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Subject: 3DO Monthly FAQ Posting
From: krotz@mussel.cig.mot.com (Scott A. Krotz)
Date: 2 Oct 1994 18:07:36 GMT
Message-ID: <36mst8$3vf@delphinium.cig.mot.com>
Here it is again, the 3DO faq. Our news site is a bit slow so this may
take a while to get out to the masses. (Thats why its a bit late :)
As always, send any corrections, additions, comments, or good jokes to me,
Scott Krotz, at krotz@cig.mot.com.
Thanks,
Scott
===============================================================================
----------3DO Interactive Multiplayer Frequently Asked Questions
list----------
333333 DDDD OOOO
3333333 DDDDDD OOOOOO
33 DD DDD OO OO
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333333 DD DD OO OO
33 DD DD OO OO
33 DD DDD OO OO
3333333 DDDDDD OOOOOO
333333 DDDD OOOO
Interactive Multiplayer
Frequently Asked Questions List V2.4e
Maintained by Scott A. Krotz
e-mail: krotz@cig.mot.com
----------3DO Interactive Multiplayer Frequently Asked Questions
list----------
===============================================================================
This is the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer Frequently Asked Questions list. It
consists of the following four sections:
SECTION 1 - 3DO Consoles and General Information
SECTION 2 - 3DO Founders and Company information
SECTION 3 - Hardware, Peripherals, and Specifications
SECTION 4 - System and Application Software
Each section answers specific questions about the 3DO, the 3DO company, and
3DO software and hardware.
This FAQ List was last modified on September 29th, 1994. The latest version
of
this faq, along with other 3DO related materials, can be found at the ftp
site ftp.ee.pdx.edu (131.252.10.155) in the /pub/gaming/3DO directory.
This faq can additionally be found at ftp.netcom.com in the
/pub/vidgames/faqs
directory.
Also, check out Michel Buffa's video games home page available via WWW at:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/buffa/www/videogames.html
the 3DO faq is available there in Mosaic format, along with lots of other
video game information. Special thanks to Michel Buffa for his great job of
formatting the faq and for creating and maintaining the video games page.
================SECTION 1 - 3DO Consoles and General
Information===============
[1.1] What is a 3DO?
A: The 3DO is, technically, a set of specifications created by the 3DO
company, which is itself a partership of seven different Companies. These
specs are the intellectual property of the 3DO Company, and are the blueprint
for making a 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. Manufacturing companies license
the
rights from the 3DO Company to manufacture a system based on the 3DO
Company's
specifications. Software companies license the ability to develop software
for
the 3DO.
The closest analogy is that of the VCR; The VCR *technology* was
created by JVC, and any company can manufacture a VCR or VCR videocassettes
as long as they pay a small royalty to JVC. The 3DO *technology* was
created by the 3DO Company, and several companies have licensed the right
to manufacture 3DO systems based on this technology. The 3DO Company
itself does not manufacture 3DO systems.
(Note: It's somewhat incorrect to state that VCR technology was created by
JVC; things are a bit more complicated than that. For the purposes of my
analogy, however, its close enough. :)
Basically, a 3DO system consists of an ARM60 32-bit RISC processor as the
general processing unit, with a graphics engine based around two custom
designed graphics and animation processors. It has 2 Megabytes of
DRAM, 1 Megabyte of VRAM, and a doublespeed CD-ROM drive for main
storage. This is a simplified description of the system; See below for
detailed specifications.
Be sure to read the newsgroup rec.games.video.3do for ongoing discussions
about 3DO software and hardware.
[1.2] What can the 3DO do?
"It will be more stimulating to the human mind than any new technology
since printing." - Trip Hawkins
A: The Panasonic 3DO system can run 3DO Interactive software, Play audio
CD's (including support for CD+G), View Photo-CDs, and will eventually be
able to play Video CD's with a special add-on MPEG1 full motion video
cartridge.
With its controller port up to 8 controllers can be daisy-chained on the
system at once. A keyboard, mouse, light gun, and other peripherals may
also be hooked into the system (although they are not currently available,
except for the light gun).
