- Render at Low Resolutions
- Scale by Integers
- Avoid Anti-Aliasing
- Use older rendering techniques and effects
- Analyze and Review visual fundamentals
These are the basic guidelines of Project Low-Res. We might change them up a little in the future, but this seems like a good place to start. And as the name suggests, they are just guidelines, not rules. Their primary purpose is to encourage people to think and analyze, not to tie developers down to specific styles or approaches.
Let’s go over them, shall we?…
- Render at Low Resolutions
This is the big one. Or the small one, if you prefer. The point is, render as much of your game as possible at lower resolutions. How low? Well, that really depends on the game. Some types and styles of games can only go so low. A really text-heavy game, for instance, would actually benefit from higher resolutions in order to have cleaner text. So don’t go into this just shooting for the lowest resolution possible, but think about what would best fit your game’s design.
But generally, shoot for lower resolutions. Also, don’t be afraid to break some games up into layers where each layer is rendered at different resolutions. There are any number of ways in which to apply this particular guideline in an efficient fashion.
2. Scale by Integers
This one is used for display. While rendering at lower resolutions is great, displaying your game at lower resolutions is not. Modern fixed-resolution displays benefit significantly from displaying content on them at whatever resolution is native to them. Scaling by integers wherever possible is the easiest and most performance-friendly approach to displaying lower resolution images. Sticking to this guideline helps you to fill the screen as much as possible, without distorting or altering the rendered game.
3. Avoid Anti-Aliasing
AA is a great technique, that can be effectively applied. But when you scale it up from its original rendering resolution, it tends to look terrible. You’re better off switching it off and avoiding it if your native rendering is going to be low, it just muddies up the visuals.
The only time I can see compromising on this one is if you are compositing a high-resolution layer on top of a low-resolution layer. Applying anti aliasing to higher resolution rendering is fine, but avoid it like the plague for lower resolutions.
4. Use older rendering techniques and effects.
This is largely for educational purposes, but it can also lead to some pretty neat visuals. Some older rendering approaches have slipped through the cracks, and are no longer widely used. But a lot of them can actually look pretty good when combined with lower-resolution rendering. Experiment with them where appropriate, and see if you can’t make some eye-catching effects to help your low-resolution game stand out.
5. Analyze and Review visual fundamentals
This is where you step back, look at what you’ve created, and think about it. Analysis, critique, and review are crucial to figuring out what your game is saying to the end user, and what can be changed to make its communication clearer and more effective. It’s also where it would be a good idea to have others play your game, and collect their honest feedback. Analyze that too. How did the game feel to the player, and how did the visuals affect or inspire those feelings?