Back to General and Gameplay Programming

I invented the idea of using tiles!

Coleco · 2000-07-10T16:43:42

Yup, you heard me....it was my idea and my idea alone. HOWEVER, I wasn''t the first! My last post reminded me of when I was about 17-18 years old. (1990) I was up late one night programming on a game and I had the great idea of placing bitmap "icons" all over the screen. I was having a hard time getting 2,3,5 or even 20 screens in my killer Amiga game. Then I said, "What a minute...why can''t I just stack them?" First, I tried tiles (20x15 pixels). I thought, "WOW! I can build a whole screen using only about 30k for my art and only 6 bytes per tile!!!" I used 6 bytes per tile because I tried using 2 bytes for the X position, 2 bytes for the Y position, and 2 bytes for the number of the tile. Then, I got a little smarter. I said, "hmm, I have to use 2 bytes for the X because X can be greater than pixel 255. But, I can use 1 byte for the Y because the screen is only 200 pixels tall. And, I can use 1 byte for the tile number because I have fewer than 256 tiles." It was great, I reduced the map size to only 4 bytes per tile instead of 6. Then, I had a break-through. Why not just blast tiles in a row every 16 pixels (figured out 16 was better than 20) and just use an array???? I had done it!! ONLY 1 byte per tile! I could build HUNDREDS of screens in just a few byte. Now, before I get flammed, keep in mind that I had NO internet, NO BBS''s, NO books, no programming friends, etc. I totaly came up with the idea in my head. I didn''t realize that millions of other people already did it. But, I have to admit it was one of my greatest programming achievements. May not sound like much, but think about it...when was the last time you were programming and had one of those, "HOLY SHIT!" moments? I mean the kind that changed your life and renewed your love of programming? Well, felt kinda nice to tell my story of how I invented the tile-based system of making games. Ok, now bring on the flames. hehehehe -Coleco Rock the cradle of love! You stupid WANKER!

General and Gameplay Programming Programming

Started by Coleco June 28, 2000 09:20 PM

24 comments, last by Coleco 24 years, 6 months ago

dwarfsoft

1,237

June 30, 2000 09:11 PM

I came up with Scripting and the whole idea of NPC''s... pity somebody else had already thought of those too

-Chris Bennett ("Insanity" of Dwarfsoft)

Check our site:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~dwarfsoft/
and our eGroup:
http://www.egroups.com/group/dwarfsoft

- blog - twitter - LinkedIn

Eck

7,700

July 05, 2000 09:52 AM

Oh yeah? Well, I invented gravity. You should have seen things before I came around... Everything was floating this way and that. Sure, Isaac discovered my invention, but I INVINTED IT!

Just my little speech on how this topic is silly.
Eck

EckTech Games - Games and Unity Assets I'm working on
Still Flying - My GameDev journal
The Shilwulf Dynasty - Campaign notes for my Rogue Trader RPG

Dak Lozar

122

July 05, 2000 10:21 AM

I still think the world is flat... if we go to far, over the edge we''ll go

Dave "Dak Lozar" Loeser

Dave Dak Lozar Loeser
"Software Engineering is a race between the programmers, trying to make bigger and better fool-proof software, and the universe trying to make bigger fools. So far the Universe in winning."--anonymous

Gladiator

127

July 05, 2000 11:11 AM

What''s flat are your brains...

DarkMage139

294

July 05, 2000 11:24 AM

Yeah? Well, Al Gore invented the Internet!!!

P.S. If you''re not from the USA, you probably don''t get the joke.

- DarkMage139
"Real game developers don't change the rules. Real game developers don't break the rules. Real game developers make the rules!"
"Originality (in games) is the spice of life!"

- DarkMage139

Dak Lozar

122

July 05, 2000 12:11 PM

quote: Original post by Gladiator

What''s flat are your brains...

<GIGLE>
That sounds like a question

So... No, my brain isn''t flat. But the world is, dammit!

</GIGLE>

Dave "Dak Lozar" Loeser

aDasTRa

122

July 05, 2000 12:18 PM

i think most game programmers have at some time or another come up with an idea we thought was completely original, only to find that in a week or a month or so a big game company releases a game with that very feature. or they announce the game will have that feature. it is kinda frustrating and disappointing, for me atleast; it would be nice to be the first out the gate with a very cool new idea. guess we all just have to try a little harder

<(o)>

ImmaGNUman

122

July 05, 2000 12:30 PM

Hmm, I invented breathing but I didn''t copy right it, damn!

-----------------------------

A wise man once said "A person with half a clue is more dangerous than a person with or without one."

-----------------------------A wise man once said "A person with half a clue is more dangerous than a person with or without one."The Micro$haft BSOD T-Shirt

Anonymous

July 05, 2000 12:34 PM

Hay. I invented the wheel and steam power but bugger me I was a few thousand years late. Of course I also invented writing, language, algebra but I dont think there such a big deal.

God.

dwarfsoft

1,237

July 10, 2000 05:59 AM

I came up with the idea for a computer.... pity that I wasn''t born before they were invented eh?

-Chris Bennett ("Insanity" of Dwarfsoft)

Check our site:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~dwarfsoft/
and our eGroup:
http://www.egroups.com/group/dwarfsoft

- blog - twitter - LinkedIn

I invented the idea of using tiles!

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

I invented the idea of using tiles!

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Reticulating splines