3DO Interactive software is a step beyond most current consumer multimedia
interactive software. With its powerful cel engine, the 3DO can display
full motion video, fully texture mapped 3-D landscapes, and other amazing
visuals, all in 24-bit color.
[1.3] What does the Panasonic 3DO system come with?
A: The Panasonic REAL 3DO player includes the 3DO system with an RF output,
composite video output, S-Video output, left and right audio outputs, and
cables for composite video and L+R audio. The 3DO system contains an FMV
port for attaching the optional MPEG1 full motion video cartridge (used to
watch Video CDs), one expansion port, and one controller port. Up to eight
devices can be daisy chained together on the controller port. The base
system
also includes one seven-button controller with 11 foot cable and headphone
jack + volume control. The base system also includes two CDs: a 3DO sampler
disc and the game CD "Crash and Burn." The sampler disc contains an intro to
the system, demo programs, and information about upcoming titles. "Crash and
Burn" is a high speed 3-D texture mapped racing-combat game. A manual, setup
information, and promotional poster are also included. One to two extra
software titles are sometimes also provided, depending on current promotions.
For more information on the Panasonic REAL(tm) Interactive Multiplayer, call
(800)REAL-3DO.
[1.4] Where can I get the lowest price for a 3DO?
A: The retail price of the 3DO has recently been dropped to $399, so make
sure
not to buy a 3DO somewhere that has not changed to the new price. Mail order
outlets usually have slightly lower prices than retail stores, and may have
it
for less. Prices as low as $299 have been found, but only rarely and in
small
quantities. Ask on rec.games.video.3do for more info about finding the
current
best place to purchase a 3DO.
[1.5] Is the 3DO a Panasonic product?
A: No. The 3DO system was developed and designed by the 3DO Company, and
Panasonic has licensed the right to manufacture the system from the 3DO
company. Panasonic has little to do with the design of the system, they
just build them. Panasonic calls their 3DO console the "Panasonic FZ-1
R.E.A.L. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer."
[1.6] Who else is a 3DO hardware licensee?
A: Here is a list of the current 3DO hardware licensees:
Licensee Product Notes
-------- ------- -----
Panasonic Home Console FZ-1 is currently released(1)
Panasonic M2 Accelerator Accelerator for 3DO consoles(2)
Sanyo Home Console Planned release on Oct. 1st(3)
Samsung Home Console/w MPEG Planned release in late '94(4)
Goldstar Home Console Planned release in late '94(5)
Creative Labs PC Card PC card for IBM compatibles(6)
Toshiba Portable Creating a car nav system(7)
AT&T Home Console Console plans cancelled(?) (8)
Scientific-Atlanta Set-top cablebox Interactive TV test for US West
Atari Games Coin-op Arcade Game Game(s) to be made are unknown
Electronic Arts Coin-op Arcade Game Game(s) to be made are unknown
American Laser Games Coin-op Arcade Game Game(s) to be made are unknown
NOTE: All release dates are tentative and subject to change.
(1) The Panasonic FZ-1 is the only 3DO console currently available in the US.
It has been released in the US, Japan, Canada, Taiwan, the UK, and Canada.
The UK console is a PAL version.
(2) For more information on the M2 Accelerator, see question 1.12.
(3) Sanyo has stated the Japanese release will come before the American
release. The Japanese launch occurred on October 1st, 1994. The MSRP price
of the console in Japan is 54,8000 yen, or about $550 US dollars. No dates
are currently available on the US launch, but it is rumored to be sometime in
early '95.
(4) The Samsung 3DO console will include built-in MPEG decoding hardware. It
is tentatively set to be released in late '94 or early '95.
(5) The Goldstar 3DO console is set to be released in the US and Korea on or
around October 26th, at a price lower than Panasonic's. Goldstar also plans
to expand distribution of the 3DO system by making it available through mass
merchandisers and toy stores.
(6) For more information on the Creative labs PC card, see question 3.5
(7) Toshiba has announced plans to develop a portable version of the 3DO
system
that can be installed in automobiles. It is believed to be a car navigation
system of some sort, and should be available in Japan in late '94.
