Aliens have captured the player from Earth, and suddenly the player finds themself in front of a gate with a slot-machine-like row of rotating numbers of statistics. Stepping through the gate freezes the. Computers with 8-bit graphics showcase each pixel with 8-bits or one byte. The maximal number of colours displayed on the screen with 8-bit graphics is 256 while 16-bit graphics display 65.536, and 32-bit 16.777,215 colours. Not only were 8-bit graphics restricted by the colour pallet, but the resolution as well.
Computer technology has advanced over the last few years and now produces graphic details with clarity in high-definition.
There are thousands of games you can enjoy today that feature amazing graphics across computers, laptops, and video-game consoles. However, that wasn’t the case long ago when computer-hardware parts, like processors, didn’t have the same amount of power to produce better graphics. Even though the 8-bit graphic is pretty much outdated, it is still used for developing retro games, retro pictures, and gifs, which all fall under the same term “8-bit art”.
About 8-bit Graphics
8-bit graphics were mainly used in the past when computer hardware presented limitations to integrating larger image information into a data block. That means that the computers were only able to process 8-bits per data block.
Simply put, an 8-bit graphic is developed when 8-bits of image information is stored into the computer’s memory or an image file. Computers with 8-bit graphics showcase each pixel with 8-bits or one byte. The maximal number of colours displayed on the screen with 8-bit graphics is 256 while 16-bit graphics display 65.536, and 32-bit 16.777,215 colours.
Not only were 8-bit graphics restricted by the colour pallet, but the resolution as well. When speaking of 8-bit graphics, the first thing to come to our minds is slow and outdated computer machines. 32-bit and 64-bit processors today enable developing 8-bit art with ease and going beyond resolution and number of colour limitations that were present in the past.
Most of the 80s and 90’s games were developed using 8-bit graphics, from which the most popular ones like Zelda, Super Mario, Space invaders, and Shovel Knight are still played nowadays across computers and video-game consoles. Retro games with 8-bit graphics are still very popular as the game developers try to fight player’s nostalgia. Many of them add retro design to their games to attract fans of pixel video-games and perhaps advance their business model.
8-bit Art
The 8-bit art started first when 8-bit graphics were integrated into computer platforms and screens. With roots deep in the past, this form of art has found a place nowadays in developing pictures, videos, and games. The main reason why 8-bit art is still alive is that the past hardware limitations have been surpassed. With the new monitors, one can enjoy a greater resolution and number of displayed colours even with 8-bit graphics art. Pixel art means changing an image pixel by pixel. This method was first used for developing classical 8-bit and 16-bit games, and it inspired the unique retro experience that many players are still searching for.
The term “pixel art” originated in 1982, but some data show that the date goes back at least 10 years. Basically, pixelated art can be traced back and linked to embroidery. This art has found its wide-use in the “favicon” business that creates custom browsing icons for websites and other businesses.
For those of you wondering why 8-bit art is still popular and why people choose to develop images with 8-bits, here is a simple explanation. The 8-bit term, along with 16-bit, was first referred to as game processors that ran on computer systems. Thanks to the development of computers, this term has gained a new meaning and is no longer a graphic limitation but rather a form of art. The whole point is to bring back a retro vibe to the people. As a result of 8-bit art, we get simple and blocky graphic details with no connection to realism. The 8-bit art can be seen as an attempt to bring back the “golden” age of gaming, while others argue that it goes against the modern-day gaming and developed graphics. Either way, 8-bit art is a still-growing culture that found its place in today’s world.
Making Art With 8-bit Graphics
Developing 8-bit art can be harder than you have imagined, even though computers have long surpassed 8, 16, and 32-bit systems. Special programs like Adobe Illustrator are used for such purposes.
To start with the 8-bit project, it is necessary to select a pixel scale. Some artists use one to one pixel scale, which means that the pixel is made of only one part. You can also select a recommended 10x10 pixel scale and, after a while, decide whether to stick with it or modify it to your own preference. After that, select the “split into the grid” interface option to display your painting canvas. This canvas is designed by your choice of the “pixel scale.” From now on, it is up to the artist to decide whether to paint with the “live paint bucket” or fill each pixel step by step. With the “live paint bucket” option, just drag the cursor over the canvas and watch as your art-piece comes to life.
