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Hardware > I *think* this is a HW question: Why do consoles use tiles?

#1815 - qpoxopq - Thu Jan 23, 2003 4:43 pm

I *assume* that it's for limiting the amount of data that has to be blitted at once, or to possibly take advantage of some efficient multi-blitting method (drawing the same tile to the display multiple times in a single pass).

Then again, I really have no clue. I realize that we could guess why tiles are used all day, but, does anyone really know?

How about which system used tiles first? The NES?

Thanks,

Q

#1816 - tepples - Thu Jan 23, 2003 5:05 pm

qpoxopq wrote:
I *assume* that it's for limiting the amount of data that has to be blitted at once

That, and to save memory. The NES had 2 KB of video RAM, enough to hold two screen-size maps, placed side-by-side or top-and-bottom depending on a jumper inside the cartridge. It could address 8 KB of ROM on the cartridge for tile data and sprite cel data, which later cartridge hardware bankswitched.

Quote:
How about which system used tiles first? The NES?

The Intellivision used tiles years before the NES existed. Apple, Commodore, and IBM computers also used tiles for text display modes, which is why you see the GBA's tile modes called "text modes" by some tutorial authors.
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