Good explanation why half-brite is too slow for game engines? - Page 5

TCD · Today, 07:35

Less talking, more finding a screenshot with more than 32 colors please

Here's a very simple (but accurate) color counter: https://townsean.github.io/canvas-pixel-color-counter/

Amigajay · Today, 08:24

Just because it uses EHB doesn’t mean you will find a screenshot with more than 32 colours at any one time, some devs used palette switching or whatever, EHB is a quick and easy mode to enable the 32 shades of the colours they already used to cast shadows etc

One screenshot will be 32 colours, another screenshot will be 32 colours with different colours being used depending on what the helicopter is flying over, it’s not like they went out to use as many colours of the 64 possible because they could, it’s just used for a good reason.

As i mentioned above, the full screen flash explosion makes good use of the extra colours, lighting every object up in various shades before returning to normal.

TCD · Today, 09:30

You mentioned the manual and I want to know if it is accurate or not.

ross · Today, 10:36

Premise: I have absolutely not checked how the game you are talking about behaves, so what I am about to say is exclusively a general technical digression.

EHB is a bitmap mode, which does not affect the colors of the sprites.
So if for any reason the programmer had built the game to have 16 colors for the bitmap and 16 different colors for the sprites and then wanted to add shadow effects, he could easily have done it anyway by 'zeroing' the 5th bitplane, therefore without ever using the blitter on it to speed up rendering (a wasted 'empty' fetch for the bitplanes DMA, but which frees up the sprites color bank).
The final result is a maximum of 48 (47..) possible colors on the screen (excluding Copper tricks).

It's true, a big waste, but if the graphics set in 16 colors is already available and you don't have time and resolve to redraw everything, it's a 'low cost' effect made by the hardware.

malko · Today, 10:50

EHB games' list (Desert Strike is not in this list - omission?)
[ Show youtube player ]

EHB small demo :
[ Show youtube player ]

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Today, 07:35	#81
TCD HOL/FTP busy bee Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Germany Age: 46 Posts: 32,210	Less talking, more finding a screenshot with more than 32 colors please Here's a very simple (but accurate) color counter: https://townsean.github.io/canvas-pixel-color-counter/

Today, 08:24	#82
Amigajay Registered User Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: > Posts: 2,977	Just because it uses EHB doesn’t mean you will find a screenshot with more than 32 colours at any one time, some devs used palette switching or whatever, EHB is a quick and easy mode to enable the 32 shades of the colours they already used to cast shadows etc One screenshot will be 32 colours, another screenshot will be 32 colours with different colours being used depending on what the helicopter is flying over, it’s not like they went out to use as many colours of the 64 possible because they could, it’s just used for a good reason. As i mentioned above, the full screen flash explosion makes good use of the extra colours, lighting every object up in various shades before returning to normal.

Today, 09:30	#83
TCD HOL/FTP busy bee Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Germany Age: 46 Posts: 32,210	You mentioned the manual and I want to know if it is accurate or not.

Today, 10:36	#84
ross Defendit numerus Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Crossing the Rubicon Age: 54 Posts: 4,503	Premise: I have absolutely not checked how the game you are talking about behaves, so what I am about to say is exclusively a general technical digression. EHB is a bitmap mode, which does not affect the colors of the sprites. So if for any reason the programmer had built the game to have 16 colors for the bitmap and 16 different colors for the sprites and then wanted to add shadow effects, he could easily have done it anyway by 'zeroing' the 5th bitplane, therefore without ever using the blitter on it to speed up rendering (a wasted 'empty' fetch for the bitplanes DMA, but which frees up the sprites color bank). The final result is a maximum of 48 (47..) possible colors on the screen (excluding Copper tricks). It's true, a big waste, but if the graphics set in 16 colors is already available and you don't have time and resolve to redraw everything, it's a 'low cost' effect made by the hardware.

Today, 10:50	#85
malko Ex nihilo nihil Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: CH Posts: 5,089	EHB games' list (Desert Strike is not in this list - omission?) [ Show youtube player ] EHB small demo : [ Show youtube player ]

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