(8) The AT&T 3DO was previously planned, and would have optionally included a
modem for networked games and communication. Their 3DO console plans seem
to have been cancelled, along with their 3DO voicespan modem.
[1.7] I thought the Sanyo 3DO console was cancelled? EGM says so!
A: This is incorrect. A news article came out in November '93 saying that
the Sanyo 3DO had been shelved, but it turned out to be false information.
EGM picked up this story and printed it. Both 3DO and Sanyo contacted EGM
to tell them the story was false, but EGM amazingly refused to retract their
story. The information about the cancellation of the Sanyo 3DO in the March
issue of EGM is incorrect. Sanyo has announced that they will release their
own 3DO console in Japan on October, and at a price "lower than Panasonic's."
No specific price has been given.
[1.8] What's this I hear about a "reduced-cost" 3DO chipset?
A: 3DO has re-worked their chipset to reduce the cost of manufacturing. The
new chipset has no more or less functionality or speed than the previous one,
it simply combines several chips into one to reduce the cost of making it.
The
new chipset should be available in quantity now and is being used in the new
3DO consoles.
[1.9] Will each 3DO system be compatible?
A: Yes. You will be able to run all 3DO software on any manufacturers
system. However, each system can be customized to some extent by the
manufacturer to add their own special features.. for example the built-in
MPEG decoder on the Samsung console.
[1.10] Will there be special PAL titles for PAL versions of the 3DO?
A: Yes. However, NTSC versions of 3DO games will be playable on PAL 3DO
consoles, although they may look slightly "crunched" due to the differences
between PAL and NTSC aspect ratios. Unfortunately, due to minor differences
between the PAL and NTSC 3DOs, some early NTSC 3DO titles (such as Twisted)
may
crash on PAL 3DO's. Most should run. PAL versions of 3DO titles will look
correct on PAL 3DO systems.
[1.11] Will I be able to play current 3DO software on the next generation 3DO
system?
A: Yes. Right now 3DO intends that you will be able to play current 3DO
software on any future 3DO compatible machine.
[1.12] Will I be able to upgrade my current 3DO console to a next generation
3DO console(through the FMV expansion port perhaps) when it is
available?
A: Yes. The "M2 Accelerator" was recently announced, and will be an add-on
upgrade designed to provide current 3DO console owners with greatly increased
performance. The add-on will include a specially designed multiprocessor
that
will include a custom PowerPC microprocessor, and may also include multiple
custom graphics and sound processors designed by 3DO. The PowerPC chip in
the
M2 will be a derivative of the 6XX family, and was jointly designed by
Motorola
and IBM with input from 3DO and Matsushita. The M2 accelerator will use the
same operating system and development tools as the current 3DO system,
ensuring
compatibility with current 3DO titles. Trip Hawkins claims the M2
Accelerator
will have five times the performance of the Sony PSX, and should be available
in late 1995. Pricing information has not yet been released.
[1.13] Is the 3DO just going to be an educational system?
A: No. While educational and informational programs are going to be an
important part of the 3DO software library, there will also be lots of
games. Trip Hawkins is said to love games, and the system was designed
by game players almost certainly with games in mind.
[1.14] Is the 3DO just going to be a games system?
A: No. Childrens, educational, and reference/informational programs are
planned to be a large part of the 3DO software library.
[1.15] Is the 3DO the same as CD-i?
A: No. CD-i stands for "CD interactive" and is a system jointly developed by
Philips Electronics and Sony. The two systems *are not* compatible and are
totally unrelated. (This system also has no relation to the Sony-PSX).
[1.16] Which system is better, the 3DO or the Jaguar?
A: It isn't really known. Due to the bus design, architecture and software
philosophy of the 3DO, the two systems cannot easily be compared. Only time
and software will begin to show the different abilities of the two systems.
People in the newsgroup rec.games.video.advocacy will almost certainly be
discussing this issue. Check there for more information, but only if you are
strong in body and spirit. :) System wars are well known for their ferocity.
[1.17] Where can I ftp 3DO related files?
A: the ftp site ftp.ee.pdx.edu (131.252.10.155) has 3DO related materials,
including the latest version of this FAQ, in the directory /pub/gaming/3DO.
New files can be submitted in the /pub/incoming directory. The administrator
of the 3DO section is Shawn Baird (bairds@ee.pdx.edu), please notify him of
any files you upload.
===============SECTION 2 - 3DO Founders and Company
information================
[2.1] What does 3DO stand for?
A: Nothing, really. Some people have said it stands for "3 Dimensional
Objects," or "3 Dollars Only," (The current licensing fee per disc) but the
general consensus is that it means it is the next step after audio and video:
audio, video, "threedeo."
[2.2] Who developed the 3DO system?
A: Dave Needle and RJ Mical are named as co-inventors of the Machine. Needle
and Mical previously worked on the the design team of the original Amiga
computer, and on the design of the Atari Lynx handheld gaming system. The
NTG
(New Technologies Group) company designed most of the 3DO
technology/hardware.
[2.3] Who is Trip Hawkins?
A: Trip Hawkins is the founder and CEO of the 3DO Company. He is also the
founder of Electronic Arts, a well known software publishing company. Trip
is the driving force behind the creation and development of the 3DO.
[2.4] Who are the seven partners that make up 3DO?
A: Matsushita, AT&T, Time Warner, MCA, Electronic Arts, venture capital firm
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and the New Technologies Group(NTG). NTG
was previously a separate company but has now merged into the 3DO company and
no longer exists as a separate entity.
[2.5] How does the 3DO company make money?
A: 3DO gets a small royalty for each 3DO console sold (which they are not
currently collecting). They also get a royalty on each 3DO software disc
sold. The 3DO disc royalty is currently at $3 per disc, or up to 10% of net
sales, whichever 3DO chooses. Since 3DO does not directly manufacture the
3DO
consoles or software, it has little control over their retail pricing.
[2.6] Why doesn't 3DO release information on how many consoles have been
sold?
A: Since 3DO does not manufacture the consoles, they _cannot_ give out
statistics on how many consoles have been sold without the consent of the
manufacturer. This is the confidential information of the manufacturing
company. Ask the manufacturer for sales figures, not 3DO.
[2.7] What about 3DO's stock?
A: In mid-March, 1993, 3DO (NASDAQ: THDO) entered into the stock market with
an initial public offering (IPO) that values the entire company at around
$300
million. 3DO has an ongoing promotion offering 3DO hardware manufacturers
two
shares of 3DO common stock for each hardware system shipped at or below
certain
retail prices before Sept. 30, 1994. All of the current hardware licensees
are
eligible to take part in this promotion. In June 3DO completed an offering
of almost 3 million shares of common stock to existing and new investors to
raise $40 million in capital.
[2.8] How do I contact the 3DO company?
A: Contact 3DO's public relations department at:
The 3DO Company
600 Galveston Dr.
Redwood City, Ca 94063
(415) 261-3000
internet e-mail: info@3do.com
The 3DO club: club@3do.com
============SECTION 3 - Hardware, Peripherals, and
Specifications=============
[3.1] What Peripherals are coming for the 3DO?
A: Peripherals have been announced by Logitech and CH Products. Alps
Electric,
Inc. has also signed on to create 3DO peripherals but has not announced any
products as of yet. Logitech is going to produce a mouse for the 3DO, and CH
Products an analog joystick. No release dates have been made public for
either
product. A keyboard peripheral is also expected.
[3.2] Is there an external storage device coming for the 3DO?
A: Yes, a PCMCIA SRAM card reader is being readied for release for the 3DO.
This peripheral will expand the 3DO's NVRAM by allowing users to store games
to standard PCMCIA SRAM cards. The memory cards and card reader will be
manufactured by TDK and is tentatively set to be released in the first
quarter
of 1995.
[3.3] Is there going to be a modem for the 3DO?
A: Possibly. AT&T was planning on releasing an add-on modem peripheral for
3DO consoles, but has recently decided to drop those plans (and the plans for
the Genesis version of the voice-span modem). It is, however, possible that
another company will manufacture a 3DO modem.
[3.4] When will the MPEG add-on be released?
