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Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: Karlos on February 08, 2010, 11:43:01 PM

Title: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Karlos on February 08, 2010, 11:43:01 PM
...but utterly hate it on any 1:1 aspect ratio?

Perhaps it's only me, but I was feeling nostalgic:

(http://www.amiga.org/gallery/images/810/large/1_retrotopaz.jpg)
click for gallery entry (http://www.amiga.org/gallery/index.php?n=3149)

Does anybody know if there'd be any issues with releasing a font like that? Aside from lots of people hating it, that is :lol:
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: AmigaMance on February 08, 2010, 11:55:33 PM
Yeap. Call me retro, but i like topaz/8. :)
In fact, this the font i have set for my Workbench and other screens. All in 800x600 resolution.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Karlos on February 09, 2010, 12:00:52 AM
Quote from: AmigaMance;542093
Yeap. Call me retro, but i like topaz/8. :)
In fact, this the font i have set for my Workbench and other screens. All in 800x600 resolution.


That's just it though. I stop liking it the instant it is displayed on a square pixel display. It just looks ... crushed up. So, I created a special "double height" topaz font that at 16x8 pixels, looks just like topaz did on Hires PAL :)
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: save2600 on February 09, 2010, 12:04:08 AM
+1 for the Topaz look  :)
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Golem!dk on February 09, 2010, 12:06:32 AM
Quote from: Karlos;542095
That's just it though. I stop liking it the instant it is displayed on a square pixel display. It just looks ... crushed up. So, I created a special "double height" topaz font that at 16x8 pixels, looks just like topaz did on Hires PAL :)


Used topaz/11 for square pixel modes here, 8 was kinda fugly there.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: mbrantley on February 09, 2010, 01:07:05 AM
Looking retro-good. Wasn't there a different Topaz look in the pre-2.0 versions of the OS? A Topaz font with seriffs?
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Jose on February 09, 2010, 01:45:07 AM
Topaz 8 with the 1.3 color scheme rules. They totally moved backwards after 2.x.
The withe text on blue background is just cool. It's even less aggressive to the eyes.
Also, anybody remember how the printer/serial preferences looked with the 1.3 colors ? It looked very professional:)
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Karlos on February 09, 2010, 09:16:30 AM
Quote from: mbrantley;542109
Looking retro-good. Wasn't there a different Topaz look in the pre-2.0 versions of the OS? A Topaz font with seriffs?


Yep, there was. I probably have that font somewhere, but I kind of prefer the 2.0 version.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Linde on February 09, 2010, 09:53:10 AM
Personally, I love both the square and stretched look. I used topaz/8 for my 1680x1050 UAE screen on my tiny laptop monitor :)

Oh so eye straining, but since when do I care about practicality?

On the my A1200, I use Microknight in 640x200.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: mingle on February 09, 2010, 11:38:54 AM
I used to like it, since my Workbench was always running in PAL 640x256 (also with overscan), but I found a font that was similar, but looked better, called "Pearl", also 8 point...
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: mingle on February 09, 2010, 11:40:05 AM
@Karlos,

Forgot to ask; What's that icon-set you're using... Looks amazing...

Mike.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Crumb on February 09, 2010, 11:59:22 AM
I like topaz/8 on Hi-Res non laced screens
/me hides
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Karlos on February 09, 2010, 12:32:43 PM
Quote from: mingle;542181
@Karlos,

Forgot to ask; What's that icon-set you're using... Looks amazing...

Mike.


That's just the default O4.1 Update 1 set.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Karlos on February 09, 2010, 12:36:48 PM
Quote from: Crumb;542183
I like topaz/8 on Hi-Res non laced screens
/me hides


Me too. No need to hide :)
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Matt_H on February 09, 2010, 12:47:04 PM
One of the demo groups recently released a whole bunch of Amiga terminal fonts, including 1.3/2.x versions of Topaz. Don't remember who, but they're somehow affiliated with Up Rough...
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Karlos on February 09, 2010, 01:28:57 PM
If anybody wants a copy of this double height topaz font, let me know :)
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Hell Labs on February 09, 2010, 04:25:22 PM
I do!

That way I can finally run a square pixel screen. I know I can anyway, I just hate how it looks so squashed up. That reminds me, has anyone noticed how 1024x768 on amiga offeres slightly more screen real estate than 1280 1024 on windows? It's weird.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Moto on February 09, 2010, 04:31:23 PM
@Karlos - yes, please.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: ChaosLord on February 09, 2010, 04:41:46 PM
Quote from: Karlos;542095
So, I created a special "double height" topaz font that at 16x8 pixels, looks just like topaz did on Hires PAL :)

I did the exact same thing 20 years ago (1990) when I bought my A3000 with flickerfree rock solid  640x512 mode.

