outRun A Poll about doing an OutRun for A8...

[José Pereira]

Well, it certainly looks better with the color-cycling (I'm assuming) landscape stripes than just one solid color. That makes a big difference to me in how it looks in lieu of different color road sides.

 

Though I'm not a fan of the style of art you are using, it's too Nintendo cutesy-kid looking for me; I'm expecting Mario to come racing up from behind in is go-kart. I'd try to stick closer to the Master System's graphic look.

The Master System has too many details and remember is in 1:1 ratio with lots of colours. It's impossible to get it on A8.

Only thing I have in mind to do and show, probably, like I said, not today but by tomorrow is to have also the sides ground in different colour(s) but using this same method.

On A8 and C64 with 2:1 ratio and 3 0r 4colours per char you'll always have something similar to this.

 

And if you like (it seems you don't then I could still replace the Ferrari with Mario and his kart ...

[Gunstar]

The Master System has too many details and remember is in 1:1 ratio with lots of colours. It's impossible to get it on A8.

Only thing I have in mind to do and show, probably, like I said, not today but by tomorrow is to have also the sides ground in different colour(s) but using this same method.

On A8 and C64 with 2:1 ratio and 3 0r 4colours per char you'll always have something similar to this.

 

And if you like (it seems you don't then I could still replace the Ferrari with Mario and his kart ...

I'm not saying MATCH the Sega master systems graphics exactly, but the style of the art can be translated to the Atari within the same restrictions you are using now. It won't be as detailed as the Master System, but it can still have an art style like it. Sort of like Rastaconverter images that go from a 320x240 reduced images in 10's of thousands of colors to 320x240, 256 colors and then to 160x240 with an average of 64 colors from a 128 color palette. If I convert an image of Speed Racer's Mach 5, it still looks like the Mach 5 and not Herby the love Bug.

Edited January 14, 2019 by Gunstar

[_The Doctor__]

yes the art style like master system or arcade... all cars being round balloon like is not the outrun signature...

[José Pereira]

I'm not saying MATCH the Sega master systems graphics exactly, but the style of the art can be translated to the Atari within the same restrictions you are using now. It won't be as detailed as the Master System, but it can still have an art style like it. Sort of like Rastaconverter images that go from a 320x240 reduced images in 10's of thousands of colors to 320x240, 256 colors and then to 160x240 with an average of 64 colors from a 128 color palette. If I convert an image of Speed Racer's Mach 5, it still looks like the Mach 5 and not Herby the love Bug.

 

yes the art style like master system or arcade... all cars being round balloon like is not the outrun signature...

 

The idea by now is to have the game like C64 is possible using its way .

Of course that the gfxs can be improved...

Edited January 17, 2019 by José Pereira

[carlsson]

Hopefully an Atari 8-bit version of OutRun can widely outperform the lacklustre original C64 version, which as mentioned before is rather low rated. There were sequels which don't have the striped road, but otherwise both look nicer and play better so if one wants a challenge, you'd port Turbo OutRun or OutRun Europa even if those titles for nostalgic reasons may not be as strong as the original game.

 

Actually I believe Sega on purpose made sure all home versions would look and play crappy except for the ones for their own consoles Master System and Genesis/Mega Drive, as a statement who's got the better game consoles on the market.

[José Pereira]

More or less the same but now we have the sides floor so it's:

-> BAK: black on all the screen (was PF0);

-> PF0: sky and road (DLIs changing across the screen);

-> PF1: white (same as before);

-> PF2&PF3: sides floor and gfxs (because these change/zoom in (x,y) char boundaries);

 

This way it'll look like this (gfxs taken from Master System with the pillars in gray or in pale green as you wish ) though the cars are the C64s ones that'll change later (our Ferrari will also be later but is still using the PMGs only though I realized that don't using the black/darker contours and I can make it with some DLIs colour changings):

Edited January 18, 2019 by José Pereira

[Magic Knight]

 

Actually I believe Sega on purpose made sure all home versions would look and play crappy except for the ones for their own consoles Master System and Genesis/Mega Drive, as a statement who's got the better game consoles on the market.

As this was developed on the c64 by mindscape inc. (And published in Europe by US Gold ) would sega really be able to influence the home licencing of the platforms?

 

As with many hit arcade ports, some were put to poor development teams and resulted in a hastely produced effort. (Chase hq on c64 being dire but on Amstrad shined instead of the usual zx spectrum coded port is one example).

Edited January 18, 2019 by Magic Knight

[emkay]

More or less the same but now we have the sides floor so it's:

-> BAK: black on all the screen (was PF0);

-> PF0: sky and road (DLIs changing across the screen);

-> PF1: white (same as before);

-> PF2&PF3: sides floor and gfxs (because these change/zoom in (x,y) char boundaries);

No chance.

[José Pereira]

You said it!

[Mathy]

Hello guys

 

I only know Outrun from the ads in magazines, but to me, Outrun means Testarosa convertible, not VW Beetle...

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

[TheNameOfTheGame]

More or less the same but now we have the sides floor so it's:

-> BAK: black on all the screen (was PF0);

-> PF0: sky and road (DLIs changing across the screen);

-> PF1: white (same as before);

-> PF2&PF3: sides floor and gfxs (because these change/zoom in (x,y) char boundaries);

 

This way it'll look like this (gfxs taken from Master System with the pillars in gray or in pale green as you wish ) though the cars are the C64s ones that'll change later (our Ferrari will also be later but is still using the PMGs only though I realized that don't using the black/darker contours and I can make it with some DLIs colour changings):

Pillars _BAK as black _with cars.pngPillars _BAK as black _with cars _and pillars in pale.png

 

That looks outstanding! Wonder if it could be pulled off?