A: The MPEG video adaptor for the Panasonic FZ-1 3DO console is currently
scheduled to be released in the fall for a price of around $249. Panasonic
has held up the release of the unit because of the lack of CD-Video movies.
The Samsung 3DO console will come with built in MPEG decoding and is
scheduled
to be released in late '94 or early '95. An MPEG adaptor will be available
for
the Goldstar and Sanyo 3DO consoles, but no release or pricing information
for
them is currently available.
[3.5] What about the PC 3DO card?
A: Creative Technology Ltd. is currently developing a 3DO-compatible personal
computer plug-in card. This card will allow properly configured PC
compatibles
to play 3DO software titles in either a resizeable window or full screen.
The
first version of the card available is rumored to be an ISA card that will
work
with Panasonic or Creative Labs doublespeed CD-ROM drives, with a SCSI
version
of the card coming later. Creative Technology will manufacture and market
the
card, and will be shipping the card in the US and various parts of Asia in
October or November. The MSRP of the card is said to be set at $399, though
street prices should be much lower, perhaps in the $250 range.
[3.6] What hardware is coming, and when?
A: Here's a condensed list of 3DO hardware and peripherals, their
manufacturer,
and predicted release date.
Product Manufacturer Predicted Rls.
------- ------------ --------------
3DO PC Card Creative Technology 4th Q '94
3DO PC Card SCSI Creative Technology unknown
Extra controller Panasonic Available
FlightStick Pro CH Products Early Fall
Game Gun American Laser Games Available
Mouse Logitech unknown
SRAM Card and Reader TDK 1st Q '95
VoiceSpan Modem AT&T Cancelled
[3.7] Can the Panasonic 3DO control pad do diagonals? I sure can't get mine
to!
A: Diagonal control was a problem with earlier versions of the Panasonic 3DO
control pad. Later versions from Panasonic have been corrected. Diagonals
can
be done on earlier Panasonic 3DO directional pads, but it takes excessive
force.
There is a simple solution, however, that allows diagonal movement to be done
easily. David Liu (davidliu@husc8.harvard.edu) says:
"One merely needs to partially unscrew the six screws which hold the
controller in place. Unscrewing only the three screws on the right side of
the bottom face of the controller three turns each restores much of the
control; loosening the remaining screws slightly can be used to tune the
sensitivity of the controller. The origin of the problem may be that the
rubber contact pad and the plastic control disk are pressed too tightly in
the factory-produced controllers, causing a slight warping of the rubber
pad.
Loosening the two halves of the controller, however, remedies this problem."
Many thanks to David Liu for this quick and simple fix! Remember, although
this is a simple procedure, neither David nor I can bear any responsibility
for
damage done to your controllers while attempting this fix.
There is also a slightly trickier and more involved method developed by Casey
Grimm that might be a better fix. It involves taking apart the control pad
and
cutting a small part of the thumb pad. This fix can be found on
ftp.ee.pdx.edu
for those who are interested.
When buying additional controllers for your 3DO, make sure to get one with
red
on the box. Those controllers are the version that have been diagonally
"fixed."
[3.8] What is the resolution of the 3DO system?
A: The resolution displayed on screen is 640x480. However, the 3DO has an
internal resolution of 320x240 or 320x480, with each pixel being either
24-bits
or 16-bits. The 16-bit mode is almost always used for animations, while the
24-bit mode is used mostly for still pictures. There are no other
resolutions
available. The internal resolution is interpolated into an anti-aliased
640x480 pixel display. The interpolation can be turned on and off via
software.
[3.9] Can the 3DO do real 24-bit color?
A: The 3DO can do 16 bit graphics with CLUTs(Color Look Up Tables) drawn from
24 bits, or it can do true 24 bit graphics.
[3.10] What does it mean when 3DO product literature says that the system
can "animate 64 million pixels per second?"
A: The system is capable of animating up to 64 million 16-bit on-screen
pixels per second. This is really 16 million internal 16-bit pixels
that are then interpolated as they are displayed on the screen to 640 by
480 pixel resolution, quadrupling the number of pixels displayed on screen.
[3.11] What are the detailed specs of the system?
A: According to information from an article about the 3DO in Popular Science,
the 3DO has an interesting design. Instead of a straightforward single bus
configuration, it seems to have a multiple bus configuration. This in theory
allows multiple components to be operating simultaneously, with less bus
contention problems than would be found in a standard single-bus design.
The heart of the system is two Graphics and animation processors which are
capable of rendering up to 64 million texture mapped pixels per second
(interpolated). The Graphics animation processors and the DSP are custom
designed by NTG, now a part of the 3DO Company.
The block diagram shown below is taken from an article on the 3DO system in
the
Dec. 93 issue of Popular Science Magazine.
Graphics Graphics
--------- animation animation
| 3DO | processor processor
| block | |32|____________|32|
|diagram| |________ ________|
M --------- |32|
o _____|__|_____
n __ Video _______ 1MB ______| |____ 2MB
i __ processor_______ VRAM __32__| |_32_ DRAM
t | |
o | |
r | DMA |____ Expansion __ CDROM
| controller |_32_ Port Control __ Drive
| |
A | |___ Control __ Control pad
u__ D/A __ Digital ______| |_8_ Port __ 3d goggles
d__ Converter __ Signal __16__|____________| keyboard
i Processor |32|
o ______________________| |
| ______ _________ |
|32| |32| |32|
Optional Video 32-bit RISC _____ Math Co- ___ ROM &
Video --> Video Decomp Processor _____ Processor ___ SRAM
Input Port/plug
Specs:
-32-bit 12.5Mhz RISC CPU (ARM60) made by Advanced RISC Machines
(Roughly equivalent to a 25Mhz 68030)
-640x480 pixel resolution at 16.7 million colors
-Two Accelerated Video Co-Processors with the following features:
+ 25Mhz clock rate.
+ Capable of producing 9-16 million REAL pixels per second (36-64 Mpix/sec
interpolated), distorted, scaled, rotated and texture mapped.
+ Able to map a rectangular bitmap onto any arbitrary 4-point polygon.
+ Texturemap source bitmaps can be 1,2,4,6,8, or 16 bits per pixel and are
RLE compressed for a maximum combination of both high resolution and
small
storage space.
+ Supports transparency, translucency, and color-shading effects.
-Custom 16-bit Digital Signal Processor (DSP) with the following features:
+ specifically designed for mixing, manipulating, and synthesizing CD
quality sound.
+ Can decompress sound 2:1 or 4:1 on the fly saving memory and bus
bandwidth.
+ 25Mhz clock rate.
+ Pipelined CISC architecture.
+ 16-bit register size.
+ 17 separate 16-bit DMA channels to and from system memory.
+ On chip instruction SRAM and register memory.
+ 20-bit internal processing.
+ Special filtering capable of creating effects such as 3D sound.
-Separate BUS for video refresh updates (VRAM is dual ported)
-Super Fast BUS Speed (50 Megabytes per second)
-Math Co-Processor custom designed by NTG for accelerating fixed-point matrix
operations. (Note: This is *not* the ARM FPA)
-CD-ROM Drive with the following features:
+ 320ms access time
+ Doublespeed 300kbps Data Transfer
+ 32kbyte ram buffer
-2 megabytes of DRAM
-1 megabyte of VRAM (also capable of holding/executing code and data)
-1 megabyte of ROM
-36 Separate DMA Channels for fast data processing and efficient bus usage
-2 expansion ports:
+ 1 High-speed 68 pin x 1 AV I/O port (for FMV cartridge)
+ 1 High-speed 30 pin x 1 I/O expansion port
-1 Control port, capable of daisy chaining together up to 8 peripherals
-Multitasking 32-bit Operating System
-16-bit Stereo Sound
-44.1KHz Sound Sampling Rate
-Fully Supports Dolby(tm) Surround Sound
-32kb battery backed up SRAM
-Upgradable (The PowerPC M2 is coming in late '95)
==================SECTION 4 - System and Application
Software==================
[4.1] What about the 3DO operating system?
