Screenshots Identifying the Graphical Difference, POTCO vs. TLOPO

Misha

Site Founder
Ahoy folks!

Today, I just wanted to post a thread that I've talked about with a few previous POTCO players. POTCO, like many games of it's time, had a certain atmosphere that created a unique sensation. However, in TLOPO that seems to not exist to the same quantities. (This is not me complaining about the game, this is a genuine ask for help to identify what I'm missing.).

In Disney's Pirates Online, the atmosphere in the game was generally darker overall. Much of the game was a lot drearier than it presently is in TLOPO, and I wonder if there's only a few that have caught onto that. Obviously recreations can only be exact replicas to a point without it being the same development team, but the difference in atmosphere has very much thrown me off.

Exhibit A:
943278cf6530839e8308ffd2d6bf38f7.png

Kingshead POTCO (Courtesy of Sam Plankmonk, 2009)

06af53fad981a4af237fbb4e81cef064.jpg

Kingshead TLOPO, 2018

Obviously some may have to do with the difference in in-game time, being that the game does periodically shift between day and night, but there is an entirely different atmosphere in certain areas.
 
Ahoy folks!

Today, I just wanted to post a thread that I've talked about with a few previous POTCO players. POTCO, like many games of it's time, had a certain atmosphere that created a unique sensation. However, in TLOPO that seems to not exist to the same quantities. (This is not me complaining about the game, this is a genuine ask for help to identify what I'm missing.).

In Disney's Pirates Online, the atmosphere in the game was generally darker overall. Much of the game was a lot drearier than it presently is in TLOPO, and I wonder if there's only a few that have caught onto that. Obviously recreations can only be exact replicas to a point without it being the same development team, but the difference in atmosphere has very much thrown me off.

Exhibit A:
943278cf6530839e8308ffd2d6bf38f7.png

Kingshead POTCO (Courtesy of Sam Plankmonk, 2009)

06af53fad981a4af237fbb4e81cef064.jpg

Kingshead TLOPO, 2018

Obviously some may have to do with the difference in in-game time, being that the game does periodically shift between day and night, but there is an entirely different atmosphere in certain areas.
I get where you're coming from. But as one who never saw the game in the wild at the time, I can only have input from todays perspective.
Is it atmosphere you're looking at or dated graphics back then? Where you playing using your TV or a computer CRT monitor. A CRT will have a total different look to lcd. It's like the equivalent of darker larger resolution of say 480/720 to todays 1080P on a LCD panel.

I had a giant anchor of a Sony CRT professional monitor model for photography and art and when you put 1080p on that and the same source on a LCD of the same size, the CRT still looked liked film, while the LCD looked like live video. And the film look is almost always a bit darker and smoother and moodier. It just is. I couldn't let my CRT go because negative color film looked so good on it grain for grain.

I just think in 2009 the graphic coding was different, the monitors were different and this could result in a person liking the older version because of it's mellowness. Sometimes crispness comes with a price.

Just some input of an opinion. We can stand side by side in front of a big screen tv and still see something different subjective to each one of us.

gl
 
I get where you're coming from. But as one who never saw the game in the wild at the time, I can only have input from todays perspective.
Is it atmosphere you're looking at or dated graphics back then? Where you playing using your TV or a computer CRT monitor. A CRT will have a total different look to lcd. It's like the equivalent of darker larger resolution of say 480/720 to todays 1080P on a LCD panel.

I had a giant anchor of a Sony CRT professional monitor model for photography and art and when you put 1080p on that and the same source on a LCD of the same size, the CRT still looked liked film, while the LCD looked like live video. And the film look is almost always a bit darker and smoother and moodier. It just is. I couldn't let my CRT go because negative color film looked so good on it grain for grain.

I just think in 2009 the graphic coding was different, the monitors were different and this could result in a person liking the older version because of it's mellowness. Sometimes crispness comes with a price.

Just some input of an opinion. We can stand side by side in front of a big screen tv and still see something different subjective to each one of us.

gl


Thanks for the input, Squintz! I agree that it could very well be the technology and the difference in enhancements made between when POTCO was prevelant, to now.

My wishing was leading me to hope that there was some way to obtain similar results by use of GPU manipulation via virtual control panels if it couldn't be done simply through the in game options.

Fair Winds!
 
Thanks for the input, Squintz! I agree that it could very well be the technology and the difference in enhancements made between when POTCO was prevelant, to now.

My wishing was leading me to hope that there was some way to obtain similar results by use of GPU manipulation via virtual control panels if it couldn't be done simply through the in game options.

Fair Winds!
Hmm. Maybe we're trying to do a degrading of the image in a way. Look at your gpu control panel for settings that might effect sharpness and such. When we edit video and want a film look, the software actually changes frame rates and contrast ratios. If your control panel has things in the advanced menus such as contrast, sharpening, shaders and even anti-aliasing can be turned down. Also gamma, brightness can be dropped a bit. I think all of this can soften the image. Anti-aliasing is a blending process of pixel proximity to smooth edge jaggies, for people that may not know this and may actually soften the overall image as well. So anti-alias is something to try on or off.

Lowering the graphics level in tlopo probably wouldn't have the effect, as it mostly just drops pixel count and and poly density I believe and just gives blockier graphics by having less to render.

These are all non destructive things you can change in a second too. Maybe even try dropping the bit color from 32 to 8 or something less than it is now in your settings. Just for grins, try the output color depth and even maybe the color format from rgb to one of the other ones.

gl
 
Thanks for the input, Squintz! I agree that it could very well be the technology and the difference in enhancements made between when POTCO was prevelant, to now.

My wishing was leading me to hope that there was some way to obtain similar results by use of GPU manipulation via virtual control panels if it couldn't be done simply through the in game options.

Fair Winds!
Also wondered if you noticed by the screenshots posted that quite a few people already run the game in a lower resolution than they probably want to. I know I do because as soon as I hit a screen with more than one sprite (myself) in it, I get frame rate loss and get powerpoint presentation quality play. Tlopo struggles with pirate population on one screen. I don't really see this problem strongly with enemy mobs however.
I take that back, I ran around with a mob in a graveyard and experienced the same drag on play.
 
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honestly I feel like its just our minds. its been a minute since potco has been gone and we've all had time to age. but I do understand where you're coming from it totally feels different than before. Maybe its just not seeing other pirates EVERYWHERE, like we used to. Or possibly just knowing that theres a few problems that need fixed so in your unconscious mind it doesn't have the same feel it once did. I know sailing isn't the same. the ship AI is way different and the battles aren't as extravagant as they used to be. But I feel like once the game is completed it will have that same good feel like it used to.
 
I remember being able to go to port royal or Tortuga by the docks and just crew up with almost anyone and go do anything really. There was always people grinding Darkhart, There was always tons of ships sailing, Ravens Cove was a new thing and everyone was geeking about it. I think once something new gets added that weve never had before the game will jump back to that same perspective it once had.
 
I like the fact that this thread speaks about atmosphere. Atmosphere, really with anything, is an important factor to not only take into consideration but also something to use (as a tool) to gauge a current comparison/contrast with what we more or less "feel" is likely happening within the present.

Pertinent to TLOPO, I did not realize the overall population of pirates within any given setting was an issue. I always wondered how such a thing would impact the overall atmosphere of the game. Wonder if anything alone can resolve this issue in addition to how the game itself "feels" to pirates.

Great thread topic! ;)
 
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