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[PogueSquadron]

A while back, I posted a question asking about making a 'modern' SNES game. That is, a game that almost feels like "What if an SNES game was made today?" Something like Square Enix' FFXIII retrospective trailer is what I have in mind.

It LOOKS like it's an SNES game, but it's definitely running in widescreen.

The easiest solution I've found so far is to use a resolution of 480x270 (I'm using Game Maker Studio by the way). It's a 16:9 aspect ratio that goes into 1920x1080 perfectly (it's exactly one quarter of 1080p). I shouldn't, in theory, run into any problems with blurring or scaling, right?

An obvious caveat would be...the SNES typically had a vertical resolution of 224. 270 is pretty close, but not exactly there, so naturally, the pixel density is going to be a little off.

Do I...
a.) Concede the fact that the pixel density won't be exactly the same, and that 480x270 is "close enough" to a 16:9 SNES.

or


b.) Should I commit more to locking down that "SNES-esque" pixel density with a resolution closer to the SNES - something like 400x225 (or whatever the closest 16:9 equivalent is)? If I go this route, how can I go about avoiding issues like blurring or pixel distortion?

I am using Game Maker but I figure the concepts should be similar enough across multiple platforms.

[happymonster]

If you only want it to be perfectly pixel scaled then maybe 216 in height would be better as it's only 8 pixels shorter but scales x5 to 1080

[PogueSquadron]

I was actually just linked to this example for Game Maker. I'm going to see if I can wrap my head around it, because if I can, it's exactly what I'm looking for.

http://gmc.yoyogames.com/index.php?showtopic=614581

Basically the idea is to scale the image larger than you need it to be, and then scale it back down (apparently giving an interpolation similar to Shovel Knight).

[Schoq]

I maintain that if you actually want it to look convincingly SNESque, you can't have a 1:1 pixel ratio (some blurry scaling will have to be dealt with, and it won't look too blurry if you use the method I described in the original thread or in that link above)

[PogueSquadron]

That's true, but I'm willing to concede that. I feel like if I play Terranigma on an emulator or something, it still looks like an SNES game. Or if you play Chrono Trigger on the DS, it still looks like Chrono Trigger. The size of the pixels was really what concerned me the most. I hate being so picky about this but I'm also trying to learn more about surfaces and scaling and figured this was a good way to do that.

[Sik]

If the player isn't running at 1920×1080 it's going to be blurry anyway, so I'm not sure you really can avoid that either way. I'd focus more on hiding the issues arising from non-integer scaled pixels.

[PogueSquadron]

I don't really mind letter boxing the game if someone is playing at a different aspect ratio. What I'd like is to preserve a certain pixel density at 1080p. The example I posted does just that, so I'm hoping to see if I can get it working. I said this elsewhere but at this point it's kind of a technical curiosity. Could I get by at a res of 480x270? Probably. Would I keep it at 400x225 if I can eliminate any visual oddities? Definitely. And then those playing in 16:10 or what have you can just play letterboxed (which, when I play on my 16:10, I just view as a concession because I know 16:9 is probably "the norm").

[Sik]

That's exactly the problem though, because 16:9 is the norm that means there are many resolutions that are 16:9 without being multiples of 1920×1080. You still have to account for those.

[Polly]

Already had my share of posts in the other thread .. but 480x270 is pretty much the resolution of the PSP ( 480x272 ), just saying

[PogueSquadron]

I'll have to experiment more but I'm just worried that if the numbers don't go into 1920x1080 exactly, won't there be pixel distortion? I'd love to do something in like, 240p but since that goes into 1080 4.5 times, won't there be distortion or some sort? Maybe subtle but won't there be portions on screen where some pixels are thinner than others?

[PogueSquadron]

I did wind up getting a tutorial working from the Game Maker forum (thread about scaling for 2D Retro games in the tutorial sections)

Basically the idea is to scale the game larger than the display and then interpolate back down to the display size. I have a prototype running at 400x224 without any blurring or pixel distortion of any kind. Seems like a great way to have oddball resolutions for retro games without any scaling issues.

Could I have just gone with 480x270? Probably, but it's cool to know this is possible. Basically it looks exactly like an SNES game without pillar boxes on the left and right.

[Schoq]

You know I suggested doing exactly that in your first thread months ago, yeah?

[PogueSquadron]

Man you're totally right. I think at the time it just went completely over my head. Sorry for not replying - I feel off the GMS wagon earlier this year.