SHINOBI Gfx restoration

[MacDeath]

Damn it's so speccy it hurts.

[rexbeng]

@Syx: yes, indeed, it's a pitty that we don't have challenges for graphicians like they have in the C64 scene. I have to say that the C64 scene is somewhat more fun in areas like this. Ofcourse it's also a matter of size, it' obviously more easy to find participations among so many sceners, but when I see various people here in the wiki making mockups about whatever-reason (Zynaps, CPC-Canabalt, Robocop, Shinobi just to name a few that come to mind), it somewhat is a pitty that these will just stay and get forgotten in a forum when we could do something more scene-centric out of them.

rb

[SyX]

Hmmm... or doing something new

But for that we have already the ReSet party

This would be more a fun competition with a common theme (remake an old bad or improve a classic cpc picture or rethink the CPC France crocodile or demake actual games to cpc) and limited time (2 weeks or 1 month), perfect for this summer, after all the competitions, for example.

@rexbeng: I agree, there is so much talent graphician in the forum and everytime they put one of their graphics everybody gives a lot of likes. They should be more visible publicaly

[TFM]

Ah ok, thanks!



EDIT: Sadly I never saw a demo competition which is not limited in hardware. It would be great to have once during my lifetime a competition without limits - but I guess I have to make that by myself at the COM IV party (if there ever will be one).

[steve]

A multicore processor with 8Gb ram and dual/quad graphics cards does not impose too many limits. does it?

[TFM]

I talked about a CPC.

[steve]

Perhaps you should announce your own competition, then you can set the rules, maybe you could offer one of your acid chips as a prize.

Talking about unlimited, have you considered writing a program that would run on 4 CPCs with the graphics displayed on 4 monitors giving a resolution of up to 1280x400.

[TFM]

Ok, so I see, I have to make my self more clear. The idea was of course to use only one CPC computer, but with the possibility of using:
- A 0.7 MB formatted B-drive
- RAM of more than 64 KB (128 KB or 512 f.e)
- ROMs
- Lightpen, Mouse
- Soundcards (don't ask about this idea now)
- HD for video streaming or MP3s.
- etc.


About your four CPCs idea: I would use only two of them giving me a resolution of 1664 * 512 dots (mode 2).

Or a single CPC with 832 * 512 points (that's what I can use as maximum).

[rexbeng]

@TFM: well, there's no point in doing a "competition" on equipment only a few people own. But you could easily make something on your highly customised Amstrad CPC and enter the Wild competitoons in one of the big demoparties (take a look at the entries in the last Revision). There's all sorts of obscure hardware used there, even platforms made from scratch!


rb

[TFM]

Well, I guess a lot of people have a 6128 with 80 Track DS B-drive and 512 KB RAM f.e.

About 200 SF2 have been sold, they all have 512 KB RAM and 512 KB ROM f.e. Further a lot of others have a MegaFlash and a RAM expansion.

Today the expanded CPC is IMNO quite normal.



And it's not about super-extended-software only. Also software is of interest which JUST USES conected expansions if found. 

[sigh]

RICHARD APLIN INTERVIEW!!!

Thanks Rich!

An interview with Richard Aplin | Retro Asylum

[TFM]

If I read this interview, then I know it was a good decision NOT to make my hobby to my job 
Thanks for the link!!!

[Mr. DVG]

Hello everyone, my name is Andrea, i'm Italian and i'm new in this forum ... this is very beautiful project renovation of the graphics for Shinobi Amstrad CPC. One of the many things that I could not stand in the CPC version of Shinobi was the lack of a loading screen / intro ...

Time ago I made ​​the conversion  to loading screen to the PC Engine version for Amstrad ... You like it? See you soon!

P.S. - Sorry for my bad English, i use google translate...



http://www.dizionariovideogiochi.it/Spot/shinobi.dsk

[TotO]

I'm sure that if a day, peoples on this forum will finish to redraw the few ingame GFx, then it will be possible to think about other features like an "intro screen".

[Mr. DVG]

Of course, this was just an idea ...

[TotO]

Sure. You are welcome.
(better to use PNG files for the forum, to not destroy your work)

[Puresox]

Looks great !

[Mr. DVG]

Thanks for the tips ... I have yet to practice with the options of the forum ...

I enclose other 3 screenshots with the file .dsk, this time with the introduction screen taken from the arcade version with and without the SEGA logo and a test carried out with the color palette of the Amstrad CPC+

Thanks for the compliments!

