How can using tile compression on the NES actually work at all?
I mean, if I had some DOS game in mode 13h, then I would understand it:
Every pixel is one byte, so instead of saving graphics as
red, red, red, red, blue, blue, white, white, white
you simply save it as
4, red, 2, blue, 3, white
But on the NES, a pixel consists of merely two bits.
How shall compression in this system ever pay off?
I mean, you can still treat the pixels in chunks of bytes, but this works only if patterns of four pixels repeat themselves. Which should be more the exception than the rule.
I mean, if I had some DOS game in mode 13h, then I would understand it:
Every pixel is one byte, so instead of saving graphics as
red, red, red, red, blue, blue, white, white, white
you simply save it as
4, red, 2, blue, 3, white
But on the NES, a pixel consists of merely two bits.
How shall compression in this system ever pay off?
I mean, you can still treat the pixels in chunks of bytes, but this works only if patterns of four pixels repeat themselves. Which should be more the exception than the rule.