3 ms·

Physics/vector math aren't getting off-loaded, a virtualized 16 bit processor is.

stephengillie 15y ago
What would it take for the average i5 or i7 to virtualize a 16bit processor? Could it run on a separate thread from the main game? Could you run part of your MMO server work as a distributed-computing setup on client PCs? (but how would you get that working in real time?) Maybe the players that are online at a particular time could be doing some of the extra processing - the game client could run 1 or 2 extra 16-bit virtualizers in the background, along with the virtualizer for the player's own 16-bit cpu and the game thread. So 4 threads running on 4 separate cores.
- mattstreet 15y ago
  I think it would be really hard to secure that as far as an MMO goes, not that there aren't a few tricks that might be worth trying. (Like having a player's CPU emulated on several different peers and comparing the output to find errors or hacks)
nknight 15y ago
I don't think the processor needs to be. If it's designed carefully, the code should be trivially translatable to native x86, at which point you may even be able to run a few thousand on a single reasonably beefy server, depending on how fast the virtual CPU runs and the average load.
- heretohelp 15y ago
  Not to be an asshole, but you do realize we're talking about Notch here right?
  - nknight 15y ago
    > Not to be an asshole Typing that should have been a pretty unambiguous clue you needed to stop.
    - heretohelp 15y ago
      No, it was necessary to reframe the constraints of what can be done designwise. Idle speculation about the design of how it could be done that is wildly outside both Notch's abilities and the allocation of people on his team he plans to put towards it (zero) is pretty pointless.
      - nknight 15y ago
        No, it wasn't. If you wanted to communicate a legitimate concern (which you don't seem to have, just idle speculation), you would have done so. Instead, you were an asshole, and made it worse by recognizing you were being an asshole, and doing it anyway.
        deleted 15y ago
        [deleted]
      - coopdog 15y ago
        You realise how much money they've made from Minecraft yeah? If he wants cutting edge virtualisation technology he can no doubt pay for it (if it'll be fun, and he definately has an intuition for what is and isn't fun)
        heretohelp 15y ago
        >You realise how much money they've made from Minecraft yeah? If he wants cutting edge virtualisation technology he can no doubt pay for it (if it'll be fun, and he definately has an intuition for what is and isn't fun) That's kinda my point, coding ability didn't limit his ability to delight people.
        15y ago

What would it take for the average i5 or i7 to virtualize a 16bit processor? Could it run on a separate thread from the main game? Could you run part of your MMO server work as a distributed-computing setup on client PCs? (but how would you get that working in real time?) Maybe the players that are online at a particular time could be doing some of the extra processing - the game client could run 1 or 2 extra 16-bit virtualizers in the background, along with the virtualizer for the player's own 16-bit cpu and the game thread. So 4 threads running on 4 separate cores.

mattstreet 15y ago
I think it would be really hard to secure that as far as an MMO goes, not that there aren't a few tricks that might be worth trying. (Like having a player's CPU emulated on several different peers and comparing the output to find errors or hacks)

nknight 15y ago

I don't think the processor needs to be. If it's designed carefully, the code should be trivially translatable to native x86, at which point you may even be able to run a few thousand on a single reasonably beefy server, depending on how fast the virtual CPU runs and the average load.

heretohelp 15y ago
Not to be an asshole, but you do realize we're talking about Notch here right?
- nknight 15y ago
  > Not to be an asshole Typing that should have been a pretty unambiguous clue you needed to stop.
  - heretohelp 15y ago
    No, it was necessary to reframe the constraints of what can be done designwise. Idle speculation about the design of how it could be done that is wildly outside both Notch's abilities and the allocation of people on his team he plans to put towards it (zero) is pretty pointless.
    - nknight 15y ago
      No, it wasn't. If you wanted to communicate a legitimate concern (which you don't seem to have, just idle speculation), you would have done so. Instead, you were an asshole, and made it worse by recognizing you were being an asshole, and doing it anyway.
      - deleted 15y ago
        [deleted]
    - coopdog 15y ago
      You realise how much money they've made from Minecraft yeah? If he wants cutting edge virtualisation technology he can no doubt pay for it (if it'll be fun, and he definately has an intuition for what is and isn't fun)
      - heretohelp 15y ago
        >You realise how much money they've made from Minecraft yeah? If he wants cutting edge virtualisation technology he can no doubt pay for it (if it'll be fun, and he definately has an intuition for what is and isn't fun) That's kinda my point, coding ability didn't limit his ability to delight people.
        15y ago