Quest II & OpenGL

This forum is a place to talk about AGDI games and projects.

Moderators: adeyke, VampD3, eriqchang, Angelus3K

Post Reply
Message
Author
oriel
Royal Servant Status
Posts: 85
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2005 7:22 am
Contact:

Quest II & OpenGL

#1 Post by oriel » Fri Mar 10, 2006 8:49 am

I've been demo'ing some of these wild tangent games, and they remind of the games I used to play when I was a kid.  Some of them even remind of the QFG series, only now with OpenGL.  Is Quest II going to have OpenGL?


Oriel

User avatar
Angelus3K
Vampiric Moderator
Posts: 3968
Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2003 6:54 am
Location: Newcastle, UK
Contact:

#2 Post by Angelus3K » Fri Mar 10, 2006 9:23 am

Quest II?

If you mean Quest for Glory II VGA by AGDI, then no it wont have OpenGL.

Da_elf
Knight Status
Posts: 252
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 2:59 pm
Location: Barbados
Contact:

#3 Post by Da_elf » Fri Mar 10, 2006 1:05 pm

its using ags right? i dont think open-gl or direct-x would benifit something like that

Anonymous Game Creator 2
The Prince of Shapeir
Posts: 8887
Joined: Tue May 08, 2001 4:12 am
Location: Phobos
Contact:

#4 Post by Anonymous Game Creator 2 » Thu Mar 23, 2006 1:20 pm

Well, it's not OpenGL, but the latest version of the AGS engine supports new graphics filters which enlarge the images and smooth the edges in a similar way.

It tends to give 320x200 games a very chiseled look, but is somewhat similar to playing a SNES game under an emulator which supports OpenGL. Check out these screenshots for a comparison:


QFG2VGA - NORMAL MODE (320x200)

Image


QFG2VGA - WITH HQ2X FILTER

Image


As you'll notice, the filtered version smooths the fonts, blurs the pixelation, and eliminates jagged edges on the sprites, but it also loses quite a bit of background detail in the process.

Blackthorne519
Royal Vizier Status
Posts: 2301
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2003 3:37 am
Location: Central New York
Contact:

#5 Post by Blackthorne519 » Fri Mar 24, 2006 12:38 am

Yeah, I totally prefer the "non" version.  It resembles the classics much better.

The font looks great, by the way.  What a tease!!


Bt

Daniel06
Peasant Status
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:46 am
Location: Australia

#6 Post by Daniel06 » Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:49 am

No way, I much prefer the second one.  Yes, I agree that the first is closer to the original look, but I think the filtered one is much nicer to look at and reflects a big improvement.

User avatar
Senor Matt
Knight Status
Posts: 280
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 7:58 am

#7 Post by Senor Matt » Tue Apr 11, 2006 6:27 am

I'd have to agree with blackthorne, I definitely prefer the normal, more "classic" looking screen, it definitely has more of the original "feel" than the other.

And way to slip in that little teaser screen too AGC2, I wish you would do that more often.

User avatar
Gronagor
Saurus Salesman
Posts: 3881
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2002 3:18 pm
Location: South Africa (Bloemfontein)

#8 Post by Gronagor » Tue Apr 11, 2006 6:53 am

The changes are so minor that you could choose either and we won't be able to tell the difference in the game.

Can't we see a sneaky of Shema dancing??  :p

User avatar
Fribbi
The Icelandic Guest
Posts: 1696
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2001 7:49 pm

#9 Post by Fribbi » Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:39 am

I am afraid they can't do it. I can't even take a screenshot from my own game when something is moving while I have to wait for action. Only  when action is on you can take a screenshot of the screen room.

But let us hope they can do it.....I also want to see Shema and her bellydance..meeeoow! :lol

Paladinlover
Knight Status
Posts: 296
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 1:24 pm

#10 Post by Paladinlover » Tue Apr 11, 2006 7:03 pm

Sweet screenshots! :D

One thing that I agree with is that I didn't really notice much of a difference between the two.

And since everyone is bringing up Shema's dance (and let's be honest here, who DOESN'T want to see it!). Did you guys do what I suggested all those years back? As in, make the first dance on day 2 the same dance as in the game, but the second dance (on day 7) something different. I remember you guys thought it was a good idea and when I brought it up on the forums (about a year back) you guys said that you did it but weren't entirely sure if it was totally implimented.

So... any answers?

