The Prettiest Screenshot from a VGA adventure

Ondrej · 03-19-2006, 01:55 AM

Try to beat this!

From Westwood's The Hand of Fate, 1993.

EDIT: Changed my image host.

avatar_58 · 03-19-2006, 02:00 AM

You are damn lucky I don't feel like starting up Quest for Glory 3 right now

There were some very beautiful shots in there, with the large tree and the jungle areas.

Gordon Bennett · 03-19-2006, 02:23 AM

I can only see the top of your screenshot, as it's having trouble loading, but I'll still respond blindly and say that in my opinion, for pure VGA mode 13h beauty you can't beat Commander Blood:

Honestly, between this one and Lost Eden, I willingly gave Cryo a pass for releasing an almost totally uninterrupted stream of lovely looking mediocrity for years afterward. Bought every single one hoping they'd get back up to the same level of quality.

Ah, forgot to mention, incidentally, that the soundtracks on both Commander Blood and Lost Eden were every bit as gorgeous as the visuals. They just don't make them like that anymore.

Jazhara7 · 03-19-2006, 02:50 AM

You will now witness the defeat of Ondrej's VGA screenshot by means of sheer beauty of a EGA screenshot!

Nothing beats the Shore of Wonder!

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Ondrej · 03-19-2006, 03:15 AM

Jazhara7, beautiful picture, I like magic and I like swans, but not quite a match for a cool VGA stack of hay with sheep nearby and the stormy horizon. Also the Shore of Wonders seems cold compared to the warmth of my Meadow.

Jazhara7 · 03-19-2006, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ondrej

Jazhara7, beautiful picture, I like magic and I like swans, but not quite a match for a cool VGA stack of hay with sheep nearby and the stormy horizon. Also the Shore of Wonders seems cold compared to the warmth of my Meadow.

Well, you *are* kind of floating in Space in that scene, so it might be quite chilly.

Here's the VGA version fo the same scene, by the way.

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Ondrej · 03-19-2006, 04:50 AM

Gordon, I owned both Commander Blood and Lost Eden. Their cinematics are wonderful, but when you take a screenshot and thereby reduce the dynamics of the scene to one frozen moment in time, they don't look that good.

Jazhara7, I'm all for romantic lakes and mysteriuos nights. The EGA screenshot looks IMHO better than the VGA one, in all cases more mystical due to all those stars that are amiss in the VGA take on that scene. But perhaps the VGA is taken before some magic spell and the EGA after? Still it feels cold to me. Cold in an emotional sense. There are night sceneries full of promise and distant adventure, but this one seems like Mr. Spock's dream.

Gordon Bennett · 03-19-2006, 05:02 AM

True, those games do look much better in motion than as still images, but even as stills, they are quite nice.

Oh, and by the way, Jazhara7, I'll see your lovely EGA graphics, and after far too much work to get this image, raise you the most beautiful *CGA* graphics in an adventure game, from the not nearly as nice looking as it was on the ST or Amiga port of Quest for the Time-Bird:

Jazhara7 · 03-19-2006, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ondrej

Gordon, I owned both Commander Blood and Lost Eden. Their cinematics are wonderful, but when you take a screenshot and thereby reduce the dynamics of the scene to one frozen moment in time, they don't look that good.

Jazhara7, I'm all for romantic lakes and mysteriuos nights. The EGA screenshot looks IMHO better than the VGA one, in all cases more mystical due to all those stars that are amiss in the VGA take on that scene. But perhaps the VGA is taken before some magic spell and the EGA after? Still it feels cold to me. Cold in an emotional sense. There are night sceneries full of promise and distant adventure, but this one seems like Mr. Spock's dream.

I also like the EGA version better. And no, there's no spell being cast in that scene. The game is "LOOM", and it's one of my top favourites. The only thing you do there is talk to the Swan, and then continue to journey to the other side of the Shore of Wonder. Another graphical difference between the two is that you don't see a close-up of Lady Cygna in the VGA version, like you would see in the EGA version (which is also the reason why the EGA screenshot had to be taken before or after the conversation, and the VGA screenshot is taken during the conversation). They left the close-ups out because they could not manage the lip synchronisation well enough (the VGA version had speech).

