@mint @japananon Also programming was lower level, at least with computers with DOS/BASIC/similar OSes you were very low to the hardware level as opposed to UNIX or Windows NT. This was even more important with consoles.

Case in point; one chiptune composer talking about how a pinball machine was programmed by syncing up sound and audio on lowly m6809 hardware and talking about a lost art when FM Synthesis died off; making a soundtrack never "skip" a note and being completely dynamic. Essentially when something like the ball drain would happen the game would switch soundtracks (and the iMUSE system in Dark Forces did something similar).

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/interactive-audio-in-black-knight-2000-the-importance-of-integration