For those of you wanting to experience certain art in the 8-bit form, there are various programs (filters) that can help you with that by transforming pictures into pixelated art.
From 8-bit to Modern Gaming
By going through historical data, gaming became a thing in the ’50s and ‘60s when games like chess and blackjack emerged. They were quickly followed by numerous other games that were developed by basic computer languages. As the ‘70s began, the “arcade” era of gaming arrived to bring the titles like the Oregon Trail and space invaders. With more games and media attention, game-consoles managed to gain huge popularity and reach the customers for the first time.
During the ‘80s, gaming was fully implemented into a regular teenager’s lifestyle, and popular titles like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Tetris were produced. Right at this time, Nintendo came out with its 8-bit gaming system called “NES” that changed the gaming world forever. The “arcade” era was over as soon as the first portable devices like Game Boy were developed. People could then play games on the go!
From the ‘90s to today, gaming is a non-stop developing thing, and a huge portion of it is launched online. Today, we can all enjoy our favourite games across computers, tablets, laptops, and mobile platforms. Not only that, but the overall game portfolio is also wide and contains millions of games. All you have to do now is go online and choose the game you want to play. For example, one can find and play various retro-slot casino games online for free and for real money across computers and portable devices.
Retro Slots & 8-bit Graphics
The 8-bit graphic art design was used for developing “retro-themed” casino games. The “retro” trend is very popular in the gambling world as many game developers dedicate themselves to producing quality retro pokies. Some players prefer retro slots over others as nostalgia for the “golden” age of gaming is strong. Here are some of the most popular retro slots and a short review of each:
Hellcatraz by Relax Gaming is a modern cluster-pay type of slot. It would be too modern if not the 8-bit design. It has a 6x6 playing grid and 96.3% of RTP. Free yourself from the island and grab a jackpot on your way out.
Jackpot 6000 by NeEnt is a game with the 3x3 reel layout that features high RTP and variance. One can win up to 6000 credits while playing this game and enjoy Jackpot and gamble features. Jackpot bonus brings you enormous prizes while gambling features allow players to double the payout by making the right guesses.
Retro Reels by Microgaming comes with the 5x3 reel platform, 96% RTP and medium variance. Across 20 pay-lines, players can win free spins, re-trigger spins, and win the Jackpot prize! The maximum number of credits to win in the game is capped at 440 000 credits.
Crazy 7 by Playtech was launched in 2010. This game comes with 96% RTP, 3x3 reel platform, and it brings the retro vibe to the players by including simplistic gameplay and only a single pay-line. There are no additional confusions with special symbols and extra features, as all that the player has to do is spin the reels and check the odds of winning.
Western Belles by IGT is a game featuring the western-retro theme. It comes with a 5x4 reel platform and over 40 ways to win. This retro slot has a high RTP - 96.33%. It is bigger than the Lobstermania slot machine has, which is one of the most popular slots by IGT. There are various special features that you can enjoy, like the wild reel and bonus ones. By landing the Wild, you can substitute for all symbols except for the bonus and scatter cards. With 3 Bonus cards, the free spins bonus is unlocked, and the player is rewarded with 5 free spins!
These mentioned games make up a small percentage of the “retro-themed” slot games. However, they are one of the most played ones. To try these games out along with a great number of other pokies, you won’t have to download or register. Just choose the game you want and start spinning! For those who want to indulge the real money gambling, it is required to sign-up at one of many providing online casinos.
What do you get if you combine the nerdy ingenuity of ETH Zurich, the creativity of Disney researchers, and a swanky Swiss night club with a 360-degree projection system? The world's only cooperative 8-player, 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System capable of continuous, panoramic side-scrolling on that aforementioned 360-degree display, of course.
At this point I would recommend that you look at the photo gallery and at least one of the videos below so that you have a mental image of how this all slots together. I will attempt to describe the system, too, but words don't really do it justice.
So, as you probably know, Super Mario Bros is a single-player side-scrolling game for the NES/Famicom. You constantly move forwards, jumping over obstacles and on top of goombas, until you get to the end of the level. That's about it. There's no going back, you can't zoom out to see where you've been, and the max number of players is two: one for Mario, one for Luigi.
