digistorm wrote on 2023-10-26, 18:01:

I was clearly talking about making stereo music, not about using other OPL3 features. But if you are so eager to impose that topic, the lack of the use of additional waveforms and features is not because of the lack of talent, but because studios for the most part used generic tools based on MIDI. And the translation layer between the MIDI data and the hardware is probably very generic and therefore cannot afford to use 4-op mode for example because it will then run out of polyphony. A translation layer cannot make any assumptions about the music it has to translate. It is a pity that a lot of potential is wasted in this manner, but the same is true for the Gravis Ultrasound, AWE 32, and why not specific versions for your favourite waveblaster module?

True, nearly all of them used simple MIDI tools for composing music. What I meant about the lack of talent is around programming skills to optimize for sound devices that doesn't support MIDI natively.

Anyway, sorry for imposing it which wasn't my intention. I know that this thread is only about OPL3 stereo music and nothing more.

Honestly speaking very few "western" developers had the time or budget to really "get good" at FM development. They were often forced to take short cuts to meet publisher demands. Hence the quick and dirty MIDI conversions.

Japan on the other hand were way more dedicated to making good use of FM. For example the arcade game "Victory Road" by SNK has one of the best FM soundtracks ever made imo. It sounds incredible, and it only uses the original OPL chip for it's music. (It uses ADPCM for the voices, but the music is pure OPL.)

Yes I also think it is a shame that the sound hardware was rarely used directly. But using a tracker (I assume one would use that to make optimal use of OPL, like Adlib Tracker) is quite different than what “normal” musicians are used to. In the days of the 8 bit consoles / home computers it was more accepted I think, or the people making the music were more technical oriented than later on.

I was reading random article on The Cutting Room Floor .net when I noticed that x-com patch 1.4 brought support for stereo opl3 sound and though this might be something you would like to know https://tcrf.net/X-COM:_UFO_Defense#DOS_Version_1.4

ElBrunzy wrote on 2023-11-02, 06:10:

I was reading random article on The Cutting Room Floor .net when I noticed that x-com patch 1.4 brought support for stereo opl3 sound and though this might be something you would like to know https://tcrf.net/X-COM:_UFO_Defense#DOS_Version_1.4

X-COM: UFO Defense version 1.4 has only one music driver which plays OPL music and it's hardcoded to use ports 0x388 and 0x389. So I can't see how it can produce stereo music on OPL3 or on dual OPL2.

Hi, I believe there was a patch for Dune that allowed to play OPL Stereo without needing an Adlib Gold.

I can confirm that Xatax has OPL3 support for stereo music.

Cobra Mission does dual opl2 stereo if you tell it you have an sbpro.

oddly enough, it does seem to use opl3 stereo if you tell it you have a Pro Audio Spectrum 16!

Weren't there also some DOS games that supported OPL3 stereo music on WSS (Windows Sound System) compatible sound cards?

Does anyone know if Sierra’s Quest for Glory 4 supports OPL3?