why are my graphics so bad in DOS games?

[STEEL]

whenever i play a DOS game like a 3D shooting game, the graphics are so bad. the graphics are so pixely. in screenshots of those games, they look so clear. whats the problem?
my graphics card is geforce fx 5600. maybe i need SVGA graphic support?

[Wally]

well what type of computer etc etc?

[Thunder]

The game is probably 320x200 resolution. when you look at a screenshot the graphics are resized and you dont notice the bad graphics so much.

what games are you talking abuot anyway? unless they are 3d acceleated (which, as far as i am aware, no dos game is) there is nothing that can be done.

[hACmAn]

DOS games can be 3d accellerated. But they where build for special hardware. For example 3DFX cards (glide driver support).

But Thunders reply is the most probable.

[dr_st]

Many DOS 3D shooters (Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, Shadow Warrior, Redneck Rampage, Quake) can be played in 320x200 VGA or in higher resolutions SVGA (up to 800x600 or 1024x768). If your card doesn't support VESA (might be the case with the FX5600) or if the game cannot use the card's VESA support (also possible), it won't work, and you will be limited to 320x200.

[shaunj]

the graphics are so bad because most dos games were made, a long time ago, the develpers did not know what they know today, today its 3 Ghz
in 88 it was 25Mhz

[Dogbreath]

fas15381: banned.

STEEL: I'd check the resolution if I were you... for instance, I had the same problem with Quake until I started playing in 1024x768 mode, which made things a lot clearer. Most DOS 3D shooters I've played generally have very clean, nice graphics, if not somewhat primative. You may be playing a more graphically complex game, but in the wrong resolution, or improperly configured. What games are you having problems with?