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While I played this game on an Atari 1024ST which I believe used an EGA like display I remember a (not so) similar graphics quality situation with Space Quest V

by gbil 6y ago

While I played this game on an Atari 1024ST which I believe used an EGA like display I remember a (not so) similar graphics quality situation with Space Quest V which I started playing in a CGA monochrome monitor and at some point Roger was supposed to mop a floor with a yellow - if I remember correctly - logo that changed from dark yellow to shiny yellow while cleaning it. I had to buy a EGA color monitor to get through this part of the game as no matter the path I chose, I couldn't really see any changes with the monochrome one in order to complete the task...

timbit42 6y ago
EGA can display 16 colors from a 64 color palette. The Atari ST can display 16 colors from a 512 color palette. The Atari STe can display 16 colors from a 4096 color palette. The Amigas can display 32 colors from a 4096 color palette.
- mrob 6y ago
  And in the 320x200 mode used by these games, standard EGA can display only 16 colors from a 16 color palette, for backwards compatibility with CGA monitors.
- aruggirello 6y ago
  Nitpicking, but the OCS ("classic") Amiga can also display 64 colors (in half brite mode) or even the full 4096 color palette (in hold and modify/HAM mode). That's what made people's jaws drop back then.
  - LocalH 6y ago
    Although the earliest A1000s didn't include EHB mode
  - the_af 6y ago
    Never owned an Amiga. HAM was used for static screens and photos, right? What were the screen modes used for actual games?
    - LeoPanthera 6y ago
      With extremely unusual exceptions, no games used HAM, because it took several frames to completely redraw the screen. 32-color was the standard.
- Lio 6y ago
  The Amiga also had HAM mode that could display all 4096 colours but it was somewhat limited in what you could use it for. When I first saw that it looked like witchcraft. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hold-And-Modify https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hold-And-Modify
aidenn0 6y ago
I had a similar issue with conquest of camelot. I was playing on a monochrome display, and you had to find an amulet in the catacombs. I spent hours looking for it, then I played it on my dad's computer with EGA, and it was bright yellow on gray and glaringly obvious.

by gbil 6y ago

timbit42 6y ago

EGA can display 16 colors from a 64 color palette. The Atari ST can display 16 colors from a 512 color palette. The Atari STe can display 16 colors from a 4096 color palette. The Amigas can display 32 colors from a 4096 color palette.

mrob 6y ago
And in the 320x200 mode used by these games, standard EGA can display only 16 colors from a 16 color palette, for backwards compatibility with CGA monitors.
aruggirello 6y ago
Nitpicking, but the OCS ("classic") Amiga can also display 64 colors (in half brite mode) or even the full 4096 color palette (in hold and modify/HAM mode). That's what made people's jaws drop back then.
- LocalH 6y ago
  Although the earliest A1000s didn't include EHB mode
- the_af 6y ago
  Never owned an Amiga. HAM was used for static screens and photos, right? What were the screen modes used for actual games?
  - LeoPanthera 6y ago
    With extremely unusual exceptions, no games used HAM, because it took several frames to completely redraw the screen. 32-color was the standard.
Lio 6y ago
The Amiga also had HAM mode that could display all 4096 colours but it was somewhat limited in what you could use it for. When I first saw that it looked like witchcraft. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hold-And-Modify https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hold-And-Modify

aidenn0 6y ago

I had a similar issue with conquest of camelot. I was playing on a monochrome display, and you had to find an amulet in the catacombs. I spent hours looking for it, then I played it on my dad's computer with EGA, and it was bright yellow on gray and glaringly obvious.