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Re: Timer Precedence (Using Multiple Timers)

To: REALbasic Games <realbasic-games at lists dot realsoftware dot com>
Subject: Re: Timer Precedence (Using Multiple Timers)
From: Nick Lockwood <nick at charcoaldesign dot co dot uk>
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 11:16:36 +0100
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References: <02BC7581-BFE7-11D8-9248-000A95EED9D2 at comcast dot net> <0CE5AACD-BFEA-11D8-829B-000393101B4A at mobleybros dot com> <D8B94EFE-BFF1-11D8-BBD2-000A95CDD7B0 at charcoaldesign dot co dot uk> <6778211C-C074-11D8-829B-000393101B4A at mobleybros dot com>
Why would any user want to reduce the frame rate on their machine? I don't see the point of this option.

And incidentally Joe has stated that there is no performance difference (on any machine) between a timer set to 0 and a timer set to around 16.

I guess you are right... it really doesn't matter how often the timer fires. If it is a slow machine and the timer is set to 0 (or 16), then it would just fire as often as it can.

At the time, I was thinking of allowing the user to adjust the Timer so that if it is choppy that they could at least make it less irregular and unpredictable.

I've done something a bit like this with my game, but rather than adjusting the rate at which the timer fires, the user can adjust the number of times the engine goes round a tight loop before exiting until the timer next fires. To be honest though this is a really ugly hack and I hate it, I just don't see a better way of coping with the fact that timer performance is dreadful, but tight loops can cause the interface to freeze. In any case this approach requires a frame-rate independent graphics engine.

What *would* be better than a timer adjustment is a control to adjust the complexity of the graphics -- and I am working on that too.

Agreed,

Nick

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