Slow video mgmt

[Spoonboy]

Hi all.
A fellow DOS Game Club member on our irc channel was asking about the "Slow video mgmt on/off" option. Found in Display Options > Change Graphics Level.
I know he runs real hardware (486?) but I'm not sure if he is running Stunts on it in this case.
What does this option do?

In other news, I just tried the game in low (FAST) Graphics mode for the first time   

[Cas]

I really notice no difference by changing that option. Maybe it's not noticeable unless the computer in question is slow. Could try using fewer cycles in DOSBox. The other options do clearly show a great difference!

I remember I played Stunts on a true 386 and it was completely smooth, but on a 286, you could see it was slower, still playable. On a 486, I couldn't see any difference compared to a 386.

[Matei]

It probably refers to the level of detail.

https://indiegamesdevel.com/how-lod-systems-work-in-video-games-and-why-they-are-used/

Most likely the authors of the game intended to add the option of displaying more detail in the image, which would have made the rendering slower, to be used on fast enough computers, but in the end they gave up on the idea and just released the game as it was.

[Duplode]

A very good question! The graphics menu code in Restunts suggests that option toggles a flag which Restunts calls timertestflag. I'm not familiar at all with the rendering code, but apparently that flag is supposed to change some aspects of how graphics are drawn. See e.g. this snippet of ported code, which seemingly deals with using clipping for certain updates. Like @Cas has noted, I haven't noticed any difference in game play by changing the option, be it in the visuals or the performance -- at least not in DOSBox. Maybe it would be worth it to try it in 86Box or an actual DOS, but I wouldn't be surprised if the option turned out to be ineffectual, as @Matei suggests.

In other news, I just tried the game in low (FAST) Graphics mode for the first time   

For the full experience, be sure to cycle through the cameras! 

[Cas]

Right, whatever it does, if it still does it, must have to do with rendering strategies and not with whether to draw something or not, because there is another set of options for the latter that does work.

[Daniel3D]

Doesn't it just switch between the 10 or 20 cycles per second?
That is what the timertestflag does as well iirc.
Like this piece of assembly code suggests.

[Duplode]

The graphics menu dialog I linked to above sets three variables. Options 5 and 6 in the switch, which according to the menu order correspond to the mysterious "Slow video mgmt.", set timertestflag; options 7 and 8, corresponding to "[Slow/Fast] Simulation Speed", set framespersec2, the frame rate; and options 0 to 4 (the fall-throughs in the switch) set timertestflag2, the detail level.

[Cas]

Yes, I can confirm that Simulation Speed changes the frames per second, so Slow video mgmt must do some other thing