Grim Fandango on the DS?

Subforum for discussion and help with ScummVM's Nintendo DS port

Moderator: ScummVM Team

CoolKill3r
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 4:39 pm

Grim Fandango on the DS?

Post by CoolKill3r »

I know that i cant play Grim Fandango on scummVM but i wanted to ask if there is a way with any program to play it?
and will ScummVM someday be able to play grim fandango?

Thx for your help!
KuroShiro
Posts: 473
Joined: Thu May 15, 2008 7:42 am
Location: Somewhere Out There

Re: Grim Fandango on the DS?

Post by KuroShiro »

CoolKill3r wrote:I know that i cant play Grim Fandango on scummVM but i wanted to ask if there is a way with any program to play it?
and will ScummVM someday be able to play grim fandango?

Thx for your help!
Grim Fandango will never work on the DS, takes too much memory and processing power (maybe this will change with the 3DS, but probably not). Currently it is part of Residual, not ScummVM. I'm not sure how far along that is.

Alternatively, this.
CoolKill3r
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 4:39 pm

Re: Grim Fandango on the DS?

Post by CoolKill3r »

KuroShiro wrote:
CoolKill3r wrote:I know that i cant play Grim Fandango on scummVM but i wanted to ask if there is a way with any program to play it?
and will ScummVM someday be able to play grim fandango?

Thx for your help!
Grim Fandango will never work on the DS, takes too much memory and processing power (maybe this will change with the 3DS, but probably not). Currently it is part of Residual, not ScummVM. I'm not sure how far along that is.

Alternatively, this.
damn i played it with fun on XP but wanted to play on ds :( well thank you!
User avatar
MusicallyInspired
Posts: 1136
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2007 8:03 am
Location: Manitoba, Canada
Contact:

Post by MusicallyInspired »

I'm sure if Quake 1 and 2 can be emulated on the DS with perfect speed then Grim Fandango can too somehow. I wouldn't know where to begin, though.
KuroShiro
Posts: 473
Joined: Thu May 15, 2008 7:42 am
Location: Somewhere Out There

Post by KuroShiro »

MusicallyInspired wrote:I'm sure if Quake 1 and 2 can be emulated on the DS with perfect speed then Grim Fandango can too somehow. I wouldn't know where to begin, though.
Well, 3d rendering is not a problem, but there is a bit of a difference between the reqs for Quake and for Grim Fandango, and even getting Quake (which required about 12mb of ram) to work on the DS was quite an impressive programming feat.

The main issue is that homebrew apps currently can't take advantage of the extra memory in the DSi/DS XL, so they are limited to only 4mb of ram. Grim Fandango required 32mb I believe, maybe a bit less. Getting it to work would require a minor miracle.
another world
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 4:05 am

Post by another world »

the scds2 has a 400 mhz (? have to double check that) cpu and 32mb of onboard ram. i think perhaps future projects should be ported to run on the scds2. the iplayer has similiar specs but no public sdk, and the new card by ismartds (to be released later this year) will also feature an onboard cpu and ram. ismartds will release a public sdk, and the scds2 sdk will be public once it is out of BETA testing.

already we could see so many improvements with the only real downside being battery consumption, which in turn means more charges and less battery life for your devices.

with those carts it is no longer true to say something will "never" run on the nds without the aid of the dsi's features. for all we know there is a new generation of flash kits in the making which will feature faster cpu speeds and more ram.

-another world
User avatar
Graxer
Posts: 453
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 2:24 pm
Location: Scotland

Post by Graxer »

There is also the matter of screen resolution which can't be fixed though. I'm pretty certain that the resolution for Grim Fandango is much higher than the DS supports. (I suspect 800x600) If it was downscaled it would likely look horrible. (Most ScummVM games look visually crushed enough on the DS already)
User avatar
MusicallyInspired
Posts: 1136
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2007 8:03 am
Location: Manitoba, Canada
Contact:

Post by MusicallyInspired »

Are you kidding? Grim Fandango is 640x480. Plus, if it's using Residual it can have any resolution you want, can't you?
fingolfin
Retired
Posts: 1452
Joined: Wed Sep 21, 2005 4:12 pm

Post by fingolfin »

And the NDS has only two tiny 256 x 192 pixels screens...
User avatar
DrMcCoy
ScummVM Developer
Posts: 595
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2005 1:33 pm
Location: Braunschweig, Germany
Contact:

Post by DrMcCoy »

MusicallyInspired wrote:Plus, if it's using Residual it can have any resolution you want, can't you?
Not really, since the backgrounds are prerendered pixel-graphics.
User avatar
MusicallyInspired
Posts: 1136
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2007 8:03 am
Location: Manitoba, Canada
Contact:

Post by MusicallyInspired »

They can't be scaled?
fingolfin
Retired
Posts: 1452
Joined: Wed Sep 21, 2005 4:12 pm

Post by fingolfin »

Well, of course you can scale them; I mean, sure, I can scale any graphics down even to 10x10. It'll look crappy, though, if you do it on the fly. It would also impact the quality quite a bit.

Games like Quake 2 usually run on low end machines because not just the engine but also the data files were adapted for the port, reducing the quality, prescaling textures, etc. etc. (I am not sure whether the NDS port does that, though; if somebody knows, I'd be interested to hear). Anyway, the residual team does not have this option.
User avatar
Red_Breast
Posts: 773
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:33 pm
Location: The Bar Of Gold, Upper Swandam Lane.

Post by Red_Breast »

Quake DS can actually be played without an extra RAM pack but Quake 2 DS needs it.

The Drunkencoders portal to both games. Not sure if there's too much info for techies though.

http://quake.drunkencoders.com/
fingolfin
Retired
Posts: 1452
Joined: Wed Sep 21, 2005 4:12 pm

Post by fingolfin »

another world wrote:with those carts it is no longer true to say something will "never" run on the nds without the aid of the dsi's features. for all we know there is a new generation of flash kits in the making which will feature faster cpu speeds and more ram.
Actually, if you use those cards to run something, it does *not* run on the DS, it runs on the cards.
In particular it is then limited to the relatively few users who have such a card. Worse, each cards probably requires separate code to make it work.
another world
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 4:05 am

Post by another world »

fingolfin wrote:Actually, if you use those cards to run something, it does *not* run on the DS, it runs on the cards.
In particular it is then limited to the relatively few users who have such a card. Worse, each cards probably requires separate code to make it work.
on the system or with the system is a relative debate which you are looking at from a programmer standpoint, i think. if you were to query 99.99% of users and ask them of mame4all runs on the ds they would say YES, with the aid of the SCDS2. its no that i disagree with your analysis, i am simply making a point for how i viewed the subject when i typed my response.

as for the two known cpu enhanced cards, they share a common team and have similar sdks. the only difference being so far is that the scds2 is more optimized where the iplayer/ismart mm is unorganized.

your adding of the word "worse" makes me feel like you abhor the idea of purchasing a second or third flash linker? at the rock bottom prices of today’s homebrew toys this issue has taken a back seat to things like compatibility and features. users are willing to pay $39.99 for a cpu enhanced flash kit, just as they were willing to pay $150+ for one that could store 1 gba rom at a time. this is a trend i have seen unfold during the last few years. the problem is that many homebrew authors i queried about the device shared similar observations and opinions. it might mean that the next round of homebrew development will be done by those who wish to see advancements while others who do not stick to what they know, so-to-speak.

-another world
Post Reply