[Devilmarkus]

Nice screens tough...

Just a suggestion: Why not use dark green for the shade on the face?

[MacDeath]

Just a suggestion: Why not use dark green for the shade on the face?

I guess a regular dithering would work just fine...


Also I guess being on an Amstrad, the "320x200" limit is pointless, should be Full screen, this could enable for bigger logos more faithfull to the original as it would compensate for the Mode0.


The sega logo per example could be in 1x2 mode 0 "square" pixels...


So for the shinobi.

[Mr. DVG]

Yes MacDeath, your result is the most visually beautiful ... I as you may have guessed I do not have the basics of programming or whatever are an amateur and I'm delighted to convert some static screen with the "ConvImgCpc" ... but I would not mind learning a little more ... : P

For example programs that you used for the mockup? How can I get dith in localized areas rather than the entire screen?

Thank you for the patience you have given me ...

[SyX]

Although sure the artists will give a better answer, usually they use from photoshop to windows paint, passing for graph2x, promotion, ... And the dithering in the old days was applied manually, but sure nowadays the drawing programs can help in it.

With respect to the Shinobi loading screen, i like the retouch of the c64 version by Philippe Lesire, they can be converted to mode 1, the most difficult would be choosing a nice ninja palette

Left original c64 | Right retouched version

[MacDeath]

You are right : if you are to use this, why not use Mode1 ?
Basically it is a 4 colour (nice) picture...
Dark Red, bright red, Black and white (light grey)...
the Mode1 is perfect for an "old ninja movie" feeling

So yeah, the same sort of picture in 384x272 x 4 colours Mode1 could be great indeed... but needs to be completely re-done of course.

To be honnest, even software Mode5 could be used on good purpose on this sort of picture..

The black zone from the ninja mask sides are large enough to be sure we don't have colour clashes clashing the picture...
So yeah, you could have extra colours for the visible visage/face part (flesh, eyes), also get an extra ink or two for the logos...
Could really be a shining example of 3Mode5".


I fail to find page on Mode5 at CPCwiki ?
was the page removed ?


Push'n'Pop | Amstrad CPC Demoscene | GrafX2 with CPC "mode 5" support for


Please Syx, give informations...


Ok, we know it is basically a heavy use of split rasters.

Yes MacDeath, your result is the most visually beautiful ... I as you may have guessed I do not have the basics of programming or whatever are an amateur and I'm delighted to convert some static screen with the "ConvImgCpc" ... but I would not mind learning a little more ...

Actually I cheat.
I use paint.net to modify the picture, because it is a real graphic application.

you convert the picture into "real" 160x200 resolution, and then can fill the zones with ditherings, then reconvert it into 320x200 to have double pixels.

Regular ditherings work well in mode0 so never forget to use them to have more colours on large zones.

CPC palette is good but limited, you really need those ditherings in black to have darker shades.

With this method you actually have a theorical 5x5x5 RGB cube.



Had Amstrad used such 5x5x5 RGB cube instead of 3x3x3, the CPC would really had a great super EGA palette combining all the advantages of the 3x3x3 cube (middle colours in 50%) and EGA (more colours, simply...)

This would have needed a component able to handle like 128 colours though (actually 125).

Note : if you look well on those pictures, you can see I use all ditherings possible to get the new shades, some squares/rectangles use 4 combinaitions to get the "same" colour, other use 2 combinaisons, and some only one.

It's because I mix the CPC original colours only so some result can be obtained with more possibilities.

The 2 extra "layers" are purely dithered.


Anyway Mr. DVG, you could check this page perhaps :
Video modes - CPCWiki

[fano]

Very nice job on this thread and welcome Mr DVG.This 4 colors approch is a very nice idea and could be nicely completed with (split) rasters =)

[MacDeath]

this looks like the original one...





I would give it a try but as I switched to Win8 recently, my Paint.net need to get all palettes redone (CPC, EGA...) because I didn't backup those up and failed to import them (I suck, I know, I work for Appfel Komputerz...)


Not so fast !!!
Ok I finally managed to find my palettes back, finally we are good at Appfel Komputerz...


There a few tries in "overscanned" Mode1/mode5...
but as it is overscaned full screen, mode0 is easier and quite suitable actually.


those large pixels don't look that big if scale is up on the whole screen... and then you don't habe to pull out tricks and code and violate the hardware just to get more than 4 colours on screen...


But hey, it would keep the Demoscene spirit alive and would be completely unecessary, so lets do this anyway !!!!