Oh, and I love the EGA version not because I love romantic lakes (they're okay I guess) - I just adore the stars. Did you ever read an Astronomy guide that has the stories of the different stars and constellations in it? It's wonderful. And I think the night sky is the most beautiful thing there is.

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Dasilva · 03-19-2006, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avatar_58

You are damn lucky I don't feel like starting up Quest for Glory 3 right now

There were some very beautiful shots in there, with the large tree and the jungle areas.

QFG3 has THE best VGA backgrounds, hands down.

Fop · 03-19-2006, 07:07 AM

Dune had cool graphics, but a single screenshot wouldn't show the palette shifting goodness.

Dasilva · 03-19-2006, 09:10 AM

I love the menu in QFG3, so vibrant.

RLacey · 03-19-2006, 09:14 AM

Yeah. The black text on a white background would probably look at odds with the muted tones of the backdrops

.

Scott Nixon · 03-19-2006, 09:18 AM

No Legend of Kyrandia (pt. 1) goodness? I seem to remember a scene outside the serpent's grotto that just blew me away at the time...

Dasilva · 03-19-2006, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RLacey

Yeah. The black text on a white background would probably look at odds with the muted tones of the backdrops

.

What?

RLacey · 03-19-2006, 09:32 AM

I'm joshing with you over the fact that your image is displaying as a MobyGames image

.

Jazhara7 · 03-19-2006, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dasilva

What?

Moby Games doesn't let you direct link images. You must host it yourself.

Try Tinypic

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TheGreyMatter · 03-19-2006, 09:44 AM

IMHO some of most impressive uses of color used in a VGA game canbe seen in the first 'Simon The Sorcerer' game. the scenery in the screenshots still looks amazing, considering it was released in 1993.

i personally liked the forest scenery which reveals much detail.

several screenshots from mobygames

Huz · 03-19-2006, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGreyMatter

IMHO some of most impressive uses of color used in a VGA game canbe seen in the first 'Simon The Sorcerer' game. the scenery in the screenshots still looks amazing, considering it was released in 1993.

I was going to suggest this too, but then I saw Gordon Bennett's suggestion of Commander Blood! I think he has us licked - it looks absolutely lovely.

Ondrej · 03-19-2006, 10:34 AM

The question is not which VGA adventure has the best graphics. Which is the prettiest single screenshot* that you have ever seen - that is the question. It would be nice if you could present it here and tell us what makes it so beautiful in your eyes.

* of a VGA adventure

03-19-2006, 01:55 AM	#1
Ondrej Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Trebisov, Slovakia Posts: 12	The Prettiest Screenshot from a VGA adventure Try to beat this! From Westwood's The Hand of Fate, 1993. EDIT: Changed my image host. Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by Ondrej; 03-19-2006 at 05:40 AM.

03-19-2006, 02:00 AM	#2
avatar_58 Sierra Junkie Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 797	You are damn lucky I don't feel like starting up Quest for Glory 3 right now There were some very beautiful shots in there, with the large tree and the jungle areas. Share Share this post on Twitter

03-19-2006, 02:23 AM	#3
Gordon Bennett Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: London Posts: 357	I can only see the top of your screenshot, as it's having trouble loading, but I'll still respond blindly and say that in my opinion, for pure VGA mode 13h beauty you can't beat Commander Blood: Honestly, between this one and Lost Eden, I willingly gave Cryo a pass for releasing an almost totally uninterrupted stream of lovely looking mediocrity for years afterward. Bought every single one hoping they'd get back up to the same level of quality. Ah, forgot to mention, incidentally, that the soundtracks on both Commander Blood and Lost Eden were every bit as gorgeous as the visuals. They just don't make them like that anymore. Share Share this post on Twitter

03-19-2006, 02:50 AM	#4
Jazhara7 Ale! And keep 'em coming! Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Beyond the Pattern of Reality...or Germany Posts: 8,527	You will now witness the defeat of Ondrej's VGA screenshot by means of sheer beauty of a EGA screenshot! Nothing beats the Shore of Wonder! - Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ - "esc(x) cot(x) dx = -csc(x)!" Dennis added, and the wizard's robe caught on fire. "Gosh," Dennis said, "and some people say higher math isn't relevant." >>>Inventor of the Mail order-Assassin<<< And This...is a Black Hole - BYE!

