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Loading Screen
A loading screen is a screen shown by a computer program, very often a video game, while the program is loading (moving program data from the Disk storage, disk to Random-access memory, RAM) or initializing. In early video games, the loading screen was also a chance for graphic artists to be creative without the technical limitations often required for the in-game graphics. Drawing utilities were also limited during this period. ''Melbourne Draw'', one of the few 8-bit screen utilities with a zoom function, was one program of choice for artists. While loading screens remain commonplace in video games, background loading is now used in many games, especially open world titles, to eliminate loading screens while traversing normally through the game, making them appear only when "teleporting" further than the load distance (e.g. using Warp (gaming), warps or fast travel) or moving faster than the game can load. Loading times Loading screens that disguise the length of time a prog ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Real-time Strategy
Real-time strategy (RTS) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games that does not progress incrementally in turn-based game, turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time." By contrast, in Turn-based strategy, turn-based strategy (TBS) games, players take turns to play. The term "real-time strategy" was coined by Brett Sperry to market ''Dune II'' in the early 1990s. In a real-time strategy game, each participant positions structures and maneuvers multiple units under their indirect control to secure areas of the map and destroy their opponents' assets. In a typical RTS game, it is possible to create additional units and structures generally limited by a requirement to Resource management (gaming), expend accumulated resources. These resources are in turn garnered by controlling special points on the map or possessing certain types of units and structures devoted to this purpose. More specifically, the typical game in the RTS genre features resourc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 November, in Australia on 30 November, and other regions thereafter. It is the successor to the PlayStation (console), original PlayStation, as well as the second instalment in the PlayStation brand of consoles. As a sixth generation of video game consoles, sixth-generation console, it competed with Nintendo's GameCube, Sega's Dreamcast, and Microsoft's Xbox (console), Xbox. Announced in 1999, Sony began developing the console after the immense success of its predecessor. In addition to serving as a game console, it features a built-in DVD drive and was priced competitively with standalone DVD players of the time, enhancing its value. Full backward compatibility with original PlayStation games and accessories gave it access to a vast launch libra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists of handhelds, online services, magazines, and other forms of media. The brand began with the first PlayStation home console released in Japan in 1994 and worldwide the following year, which became the first console of any type to ship over 100 million units, which made PlayStation a globally recognized brand. Since then there have been numerous newer consoles—the most recent being the PlayStation 5 released in 2020—while there have also been a series of handheld consoles and a number of other electronics such as a media center and a smartphone. The main series of controllers utilized by the PlayStation series is the DualShock, a line of vibration-feedback gamepads. SIE also operate numerous online services like PlayStation Net ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rally-X
is a maze chase arcade video game developed in Japan and Germany by Namco and released in 1980. In North America, it was distributed by Midway Manufacturing and in Europe by Karateco. Players drive a blue Formula One race car through a multidirectional scrolling maze to collect yellow flags. Boulders block some paths and must be avoided. Red enemy cars pursue the player in an attempt to collide with them. Red cars can be temporarily stunned by laying down smoke screens at the cost of fuel. ''Rally-X'' is one of the first games with bonus stages and continuously-playing background music. ''Rally-X'' was designed as a successor to Sega's '' Head On'' (1979), an earlier maze chase game with cars. It was a commercial success in Japan, where it was the sixth highest-grossing game of 1980, but Midway released the game in North America to largely underwhelming results. The game is known in North America for an often-repeated, though untrue, story involving its demonstration at the 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galaxian
is a 1979 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who dive down towards the player in an attempt to hit them. Designed by company engineer Kazunori Sawano, ''Galaxian'' was Namco's answer to '' Space Invaders'', a similar space shooter released the previous year by rival developer Taito. ''Space Invaders'' was a sensation in Japan, and Namco wanted a game that could compete against it. Sawano strove to make the game simple and easy to understand. He was inspired by the cinematic space combat scenes in '' Star Wars'', with enemies originally being in the shape of the film's TIE Fighters. ''Galaxian'' is one of the first video games to feature RGB color graphics and the first ever to use a tile-based hardware system, which was capable of animated multi-color sprites as well as scrol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Namco
