Genesis vs TurboGrafx Parallax. How do they compare?

[Black_Tiger]

The Genesis wins!

[Stellar Jetman]

Exactly, the Turbographx can't do Aladdin or Alien Soldier, the system needed upgrades its whole life, no other argument could hold up in court. The system was 8BIT and couldn't compare to the 16BIT generation. Just quit trying, your only making yourself look stupid.

[Kamahl]

Indeed, it certainly couldn't do sonic, unless we're talking master system sonic.
This thread needs more EvilEvoIX

[Black_Tiger]

Indeed, it certainly couldn't do sonic, unless we're talking master system sonic.
This thread needs more EvilEvoIX

The TG-16 can only do 8-bit fake parallax and even then only with bios and ram upgrades. Further proof that it is really only a 8-bit generation machine. Thats why there are zero card games using parallax. This is a fact. I dare any of you to show me just one game that does it. You cant. I know this because have a emulator and bookmarked all of the websites that have teh romz.

[Kamahl]

Well there's at least Aero Blasters, Air Zonk and Magical Chase but you see, those games don't count, look at the library, I mean all the other games don't have it. The system needed all those upgrades to do it. The bios had new parallax stuff that made it all possible, those 3 games would never hold up in court. Just stop, you're contradicting yourself, I've played all the games, it could never do alien soldier although the FREAKING GAME GEAR pulled off Gunstar Heroes.

[sheath]

While I was in exile I found an interesting thread over at Magic Engine Forums about TG16 parallax.

Hmm, how to join in, how to ... oh it's too late isn't it?

[awack]

Yeah, Genesis wins this one...look at games like mega turrican, shadow of the beast(under ground section) or grand zort(third level) for the super grafx, levels that have two distinct background levels, where the foreground layer can move in any direction independent from the second layer, there isnt anything like that on the PCE, non super grafx pce of course.

[Kamahl]

Of course the Genesis wins, it has 2 backgrounds layers.
The SNES is still the best though, with 3.

[awack]

Wait, does ninja spirit 2nd level do what i say cant be done, hell, i cant remember.

[Kamahl]

It can fake it pretty well:

[awack]

Yep. Ninja Spirit 2nd level does the dynamic tile thang, branches and all, and and the two layers scroll independent from each other in any direction it seems, there are limitaions, like complexity of the tiles themselves.

[Kamahl]

Yup, 1. it must be a repeating pattern, and 2. they can only scroll in 1 direction.
Well, that is if you want a nice looking background like the one in Shubibinman 3 above (notice how the mountains and water repeat horizontally? Same for the buildings further in the back).
Parallax scrolling in 8 directions is possible IF the 2nd background is a simple repeating pattern (that repeats in 2 dimensions).

[Black_Tiger]

Yeah, Genesis wins this one...look at games like mega turrican, shadow of the beast(under ground section) or grand zort(third level) for the super grafx, levels that have two distinct background levels, where the foreground layer can move in any direction independent from the second layer, there isnt anything like that on the PCE, non super grafx pce of course.

Well, if we're being serious, there are many PCE games that do that, it's just usually a tiled pattern like earlier Genesis games often use.


Like 4:40 and 7:40 in this video (OMG it's a HuCard! ):





At 2:30 in this video, you can see two independent background layers scrolling in multiple directions, with a third independent multi-directionally scrolling transparent layer fading in and out, between the other two background layers. But if you look closely at the background layer furthest back, it actually has a fourth(!) layer scrolling behind it. So 1 layer bg hardware = 4 layers of overlapping bg scrolling.

Not bad for 8-bit, but it's obvious the bios doing it.





But if we're comparing the theoretical potential of the 'hardware capabilities of the graphics chips' of the two consoles, when it comes to parallax, the Genesis can do more. Any/most tricks that the Turbo/PCE can do for layered backgrounds, the Genesis could also do and toss on another layer (although there might be too much slowdown in some cases).

The Turbo/PCE is certainly good enough at parallax for the time.

[awack]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiLU3X3tiYA


This is a good example as well, start at 2:20, the BG layer is simple, but it scrolls right to left and up and down...ninja spirit is still the only example i can think of that has the completely independent two layers, im sure there are others, i just cant think of them off hand.

HA, i wasnt sure about taking this thread in a more serious direction, but i like talking about this stuff.

[Kamahl]

The first legend of xanadu has a ton of parallax in some of the boss areas: