Another World VM - Never Complete Only Abandoned

This is the bespoke [[Bytecode Interpreter|Bytecode VM]] used for the 1991 game [[Another World]] (AKA Out of This World). ![[office.gif]] # Notability The game [[Another World]] was really visually impressive for its era but the fact that it was written as a [[Bytecode Interpreter]] which was then ported nearly [[#Implementations|every system]] available from the late 80s onward really made it stand out. # Instruction Set At its core is a relatively simple 29 bytecode virtual machine that allows it to be tightly focused, portable, performant, and require only standard data media for the era such as a single 1.44MB floppy. It was available on 7 platforms across 4 different architectures within the first 3 years of its initial release. Fabien Sanglard has done a solid analysis[^6] of the bytecode, architecture[^7], and also ported the engine to even more platforms. >[!TODO] > Finish the list. The instruction set is a standard 8-bit bytecode format. | | 0x00 | 0x01 | 0x02 | 0x03 | 0x04 | 0x05 | 0x06 | 0x07 | 0x08 | 0x09 | 0x0A | 0x0B | 0x0C | 0x0D | 0x0E | 0x0F | | ---- | ---------------------- | ------------ | ------------ | ---- | ---- | ---- | ------------- | ----------- | ------------- | ------------ | ------------- | ---------- | ------------- | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- | | 0x00 | CMOV | MOV | ADD | CADD | CALL | RET | PAUSE THRD | COND JMP | SET VECT | JNZ | CJMP | SET PAL | RESET THRD | SLCT FB | FILL FB | COPY FB | | 0x10 | BLIT FB | KILL THRD | DRAW TEXT | SUB | AND | OR | SHL | SHR | PLAY SOUND | LOAD RESC | PLAY MUSIC | | | | | | | 0x20 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0x30 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0x40 | DRAW\_POLY\_SPRITE | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0x50 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0x60 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0x70 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0x80 | DRAW\_POLY\_BACKGROUND | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0x90 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0xA0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0xB0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0xC0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0xD0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0xE0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0xF0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | `DRAW_POLY_SPRITE` and `DRAW_POLY_BACKGROUND` are indicated by the leading bits `01...` and `1...` respectively, with the subsequent 4 or 5 bits being used directly as arguments. # Implementations Many! This VM has been ported to nearly every kind of [[Game Console]],[^11] moderately-graphics-capable consumer computer[^10] [[ISA]] and [[Operating System|Operating System]] ever made. I'm not convinced that even this is a comprehensive list. - [[Amiga]] (launch platform, 1991) - [[Atari ST]] (launch platform, 1991) ## Ports - [[3DO]] (1993) - [[Android]] (2012) - [[Atari Jaguar]] (2013) - [[BSD]] (2024) unofficial[^5] - [[DOS]] (1991) - Apple - [[Apple IIgs]] (1991?) - [[Mac OS Classic]] on [[Macintosh]] II (1991) - [[iOS]] (2011) - [[MacOS]] X (2013) 32-bit-only - GP32 (2005) semi-unofficial[^2] - [[Linux]] (2014) - Nintendo - 3DS (2014) - [[Gameboy Advance]] (2005) semi-unofficial[^1] - [[N64]] (2011) unofficial[^9] - [[SNES]] (1992) - Switch (2018) - Wii U (2014) - [[SCUMM]] (1991?) - ? Requires testing to confirm that the [[Windows 3.x]] will run in a [[SCUMM]] VM - Sega - [[Sega Genesis]] (1993) - [[Sega CD]] (when?) - Sony - [[PlayStation]] 3 (2014) - [[PlayStation]] Vita (2014) - [[PlayStation]] 4 (2014) & (2020) - [[Symbian]] (2005) - [[Ti-83]]+CE (2022) unofficial[^4] - [[Web Browser]] (2024) unofficial[^5] - [[Windows]] - [[GoG]] (2013) - [[Steam]] (2013) - [[Windows 3.x]] (1994) - [[Windows Mobile]] (2006) - [[Windows XP]] (2006)[^3] - [[XBox]] - XBox One (2020) ## Open Source There is a series of forks implementing the bytecode interpreter under the [[GPLv2]] license. These are all *wildly* unofficial. - Gregory Montoir (2011?) (needs source) - presumably posted on a forum somewhere? - [[Fabian Sanglard]] (2011)[^8] - Christopher Bonhage `meek` (2022)[^9] - Olivier Poncet `ponceto` (2024)[^5] ## FPGA Yup it's even in hardware. ```cardlink url: https://boingboing.net/2023/07/19/classic-game-another-world-implemented-as-hardware.html title: "Classic game Another World implemented as hardware | Boing Boing" description: "Another World (Out of This World in the U.S.) is a true classic, a title not only loved for its outstanding design, art and gameplay but studied in exhaustive detail because of its excellent implem…" host: boingboing.net favicon: /wp-content/uploads/fbrfg/favicon-32x32.png image: https://i0.wp.com/boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/image-96.png?fit=902%2C632&ssl=1 ``` - https://github.com/sylefeb/a5k # References [^1]: https://web.archive.org/web/20181113074949/http://www.foxysofts.com/index.php?l=content%2Fgba%2Fanworld.inc [^2]: https://web.archive.org/web/20161014011652/https://www.distant-earth.co.uk/awgp32/ [^3]: https://www.anotherworld.fr/anotherworld_uk/index.htm [^4]: https://www.cemetech.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=300349 [^5]: https://github.com/ponceto/another-world-interpreter/ [^6]: https://fabiensanglard.net/another_world_polygons/index.html [^7]: https://fabiensanglard.net/anotherWorld_code_review/index.php [^8]: https://github.com/fabiensanglard/Another-World-Bytecode-Interpreter [^9]: https://christopherbonhage.com/AnotherWorld-N64/ [^10]: https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Another_World [^11]: https://www.anotherworld.fr/anotherworld_uk/page_versions.htm [^12]: https://www.gog.com/en/game/another_world_20th_anniversary_edition