A: The 3DO OS is a fully-featured 32-bit multitasking operating system
written
specifically for the 3DO by NTG. Developers *must* use the OS for a variety
of
reasons, the main one being to maintain compatibility with all 3DO consoles
and
future next generation 3DO consoles. The OS is loaded from an application's
CD
when the system starts up, and is not in the consoles ROM. Contrary to
rumors,
there is no way to completely bypass the OS and "hack" directly on the
hardware.
The 3DO OS consists of two parts:
1) A multitasking kernel with drivers for peripherals, a complete file
system,
and support for physical storage.
2) Several software "folios" that provide a link between application software
and the 3DO hardware, and are designed to allow software compatibility as new
versions of the hardware are developed. The following six subsystems make up
the entire "Portfolio" of 3DO OS system calls:
The Decompression Folio
- supports software and hardware decompression of audio and video data.
The Math Folio
- performs many of the high level calculations.
The Graphics Folio
- provides access to the 3DO's cel and display subsystems for doing graphics
effects and animation. The effects include warping, transparency,
lighting
effects, anti-aliasing, and texture mapping.
The 3-D Folio
- system code for creating 3-D effects and doing complex calculations.
The Audio Folio
- supports the creation and manipulation of sound effects and music. This
includes proprietary algorithms called "3D audio imaging" that create the
illusion of sound coming not only from the left and right, but front and
back (when wearing headphones). These algorithms can also produce Doppler
effects and reverberations.
The File System Folio
- manages the file system
[4.2] How is 3DO application software developed?
A: 3DO Software is developed on high-end Macintosh computers via an easy to
use toolkit and development station created by the 3DO Company. The
development station consists of a special 3DO that has several debugging
features and is interfaced to the Macintosh computer. The toolkit contains
emulation software and programming and authoring tools that include a source
level debugger, compiler, linker, assembler, various libraries, custom
plug-in's, 2D animation and imaging software, 3D modeling software, and video
and file translation tools as well as Macromedia's Director, MacroModel, and
Three-D (the macromedia s/w and extractor are sold separately). Software
licensees can get a vast "content library" from the 3DO partners: 190 CDs
carrying 111 gigabytes of music, sound effects, photos, film clips, clip art,
and text references, all available to knit into their work. (This is also
sold separately - $995 for vol 1 and $495 for vol 2)
[4.3] How much does the development system cost?
A: The Development environment costs about $9500 and comes with the special
3DO that interfaces with a Mac Quadra via an optical link cable, along with
the Software tools and documentation. An optional development environment
comes with a development card (which has the same functionality as the full
development 3DO system except for no CD drive) instead of the special 3DO,
and costs about $6000. (The development card is a nubus card for Macintosh
computers). A PC programming environment is coming soon from Cross Products.
[4.4] How do I become a 3DO developer?
A: For information on becoming a 3DO developer, call the 3DO New Developer
INFO Line at (415)261-3202.
[4.5] Will 3DO software be censored at all?
A: No.
[4.6] Will 3DO software have a ratings system of some kind?
A: Yes, at the current time 3DO is going to have an optional rating system
that will be administered by the software publisher. The publisher will
determine what audience is suitable for their title, and then place the
appropriate rating on it. The ratings are as follows:
A green circle with an "E" in it: Everyone, suitable for all ages.
A yellow diamond with a "12" in it: Games suitable for persons 12 and up.
A yellow diamond with a "17" in it: Games suitable for persons 17 and up.
A red octagon with "AO" in it: Adults Only.
[4.7] Who is developing software for the 3DO?
A: Reportedly nearly 700 companies are licensed 3DO developers, with more
than
550 third-party development systems installed and 200 software companies
worldwide actively developing titles. Some of the more well known companies
developing for the 3DO are Electronic Arts, Origin, Virgin Games, Dynamix,
Konami, Capcom, Interplay, Crystal Dynamics, Psygnosis, and Microprose.
[4.8] What software is going to be available for the 3DO?
A: Here is a list of 3DO software (originally compiled by Enrique Conty) that
is now or will be available. This list is compiled from brochures, official
releases, and net information. Feel free to inform me of any additions or
corrections. (VP) indicates a value priced title (less than $30 at some or
most stores).
Software available (you can pick these in stores NOW):
Title Publisher Type
20th Century Video Almanac Software Too