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What software was used to these?

birdybirdy
edited March 2016 in Software
It's been something that I have been wondering for quite a while, it might be a stupid question, but due to the lack of activity around here. I find this question may be appropriate.

It has always been an interest of what kind of software did these game developers use? Specifically early console games for the ps1-2 N64, Sega.
And what type of software did major movie producers use during the 1990's and early 2000's? Also is it possible to find these today?

Comments

  • calvinbcalvinb
    Much of this was done via software found on Unix workstations - often turnkey solutions on SGIs. The Nintendo 64 devkit is an addon into an SGI Indy, and software like Lightwave and Maya were targeted towards IRIX.
  • wpblogheaderwpblogheader
    edited March 2016
    ampharos wrote:
    Much of this was done via software found on Unix workstations.
    Back in the day those were ideal development computers. A good example was the DEC VAX in the 1980s. That had cross compilers for a ridiculous amount of machines - including the IBM PC. IIRC the VAX was used for the development and final compilation of Visi On. It is a powerful testimony to the influence of Unix workstations in the '80s-'90s if the only way to develop for Visi On was on a Unix machine.
  • SomeGuySomeGuy
    Why do you keep mentioning Visi On? If you are trying to schmooze, you are doing it wrong. Very wrong. And creepy.

    So you have some experience with VAXen? Please do tell us about it....
  • birdybirdy
    So I take it that these pieces of Unix software are not available for free or even able to run it on current linux or unix systems.
    Has there ever been one for windows or linux (besides blender) that has been used in a professional way? Or that was used in production tv?
  • calvinbcalvinb
    There are many such applications, but they are extremely expensive and not easy to find. They used to be found on Suns and SGIs, (Suns had robust 3D accelerator options, and SGIs had them built in) as well as dedicated computers for the task, but now you'll see them on higher-end x86 hardware running Windows or Linux. For editing, you'll also see Macs there.
  • wpblogheaderwpblogheader
    SomeGuy wrote:
    Why do you keep mentioning Visi On? If you are trying to schmooze, you are doing it wrong. Very wrong. And creepy.
    Nah, I'm not mentioning Visi On because I want to kiss someone's ass, in fact I think Visi On kind of sucked. It was slow, demanding, and heavily copy protected. All of VisiCorp's products weren't very good compared to the competition once they stopped their desire to improve. They were also very keen on copy protection. Plus, Terry Opdendyk was an autocratic asshole, there was a reason Kapor left to found Lotus. I do find it interesting mainly as the first GUI for IBM PCs and compatibles - before Windows. Plus, the Visi Host/Visi Machine was a very innovative concept not really brought to life until the late 90s. Honestly, Visi On was just ahead of it's time, made by the wrong company.
    SomeGuy wrote:
    So you have some experience with VAXen? Please do tell us about it....
    Nope, only heard of them, although we had some Sun workstations being used in the office for a long time. They were replaced by a clusterfuck of Compaqs in 199-something.

    The only time someone says the word VAXen is if they have extensive experience with them. I assume you do.
  • garirrygarirry
    No offence, but you sound like you're quoting your teacher or something.
  • wpblogheaderwpblogheader
    garirry wrote:
    No offence, but you sound like you're quoting your teacher or something.
    Heh, well, I DID learn a lot about VisiCorp from Wikipedia.

    I guess that counts. :P
  • SomeGuySomeGuy
    wpblogheader wrote:
    Heh, well, I DID learn a lot about VisiCorp from Wikipedia.

    I guess that counts. :P
    Well, when I learned about VisiCorp there wasn't such a thing as Wikipedia. Just a library full of paper books and tech magazines (not the good ones, either). And Microfiche. And a crappy little computer that only indexed titles and subjects of magazine articles. No way to search article bodies for keyword - you had to read the entire magazine.
    wpblogheader wrote:
    The only time someone says the word VAXen is if they have extensive experience with them. I assume you do.
    Not extensive, but for a while I had to deal with a bunch of Fortran data collection/reporting programs running on a VAX cluster. They were trying to move things to PCs and the idiots were too cheap to buy the right tools for the job.
  • wpblogheaderwpblogheader
    SomeGuy wrote:
    They were trying to move things to PCs and the idiots were too cheap to buy the right tools for the job.
    LOL, same at my office, except instead of trying to get rid of VAXen, they were removing Suns and replace them with PCs... running Windows 98. (yuck)

    I still remember those Suns, with their monochrome monitors and odd 3 button mice.
  • BODBOD
    Most early console games were written in assembly. Back when you couldn't solve all your problems by throwing hardware at things tight efficient code was the only way to get things done.

    It still blows my mind that "huge" games like the original Zelda consume mere kilobytes of space.
  • calvinbcalvinb
    By the fifth generation (PS1/N64/Saturn) it became possible to do things in C and even scripting languages without absolutely killing performance - however, for the best, you did want to write it by hand.
  • lolo776lolo776
    birdy wrote:
    It's been something that I have been wondering for quite a while, it might be a stupid question, but due to the lack of activity around here. I find this question may be appropriate.

    It has always been an interest of what kind of software did these game developers use? Specifically early console games for the ps1-2 N64, Sega.
    And what type of software did major movie producers use during the 1990's and early 2000's? Also is it possible to find these today?
    For PS1, the SDK consists of the C libraries often associated with Codewarrior, the hardware side evolved from a special early unit (connected to a PC via SCSI) to ISA and PCI boards.
    For the sound design, software was available for MacOS along with a NuBus card at first, replaced with a PCI one later on.
    The PS2 had a dedicated dev machine to debug code running linux, it was connected via the network to PC with software dev, under Linux or Windows, with IDE such as Codewarrior and software from SN Systems.
  • birdybirdy
    lolo776 wrote:
    For PS1, the SDK consists of the C libraries often associated with Codewarrior, the hardware side evolved from a special early unit (connected to a PC via SCSI) to ISA and PCI boards.
    For the sound design, software was available for MacOS along with a NuBus card at first, replaced with a PCI one later on.
    The PS2 had a dedicated dev machine to debug code running linux, it was connected via the network to PC with software dev, under Linux or Windows, with IDE such as Codewarrior and software from SN Systems.
    Ok, that makes a lot more sense why I saw a classic mac os being used in the production of ssx tricky for the ps2. I know that most of the older consoles were hard coded on there.
    So what software did these games makers have to make their 3d models?
  • KCompRoom2000KCompRoom2000
    birdy wrote:
    So what software did these games makers have to make their 3d models?
    Most developers used 3D Studio Max for making 3D Models for their video games.
  • lolo776lolo776
    Sony sold Caligari Truespace 3D to the developers during the PS1 era, and Lightwave 4 could be purchased at a discount at the same time as the Net Yaroze in Japan.
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