Re: game framerates


Subject: Re: game framerates
From: Justin Dieters (enderak@yahoo.com)
Date: Tue Feb 26 2002 - 17:08:51 AKST


> This is something I've been curious about -- does it really matter
> if a game can produce 150 frames per second? Can your monitor even
> display 150 fps? Certainly not if it has less than 150 Hz vertical

30 fps is generally considered good enough to be smooth. Certainly it
doesn't make a difference if you are doing 60fps or 150fps.

But, the main key is not how fast it can go, but what how low it drops
when you have lots of stuff going on. If you run a game at 30 fps, but
when you get a bunch of stuff going on it drops down to 15 fps, it makes
the game just as unplayable as if it were going at 15 fps all the time.
    The key is to have it never drop below 30fps or thereabouts..

> refresh rate. Can your eyes even *see* 150 fps? I very much doubt
> it.

I've heard somewhere that florescent lights typically flicker at 120
times per second, but those appear to be solidly lit, so no. But I have
heard somewhere that like insects (flys) are able to see the flickering
of florecent lights. (don't ask me how they know that one!) In any
case, it depends on the person. I can detect flickering on a monitor at
60 fps, but many people cannot. I can't detect anything at 70fps or
higher though.

> 30 fps is the same framerate as American television. Is that not
> enough for gaming?

i believe tv is 24fps, iirc..

Justin



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