3 ms·
From memory the code moves one invader one pixel[1] each video frame. [1] Might be wrong and it's multple pixels.
by peteri 14y ago
From memory the code moves one invader one pixel[1] each video frame.
[1] Might be wrong and it's multple pixels.
- narcissus 14y agoThat value might be correct, but I think what megablast is getting at is that the original hardware wasn't able to calculate the position of all of the invaders and still maintain the video frame rate. So even though it was intended to work the same speed all the time, the hardware was limited in its ability to handle all of the aliens: once there were less to draw, it was able to draw them faster. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_invaders#Hardware http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_invaders#Hardware : While programming the game, Nishikado discovered that the processor was able to render the alien graphics faster the fewer were on screen. Rather than design the game to compensate for the speed increase, he decided to keep it as a challenging gameplay mechanic.