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NES Style vs Atari Style

MGSting

MGSting

Member
These are the two art styles I'm debating over which I should use for the portions of my game which the characters are playing on the game's universe's version of a NES or Atari. The idea is to combine the more modern style overworld with a retro style "dark world". Which one would you prefer?
 
Toque

Toque

Member
Atari graphics could work on the right game but yeah NES is actually easier.

Atari games were great but relied on a bit of imagination. Now Atari had the jaguar and 7800 also more comparable to NES graphics.
 
CardinalCoder64

CardinalCoder64

Member
If you're going for accuracy here, you also have to consider color depth and resolution. The Atari 2600, under NTSC configuration, had a maximum resolution of 160x192 (some sprites using pixels a quarter of the width of "playfield" pixels, and the view likely stretched to match the TV screen), used 128 colors, and ran at 60 FPS. The NES precedes that with a resolution of 256x240, used 54 colors (technically 64, 9 of which being duplicates and 1 that's not even visible so *shrug*), and also ran at 60 FPS. Subpixel movement is a no-no for both systems, so everything must be rounded. The sprites are also very limited, as a general consensus there should be no more than 3 colors (could debate on that because it's a little bit complicated), with only so many that could be seen on screen.

I could elaborate if you wish but I feel like I would just keep rambling on about how these systems work and start to fall away from the subject. Can't help it, I've always been a fan of some of the really cool stuff that old devs used to get around their system limitations. :D
 
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kupo15

kupo15

Member
CardinalCoder64 said:
I could elaborate if you wish but I feel like I would just keep rambling on about how these systems work and start to fall away from the subject. Can't help it, I've always been a fan of some of the really cool stuff that old devs used to get around their system limitations. :D
Click to expand...
Keep rambling, I'm enjoying the knowledge dump! :D
 
Yal

Yal

šŸ§ *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
The NES for sure. Atari graphics are so primitive nobody can enjoy them, and a big reason the video game crash happened was because the games looked so bad compared to the art on the covers - that's why the first NES covers had pictures of the in-game sprites so people knew what they were getting.
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Toque

Toque

Member
Atari was great at the time. Loved it. But you needed the cover art. Itā€™s like book cover art. A little imagination to help the game experience.
 
S

sitebender

Member
NES is always better 99% of the time. The catch is that 1% like if you're going for a creepy, less is more vibe, I'd recommend Atari 2600. Plus it's easier to make art for.
 
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