I've got three color-related questions about the NES and I think, since you program for the NES, you maybe can answer them.
Question 1:
Please have a look at these two pictures:
They were made with FCE Ultra. The second image is the one where the option "NTSC Color Emulation" is enabled. I live in Germany, so I have PAL. And on my TV screen, "Super Mario Bros." looks like the first image. So far so good. The strange thing now is: Once, I asked Americans which image comes closer to the game on a real NES and all said that it's the first one. Same with this American commercial where the "Super Mario Bros." background clearly looks blue and not purple.
So, my question: What's the deal with that NTSC color emulation? Obviously, in reality, the game on a real NES looks like the first picture, no matter if it's shown on a PAL or an NTSC screen. So, why is this specific "NTSC palette" actually there? And where does it come from?
Question 2:
O.k., this is basically the NES palette:
Now, when I make a screenshot with FCE Ultra and inspect its color palette (256 color PNG), then it looks like that:
The NES palette is in the upper part of the lower half. But I always wondered what the lower colors (the last four rows) are for. Then I found out:
"Dragon's Lair" uses them.
My question: How is that done on a real NES? How can "Dragon's Lair" use other colors than the ones of the regular NES palette? I mean, with an emulator, that's no problem. But how did they achieve that on a real NES?
Additional question: Does anybody know what these colors at the top of the screenshoot palette (light yellow, gray, red, green and blue) are good for? Are they just for any FCE Ultra's on-screen information or are they used in games?
Question 3:
Again the NES palette:
These two gray colors on the right side: Were they ever used in a commercial game?
Once, I did the following: I shot a bunch of screenshots of different games and then I looked if there is a color that was never used. I found out that all colors are in use in one game or another. It took me a while, but I finally found an appearance of every single color from the palette. Except for the two gray colors on the right. Besides being almost indistinguishable from the other two grays:
they are never used. Whenever a game uses gray, it always takes the two left ones, never the right ones. So, do you know of a game that actually uses them?
Question 1:
Please have a look at these two pictures:
They were made with FCE Ultra. The second image is the one where the option "NTSC Color Emulation" is enabled. I live in Germany, so I have PAL. And on my TV screen, "Super Mario Bros." looks like the first image. So far so good. The strange thing now is: Once, I asked Americans which image comes closer to the game on a real NES and all said that it's the first one. Same with this American commercial where the "Super Mario Bros." background clearly looks blue and not purple.
So, my question: What's the deal with that NTSC color emulation? Obviously, in reality, the game on a real NES looks like the first picture, no matter if it's shown on a PAL or an NTSC screen. So, why is this specific "NTSC palette" actually there? And where does it come from?
Question 2:
O.k., this is basically the NES palette:
Now, when I make a screenshot with FCE Ultra and inspect its color palette (256 color PNG), then it looks like that:
The NES palette is in the upper part of the lower half. But I always wondered what the lower colors (the last four rows) are for. Then I found out:
"Dragon's Lair" uses them.
My question: How is that done on a real NES? How can "Dragon's Lair" use other colors than the ones of the regular NES palette? I mean, with an emulator, that's no problem. But how did they achieve that on a real NES?
Additional question: Does anybody know what these colors at the top of the screenshoot palette (light yellow, gray, red, green and blue) are good for? Are they just for any FCE Ultra's on-screen information or are they used in games?
Question 3:
Again the NES palette:
These two gray colors on the right side: Were they ever used in a commercial game?
Once, I did the following: I shot a bunch of screenshots of different games and then I looked if there is a color that was never used. I found out that all colors are in use in one game or another. It took me a while, but I finally found an appearance of every single color from the palette. Except for the two gray colors on the right. Besides being almost indistinguishable from the other two grays:
they are never used. Whenever a game uses gray, it always takes the two left ones, never the right ones. So, do you know of a game that actually uses them?