Then I quickly threw my Topaz 16 in the trash and switched to Pearl 16.

I have been using Pearl 16 in all my games and apps ever since.

Pearl 8 and Pearl 16 are both located in Total Chaos AGA  fonts/ dir.  Freely downloadable from Aminet.  English, Polish and Hungarian versions.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Karlos on February 09, 2010, 04:43:36 PM
Font archive here (http://extropia.co.uk/_temp/retrotopaz.tar.gz) (.tar.gz)
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Karlos on February 09, 2010, 04:45:11 PM
Quote from: ChaosLord;542234
I did the exact same thing 20 years ago (1990) when I bought my A3000 with flickerfree rock solid  640x512 mode.

Then I quickly threw my Topaz 16 in the trash and switched to Pearl 16.


Burn the heretic!
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Karlos on February 09, 2010, 05:08:47 PM
Quote from: Hell Labs;542230
has anyone noticed how 1024x768 on amiga offeres slightly more screen real estate than 1280 1024 on windows? It's weird.


Not really, the windows chrome uses up a fair bit of space. On XP you have fairly thick window titlebars, then there are the menu strips in every window (as opposed to a screen based menu), generally larger fonts etc. It all adds up.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Hell Labs on February 09, 2010, 05:25:34 PM
That's what I mean. windows just doesn't use the screen efficently at all.

(http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/4841/topazworks.png)
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: yorgle on February 09, 2010, 05:37:48 PM
Quote from: Matt_H;542189
One of the demo groups recently released a whole bunch of Amiga terminal fonts, including 1.3/2.x versions of Topaz. Don't remember who, but they're somehow affiliated with Up Rough...

I released a BDF version of many of the Amiga fonts for X11 a bunch of years back:

http://umlautllama.com/projects/font/

And I have a TrueType version of Topaz/8 (1.x) and Topaz Sans/8 (2.x) height-doubled, which I use in my almost-out Mod Player for iPhone, Interocitor

http://umlautllama.com/rand/?iphone-interocitor

More about that when it hits the store...

(the True Type versions were made using the online (flash) modular font editor, http://fontstruct.fontshop.com/ )
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: LoadWB on February 09, 2010, 07:22:30 PM
I am using a Topaz font for my SSH terminal and for my XP command prompt.  Looks great, man.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: cv643d on February 09, 2010, 08:24:08 PM
IMHO "MicroNight" is a great font replacement for Topaz, not that Topaz is bad.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Karlos on February 09, 2010, 08:42:44 PM
When I created this thread I didn't actually think I'd get a single reply :lol:
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Crumb on February 09, 2010, 08:43:33 PM
thank you!
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: AmigaHeretic on February 09, 2010, 08:51:55 PM
Quote from: Karlos;542270
When I created this thread I didn't actually think I'd get a single reply :lol:


Thanks for the font.  It looks AMAZING!
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Karlos on February 09, 2010, 09:24:33 PM
Quote from: Hell Labs;542246
That's what I mean. windows just doesn't use the screen efficently at all.


Ah right, I get you now. For some misbegotten reason I thought you were implying that windows couldn't use all of the 1280x1024 "screen estate" :lol:

Yeah, windows is pretty cluttered in that regard.

Regarding the double height 3.1 icons, that was going to be my next move as well. I'm torn between an exact reproduction or a 32-bit "inspired by". Love of the retro look can go too far, perhaps :)
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Hell Labs on February 09, 2010, 10:36:03 PM
An exact reproduction would be best methinks. Its a shame we can't mix square and non square modes, for example having most of the screen running at 640x256, apart from the contents of a browser window, which could run at x512. Monitor would probably blow up if you did it wrong though.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: talybont on February 09, 2010, 11:05:36 PM
Quote from: Matt_H;542189
One of the demo groups recently released a whole bunch of Amiga terminal fonts, including 1.3/2.x versions of Topaz. Don't remember who, but they're somehow affiliated with Up Rough...


http://www.trueschool.org/
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: TheMagicM on February 10, 2010, 02:04:16 AM
yes, I like it also.
Title: Re: Anybody else like the way topaz 8 looked on a 640x200/256 display?
Post by: Matt_H on February 10, 2010, 03:03:43 AM
Quote from: talybont;542293
http://www.trueschool.org/


That's the one! Thanks for the link/reminder