How do you feel the graphics of OpenTTD compare to SimCity 2000 and 3000?

[Gourlish]

I feel that OpenTTD's graphics look pretty good for something based on a game that came out in the mid 1990s, and feel they are better than those of SimCity 2000 (which was released in 1993), though are a little rougher looking than those of 1999's SimCity 3000. At the same time it supports far larger worlds than what either of them did. It would be interesting to hear how others here feel the graphics of OpenTTD compare to either of those SimCity games.

My understanding is that the graphics in the original Transport Tycoon Deluxe were not unlike those in OpenTTD but trees were slightly more sparsely located and had a somewhat blockier, more opaque sprite appearance.

[kamnet]

If you haven't done so already, check out the more refined graphics of OpenGFX2 Classic, and the under-development OpenGFX2 High Def.

https://github.com/zephyris/opengfx2

[Gourlish]

If you haven't done so already, check out the more refined graphics of OpenGFX2 Classic, and the under-development OpenGFX2 High Def.

https://github.com/zephyris/opengfx2

It looks like a mod that improves the resolution of the graphics when zoomed in beyond 1x. I'm not bothered by the graphics being pixellated at 2-4x zoom, although thanks for suggesting this graphics mod.

I thought I should mention that SimCity 4, the followup to SimCity 3000 (which Transport Tycoon feels like a forerunner to in terms of its graphics), is a little weird graphically - it uses a mixture of sprites and fixed perspective 3D graphics, and you can easily tell them apart at the closest zoom resolution, which makes sprites (for instance streetlights, plants and most buildings) look pixellated while roads, vehicles and pedestrians look vector rendered and therefore render properly at whatever scale you're zoomed into. SimCity 4 also seems to have a bug on multi-core processors where the game will randomly crash. To fix this on a modern Windows PC, you need to load up Task Manager as soon as you get to the world menu, then select the affinity option on the SimCity 4 process, and set it to just one CPU process, which will stop it from randomly crashing for the duration of the session.

As far as I know, OpenTTD is fully sprite based, much like SimCity 2000/3000.

[peter1138]

My understanding is that the graphics in the original Transport Tycoon Deluxe were not unlike those in OpenTTD but trees were slightly more sparsely located and had a somewhat blockier, more opaque sprite appearance.

If you're using the original_dos or original_windows graphics baseset, then the OpenTTD viewport looks almost exactly the same as original TTD, because it IS the original assets. There are some minor tweaks and fixes but nothing major.

If you're using the OpenGFX (1) baseset then it is very different. More subdued, less contrast, and kinda greeny/brown overall.

It looks like a mod that improves the resolution of the graphics when zoomed in beyond 1x. I'm not bothered by the graphics being pixellated at 2-4x zoom, although thanks for suggesting this graphics mod.

While OpenGFX 2 Hi Def will bring in some 4x zoom sprites, it is also a full 1x baseset in its own right. OpenGFX 2 brings back the brightness and contrast missing from OpenGFX 1, and is therefore closer in appearance to the original graphics than OpenGFX 1.

[AntoninKyrene]

I think TT/D compare well to SC2K and SC3K, especially considering TT was written in Assembly. I always looked at SC2K as the first attempt at this particular graphics standard, TT/D as a first refinement, and SC3K as the final statement - in the "2D isometric" world, of course. It seems the emphasis moved to 3D / pseudo-3D after SC3K.

OpenTTD in comparison? With the exception of trees, I would be hard pressed to suggest OpenTTD evolved in a way to advance itself beyond what TT/D was back in its original release days. OpenTTD = nostalgia, but with an awesome backend allowing for evolution within a set of tightly constrained graphic rules. Or said another way, OpenGFX2 could make it look better without losing that 1990's 2D isometric feel.

I have mixed feelings about OpenGFX2/HD. I like pixellation, but I wouldn't fault others for wanting to move beyond it. The game must evolve to include those who have no memories of the 1990s and may not appreciate the reasons for OpenTTD being what it is at the base level.