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Lou's Pseudo 3D Page (2013)

revious update: An explanation of 3d projection mathematics (under Road Basics) and analysis of Activision's Enduro (under Case Studies)! Thanks to everyone for all the e-mail! Keep it coming :) Sorry, I can't answer questions about when I'll post source code, but I'm always happy to answer anything else about these engines! Official material on the Road Rash graphics engine and more detailed explanation of curves and a generalized curve equation Is this information inaccurate? Am I way off? Don't hesitate to write me at louis.gorenfeld at gmail dot com! Why Pseudo 3d? Now that every system can produce graphics consisting of a zillion polygons on the fly, why would you want to do a road the old way? Aren't polygons the exact same thing, only better? Well, no. It's true that polygons lead to less distortion, but it is the warping in these old engines that give the surreal, exhillerating sense of speed found in many pre-polygon games.

It is a warping effect present in early pseudo games such as OutRun in which objects, including the stripes on the road, appear to slow down as they move outwards from the center of the screen. Real 3d geometry can be used for the hills, adding greatly to the amount of detail possible The system is more consistent: Terrain and road width changes don't need to be done using a separate technique It made great use of fully 3d filled polygon technology, allowing the player to take control of a futuristic race craft barreling down twisting, turning corridors at breakneck speed.

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