Yars’ Revenge color question

[Jacro017]

Is the shield supposed to be a bright or dull red?

[RamrodHare]

Yes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, I thought that was a funny answer at first, but then I felt like it might come across as rude, which made me feel bad.

The colors can vary from console to console and from TV to TV. If you want to post a screenshot, we can look at it and maybe be more help. Chances are, if it's red, then it's OK. Have you tried on different TVs to see if that changes it? If not, that might be the place to start. There is a color pot on the 2600, but there's no need to adjust it until we see a screenshot.

Edited January 31, 2018 by RamrodHare

[StopDrop&Retro]

It's always been deep red to me. Not quite maroon but close to it.

 

The only bright red shield I ever saw was on backlit GameBoy color and GameBoy Advance but those ports suck.

[digdugnate]

on my 2600 with an el cheapo lcd tv, the shield is kind of a dull red color (brick colored?)

Edited January 31, 2018 by digdugnate

[StanJr]

I always thought it was orange.

[tisaperfectdayelise]

Like others have mentioned, it can vary. Seems like the earlier runs of the 2600 decks have more saturated color tones, especially when compared to the juniors. I find 2600 carts played on the 7800 to appear almost washed-out by comparison.

 

You're probably fine...

[Jacro017]

Like others have mentioned, it can vary. Seems like the earlier runs of the 2600 decks have more saturated color tones, especially when compared to the juniors. I find 2600 carts played on the 7800 to appear almost washed-out by comparison.

 

You're probably fine...

thanks for all the help....I will just assume it's fine and move on based upon what I've read!

[AW127]

The question from Jacro017 is also interesting in that way, that especially the red color looks a little bit different, when you compare STELLA`s PAL-colorpalette to the palette of a real PAL-console. All other colors are very similar, but red looks more dark on a PAL-console than it looks in STELLA. I recognized this especially in the red shields of the game "Space Invaders Deluxe". It looks like a dark red on my console, but in STELLA the red is much brighter, while all other colors are very close to the ones in STELLA.

[+stephena]

If you turn on TV effects, you see the colour changes even more. It's extremely difficult to know what the exact colour should be, since it can depend on the TV settings, the colour pot inside the console, and sometimes if it's cold vs. warmed up, etc.

 

What I can say is that the default palette is calculated from a formula which we expect is how the colours should be defined. But there's really no definitive source to compare it to, since whenever some says "it didn't look that way on my old TV", we can say "well, maybe your old TV wasn't set correctly". So who's to say what the exact colour should be. I've seen everything from light red to dark orange.

[Osgeld]

NTSC = Never The Same Color

 

even today its got to be compatible with older generation stuff, which NTSC was a colorization of RS170 black and white standards, so yea you are going back to stuff developed before and during WWII. In order to do that and keep within the allocated bandwidth color is based off of a phase offset vs a reference signal sent every line (color burst)

 

so every line in everything that produces a NTSC compatible signal and receives a NTSC compatible signal, there is this eternal battle of what essentially boils down to the two items bickering about if the family picture is hung on the wall level or not

 

other systems do not suffer this problem, pal does but they were nifty enough to invert every other line giving a basic but effective error correction

[AW127]

If you turn on TV effects, you see the colour changes even more. It's extremely difficult to know what the exact colour should be, since it can depend on the TV settings, the colour pot inside the console, and sometimes if it's cold vs. warmed up, etc.

 

What I can say is that the default palette is calculated from a formula which we expect is how the colours should be defined. But there's really no definitive source to compare it to, since whenever some says "it didn't look that way on my old TV", we can say "well, maybe your old TV wasn't set correctly". So who's to say what the exact colour should be. I've seen everything from light red to dark orange.

 

Okay, i will try around with the TV-effects a little bit. I only did this one time in the beginning with STELLA, then i turned it off, cause i liked the normal picture more. Thanks for the explanation with this formula. I must say, the most colors are very similar to the real thing, only in the color red i can see the difference. But i can only speak for the PAL-palette here. Can not test how similar the STELLA NTSC-palette is to the real thing, cause i don`t have a NTSC-console. But i suppose, the color red is closer there to the real thing.

[Gabriel]

I've always thought the first shield color was orange.

[AW127]

I've always thought the first shield color was orange.

 

You mean the shields in "Yar`s Revenge" not in "Space Invaders Deluxe", right?

 

True, looks like a color between orange and light-brown on my Atari-console (PAL) and also in my STELLA here.

[Eltigro]

Yeah, I always thought it had kind of a brownish tint to it. Not exactly burnt orange, but like a burnt red or something...

[MrMaddog]

I'm still trying to figure out why the Yar is always purple on emulators even with CRT effects...

[siccoyote]

Just fitted a composite mod to my 7800 and noticed that Yars Revenge has a Brown sheild instead of Red. I found this was the same on the 2600 I bought in 1989/1990. I never knew any bettter at that time.

 

I'm guessing it is due to them making a cheaper Gfx chip for the later jrs (as I have earlier jrs which are fine) and the 7800.

 

It's a shame because games look super sharp now.

 

(I'm PAL btw)

Edited January 20, 2019 by siccoyote

[Flojomojo]

Maybe you'll adjust to it, like "The Dress" or Laurel/Yanny.

 

I remember it as orange, too.

[siccoyote]

Maybe you'll adjust to it, like "The Dress" or Laurel/Yanny.

 

I remember it as orange, too.

I tried them one after the other.

 

On the Woodgrain 2600 (PAL)

 

On the 7800 / Newer 2600 jr (PAL)

[Flojomojo]

Orange (top) looks more natural/faithful to me, the way I remember it.

[TwentySixHundred]

I remember the shield as orange as per the top image and mostly played it on a PAL2600jr. My uncle had a woodgrain but i can't recall if it was any difference.

[John Stamos Mullet]

If you're playing an NTSC cart on a PAL console or vice versa, that might explain it.

 

Or maybe the mod on the 7800 is installed in NTSC wiring mode as opposed to PAL?

[siccoyote]

If you're playing an NTSC cart on a PAL console or vice versa, that might explain it.

 

Or maybe the mod on the 7800 is installed in NTSC wiring mode as opposed to PAL?

Same cart in both screen shots, and as far as I know there isn't a PAL or NTSC mode, the chips are different. Also It's the same on one of my later 2600jrs (PAL) through RF.

Edited February 4, 2019 by siccoyote