What made the 1.09.4 look different?

Icarus

Phantasy Savior
I've watched plenty of SRB2 videos and the older versions (especially from before the 2.0) had a different look (despite using the same engine). Could somebody explain me about that please?
 
You might also be seeing OpenGL renderer vs. Software. It was much more common to use OpenGL pre-2.0, for a couple of reasons - there were less Software-exclusive effects in the game, there were OpenGL exclusive lighting effects (which were removed in 2.0), and ringslinger was more popular (where OpenGL has the advantage of being able to look straight up and down).
 
2.0 significantly changed SRB2's palette, which is probably what you're noticing.
Oh right, I just read that it used the Doom Legacy palette instead of having a new one.


Is there a way to change it back via options or by making a palette addon?


You might also be seeing OpenGL renderer vs. Software. It was much more common to use OpenGL pre-2.0, for a couple of reasons - there were less Software-exclusive effects in the game, there were OpenGL exclusive lighting effects (which were removed in 2.0), and ringslinger was more popular (where OpenGL has the advantage of being able to look straight up and down).


This is also why there's that wierd filtering around the sprites in this version
 
Is there a way to change it back via options or by making a palette addon?
As far as I know you'll need to also convert the rest of the game's graphics (textures, flats, sprites, menu graphics...etc) to use 1.09.4's limited palette, otherwise they're not going to look right / good due to differences in where colors are located in each palette.
 
There's actually quite a few factors to consider in why SRB2 looked different back then compared to now. As already mentioned, the pallet was different and OGL had exclusive lighting effects. The textures in levels were also much more simple and less detailed, and the art style of the character and enemy sprites was likewise much more simple. This was also long before SRB2 had slopes, giving the game a much more flat and blocky look. Level design also had it's own style to it that is mostly no longer followed in most of the zones, now in favor of more expansive levels.
 
Things that factor into the differences in look between Final Demo and 2.x:

  • Palette -- changes in the palette has a large affect on the color diversity and saturation of objects, especially when seen using the software renderer. One important change in 2.2's palette is the incorporation of more blues for the darker elements of its palette -- this gives darker areas a "cooler" appearance to them, and also contributes to the somewhat SEGA Genesis appearance to the game's fadeouts.
  • Spritework -- Many of SRB2's object sprites have been redrawn at least once or twice, but the character sprites in particular use a more hand-drawn style in Final Demo; SSNTails art style from 1.x gives Sonic and Tails a different expressiveness compared to their current looks, but the antialiasing of his sprites also means that there were a lot of odd pixels that didn't translate over correctly when changing skincolors. The redone sprites are almost all drawn as pixel art to start with, which means that this "dead pixel" issue rarely presents itself anymore.
  • Texturework -- Final Demo architecture tends to revolve around two or three main textures or flats, with minor texture variation for certain points of interest. 2.2 in particular saw a sizeable increase in texture variation, as can be seen with the likes of GFZ's rock patterns being highly diversified from the singular nondescript checker pattern of old GFZ's walls.
  • Level geometry -- Slopes and an increase in decorative sector design helps to make levels appear less "flat", more complex and organic in visual flow.
  • Thing scenery - In addition to new scenery objects (such as GFZ's trees), existing scenery objects received greater variation or animation to previously stationary objects. This makes GFZ in particular feel a lot more "alive" in 2.2 than its Final Demo counterpart or even its 2.1 counterpart.
  • Skyboxes - Previous versions relied primarily on a single-image background to fill up visual space. 2.2 incorporates skyboxes into its visual design, giving the backgrounds a much greater sense of complexity, depth, and animation to them.
 
Things that factor into the differences in look between Final Demo and 2.x:

  • Palette -- changes in the palette has a large affect on the color diversity and saturation of objects, especially when seen using the software renderer. One important change in 2.2's palette is the incorporation of more blues for the darker elements of its palette -- this gives darker areas a "cooler" appearance to them, and also contributes to the somewhat SEGA Genesis appearance to the game's fadeouts.
  • Spritework -- Many of SRB2's object sprites have been redrawn at least once or twice, but the character sprites in particular use a more hand-drawn style in Final Demo; SSNTails art style from 1.x gives Sonic and Tails a different expressiveness compared to their current looks, but the antialiasing of his sprites also means that there were a lot of odd pixels that didn't translate over correctly when changing skincolors. The redone sprites are almost all drawn as pixel art to start with, which means that this "dead pixel" issue rarely presents itself anymore.
  • Texturework -- Final Demo architecture tends to revolve around two or three main textures or flats, with minor texture variation for certain points of interest. 2.2 in particular saw a sizeable increase in texture variation, as can be seen with the likes of GFZ's rock patterns being highly diversified from the singular nondescript checker pattern of old GFZ's walls.
  • Level geometry -- Slopes and an increase in decorative sector design helps to make levels appear less "flat", more complex and organic in visual flow.
  • Thing scenery - In addition to new scenery objects (such as GFZ's trees), existing scenery objects received greater variation or animation to previously stationary objects. This makes GFZ in particular feel a lot more "alive" in 2.2 than its Final Demo counterpart or even its 2.1 counterpart.
  • Skyboxes - Previous versions relied primarily on a single-image background to fill up visual space. 2.2 incorporates skyboxes into its visual design, giving the backgrounds a much greater sense of complexity, depth, and animation to them.
Sorry for the late answer but thanks a lot for the very detailed explanation. This thread is now answered and over.
 

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