tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604980045122375946.post8701576722419094405..comments2024-03-08T17:29:26.280-08:00Comments on Retrogame Deconstruction Zone: Graphics in Early Arcade Games: Vector-BorneRetroAnalysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633021712932756737noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604980045122375946.post-23455895992107217072022-01-25T10:17:53.425-08:002022-01-25T10:17:53.425-08:00I question the slowdown tax of Space Invaders, to ... I question the slowdown tax of Space Invaders, to me this seems like accepted lore. If a frame of video was slowed by the phalanx of 55 invaders, why doesn't the player's ship or the UFO, or enemies (and player) missiles slow down and speed up accordingly? Would the entire game (frame by frame) be subjected to an artificial slowdown at the beginning of a wave, including your own avatar and bullets? Why aren't you and your shots moving at light speed to match the final invader? Notice the audio "heartbeat" also increases in cadence according to the speedup. And the speedup is *always* at specific, well defined intervals. <br /> I don't know much about programming, but I remain convinced this phenomenon is actually a design element which Nishikado intended, rather than a happy accident. fauxwoodgrainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05262246096660236504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604980045122375946.post-4371387858339899242020-01-26T04:36:08.547-08:002020-01-26T04:36:08.547-08:00Yes, the video probably is blurrier than the real ...Yes, the video probably is blurrier than the real thing, as you say. I didn’t find any high-quality extended captures — most were from a distance — but I mainly wanted to highlight the difference in relative brightness between the bullets/debris.<br /><br />Thanks to both you and DDG for the emulator recs, I’ll check them out.RetroAnalysthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10633021712932756737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604980045122375946.post-2817524857129949302020-01-26T04:03:52.927-08:002020-01-26T04:03:52.927-08:00I'd highly recommend the Vector Dream emulator...I'd highly recommend the Vector Dream emulator if you want to play vector games with a closer look to the original.<br /><br />http://caesar.logiqx.com/php/emulator.php?id=vector_dream<br /><br />The author had real machines for reference.<br /><br />I have played Asteroids on a real machine. I don't think your video is quite accurate either. It doesn't come off as quite so blurry, and the shots are brighter; I'm guessing there was some artifact of trying to capture as video in the first place.Jason Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292199216981320170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604980045122375946.post-56587783710395806612020-01-19T06:57:56.102-08:002020-01-19T06:57:56.102-08:00MAME's inability to show brightness variance i...MAME's inability to show brightness variance in vector games is its biggest shortcoming, IMO. The Atari Vault uses pixel shaders to simulate this, and I find it looks pretty good on the 'Bold' setting. It's no substitute for real vector hardware (which in fact looks quite crisp even with all the glow), and I suspect you couldn't quite replicate that look without HDR and a very high refresh rate, but it's much better than MAME's dull uniform look.Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04131989140638867919noreply@blogger.com