Till next time stay cool  :smokin

Erpy
Forum Administrator
Posts: 11434
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2001 8:28 pm
Location: The Netherlands

#11 Post by Erpy » Wed Apr 12, 2006 4:31 am

Hmmm, I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think so. Thing is that this was one of those very tricky scenes to script because the animations had to be timed to run in sync with the music.

Image

User avatar
Gronagor
Saurus Salesman
Posts: 3881
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2002 3:18 pm
Location: South Africa (Bloemfontein)

#12 Post by Gronagor » Wed Apr 12, 2006 6:40 am

Hmmm... I heard a rumor that AGDI1 did the Shema dancing for this scene and Shema's head was simply edited in. Cool! :)

Paladinlover
Knight Status
Posts: 296
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 1:24 pm

#13 Post by Paladinlover » Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:43 pm

Well if there isn't going to be a new dance, then I guess I could live with it.

Till next time stay cool  :smokin

BeerNutts
Peasant Status
Posts: 27
Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2001 3:59 am

You guys that like the "classic" look...

#14 Post by BeerNutts » Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:40 pm

You guys that like the "classic" look should just go back and play the old EGA versions of the game.  The reason AGDI is remaking these is to make them in VGA and can easily run on today's platforms.  They're making them to look better, and, without a doubt, the second screen looks much better.  Alot like Anti-aliasing that happens for 3D games.

User avatar
Spikey
Insomniac Speed Demon
Posts: 1195
Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2004 10:23 pm
Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Contact:

#15 Post by Spikey » Thu Apr 13, 2006 8:15 pm

I like the newer thing better. Just like super eagle mode in SNES emulators.

Since
Peasant Status
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri May 27, 2005 9:16 am
Location: Sofia/Bulgaria

#16 Post by Since » Fri Apr 14, 2006 9:48 am

Well, I'd say that the smoother version looks, well...poor, kinda plastic, atleast judging by the pics. Seeing as how there are different opinions...is there going to be a choice whether or not to use the filter? Anyhow, my vote goes defintely fot the NON filtered version (if this were a poll at all)  :D

Pidgeot
Defense Minister Status
Posts: 736
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2002 2:54 pm
Location: Kolding, Denmark
Contact:

#17 Post by Pidgeot » Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:27 am

It's part of the AGS engine, not the game, so it should e changeable the same place you change resolution, etc.

Anonymous Game Creator 2
The Prince of Shapeir
Posts: 8887
Joined: Tue May 08, 2001 4:12 am
Location: Phobos
Contact:

#18 Post by Anonymous Game Creator 2 » Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:41 am

Actually, the smoothed filter will probably be disabled completely in the full game. It massacres the graphics and makes them look horrible. The thing about 320x200 is that it's designed to look stylistic. It takes a long time to get the details sitting nicely in that low-res and classic kind of way. To have a filter go through and chisel away all the stylized and pixelated edges kind of ruins the whole game's intended appearance.

My monitor, for example, can only display QFG2VGA in 320x240 mode (i.e. letterboxed with black bars at the top and bottom).  AGS games intended to run at 320x200 or 640x400 resolution will always run at 320x240 and 640x480, respectively. In cases such as mine, the simple "2x nearest-neighbour" filter can be used to make the game window stretched to full screen with a square aspect-ratio, as intended. At the same time, since it uses the nearest-neighbour method of pixel-resizing, it simply enlarges the blocky pixels and doesn't try to smooth or blend them at all. This "2x nearest-neighbour" filter is probably the only one that will be enabled with the game.

Even so, this filter will only included as a backup measure for people who cannot otherwise play it at full screen normally. The filters slow down the game a bit.

Blackthorne519
Royal Vizier Status
Posts: 2301
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2003 3:37 am
Location: Central New York
Contact:

Re: You guys that like the "classic" look...

#19 Post by Blackthorne519 » Fri Apr 14, 2006 6:04 pm

BeerNutts wrote:You guys that like the "classic" look should just go back and play the old EGA versions of the game.  The reason AGDI is remaking these is to make them in VGA and can easily run on today's platforms.  They're making them to look better, and, without a doubt, the second screen looks much better.  Alot like Anti-aliasing that happens for 3D games.
For the sake of Pete, it's not REALLY VGA - it's, like AGD2 said, a stylistic recreation of 320x200 graphics, which are supposed to look like that.

It does, however, come to a matter of personal taste.  I think that the first picture is a more acurate homage to the original 320x200 256 colored Sierra Games.


