SW or GL Quake: what minimal resolution we need nowadays ?

[frag.machine]

I'd appreciate your feedback in this poll. Note please, that I am not asking if you guys want higher resolutions (I already know the answer ); instead, what I want to determine is if I can safely drop the lower video resolutions supported by the original SW / GL Quake in my next project. That's why you won't find all possible video resolutions in the list, but only the lowest ones (that I believe is safe to get rid of without prejudice to anyone).

[Entar]

I usually never play at less than 640x480, and I normally play at 640x480 or 800x600. But why would you want to eliminate those options? Seems like you'd leave 'em in for the odd player who has an old computer or likes the old timey feel.

[venomus]

Thing is even moderately high resolutions in SW will pwn slow processors. And let's face it, most computers running SW Quake out of necessity (i.e: no 3D acceleration at all) are unlikely to be running on anything much faster than a P2.
I don't think there's as much of a demand for high resolutions in SW Quake* as there is for being able to play at 320x200 on a £20 laptop.


*There may be a demand for easily reverting to the feel of SW Quake, e.g. turn off all the eye candy with one option (that includes all texture filtering).

[Quake Matt]

Yeah, I agree with Venomus - keep the 320x200 for the older machines, and for the classic Quake look!

For GL, however, I'd probably say 640x480 is the minimum.

[Sajt]

I much preferred software to hardware on my P2 233 MHz, and I always used 640x400 because it was smooth enough (and 640x480 was noticeably slower).

[frag.machine]

I usually never play at less than 640x480, and I normally play at 640x480 or 800x600. But why would you want to eliminate those options? Seems like you'd leave 'em in for the odd player who has an old computer or likes the old timey feel.

The problem is not the engine itself. I was planning to use some assets that would require higher resolutions (12x12 or 16x16 conchars versus the current 8x8, for example). But looks like lots of people are using 320 x 200. Frankly I am surprised because even when I had no hardware acceleration back in 199x I used to play at higher resolutions than VGA mode 13h . Oh well...

[RenegadeC]

For software I use 640x480, or 800x600
For hardware I only use 1024x768 and above.

[venomus]

What stops you from selecting conchar size based on resolution. Unless you are actually making a mod with new HUD elements.

[frag.machine]

What stops you from selecting conchar size based on resolution. Unless you are actually making a mod with new HUD elements.

My idea was to create higher resolution versions of as many assets as possible (conchars being only an example, a complete menu overhauling with customized gfxs is part of the to do list). Having to support resolutions below to 640 x 480 means either a) resample all gfx to lower resolution (with a crappy final result) or b) creating lower versions of those assets (which means more effort to a one-man-project). Both are possible but far from ideal options.

[venomus]

I would go with the resample option as long as its still readable. If not then either use simplified or the old assets. That is infinitely preferable to dropping support IMHO.