Re: Apple IIe Xmode

[mkelsey@eecs.wsu.edu (Michael Kelsey)]

In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.960331173956.13010A-100000@apollo>, Don <leed@sfsu.edu> writes:
|> Hello,
|> 
|> 	Since the topic here is Double Hi-res, I just have this 
|> interesting little thing I noticed in a old Apple II game.  The game was 
|> Bruce Lee by Datasoft.  
|> 
|> 	The thing I noticed was when I originally got the game many years 
|> ago for my IIe, I noticed the title screen seemed very scrambled up.  I 
|> didn't know what Double Hi-res was back then, so I didn't know what was 
|> wrong, but it was no big deal as the game itself ran in standard Hi-res, 
|> and there was no problem.  
|> 
|> 	But later on, after I bought King's Quest 1, and since that 
|> required Double Hi-res, that I finally realized what it was.  I had the 
|> required 128k, but lacked a jumper cable and after I put the cable on the 
|> extended 80-column card all the double hi-res software worked fine.  
|> 
|> 	But when I played Bruce Lee after a long time not playing it, the 
|> screen was normal, and that's when I had a feeling it was double hi-res.  
|> But the strange thing was the game only required 48K or 64K, the old 
|> standard for most AII games in those days, but somehow they stuck a 
|> double hi-res title screen in there.  
|> 
|> 	I just found it quite strange that they would do that, and what 
|> would happen to those without 128K or double hi-res capability, would the 
|> screen be a mess or would the program somehow detect the computer only 
|> had 64K and display a normal hi-res screen?  I know games that required 
|> 128K, had a double hi-res opening screen, but used standard hi-res for 
|> the game itself (Wings of Fury by Broderbund comes to mind).  
|> 
|> 	Anyone with opinions, thoughts?  Just something I thought I would 
|> point out.  

Actually, the game's performance was *signficantly* boosted when 128k was
available.  I yanked out my 80-col card a long time ago to see what the game
would do, and it loaded a single hires screen.  It also accessed the drive
between levels.

|> 
|> -Don
|> 
|> 
|> 
|> |~\ _  _  _ | _|  |  _  _      leed@sfsu.edu  
|> |_/(_)| |(_||(_|  |_(/_(/_     leed@bbs.urbanite.com
|> Apple II user since 1983
|> "Anyone can sympathize with the suffereings of a friend, but it requires 
|> a very fine nature to sympatheize with a friend's success"  Oscar Wilde
|> 

Just my 2c worth.  

Michael Kelsey
mkelsey@eecs.wsu.edu
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"Your Apple II is only as limited as you make it!"
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