Bt

Broomie
The Enigma
Posts: 2601
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 1:00 am
Location: UK

#20 Post by Broomie » Sat Apr 15, 2006 12:35 am

The reason AGDI is remaking these is to make them in VGA and can easily run on today's platforms.  They're making them to look better, and, without a doubt, the second screen looks much better.  Alot like Anti-aliasing that happens for 3D games.
No they're not, it's being remade to resemble the standards of 1993-1994, not by today's standards because if they were I'd be playing a 3D QFG2. I want to play a game that makes me feel it was released around that time, not an improved version with ultra high quality because you wouldn't get a game like that back then. Have you noticed KQ1 and KQ2 are very similar to all the other VGA games released by Sierra? Well, that's what they're remaking it to match those standards, otherwise a remake could mean anything. Imagine the AGD's were 3D artists and huge fans of MOE. Although running around a 3D Kolyma killing drawfs and wizards would be fun, I wouldn't call it a true remake of the original at all.

I would defintely stick by the first version, the second one just doesn't look right. I don't think there should be a poll but if it's optional via the game's setup then it doesn't bother me too much. But if you want to resemble the style that the other VGA games had. (I mean VGA as in the graphic style, not the technical graphic style because I know QFG2VGA is in high colour)

Paladinlover
Knight Status
Posts: 296
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 1:24 pm

#21 Post by Paladinlover » Tue Apr 18, 2006 4:08 pm

No they're not, it's being remade to resemble the standards of 1993-1994, not by today's standards because if they were I'd be playing a 3D QFG2. I want to play a game that makes me feel it was released around that time, not an improved version with ultra high quality because you wouldn't get a game like that back then. Have you noticed KQ1 and KQ2 are very similar to all the other VGA games released by Sierra? Well, that's what they're remaking it to match those standards, otherwise a remake could mean anything. Imagine the AGD's were 3D artists and huge fans of MOE. Although running around a 3D Kolyma killing drawfs and wizards would be fun, I wouldn't call it a true remake of the original at all.
That's the great thing about it. Remaking them in the old style of things and not in the typical 3D manner of most recent games.

One thing that I can say is the fact that many 2D VGA games never seem to lose their beauty or charm as time passes. I've been playing those old games that I have on my PC for many years, and no matter what the development of 3D CGI stuff, they always look great while the 3D stuff always age with time and eventually look 'old'.
I would defintely stick by the first version, the second one just doesn't look right. I don't think there should be a poll but if it's optional via the game's setup then it doesn't bother me too much. But if you want to resemble the style that the other VGA games had. (I mean VGA as in the graphic style, not the technical graphic style because I know QFG2VGA is in high colour)
I don't really see that much of a difference. I guess I should leave the commenting to those who have a better eye for detail than I. :)

Till next time stay cool  :smokin

ck25
Peasant Status
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2006 3:01 am

Hybrid approach?

#22 Post by ck25 » Fri Jul 07, 2006 8:41 am

Hi


I like the look of the second picture for the close up of the face, and the look of the first picture for the background.

I think with these older games its always the close up of things that shows the relatively poor resolution.
8o

Stone The Crows
Peasant Status
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2006 2:50 pm

#23 Post by Stone The Crows » Fri Jul 07, 2006 3:35 pm

Anonymous Game Creator 2 wrote:As you'll notice, the filtered version smooths the fonts, blurs the pixelation, and eliminates jagged edges on the sprites, but it also loses quite a bit of background detail in the process.
Wow, that looks like a definite improvement from what I remember of the original.
Seeing that QFGII VGA has been making so much progress over the past years in production tempts me to install and replay the old QFGIII & IV games I bought back in the 90's(if I could manage to remember where I left them after all these years).

User avatar
Sykodefunkus
Peasant Status
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 08, 2006 7:13 pm
Location: North Dakota

#24 Post by Sykodefunkus » Sat Jul 08, 2006 7:31 pm

Frankly I don't really know why all the arguing about the first or second screen at all anyway.  If the finished product resembles anything at all what they did with the KQ1 and KQ2 vga games then it'll definitely be righteously kick butt.  Kudos to these guys for their excellent efforts in remaking these classic adventures in more "up to date" graphics, and I especially like the whole revamp of the KQ2 story line, excellent job.  These games have always been my favorites to play, in fact I still have everything from the classic King's Quest Adventures, to Space Quest, Leisure suit Larry, Police Quest, and Quest for Glory still installed on my computer and play them all the time.  I can't wait till the QFGII VGA version comes out, really looking forward to playing it.  Thank You guys. :)

Post Reply