[José Pereira]

@Mathy: Those beetles are some of the other cars and trucks that you can see during the game.

On my first posted screens with similar gfxs and done as C64 there's the Ferrari and also this will have.

[+Stephen]

@Mathy: Those beetles are some of the other cars and trucks that you can see during the game.

On my first posted screens with similar gfxs and done as C64 there's the Ferrari and also this will have.

Forget the naysayers, keep up your graphics work. Even if just static screens, you are a hugely valuable asset to the community with the graphics work you can pull off (same as Mr. Fish - don't mean to slight anyone I have obviously missed). My artistic ability is stick figures. I can't even achieve the level of "programmer art".

[Lost Dragon]

C64 OutRun European version was published by U.S. Gold and developed by Amazing Products (a father and son team who also did C64 Roadblasters my sleep deprived head is telling me) where as in the USA the game was revised by Mindscape and i believe the clouds in the background are more detailed than in the European version?

 

Just checked, Amazing Productions were Dennis and Martin Webb and yes, they did both C64 OutRun and Roadblasters and nothing anything but Amazing Productions

 

Both ropey as hell.

Edited January 19, 2019 by Lost Dragon

[emkay]

Forget the naysayers, keep up your graphics work.

Funny sentence these days.

 

Even if just static screens, you are a hugely valuable asset to the community with the graphics work you can pull off (

 

...

Comparable to a windows where the nature shines through. Impressive to a bird, till the bird hits the glass and breaks the neck.

Seems there is no other old computer system having that endless gap between expectations and what could be done.

 

As soon as that character mode is used, you only have ~70% of CPU speed available. Doing the graphics as assumed in José's images, need bit handling, which will make the game unplayable slow at the end.

 

Why do you people still support others to go the wrong direction? If you want to get things done, you should accept more what's really possible,

The Charset mode is only fast enough for such a game, if it is only (or almost) used in the character set boundaries.

 

Heck, if you want C64 graphics, get your C64 and don't support Elephants to fly in the air using their ears. Perhaps Elephants might believe you , even if they fall into a deep canyon just before they hit the ground.

 

The game could be running fluent on the Atari , if the green is the background and the road is build of PMg.

But, I wonder why I'm trying to explain things to people who don't have the slightest clue.

[snicklin]

Could do it the ZX Spectrum way :)

 

[popmilo]

Could do it the ZX Spectrum way :)

Yeah, but not with that game

 

Take Chase HQ and make something like it in double-scanline mode:

[Heaven/TQA]

How is the speccy pulling that off without double buffer etc???

[Gunstar]

Chase HQ is definitely faster than Outrun on the Speccy, Outrun is terribly slow and it would be pointless to do it on the Atari, IMHO only to end up with the same results. If the Atari can do Outrun like the Speccy but at least as fast as Chase HQ or faster, then yes. But as popmilo said, why not do Chase HQ instead? It's a much more fun game anyway. I loved playing it on the ST. But I'd still rather see something special that uses the Atari's strengths and abilities using lower resolution, but more colors and much faster with GTIA modes or low-res Antic like Space Harrier. full screen and not windowed too.

[popmilo]

...why not do Chase HQ instead? It's a much more fun game anyway. I loved playing it on the ST. But I'd still rather see something special that uses the Atari's strengths and abilities using lower resolution, but more colors and much faster with GTIA modes or low-res Antic like Space Harrier. full screen and not windowed too.

Me thought - take the best out of chase hq: chase, hitting other cars, tunnels, multiple roads etc. And do it in high speed chunky pixel modes with more colors.

[emkay]

Chase HQ is definitely faster than Outrun on the Speccy, Outrun is terribly slow and it would be pointless to do it on the Atari, IMHO only to end up with the same results. If the Atari can do Outrun like the Speccy but at least as fast as Chase HQ or faster, then yes. But as popmilo said, why not do Chase HQ instead? It's a much more fun game anyway. I loved playing it on the ST. But I'd still rather see something special that uses the Atari's strengths and abilities using lower resolution, but more colors and much faster with GTIA modes or low-res Antic like Space Harrier. full screen and not windowed too.

Outrun itself is a great game. It's just the diverse implementation on several systems that "don't hit the road" .

C64 version suffers by CPU speed but has the sprites.

Speccy has the CPU speed, shows things in hi res but has no sprites at all.

The Atari has the programmable Displaylist, the Player Missile Graphics and a CPU with fitting speed.

 

Over a road "build by PMg" you could overlay the entire range of ANTIC Modes, scroll offsets, screen widths, memory ranges....

 

Allow the game to look more "Atari like" and give the needed details for the "Car" and the "Palms", Bridges...

[rdefabri]

Whatever happened to this one?  Wasn't there a prototype a few years back?

[Synthpopalooza]

If its done like Space Harrier was, I'm in favor ... it looked good.

[Kjmann]

Here's what we did so far. if anyone is interested, I have the source code.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrxjpjND4YY

 

 

OutRun.wip.zip

Edited August 18, 2022 by Kjmann

[Beeblebrox]

Any chance you could post a YouTube video of it? 😁 Thanks.