Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews!micor!taob
From: taob@micor.ocunix.on.ca (Brian Tao)
Subject: Re: 320X200X256 graphics (was: Ultima 6)
Organization: M.B. Cormier INC.
Date: Sun, 02 Jun 91 08:30:00 EDT
Message-ID: <P9yw35w162w@micor.ocunix.on.ca>
References: <1991Jun1.083051.24202@clark.edu>
Sender: view@micor.ocunix.on.ca (View)

geniusman@pro-hindugods.cts.com (Chris Moylan) writes:

> In-Reply-To: message from jimmys@bonnie.ics.uci.edu
> 
> I agree wholeheartedly with Jimmy's sarcastic comments.  It is EXTREMELY
> easy to port IBM 320x200x256 graphics into GS format and they would look
> exactly the same, or better because the IBM only has 256 colors in it's
> palette in that mode (I think).  Anyway, 3200 color GS games could also be
> created, but no software developers want to deal with GS specific

    Standard VGA graphics will NOT look as nice on a GS, no matter how good 
the conversion, or how good the programmer.  You cannot get 256 unique 
colours on a scanline on the GS.  256 colours on a screen, yes, but you are 
still restricted to only 16/line (even in 3200 mode).  3200-colour mode 
isn't very useful for anything other than static pictures.  In every single 
computer game I've seen, there are always at least a couple of elements on 
the screen which don't change (like the picture of your character walking 
around, or monsters you fight).  The constantly changing palettes of 3200 
graphics makes it extremely difficult (probably impossible) to have these 
static items displayed properly.  BTW, VGA chooses from a palette of 262,144 
colours, not just 4096.

--
Brian T. Tao   *B-)  |  taob@micor.ocunix.on.ca  |  "Though this be
2705-1510 Riverside  |           - or -          |   madness, yet there
Ottawa, ON  K1G 4X5  |      taob@micor.uucp      |   is method in 't."
