SNES vs Genesis

[tokumaru]

Without mode 7, how do racing games work on the Genesis?

I always liked the graphics in Street Racer, with its nicely textured roads. The SNES version uses Mode 7.

Or would one need the Sega CD accessory to make Cameltry/On the Ball?

I believe that a proper Mode 7 effect would indeed require a Sega CD. There's one game that took an interesting approach to 3D-like graphics on the Genesis, Panarama Cotton.

Would the Special Stages in Sonic count?

Those were done completely with sprites, AFAIK.

Kawasaki Super Bike

That looks cool, almost Star Fox-like.

[tepples]

I always liked the graphics in Street Racer, with its nicely textured roads.

I've seen similar graphics in a Game Boy color racing game. How does that work exactly? Is it essentially a software version of Cosmic Epsilon, where each texture row at each scale is stored in the cartridge?

There's one game that took an interesting approach to 3D-like graphics on the Genesis, Panarama Cotton.

This looks to be mostly the same tech seen in 3D Battles of Worldrunner and Tetra Star: a Rad Racer floor with a separate sprite cel for each Z range.

Kawasaki Super Bike

That looks cool, almost Star Fox-like.

Yeah, it did remind me of Stunt Race FX, except without the FX or SVP chip.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

I forgot there's also F1 World Championship which uses the same Engine as Kawasaki Super Bike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qofonsN3Nwc

[TmEE]

I've seen similar graphics in a Game Boy color racing game. How does that work exactly? Is it essentially a software version of Cosmic Epsilon, where each texture row at each scale is stored in the cartridge?

Each line is stored at different widths VRAM (generated at runtime I suppose) and they are then scrolled in by midframe scroll adjusts.
EDIT: all pre-rendered/drawn, no runtime stuff happens.. the small stuff looks too good.

[tokumaru]

I've seen similar graphics in a Game Boy color racing game.

Halloween Racer?

How does that work exactly? Is it essentially a software version of Cosmic Epsilon, where each texture row at each scale is stored in the cartridge?

I'm not sure, since I don't know of any Genesis/MD emulators that will display the unmodified background planes. I'd guess you're correct.

This looks to be mostly the same tech seen in 3D Battles of Worldrunner and Tetra Star: a Rad Racer floor with a separate sprite cel for each Z range.

Yes, but the neat thing about it is how the effects are combined in different ways for different parts of the levels. It even has vertical parallax scrolling at some point.

Yeah, it did remind me of Stunt Race FX, except without the FX or SVP chip.

Indeed, the amazing part is that it's not using any kind of special chip, and that it looks better than Hard Drivin' (it appears to be soother too).

[tepples]

I've seen similar graphics in a Game Boy color racing game.

Halloween Racer?

It was Wacky Races. I'm just trying to figure out how this effect was done in order to figure out how feasible it'd be on an NES.

[TmEE]

This should be piece of cake on NES if you have a mapper with scanline counting ability. Banked CHR ROM makes that really easy to do...

[tokumaru]

I'm just trying to figure out how this effect was done in order to figure out how feasible it'd be on an NES.

Sonic 3D Blast's Special Stages appear to use a variation of the same effect, which even includes walls. I was once trying to figure out a way to do something similar on the NES, but for some reason I gave up.

[Shiru]

Sonic 3D Blast special stages uses just (non-linear) vertical raster stretch, it is much easier than roads in racing games, as no horizontal stretch involved.

[psycopathicteen]

It looks like the bridge uses mirroring, so the CPU only has to render half of it.

[TmEE]

There is no software rendering involved, only per frame vertical scroll changes for the stretching. Horizontal scrolls are most probably handled by the line scroll table, it makes little sense to handle these realtime.

[psycopathicteen]

There is no software rendering involved, only per frame vertical scroll changes for the stretching. Horizontal scrolls are most probably handled by the line scroll table, it makes little sense to handle these realtime.

I'm talking about Sonic 3D special stage.

[Shiru]

There is no software rendering in the special stage, just stretching. I have made very similar effect on the Genesis some time ago, it is actually so simple that takes just a few lines of code.

[psycopathicteen]

I'm talking about the foreground, not the background. The bridge that Sonic is walking on has both vertical and horizontal scaling, where as the lava pit behind him, only has vertical scaling.

[Shiru]

Honestly, I didn't notice that at first, but I still think it doesn't really scale anything. As there is only the same looking stair, I guess they have one prescaled stair (just a few scales) on a background plane, and set a needed line of the plane for a raster line. If someone could get to a special stage and make a savestate, he could check if this is true using GSaveState (a program similar to the vSNES).