In May this year, the Eurographics 2015 conference was jointly hosted by ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. At around the same time, Disney Research's Bob Sumner had just founded the ETH Game Technology Centre. Sumner had been tasked with coming up with 'a cool concept' for the dinner at the end of the conference—and so that's exactly what he and his fellow engineers did.
Back in July, just after I'd taken a look at IBM's Solar Sunflower, I visited Sumner in Zurich. As we sat by Zurich's Limmat river, in between sipping some cold beers and lamenting the costs of living in our respective cities, he explained the core concept and motivation behind the project: 'Basically, we observed that the 8-bit era of gaming had a huge collective influence on so many people, but the actual gaming experience was typically an individual one. We wanted to turn this idea upside down, and elevate the NES console experience into a group experience where people can play in a collaborative setting.'
AdvertisementHow do you turn the NES into a 360-degree gaming machine?
First things first: the team used a real NES with real game cartridges. There was no hacking of the console itself, nor of the game ROMs. Everything that you see in the photos and videos was created with DIY hardware and software.
To connect eight controllers to the NES, they used an Arduino-based multiplexer. Video output from the NES is fed through an upscaler, to get the output up to a solid 576p at 50Hz. Audio output goes directly from the NES to the room's sound system.
Next, the upscaled video is fed into a 'tracking PC.' This PC is running some custom software that takes incoming video frames and copies them into a new, much wider output buffer. The software looks at the background of each frame as it comes in and tries to line it up with the previous frame, stitching them together into a panorama. This sounds quite simple until you remember that a) the background can move very quickly or slowly, depending on the player, and b) in most side-scrolling games the player can also go backwards.
Once the tracking PC is done working its magic, the video output is sent to a media server, which in turn drives eight projectors (two for each wall). Because each wall has a slightly different aspect ratio, and the media servers stretch the output image slightly to cover the entire space, the tracking PC also has a real-time 'GPU algorithm' to correct the distortion. The end result, as you can see throughout this story, is a very sharp rendition of Super Mario Bros, Castlevania, and other NES classics.
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How can eight people play Super Mario Bros?
The final piece of the equation is turning original one- and two-player NES games into cooperative eight-player games. The Arduino multiplexer has two modes of operation: it either cycles through each gamepad after a fixed amount of time; or the tracking PC can tell the Arduino to change to a specific gamepad, depending on how far through the level the players are.
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AdvertisementSo, for example, Super Mario Bros might switch between gamepads every five seconds, or every time Mario moves a certain distance towards the end of the level. With eight players arranged around the octagon, you could arrange it so that each player gains control of Mario when he's on their section of the wall.
The end result, according to Sumner, is pretty damn fun, if a bit manic. Because of the 'progress shifting,' it's very hard to use some abilities effectively. The Super Leaf in Super Mario Bros 3, for example, which allows Mario to fly, is very hard to use when it might require three consecutive players to work together in unison to achieve lift-off. Or, you might jump towards a goomba to kill it, but then lose control because your five-second window is up.
What if you don't have eight projectors?
After Bob had finished explaining how their crazy NES hack worked, my first question, of course, was whether I could give it a go. Sadly, Bob no longer had access to a venue with a 360-degree projection system—nor did he have a whole day spare to set it up again.
Still, I didn't go home empty-handed. At the Disney Research offices (which are really cool, incidentally) they had whipped up an alternative output system: an Oculus Rift. It was a bit janky, and lacked the eight-player cooperative mode, but it did kind of work. Basically, as you move through the level, the tracking PC draws a continuous panorama—and as the panorama unfolds, you can move your head around to change your viewport.
The main problem was that I could only turn my neck so far before the pathetic kinematics of my humbly humanoid vertebrae started to suggest that permanent paralysis would soon be on the cards. When that happened, I had to quickly whip my head around to the other side, and then continue playing as normal. It got a bit tiring, but was still rather fun.
* * *
For more technical details on the entire setup, ETH Zurich has published an open-access research paper called 'Unfolding the 8-bit era.' The paper was presented in London last week at the Conference on Visual Media Production. The project was led by Sumner, who worked with a team of PhD students from ETH Zurich and Disney Research.