is poor at certain sections due to large graphics. I'm curious to know how many people might get frustrated at the performance....

i had a 450 mhz k6 with 60 mb ram and 2 meg graphics card and dink worked totally fine as my other 400 mhz k6 with 128 ram and 4 meg graphics card, which in turn works just the same as my first one upgraded 550 mhz k6 with 198 ram and 120 mb graphics card. now, i dont know what this pmmx speak is, but i can say that a graphics card does not matter. maybe the ram? if anyone doesnt have ram, go return some bottles and friggin upgrade it.

: PIII 900mhz, 640MB RAM, 128 MB video card. No problems running Dink.

Ha, got you beat! (but why do you have 640 meg of ram?)

AMD Athlon XP 1900 512 SDRAM (I blew my DDR), and 64Meg DRR GeForce2 MX440

--WC

: Is anyone playing Dink on a computer that is slower than a P200 MMX with 48 MB of RAM, 4 MB graphics card?

: I'm testing Pilgrim's Quest on such a computer - and it's performance is poor at certain sections due to large graphics. I'm curious to know how many people might get frustrated at the performance....

No problem here (Celeron 1000T/128/32 and P233MMX/128/4)

Yes I have used your save load idea. Thanks... (you are in the credits too It has helped the game playing on fast computers... but the slow P200 MMX still struggles along (Some of my graphics are big and use 50 frame sequences)

: : PIII 900mhz, 640MB RAM, 128 MB video card. No problems running Dink.

: Ha, got you beat! (but why do you have 640 meg of ram?)

: AMD Athlon XP 1900 512 SDRAM (I blew my DDR), and 64Meg DRR GeForce2 MX440

: --WC

hehe...

AMD XP 1800+, 512 Mb DDR 266, 64 Meg DDR GEforce 4 (yep, dink runs like a rabit on amphetamines(sp?))

: : Is anyone playing Dink on a computer that is slower than a P200 MMX with 48 MB of RAM, 4 MB graphics card?

: : I'm testing Pilgrim's Quest on such a computer - and it's performance is poor at certain sections due to large graphics. I'm curious to know how many people might get frustrated at the performance....

I've got a 300 MMX, 60 MB RAM, 4 MB graphics card.

: Is anyone playing Dink on a computer that is slower than a P200 MMX with 48 MB of RAM, 4 MB graphics card?

Im playing on AMD Athlon 1400mhz, GeForce 2 GTS, 512mb DDR...Sound Blaster Live! heh, 2 CD drives, DVD and burner hehehe, joystick, camera, microphone, two speakers (lol)...and a car wheel!! Oh my printer...and my beautiful adsl back here, *kisses the dsl* lol. So NO problem!

: Is anyone playing Dink on a computer that is slower than a P200 MMX with 48 MB of RAM, 4 MB graphics card?

: I'm testing Pilgrim's Quest on such a computer - and it's performance is poor at certain sections due to large graphics. I'm curious to know how many people might get frustrated at the performance....

Whoops, I forgot to reply to this yesterday. Oh well. I used to have this when I first got Dink:

233mhz PentiumII

32mb RAM

8mb Nvidia Riva 128 graphics card

Ensoniq Soundscape PCI soundcard

Dink would only run slow on certain screens.

Now, I have:

900Mhz AMD Athlon

384mb RAM

64mb GeForce 2

Soundblaster Audigy

: Yes I have used your save load idea. Thanks... (you are in the credits too It has helped the game playing on fast computers... but the slow P200 MMX still struggles along (Some of my graphics are big and use 50 frame sequences)

Paul's suggestion is good... but the way I have done it in FIAT v1.00 might work better. It depends on a few things, both have their respective weaknesses/strengths.

I have one global variable that keeps track of the current graphics that are loaded, &egraphics. Then when saving the game, I do this:

&olde = &egraphics;

&egraphics = -1;

save_game(&savpos);

&egraphics = &olde;

Then in the base script of the screen (and other screens where the graphics are used), I do something like this:

if (&egraphics != 1)

{

&egraphics = 1;

init("load_sequence_now graphicselemonstairpillf1-w1- 861 75 24 29 -18 -12 19 7");

}

So basically, the player gets a nice flashing Loading thingy on the top of the screen while the graphics load, and like Paul's method, it won't do it once the graphics are already loaded.

The downside is you need a different base script for all of the different groups of graphics you have.

: : PIII 900mhz, 640MB RAM, 128 MB video card. No problems running Dink.

: Ha, got you beat! (but why do you have 640 meg of ram?)

: AMD Athlon XP 1900 512 SDRAM (I blew my DDR), and 64Meg DRR GeForce2 MX440

: --WC

Hah, I'd think we're fairly equal. You've just got a better processor

And how I got 640: 128 + 256 + 256.

: : Yes I have used your save load idea. Thanks... (you are in the credits too It has helped the game playing on fast computers... but the slow P200 MMX still struggles along (Some of my graphics are big and use 50 frame sequences)

: Paul's suggestion is good... but the way I have done it in FIAT v1.00 might work better.  It depends on a few things, both have their respective weaknesses/strengths.

: I have one global variable that keeps track of the current graphics that are loaded, &egraphics.  Then when saving the game, I do this:

: &olde = &egraphics;

: &egraphics = -1;

: save_game(&savpos);

: &egraphics = &olde;

: Then in the base script of the screen (and other screens where the graphics are used), I do something like this:

: if (&egraphics != 1)

: {

: &egraphics = 1;

: init("load_sequence_now graphicselemonstairpillf1-w1- 861 75 24 29 -18 -12 19 7");

: }

: So basically, the player gets a nice flashing Loading thingy on the top of the screen while the graphics load, and like Paul's method, it won't do it once the graphics are already loaded.

: The downside is you need a different base script for all of the different groups of graphics you have.

Okay so if &egraphics = -1 do big load... then what about different graphics per screen is &egraphics used with certain values for each set... ie if &egraphics = 2 load earth pill instead of air pill?

: : : PIII 900mhz, 640MB RAM, 128 MB video card. No problems running Dink.

: : Ha, got you beat! (but why do you have 640 meg of ram?)

: : AMD Athlon XP 1900 512 SDRAM (I blew my DDR), and 64Meg DRR GeForce2 MX440

: : --WC

: Hah, I'd think we're fairly equal. You've just got a better processor

: And how I got 640: 128 + 256 + 256.

Sure, sure, but I've got a bigger...

: Okay so if &egraphics = -1 do big load... then what about different graphics per screen is &egraphics used with certain values for each set... ie if &egraphics = 2 load earth pill instead of air pill?

Sorta. When egraphics is set to -1, it tells the base script to load all of the graphics it has...

The way I have it, &egraphics has about 6 different values, corresponding to each element. I also have it so one big chunk of land has the same base script... it just makes things easier for me, so my way probably won't be fitting for PQ. So if Dink, say, walks from the Earth island (egraphics is 2) to the Water island (egraphics is 3), then it loads up the Water graphics automatically. The Savebot setting egraphics to -1 just tells it to load whatever graphics are in the base script, as it knows that none will be loaded.

But that probably won't work for PQ (because of its segmentedness, I'm guessing Dink can't walk somewhere that requires new graphics). So I'm guessing a cross between Paul's and my idea would be best... just set egraphics to 1 in the savebot, then check for one in the base script, and load the graphics there so you get the Loading graphics.

I was loading a few graphics in the base script. Might do some more... just before the end which really needs a fairly good computer to play thru smoothly - But Paul's idea has helped (I got it wrong first go... but last night's test was good).

Just waiting on beta testers feedback on current run thru and who knows.... release maybe?