8 bit vs 16 bit vs 32 bit

Well, when i finally get my hands on ColdStone, I plan to go 16 bit, all the way, and il tell ya why, i think the better a graphics get in a game, the less your imagination has to fill in the visual cracks, therfore it isnt as fun....in this way, its more like reading a book when you are playing a game with primitive graphics

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Hmm, intereseting thought. Don't be too simple though, even fun games have some good graphics

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Had to alter sig because it was pissing me off

Hmmmmm. In my view:
8 bit = a bit too outdated for this sort of game
32 bit = good for movies, but I think just a little too complex for this type of game
16 bit = perfect

That's my thoughts. 🙂
~Gav

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Sigh. Why do crap jokes exist?

well if i take NES type graphics as an example of 8 bit and SNES type graphics as an example of 16 bit and the screen shots i see of ColdStone now as an example of 32 bit, i am inclined to agree with you, besides, i plan to make my game world so huge that making it all 32 bit would be a hassle (of course i wouldnt go 32 anyway)

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In my game, the tiles, background and scenery are going to be 16bit, while the movies (over 25 planed :)) will be 32bit, along with the bitmap images such as character portraits, item pictures etc ect.

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Quote

Originally posted by Gaviiin:
**Hmmmmm. In my view:
8 bit = a bit too outdated for this sort of game
32 bit = good for movies, but I think just a little too complex for this type of game
16 bit = perfect
**

Too complex?

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Seems some people can't separate style from technology.

In the RGB colorspace, you have:

8 bit graphics means no more than 256 colors, because 2^8 = 256 (or "Hundreds of Colors")
The NES only used something like 16 or 24 colors at a time, and even the Sega Genesis only used about 256 colors at a time. Exile and Realmz both utilize 8-bit graphics, as does DOOM and even Quake I.

16 bit graphics: 2^16 = 65536 different colors (or "Thousands of Colors")
The SNES system allows for a most of these colors to be used simultaneously, yet most games opted not to. During the SNES era, most graphics were still illustrated as opposed to rendered, so the color palette was kept small for simplicity's sake. Most graphics used an "outline," typically black, to distinguish the sprite from the background.

Fallout on the Mac uses 16-bit graphics, which I presume were rendered in 24 bit and dithered to 16 bit. Avernum also uses 16-bit graphics.

24 bit graphics: 2^16 = 16.7 million colors (or "Millions of Colors")
Unless one is dealing with a snobbish photographer, graphics don't have more colors than this.

32 bit graphics: 16.7 million colors PLUS 256 shades of transparency
Transparency allows you to position graphics over one another without ugly aliasing or without using an outline. This would allow you to simulate glass, translucent water, fog, smoke, or supernatural things like a ghost. When you use layer transparency in Photoshop, when you render something from a 3D program with an Alpha channel, you are using 32-bit graphics.

I believe Unreal uses 16-bit color with 8 bits of transparency.

STYLISTICALLY, many SNES games, including Final Fantasy III/VI, Mario World, Yoshi's Island, etc, are closer to the 8-bit graphics used in games like Realmz and Exile. It wasn't until later games, like Super Mario RPG, that developers started really showing off the technology of the SNES. Most game graphics from consoles in this era were illustrated, and thus had a limited color palette.

Once machines like the PSX and the N64 came out, everybody just started using rendered graphics (as opposed to illustrated) which are typically very rich in color.

Basically, it boils down to either drawing your graphics pixel-by-pixel (illustrated), or learning an arcane 3D program and rendering each of your sprites (rendered).

Hope I cleared up some confusion about color...

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Thanks you for your history lesson on colors, and for the education on said topic,
as atoken of my appreciation please...accept this rasberry ice snow cone...

So Says The Chill!

I say:
GO ALL THE WAY WITH 64-BIT GRAPHICS!!!

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Quote

Originally posted by GameFanatic:
**I say:
GO ALL THE WAY WITH 64-BIT GRAPHICS!!!
**

I hope that was a joke...

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Well I will try to make my RPG in true Exile style with good ol illustrated graphics

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Wow you truely are afanatic, but wouldn't 64-bit graphics murder your computer's memory,and drive space, I mean you would need like four o' them new G4 cubes just to get it a the pace of a crippled turtle (realizes extreme exaggeration, shrug). My god the carnage... Does anyone have a suggestion (on games, not where I should go) on what would be an appropriate("appropis") bit size to minimize memory and space ??? Answer with wisdom(or educated speculation)...

...So Says The Chill!

RECAP:
Does anyone have a suggestion on what would be an appropriate bit size to minimize memory and space ?

8bit

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