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If you want to see what a master of Deluxe Paint palette cycling can do check out Mark Ferrari's http://www.effectgames.com/demos/canvascycle/ http://www.effec

If you want to see what a master of Deluxe Paint palette cycling can do check out Mark Ferrari's http://www.effectgames.com/demos/canvascycle/ http://www.effectgames.com/demos/canvascycle/ (hit "Show Options) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMcJ1Jvtef0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMcJ1Jvtef0

jjnoakes 2y ago
The art is great on its own, but knowing the constraints it runs under and how one image can look so different, or even animated, based solely on the palette, elevates the art to a whole new level.
ffhhj 2y ago
This could have been an amazing screensaver, or even the world of a AAA Karateka game. My uncle was a prolific PC software pirate in the 80's, and I remember finding a french game in his collection that I've never seen again. Maybe it was actually a demo or prototype, that used the VGA palette in an incredible way with metallic reflections. Nothing that I saw for many years used those graphics until games started using prerendered 3D, and even those didn't look as impressive. I regret not saving a copy.
- gav 2y ago
  See Living Worlds: http://www.effectgames.com/demos/worlds/ http://www.effectgames.com/demos/worlds/ There's a iOS and Android app: https://pixfabrik.com/livingworlds/ https://pixfabrik.com/livingworlds/
- LargoLasskhyfv 2y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Blood_(video_game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Blood_(video_game) ?
  - ffhhj 2y ago
    Looks nice, but it's not that one. The metallic surfaces could have been similar to the bottom alien hand (cursor?) in that screenshot, but I remember those looked way better: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/Captain_Blood_%28video_game%29_Atari_ST_screenshot.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/Captain_Blood... I think it was a demo because it only had an animated intro I didn't recognize from other games, a menu, and the game was a plataformer with a large sized alien or android that could walk and shot. But it restarted (or crashed?) after a few seconds.
    - smokel 2y ago
      More input Stephanie, more!
      - ffhhj 2y ago
        lol. Yeah, the intro was a rotating metallic object. It used the blue to orange gradient giving it a steel look. I remembered it had this sound of buzzing metal (Transformers alike) which should have been an advanced effect for the PC speakers. The game itself didn't have much content to it, other than the (female?) metallic android, the gradient sky and simple terrain. I guess these elements had so much detail because of their large size.
        westcoast49 2y ago
        Here's the answer that ChatGPT gives to this riddle; it thinks that it must be the 1991 game Metal Mutant by French developer Silmarils: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOl_fBWIuac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOl_fBWIuac The video seems to match your description quite well!
        ffhhj 2y ago
        Wow, that's it! But I still think that I played a leaked prototype of that game, because it didn't have any other details like the vegetation, and the rotating cube didn't transform into the game's title. Great to see they actually finished it! lol So, Metal Mutant (1990-1991) came before Flashback and Legend of Kyrandia (both 1992). I can't recall a previous game that has such impressive artwork. It seems they modified the gradient from blue-orange (sky-desert reflections) to colors that match the environments, which makes it kind of monochromatic. So the prototype looked even better as I recall. https://archive.org/details/msdos_Metal_Mutant_1991 https://archive.org/details/msdos_Metal_Mutant_1991
mkl 2y ago
As well as neat environmental effects like that, if you use multiple cycles you can do more involved animations. In 1995, working with graph paper, screenshots, and patience, I made exact replicas of various Lemmings graphics and animations in Deluxe Paint II for DOS. I made a blocker with the foot tapping, head turning, and hair flinging out: https://imgur.com/a/KBuhu1G https://imgur.com/a/KBuhu1G (a screen recording of an emulator, so the timing is a bit uneven - actual file data in description).
white_beach 2y ago
or unreal by the future crew (the tunnel effect) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjYQeMExIwk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjYQeMExIwk

jjnoakes 2y ago

The art is great on its own, but knowing the constraints it runs under and how one image can look so different, or even animated, based solely on the palette, elevates the art to a whole new level.

ffhhj 2y ago

This could have been an amazing screensaver, or even the world of a AAA Karateka game. My uncle was a prolific PC software pirate in the 80's, and I remember finding a french game in his collection that I've never seen again. Maybe it was actually a demo or prototype, that used the VGA palette in an incredible way with metallic reflections. Nothing that I saw for many years used those graphics until games started using prerendered 3D, and even those didn't look as impressive. I regret not saving a copy.

gav 2y ago
See Living Worlds: http://www.effectgames.com/demos/worlds/ http://www.effectgames.com/demos/worlds/ There's a iOS and Android app: https://pixfabrik.com/livingworlds/ https://pixfabrik.com/livingworlds/
LargoLasskhyfv 2y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Blood_(video_game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Blood_(video_game) ?
- ffhhj 2y ago
  Looks nice, but it's not that one. The metallic surfaces could have been similar to the bottom alien hand (cursor?) in that screenshot, but I remember those looked way better: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/Captain_Blood_%28video_game%29_Atari_ST_screenshot.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/Captain_Blood... I think it was a demo because it only had an animated intro I didn't recognize from other games, a menu, and the game was a plataformer with a large sized alien or android that could walk and shot. But it restarted (or crashed?) after a few seconds.
  - smokel 2y ago
    More input Stephanie, more!
    - ffhhj 2y ago
      lol. Yeah, the intro was a rotating metallic object. It used the blue to orange gradient giving it a steel look. I remembered it had this sound of buzzing metal (Transformers alike) which should have been an advanced effect for the PC speakers. The game itself didn't have much content to it, other than the (female?) metallic android, the gradient sky and simple terrain. I guess these elements had so much detail because of their large size.
      - westcoast49 2y ago
        Here's the answer that ChatGPT gives to this riddle; it thinks that it must be the 1991 game Metal Mutant by French developer Silmarils: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOl_fBWIuac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOl_fBWIuac The video seems to match your description quite well!
        ffhhj 2y ago
        Wow, that's it! But I still think that I played a leaked prototype of that game, because it didn't have any other details like the vegetation, and the rotating cube didn't transform into the game's title. Great to see they actually finished it! lol So, Metal Mutant (1990-1991) came before Flashback and Legend of Kyrandia (both 1992). I can't recall a previous game that has such impressive artwork. It seems they modified the gradient from blue-orange (sky-desert reflections) to colors that match the environments, which makes it kind of monochromatic. So the prototype looked even better as I recall. https://archive.org/details/msdos_Metal_Mutant_1991 https://archive.org/details/msdos_Metal_Mutant_1991

mkl 2y ago

As well as neat environmental effects like that, if you use multiple cycles you can do more involved animations. In 1995, working with graph paper, screenshots, and patience, I made exact replicas of various Lemmings graphics and animations in Deluxe Paint II for DOS. I made a blocker with the foot tapping, head turning, and hair flinging out: https://imgur.com/a/KBuhu1G https://imgur.com/a/KBuhu1G (a screen recording of an emulator, so the timing is a bit uneven - actual file data in description).

white_beach 2y ago

or unreal by the future crew (the tunnel effect) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjYQeMExIwk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjYQeMExIwk