Graphical effects in Duke Nukem 1 and 2, part 1
The article explores graphical effects in Duke Nukem 1 and 2, detailing mirror surfaces, underwater, and translucency effects. It compares Assembly and C code optimizations for faster pixel copying and visual effects.
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The article discusses the graphical effects in the first two Duke Nukem games, focusing on mirror-surface floors in Duke Nukem 1 and underwater and translucency effects in Duke Nukem 2. In Duke Nukem 1, the mirror surface areas were specified in level files using a dedicated actor number, creating mirror surfaces one tile wide. The mirror effect was achieved by copying pixels from video memory to video memory, compressing the image vertically and applying a shimmering effect. The low-level routine for pixel copying was written in Assembly language, optimized for minimal ISA bus traffic. The article compares a C code version with the Assembly version, highlighting optimizations like register usage and unrolling loops for faster execution. The Assembly version leveraged MOVSB instructions for efficient pixel copying and utilized macros for loop unrolling. Overall, the article delves into the technical details of implementing graphical effects in the Duke Nukem games, showcasing the complexity and optimizations involved in achieving visual effects in early 90s DOS games.
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