was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company founded in 1955. It operated video arcades and amusement parks globally, and produced video games, films, toys, and arcade cabinets. Namco was one of the most influential companies in the coin-op and arcade game industry, producing multi-million-selling game franchises such as '' Pac-Man'', ''Galaxian'', '' Tekken'', '' Tales'', '' Ridge Racer'', and '' Ace Combat''. The name ''Namco'' comes from ''Nakamura Manufacturing Company'', derived from Namco's founder, Masaya Nakamura. In the 1960s, Nakamura Manufacturing built electro-mechanical arcade games such as the 1965 hit ''Periscope''. It entered the video game industry after acquiring the struggling Japanese division of Atari in 1974, distributing games such as '' Breakout'' in Japan. The company renamed itself Namco in 1977 and published '' Gee Bee'', its first original video game, a year later. Among Namco's first major hits was the fixed shooter '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dota 2
''Dota 2'' is a 2013 multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game by Valve Corporation, Valve. The game is a sequel to ''Defense of the Ancients'' (''DotA''), a community-created Mod (video gaming), mod for Blizzard Entertainment's ''Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos''. ''Dota 2'' is played in matches between two teams of five players, with each team occupying and defending their own separate base on the map. Each of the ten players independently controls a character known as a hero that has unique Skill (role-playing games), abilities and differing styles of play. During a match, players collect experience points (XP) and Item (gaming), items for their heroes to defeat the opposing team's heroes in player versus player (PvP) combat. A team wins by being the first to destroy the other team's Ancient, a large durable structure located in the center of each base. Development of ''Dota 2'' began in 2009 when IceFrog, lead designer of ''Defense of the Ancients'', was hired by Valv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Invade-a-Load
A fast loader is a software program for a home computer, such as the Commodore 64 or ZX Spectrum, that accelerates the speed of file loading from floppy disk or compact cassette. Floppy disks Fast loaders came about because of a discrepancy between the actual speed at which floppy drives could transfer data and the speed that was provided by the operating system's default routines. This discrepancy was most pronounced on the VIC-20 and Commodore 64. While the earlier Commodore PET series had used an industry-standard IEEE-488 parallel bus, this was replaced with a custom Commodore serial bus on the VIC-20. The serial bus was intended to be nearly as fast as its predecessor, due to the use of the 6522 VIA as a hardware shift register on both the drive and computer. However, hardware bugs were discovered in the 6522 that prevented this function from working consistently. As a result, the KERNAL ROM routines were hastily rewritten to transfer a single bit at a time, using a s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Blade 2
''Joe Blade 2'' is the second game in the ''Joe Blade'' series. Gameplay ''Joe Blade 2'' took a rather different approach to the first game. Instead of being a soldier, Blade was this time a vigilante taking to the city to rid the streets of criminals, rescuing old-age pensioners along the way. Blade was no longer armed with a gun, and had to jump over villains, just touching them with his feet, to dispatch them. In order for the civilians to be successfully rescued, the protagonist was given a simple puzzle (called a sub-game level) of organizing the pattern of symbols. There were four types of these sub-games and all of them needed to be completed within 60 seconds. This almost surreal take on the game was in stark contrast to the comparatively more gritty realism of the first installment. The game was also known for being considerably easier than the first title, almost to the point where many players managed to complete the game in one hour-long sitting. The Spectrum versio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-selling single computer model of all time, with independent estimates placing the number sold between 12.5 and 17 million units. Volume production started in early 1982, marketing in August for . Preceded by the VIC-20 and Commodore PET, the C64 took its name from its of RAM. With support for multicolor sprite (computer graphics), sprites and a custom chip for waveform generation, the C64 could create superior visuals and audio compared to systems without such custom hardware. The C64 dominated the low-end computer market (except in the UK, France and Japan, lasting only about six months in Japan) for most of the later years of the 1980s. For a substantial period (1983–1986), the C64 had betwe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minigame
A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements and is often smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Some video games consist entirely of minigames which tie into an overall theme, such as ''Olympic Decathlon'' (1980). Minigames can also be used to represent a specific experience, such as Security hacker, hacking and lock picking, both of which are found in Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda games, or scanning an area, that ties into a larger game. Minigame compilations Some games are made up of many minigames strung together into one video game, such as Nintendo's Wario (series)#WarioWare, ''WarioWare'' series (which are called microgames in the series), Universal's ''Sports game#Origins, Video Action'', David Whittaker (video game composer), David Whittaker's ''Lazy Jones'' and the mobile game ''Phone St ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
