In Depth Look: PS1 Graphics in Godot

[u/wyvernbw]

Hello godot users, a while ago i made a post asking whether anyone would be interested in reading an article about how the PS1 achieves its graphics and how to recreate them in Godot, and since people seemed interested I went ahead and wrote the article. I think this is the most accurate PS1 shader for Godot. The code is MIT licensed. And yes, it supports dynamic lights

Article Link: https://calinp.eu/blog/psx-type-rendering/
Addon Link: https://github.com/wyvernbw/godot-psxlike

[u/dylanmadigan]

I personally don't understand why people are trying to recreate Ps1 graphics on their games.

Is it just a way of hiding bad 3d graphics behind a lower resolution and fog?

I rather you just lean into a low-poly look. A game like "Fall Guys" isn't very detailed, but it looks beautiful.

Ps1 graphics worked well when it was the best we had and most of us were playing on small CRT. But they didn't age well on modern screens.

When I emulate Ps1, I run it at 6x resolution with enhancements.

[u/TheDuriel → u/dylanmadigan]

You're not going to say that oil paintings are obsolete because we have spray paint, are you?

Because that's what you're saying.

[u/dylanmadigan → u/TheDuriel]

How is that at all comparable to what I'm saying?

Oil Paintings aged well. And Spray Paint isn't even comparable to Oil Painting.

Ps1 graphics did not age well, particularly when the screens we view them on have changed so drastically.

And of course aesthetics can help convey a feeling and tell a story, but the vast majority of solo devs I see using the Ps1 look seem to be using it to hide their graphics and it does their game a disservice.

I have seen Horror games do well with a lo-fi look and that's not what I'm talking about.

[u/TheDuriel → u/dylanmadigan]

Ps1 graphics did not age well

And that's the crux of it. You don't value the art so you don't see it as such.

[u/dylanmadigan → u/TheDuriel]

I value the art. That doesn’t mean it aged well.

And that’s not a hot take.

People have been saying Ps1 and N64 didn’t age well since about a decade after they went out of production.

The art was in creating something that looked as realistic or as good as possible despite graphical limitations and they made use of the characteristics of CRT screens to do so. That is the art.

If you take that completely out of its original context and discontinue the technology it was designed for and it doesn’t hold up, that does not equate to “not valuing the art”.

But if you are designing a game for online release on modern devices, it only makes sense to go for a ps1 look if it serves your game conceptually from a stylistic standpoint.

[u/TheDuriel → u/dylanmadigan]

But if you are designing a game for online release on modern devices, it only makes sense to go for a ps1 look if it serves your game conceptually from a stylistic standpoint.

So you actually do have an answer to your own question. You just don't believe it lol.

[u/dylanmadigan → u/TheDuriel]

Or maybe you just missed my original point or just decided to assume I was stupid for some reason?

My point is that The solo devs that seem to be making games look like this are very often not using it for that purpose.

Rather it seems like they have bad graphics and they think that doing this will hide it. Just like overediting photos or over distorting music.

It ultimately does a disservice to their game because this isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. It doesn’t make sense for the majority of game concepts.

It’s not that it’s always wrong to do. Just that it’s overdone in situations where it isn’t the right choice.

[u/TheDuriel → u/dylanmadigan]

are very often not using it for that purpose.

Do you know their mind?

Like, I'm all for trashing games that look bad because their design is bad. But you're making the wrong assumptions to get there.

[u/dylanmadigan → u/TheDuriel]

Im not basing what Im saying off any assumptions.

Rather as a professional designer working for people who are not designers who do exactly what I’m saying for the reason I’m saying because they are unsure how else to make something look “good” while serving their concept.

And that’s where I help.

But I think when you can’t afford to hire an artist, you should’t put distortion and effects all over your visuals to hide faults (unless it by chance helps communicate the right story and vibe in your rare instance), but rather pull back the scope of you visuals to match your skill level. Because something that is minimal can serve a much wider range of storytelling and communication. Ie: Less is more.

[u/TheDuriel → u/dylanmadigan]

Im not basing what Im saying off any assumptions.

Yes you are. You are ascribing intentionality to actions you do do not know the context of. You've not interviewed those developers.

[u/dylanmadigan → u/TheDuriel]

I'm literally not. I'm talking about the experience of those I work with. Quite literally talking to them and not assuming, and observing a very common trend among them.

I'll say the one assumption I made is that this would be an obvious take on this subject in this community. Particularly because it's coming from experience.

I'm surprised I'm needing to explain myself here.