03-19-2006, 03:15 AM	#5
Ondrej Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Trebisov, Slovakia Posts: 12	Jazhara7, beautiful picture, I like magic and I like swans, but not quite a match for a cool VGA stack of hay with sheep nearby and the stormy horizon. Also the Shore of Wonders seems cold compared to the warmth of my Meadow. Share Share this post on Twitter

03-19-2006, 04:50 AM	#7
Ondrej Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Trebisov, Slovakia Posts: 12	Gordon, I owned both Commander Blood and Lost Eden. Their cinematics are wonderful, but when you take a screenshot and thereby reduce the dynamics of the scene to one frozen moment in time, they don't look that good. Jazhara7, I'm all for romantic lakes and mysteriuos nights. The EGA screenshot looks IMHO better than the VGA one, in all cases more mystical due to all those stars that are amiss in the VGA take on that scene. But perhaps the VGA is taken before some magic spell and the EGA after? Still it feels cold to me. Cold in an emotional sense. There are night sceneries full of promise and distant adventure, but this one seems like Mr. Spock's dream. Share Share this post on Twitter

03-19-2006, 05:02 AM	#8
Gordon Bennett Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: London Posts: 357	True, those games do look much better in motion than as still images, but even as stills, they are quite nice. Oh, and by the way, Jazhara7, I'll see your lovely EGA graphics, and after far too much work to get this image, raise you the most beautiful CGA graphics in an adventure game, from the not nearly as nice looking as it was on the ST or Amiga port of Quest for the Time-Bird: Share Share this post on Twitter

03-19-2006, 07:07 AM	#11
Fop Epsilon-Minus Semi-Moron Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oulu, Finland Posts: 863	Dune had cool graphics, but a single screenshot wouldn't show the palette shifting goodness. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ If there's one thing you can say About Mankind There's nothing kind about man

03-19-2006, 09:10 AM	#12
Dasilva Hitch-Hiker Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: The Mediterranean Sea Posts: 4,364	I love the menu in QFG3, so vibrant. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Regards, DaSilva "If you don't get out of the box you've been raised in, you won't understand how much bigger the world is." - Angelina Jolie _ <Susan falls through the floor and gets stuck> <Paco looks at her blankly> "Whats wrong with you?! Lassy would of had a firetruck here by now!" - Susan Mayer, Desperate Housewives

03-19-2006, 09:14 AM	#13
RLacey The Thread™ will die. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 22,542	Yeah. The black text on a white background would probably look at odds with the muted tones of the backdrops . Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ RLacey \| Killer of the Thread™ I do not change to be perfect. Perfect changes to be me.

03-19-2006, 09:18 AM	#14
Scott Nixon Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 71	what? No Legend of Kyrandia (pt. 1) goodness? I seem to remember a scene outside the serpent's grotto that just blew me away at the time... Share Share this post on Twitter

03-19-2006, 09:32 AM	#16
RLacey The Thread™ will die. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 22,542	I'm joshing with you over the fact that your image is displaying as a MobyGames image . Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ RLacey \| Killer of the Thread™ I do not change to be perfect. Perfect changes to be me.

03-19-2006, 09:44 AM	#18
TheGreyMatter Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 66	IMHO some of most impressive uses of color used in a VGA game canbe seen in the first 'Simon The Sorcerer' game. the scenery in the screenshots still looks amazing, considering it was released in 1993. i personally liked the forest scenery which reveals much detail. several screenshots from mobygames Share Share this post on Twitter

03-19-2006, 10:34 AM	#20
Ondrej Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Trebisov, Slovakia Posts: 12	The question is not which VGA adventure has the best graphics. Which is the prettiest single screenshot* that you have ever seen - that is the question. It would be nice if you could present it here and tell us what makes it so beautiful in your eyes. * of a VGA adventure Share Share this post on Twitter

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