Apsuvax.1042 net.games utzoo!decvax!harpo!ihnss!mhtsa!allegra!psuvax!sysred Sun Apr 25 21:41:45 1982 The straight poop OK - now we've gotten both sides of the issue. The lines don't have jagged edges so it must be vector graphics. Yet, on close (real close!) examination, the display is made of discrete display elements (each display point looks like a long, thin spot of one color, with the long axis vertical, all surrounded by a black matrix) so it must be raster scan. I don't claim to know much about CRT image generation (esp. color), but I don't understand how a vector system can be superimposed on a discrete screen. On the other hand, I don't understand how the angled lines can be made smooth in a raster scan system (although I recently saw an ad for a color terminal which mentioned something about smoothing lines in a raster system). The point is, does anybody REALLY know (I mean, has anybody peeked inside)? Anybody from Atari reading this? Additionally, has anyone else seen Zaxxon? This is the first video game I've seen to make an attempt at 3-D display (displaying all three simultaneously - I'm ignoring Red Baron). For those of you who haven't discovered the game, the display is an isomorphic projection of a "fortress" through which you must fly a plane using horizontal and vertical control from a joystick (forward speed is fixed). I give it a high recommendation. Anybody working on a Unix version (JUST KIDDING!)? ----------------------------------------------------------------- gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/ This Usenet Oldnews Archive article may be copied and distributed freely, provided: 1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles. 2. The following notice remains appended to each copy: The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996 Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.