Comment by bane
3 years ago
Oh man, there is an absolute beauty with 1-bit graphics that I think is deeply underappreciated. When the right dithering algorithm is used, the graphics look like what characters in cyberpunk novels dream of. [1]
I secretly wish the dominant aesthetic in computing was one where everything was mac-like 1-bit dithered graphics, and we only used color when absolutely necessary - when the black and white graphics just couldn't convey what was needed. Like if instead of throwing it away for color, we had just built on top of it.
Side note, I'm also often struck how 1-bit-ish graphics sometimes were used to great effect on the ZXSpectrum, another minimally graphically capable computer of the era. When the game developers were trying to use color the games often looked worse than if they had just stuck with a simpler scheme. Chase H.Q., Bombjack, Pang!, etc. all look amazing to my eye.
Did you see this year's Chaos Communication Congress videos? They have a nice video intro in 1 bit dithering. Random video (first 10 seconds):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNc8HJEWMtM
Return of the Obra Dinn is also an amazing game with entirely 1-bit rendering.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/653530/Return_of_the_Obra...