Subject: Forge (was: Apex don't answer, alas)
Date: Fri, 6 May 94 07:15:14 -0600
From: Steve Koren <koren@hpfcogv.fc.hp.com>

> Hey guys and guyas, 

> 	Just curious:  anybody tried to call Apex?  I'm dying to order 

I tried this past Monday, and got through on the second call (the first
time I got a busy signal).  Sure you called during CA business hours?

Got my Forge and Essence V3 upgrades the next day by priority mail.
They weren't kidding about the Essence textures in volume I being faster
now - the speedup in the noise based textures is quite significant.  I'd
say it is _at least_ twice as fast now, maybe more (I'm using the
versions compiled for the 040 - 040's can execute some FP and integer
instructions in parallel if you order things right).  Since I use these
textures more extensively than any others, this'll tide me over until
the 68060 cards get here :-).  The new version 3 upgrades to Essence I
and II also come with much higher quality JPEG sample pictures now, and
more attribute files as well.  I haven't tried the new alpha channel
stuff yet, but it sounds very useful - you can use any texture to
modulate the strength of any other.  Apply marble just to the white
squares on a checkerboard, or apply a pitted texture just to a
particular region.

Forge is cool too - this little gadget could easily save hours of time
when trying to make combinations of textures to achieve a particular
effect.  That is, if you manage not to waste hours of time just playing
around with different textures and fiddling with their parameters ;-)
But seriously, if you use algorithmic textures much, this thing is a
must-have utility, and you'll wonder how you got along without it.  Its
not even very expensive - it costs less than most games these days.  Its
got ARexx too, so if (when?) we ever get an ARexx port in Imagine, the
two could learn to talk to each other.

The only bad thing I have to say about it so far is that it doesn't
support the display database so you don't get to pick your screen mode
(it defaulted to 640x400 256 colors on my machine).  You _can_ promote
it to new display modes, but it doesn't understand extra resolution
beyond 640x400 (not that it has much need to, but it'd be nice anyway -
I loath 8 point fonts).  It is pretty system compliant otherwise though
- uses real ASL requesters, etc.

  - steve


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