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Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: darkage on March 15, 2012, 11:22:15 PM

Title: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: darkage on March 15, 2012, 11:22:15 PM
Just recently I registered a copy of Whdload and have been going crazy playing all the games I use to enjoy everyday back in the day!   Its unreal!  but one thing I noticed, the gfx doesn't seem to be as a good as from what matches up in my memory all those years ago..  haha!  I dunno it must just be me..  but I remember when I was younger the gfx being so unreal, pure picture like, ground breaking.. Now when I look at it, its a bit pixelated :)  Perhaps Im use to modern evil Pccceeeeee hi-res displays..

Still the Ami is a blast!
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: Matt_H on March 15, 2012, 11:37:39 PM
Not sure what your monitor setup is, but a CRT with scanlines makes things look much sharper. Modern LCDs blur everything not at their native resolutions.
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: darkage on March 15, 2012, 11:42:37 PM
I have a 1084S that Im using..   but with composite output.. I have to make up a RGB -> 9pin cable on the weekend.
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: Matt_H on March 15, 2012, 11:45:48 PM
Quote from: darkage;683928
I have a 1084S that Im using..   but with composite output.. I have to make up a RGB -> 9pin cable on the weekend.


RGB will be a huge help. I think AmigaKit and Vesalia sell such cables if you don't want to wire your own.
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: commodorejohn on March 15, 2012, 11:51:16 PM
I think it's in part a matter of taste - low-res games (at least, games designed for low-res modes, as opposed to, say, running Morrowind in 320x240) don't look bad to me, just different. Provided that the low-res graphics are done by an artist sufficiently familiar with pixel art, it can look quite nice (in fact, I find that I much prefer it to most attempts to "scale up" low-res graphics to modern resolutions, whether by applying a scaling algorithm or converting by hand.)

Also yes, RGB versus composite makes all the difference.
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: ChaosLord on March 15, 2012, 11:55:56 PM
RGB or die.
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: darkage on March 16, 2012, 12:01:43 AM
Yeah I think RGB would make it look sharper but still Im probably not really use to Low-Res gfx these days.  Im definitely getting a new gen indivision when they dooo come out to increase my WB enjoyment. :)
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: bbond007 on March 16, 2012, 12:08:03 AM
Quote from: Matt_H;683927
Not sure what your monitor setup is, but a CRT with scanlines makes things look much sharper. Modern LCDs blur everything not at their native resolutions.


Even the scanline emulation on the Minimig helps.
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: Matt_H on March 16, 2012, 01:47:50 AM
Quote from: bbond007;683936
Even the scanline emulation on the Minimig helps.


Yup, I'm using the scanline emulation on my Indivision. It's a big improvement!
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: Digiman on March 16, 2012, 03:51:54 AM
Quote from: Matt_H;683927
Not sure what your monitor setup is, but a CRT with scanlines makes things look much sharper. Modern LCDs blur everything not at their native resolutions.


CRTs have both round phosphor dots not big square pixel cells (making graphics twice as blocky even at native resolutions) but lack of scanlines on LCD also makes images twice as blocky as CRT.

Load a 640x512 pixel 256 colour picture on an Amiga with an RGB monitor cable on say a Phillips/1084S and then go and view that same image on a laptop with a resolution of 1280x1024 native LCD in 200% (so the pixels map perfectly and there is no hardware smoothing due to resolution mismatch of using different windows desktop rez to 1280x1024). The image you see on the screen of the Amiga looks higher resolution.

But yes most PAL games <> 320x256 and stuck with stupid 320x200+huge border so they didn't even use the full potential graphics quality Jay Miner and co designed for them! *face palm*

(not saying this is the reason btw)
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: portarinos on March 16, 2012, 12:37:12 PM
I suppose that all the technical tweaking would make a difference if you are using an LCD monitor plus Indivision but have you ever considered that the time that has passed since our youth has changed our point of view and our likings? Clearly it's not the same anymore. Back in the day there was no comparison between Amiga games and all the other platforms' gaming. Now, some 20-25 years later it won't be just the same cause our gaming experiences
and likings have changed.
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: persia on March 16, 2012, 01:14:52 PM
We're all watching 1080p TVs nowadays.Back in the Amiga days it was 576i (SD).  What was bleeding edge twenty years ago isn't even close to trailing edge today.  Technology advances.
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: Ral-Clan on March 16, 2012, 01:39:19 PM
Quote from: darkage;683925
...the gfx doesn't seem to be as a good as from what matches up in my memory all those years ago..  haha!  I dunno it must just be me..  but I remember when I was younger the gfx being so unreal, pure picture like, ground breaking.. Now when I look at it, its a bit pixelated :)  Perhaps Im use to modern evil Pccceeeeee hi-res displays..

Still the Ami is a blast!


We used to think 27" televisions were massive.
We used to think the image of a DVD was crystal clear and razor sharp.

It's all relative.
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: vidarh on March 16, 2012, 01:57:38 PM
Quote from: Matt_H;683927
Not sure what your monitor setup is, but a CRT with scanlines makes things look much sharper. Modern LCDs blur everything not at their native resolutions.


The problem is the opposite for me: The graphics looks far too sharp on a modern LCD screen, while a CRT with scanlines is blurry as hell and obscures the pixelation much better, on a modern LCD I can see the edges of each pixel clearly.

I can hardly imagine a scenario where you'd manage to get a modern LCD to look blurrier than a CRT (well I can, but they'd all involve doing it on purpose).
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: commodorejohn on March 16, 2012, 05:34:13 PM
Quote from: portarinos;683986
Clearly it's not the same anymore. Back in the day there was no comparison between Amiga games and all the other platforms' gaming. Now, some 20-25 years later it won't be just the same cause our gaming experiences
and likings have changed.
Mine haven't.
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: Fats on March 16, 2012, 06:31:34 PM
Quote from: ral-clan;683995
We used to think 27" televisions were massive.
We used to think the image of a DVD was crystal clear and razor sharp.

It's all relative.


I used to think a C64 was the ultimate in games gfx :)
Staf,
Title: Re: Amazing Amiga Gfx ?
Post by: runequester on March 16, 2012, 09:12:34 PM
I still think amiga looks great...
 
And I'll take 2 player in Alien Breed over cutting edge graphics on my own ;)