VGA to EGA Converter

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MusicallyInspired · #1 Post by **MusicallyInspired** » Sat May 19, 2007 6:11 pm

Just like to show what a great tool the bitmap to SCI0 picture resource converter in SCI Companion is (SCI Companion is an alternative to SCI Studio with a handful of new features). I converted a High Coloured remake of a KQ3 picture I made with it and the results look not unlike the few EGA versions of VGA games that Sierra made (SQ1 Remake, SQ4, KQ5, LSL1 Remake, LSL5, Longbow, etc). Here' s how it looks.

I may use this converter exclusively for my next SCI0 remake after KQ2SCI.

Gronagor · #2 Post by **Gronagor** » Sat May 19, 2007 8:16 pm

Hehe! Cool!!

Hmmm... let's remake QfG5 into EGA!!!!!

antonyo · #3 Post by **antonyo** » Sun May 20, 2007 4:21 pm

I am personally not impressed and I prefer the other backgrounds that you've drawn, MusicallyInspired. It's simply too obvious that it was generated with a program that convert colors values, rather than drawn by an artist who can make the difference between background, foreground, shadow and objects, and who can add little details here and there to make it more sharp and less blurry.

It might be easier, good and useful to know what colors the scene should be, like it does with the mountain, but for the objects it's another story, the tree to the left seems to be melted into the mountain side and the rocks all around the path looks like blurry grey blob, not rocks, particuliary this rock to the top right corner of the tree, which seems to have melted with its shadow.

However, I have no idea of how much work you've put in this background and if you think it's ready to be put in a game or not, so I guess it could be different if you first converted a background using this, then pixel edited it until it pleased you, but this particuliar background doesn't make the cut that your previous KQ2SCI backgrounds did.

Gronagor · #4 Post by **Gronagor** » Sun May 20, 2007 4:59 pm

I'm pretty sure MI just wanted to demonstrate the converter, antonyo.

Perhaps MI can show us what a KQ5/6 background will look like converted.

MusicallyInspired · #5 Post by **MusicallyInspired** » Sun May 20, 2007 5:51 pm

What Gron said. I'm not going to be using this method for KQ2SCI. I'll finish KQ2SCI with the current method I'm using of vector drawing it from scratch. I'll test it out for my next game and if I like the results that's what I'm going with. I'm also aware of the discrepancies and the fact that it would need a bit of pixel editing, but I think it looks really nice regardless. But I love EGA graphics, so that's me. The obvious "gone-through-a-filter" look is exactly the same as what Sierra did for their EGA versions of games like KQ5, SQ4, etc.

Here's a converted pic from KQ6 that Gron asked for:

Gronagor · #6 Post by **Gronagor** » Sun May 20, 2007 6:03 pm

Nice!

Hmmm... I like this! You can see the technique they've used very well with this conversion!

antonyo · #7 Post by **antonyo** » Sun May 20, 2007 8:15 pm

MusicallyInspired wrote:What Gron said. I'm not going to be using this method for KQ2SCI. I'll finish KQ2SCI with the current method I'm using of vector drawing it from scratch. I'll test it out for my next game and if I like the results that's what I'm going with.

I guess we'll be able to judge more correctly when you'll have pixel edited some backgrounds converted with this program until you judge they are finalized. KQ2SCI is an AGI to SCI conversion, you actually have to create from scratch and fill the blanks that couldn't be filled with just the AGI's resolution. The results are backgrounds that you'd normally find in original Sierra's SCI games.

I'm also aware of the discrepancies and the fact that it would need a bit of pixel editing, but I think it looks really nice regardless. But I love EGA graphics, so that's me.

After being pixel edited, they might look nice. But right now and unedited, like this KQ6 background with blurry town and castle, they are greatly subpar to what you'd find in a game originally made for SCI like QFG2, PQ2, LSL3 or SQ3.

The obvious "gone-through-a-filter" look is exactly the same as what Sierra did for their EGA versions of games like KQ5, SQ4, etc.

Yes, but it doesn't automaticly mean that the "gone-through-a-filter" look is actually good. Just like one doesn't reach the Sierra's VGA style by using SCI backgrounds, with the same pixels placement and just adding the missing 240 colors, one doesn't reach the Sierra's SCI style by using VGA backgrounds and removing 240 colors, or the AGI style by cutting in half number of horizontal pixels from SCI backgrounds.

Gronagor · #8 Post by **Gronagor** » Sun May 20, 2007 8:48 pm

Hehe! :lol

antonyo... are you trying to have a fight with someone? Will be difficult if everyone here agrees with you.

antonyo · #9 Post by **antonyo** » Sun May 20, 2007 9:02 pm

I'm just unsure wether or not it would be wise for MI to replace his drawing mad skillz with a mere VGA to EGA converter for his next projects, particuliary when he already proved us with KQ2SCI that he masters the Sierra's SCI style so well.

MusicallyInspired · #10 Post by **MusicallyInspired** » Sun May 20, 2007 9:39 pm

Heh I doubt I've mastered it. I see where you're coming from, antonyo. We'll just have to see what happens after KQ2SCI is finished with. I am still undecided and I may agree with you.

adeyke · #11 Post by **adeyke** » Mon May 21, 2007 1:29 am

I actually agree with antonyo. Actual EGA screens (such as those of SCI0 games) look very nice. They were designed with EGA in mind and many of them make full use of that resolution. While they do use dithering, they often leave things undithered intentionally to keep the picture simpler. They also took extra care to make important boundaries between objects visible, either with contrasting colors or with a border of some kind. The result is something that's beautiful EGA.

By contrast, the VGA games had a full 256 colors available and took advantage of this. These games have a lot of soft colors (which couldn't be and smooth gradients. They also had highlights and subtle effects that just wouldn't work in EGA. Because they no longer needed dithering and because of the availability of subtle shades, they also had a lot of smoothness.

So to me, the automated conversion from VGA to EGA is really unsatisfying. A good VGA screen, converted to EGA, is not automatically a good EGA screen. A lot of the things that made the VGA screen look nice either fail or backfire for the conversion. Some of these issues aren't so noticeable with those screenshots here but are much more obvious when viewed at full-screen.

Note that FreeSCI has some graphic filters that "improve" the EGA graphics from SCI0 games. A filtered EGA screen is, however, no substitution for a real VGA screen. I would say, then, that the reverse is also true.[/quote]