Noah and the Poohloudies just got its first update (and it’s a BIG one) in over four years, after hitting a dead end with the previous game engine. This time around, it’s running on a completely NEW engine that had to be re-written from the ground up…
The game’s creator, Walfrido Abejón (aka Rainy Night Creations), has built this new demo with Libyaul by mrKotfw & PoneSound by Ponut 64, and it’s shown (above) running on a single SH-2 and VDP1, with a framerate that fluctuates between 20 and 30 frames per second. It’s been recorded on real stock hardware running at 352×224 via composite video.
The main reason behind using only a single SH-2 and VDP-1 is down to cross-platform porting. Ultimately, this new engine had to account for and accommodate all intended platforms, as the game has been multi-platform since its inception, targeting Saturn, PlayStation, Dreamcast & PC.
The core idea behind the new game engine is to create polygon meshes capable of subdividing (morphing) at close distances and consolidating progressively the farther they are from the camera (non-coplanar polygons), providing a level of detail function. Abejón is somewhat jokingly referring to this new approach as “SuperQuads,” though it turns out to be very similar to what Naughty Dog implemented on Crash Team Racing and later Jak & Daxter.
This new engine also supports camera collision, grabbing physics and floating platforms. Abejón believes he can still eke out a bit more performance from the single SH-2 through optimizations, though the framerate will likely stay around 30fps. Abejón does hint at plans to implement the second SH-2 for effects such as atmospheric fog via vertex colors or CLUT, but it is unlikely that VDP-2 or the SCU-DSP will see any use for NATP.
It’s actually quite impressive to see what is possible here just using VDP-1. The water effect, for example, is something we would typically see done via VDP-2, as it’s basically “free” in terms of processing. However, NATP is proof of what some very tight and focused programming is capable of, even given certain hardware limitations.
This latest demo includes mock reinterpretations of Hyrule Field & Bob-Omb Battlefield as a means to stress test the engine and hardware. While it won’t be included in the final game, it helps demonstrate the extra speed this new engine is capable of on Saturn hardware.
There is a lot more work to be done, and Abejón estimates another update in about two to three months from now, but for the time being, you can get more information regarding the game’s plot and general mechanics from our 2021 interview with Walfrido Abejón of Rainy Night Creations.
Woah, really impressive stuff. Especially since he’s also implemented animations and all kinds of effects showing it’s on its way to be a fully featured title than a limited tech demo. Could save some polygons making the diamond pick ups 2D, something like in Croc, maybe.