DOS Games Discussion

Hi there, first let me say I tried searching this forum and the site extensively for the answer to my, I'm guessing, simple question before coming here to bother you good people.

My question: Are these DOS games supposed to be looking so pixely?

I was a "hardcore" Adventure game player back when I had my monster 486dx 33 system. I've played all the classics like the King's Quest series and such. After re-discovering these games I was dissapointed with how smudged and pixely they play now with my current Athlon 1.3 system w/ Gforce2 mx(win98). It's been a VERY long time since I've played these games so has the years away from them jaded me? I really don't remember them being this pixely, I remember being able to spot details in Roger Wilco's face rather than some boxy mess.

Edit: Yes I've set the resolution on my desktop to 640x480 when playing.

Let me know if I'm on crack or what . Thanks in advance.

I think youve gotton used to the graphix of today, so you probably think anything else is crap. That is probably why it looks pixaly.
Or, try downloading it from somewhere else, it may be a error in the program

It's probably you, but, remember, the graphics were good when they came out. Anyhow, if I could see the screenshots, I could tell whether they were pixely (Is that even a word?). GameFaqs doesn't have any screenshots, so I can't help you, unless you can direct me to some, anybody?

I wondered about "pixely" when I first saw it too . New word for a new generation I guess.

I think you guys are right. I went searching for screenies and noticed that they were the same pixel blotted images as I had seen. For example:

http://www.gamesdomain.com/gdreview/zon ... sq5-6.html

Thing is if I put the game in windowed mode(though most games don't support it and just freeze) the images look better... though again this could just be an illusion since everything is smaller. I don't mind squinting if the images are clear . Wonder if there's a way to lower the resolution even more from 640x480.

Thanks for clearing up my sanity.

ps. I found out the good looking Wilco is part 6, it supported a higher resolution http://www.spacequest.net/sq6/screenshots/index.shtml

Yes, it's weird how our perceptions change.

I look at the graphics of early arcade games and wonder how such simple blocks of colour became real objects to me.

The first time I saw Wolfenstein 3D I couldn't see how it could be bettered in terms of graphical representation.

Then DOS games peaked with titles like System Shock, Terra Nova and Flight Unlimited. Then 3D began to emerge for real with Quake.

And so we moved to genuine 3D APIs like glide, OpenGL and DirectX. GLQuake was the start of this revolution for me. Once again I remember thinking I honestly thought it couldn't be bettered.

And it still goes on with titles like Max Payne, Unreal Tournament 2003 and so on.

But for all their prettiness and photo-realistic representation I often feel that modern games have lost in gameplay what they've gained in compelling graphics.

Well first off what is the size of your monitor? Most of the old dos games were played on 14-15" monitors where 640x480 still looked nice. Try playing quake at standard 320x200 resolution on a 19" or better monitor and you can count the dots. You cant play at 1600x1200 and then jump back to 320x200 without having the pixels jump out at you.

Still I would not want to be using 640x480 60hz and .39 dot pich in games today.

I am trying to finish dune 2 on my 486 connected to a 19" sony and the pixels jump out at me, but the game is still fun. I have to admit the RTS and FPS game genre has improved alot since the 486 days, but alot of other titles have gone for the eye candy at the expense of a story and gameplay.

Yes, "jumping out at you" is the best way to describe it. I play Quake 3 at 1024 then switch to a DOS game, it's very apparent hehehe. Thing is with adventure games it's really the graphics telling you the story so it is a bit hampering in the gameplay/overall enjoyment of the game as well. I had a 15" monitor on my 486 and I currently have a 17".

I have to agree about the graphics over gameplay issues a lot of you have as well. It may also be that there's just a hell of a lot more games these days so you have to work harder to find the diamonds. System Shock 2 and Longest Journey(a MUST play for adventure game fans) are proof that games can still look great and play well.

I went through Day of the Tentacle and Monkey Island 2 the other day and I had a blast, laughing through most of it. The great ones don't lose their charm.