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The sega master system offers another awesome feature which allows you to set all sprites to "zoom mode". This doubles the horizontal and vertical pixel size,making them blocky, but also now 16x16 and 16x32 pixels in size on-screen. Like picking 8x16 sprite mode, if you turn on zoom mode, then ALL sprites will be zoomed.

We've known about this documented feature for years, but I've never seen a game using it nor a post that proposes its use.

For large character fighting games like Street Fighter 2 or Mortal Kombat, you either draw characters with background tiles (getting you down to 10fps), or you use

This method also lets you create characters that are 5x6 sprites in total in VRAM, but they get displayed covering four times as much area.

The SEVERE bandwidth limitation of moving these character sprites from game ROM (could be up to 32 megabits or 4MB) into the tiny 16KB VRAM has always been a major problem. However, in "zoom mode," those onscreen characters would be four times larger, still only taking up the same space as the 5x6 sprite (40x48 pixel) in VRAM, but now appearing 80 pixels high and moving as quickly as the much smaller characters in these games.

For a fighting game that depends on large characters and high frame rates, sprites could keep us at 30fps or better, keeping nicer backgrounds that use most of the 448 tiles, while maximizing the use of that limited bandwidth bringing characters from the game cart to VRAM on onto the screen.

Virtua Fighter Animation uses it to zoom in on the fighters when they are close:

I *love* stuff like this. And I mean love, like the classic super scaler sega arcade games(space harrier), what the Lynx did with blue lightening, etc. We saw some of it in the 32 bit systems (loved it in Knuckles Chaotix, even if the game isnt good) but 3D games spelled its quick demise.

I hope zooming / sprite scaling stuff makes a comeback. It really is the next evolution of that extra pizazz for pixel art games, and when done well, its marvelous.

Didnt know the game gear could do something like this too, given its lack of Blast Processing. Then again, Sega Does.

Not to rain on your parade, but there's a reason why SMS games never used the sprite scaling feature: It doesn't work consistently across all VDP iterations.

Kagesan wrote

Not to rain on your parade, but there's a reason why SMS games never used the sprite scaling feature: It doesn't work consistently across all VDP iterations.

Zoom mode in SMS 1 is broken, right?
Seems that work only for the 4 sprites and Sega fixed it with GG.

Kagesan wrote

Not to rain on your parade, but there's a reason why SMS games never used the sprite scaling feature: It doesn't work consistently across all VDP iterations.

NOOOOOO!!! Why must you crush my dreams?!

I was going to use just a pair of the 8x16 sprites to create four scaled up 16x32's. This would allow a large pants sprite and torso sprite, each one being moved to where it's needed for that particular frame.

It seems unfair to limit ourselves only to those features that all SMS's had. I had the SMS1 and later the SMS2.

ryu flying kick SF2 single sprite.png (50.92 KB)

maxxoccupancy wrote

I was going to use just a pair of the 8x16 sprites to create four scaled up 16x32's. This would allow a large pants sprite and torso sprite, each one being moved to where it's needed for that particular frame.

It doesn't work like that, it would scale all the sprites across a scanline, so the whole width of the screen, you couldn't have a few sprites at 2x the size on ryu and the rest normal.
Earthworm Jim used it for a HUD, making the regular in game sprites for the ammunition and power twice the size along the bottom of the screen.

That said, I absolutely think it's perfect for beat 'em ups, and have said so in the past. Imagine streets of rage 2 with double sized characters.

Emrabt wrote

That said, I absolutely think it's perfect for beat 'em ups, and have said so in the past. Imagine streets of rage 2 with double sized characters.

I believe one of the GG ports of Streets of Rage has an option to use zoomed sprites; it's optional, it looks ugly, but it's there.

haroldoop wrote

Emrabt wrote

That said, I absolutely think it's perfect for beat 'em ups, and have said so in the past. Imagine streets of rage 2 with double sized characters.

I believe one of the GG ports of Streets of Rage has an option to use zoomed sprites; it's optional, it looks ugly, but it's there.

Where do you find this? I'm playing the GG SOR, and I don't see anything in the options menu. Is this an option for only one port?

maxxoccupancy wrote

haroldoop wrote

Emrabt wrote

That said, I absolutely think it's perfect for beat 'em ups, and have said so in the past. Imagine streets of rage 2 with double sized characters.

I believe one of the GG ports of Streets of Rage has an option to use zoomed sprites; it's optional, it looks ugly, but it's there.

Where do you find this? I'm playing the GG SOR, and I don't see anything in the options menu. Is this an option for only one port?

I may be misremembering... can't find this information anywhere, either.

One other game that has optional sprite zooming is VR Troopers for the GG: in the options screen, there's an option named "Sizes", that can be set to "Normal" or "Giant".

VR Troopers (USA, Europe)-1.png (8.43 KB)

maxxoccupancy wrote

Kagesan wrote

Not to rain on your parade, but there's a reason why SMS games never used the sprite scaling feature: It doesn't work consistently across all VDP iterations.

NOOOOOO!!! Why must you crush my dreams?!

The truth is that sprite 2× zooming is a mess.

You get it fully working only on SMS II (or on newer VDPs SMS) or on the Game Gear. On the older VDP (the SMS I, let's say) you have it working only partially, that means that *if* you can ensure that there are no more than 4 sprites on any scanline you will have it working fine otherwise the poor 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th sprite on a scanline won't be properly zoomed horizontally (but will be zoomed vertically anyway).

And if this wasn't enough, this feature is not present on the Genesis/MegaDrive. You don't get any zoomed sprite at all, that VDP register bit is simply ignored.

Author	Message
maxxoccupancy Joined: 05 Mar 2022 Posts: 129 Location: Seabrook, New Hampshire	finally found an actual use for that awful "zoom mode" Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2022 4:49 pm
	Quote The sega master system offers another awesome feature which allows you to set all sprites to "zoom mode". This doubles the horizontal and vertical pixel size,making them blocky, but also now 16x16 and 16x32 pixels in size on-screen. Like picking 8x16 sprite mode, if you turn on zoom mode, then ALL sprites will be zoomed. We've known about this documented feature for years, but I've never seen a game using it nor a post that proposes its use. For large character fighting games like Street Fighter 2 or Mortal Kombat, you either draw characters with background tiles (getting you down to 10fps), or you use This method also lets you create characters that are 5x6 sprites in total in VRAM, but they get displayed covering four times as much area. The SEVERE bandwidth limitation of moving these character sprites from game ROM (could be up to 32 megabits or 4MB) into the tiny 16KB VRAM has always been a major problem. However, in "zoom mode," those onscreen characters would be four times larger, still only taking up the same space as the 5x6 sprite (40x48 pixel) in VRAM, but now appearing 80 pixels high and moving as quickly as the much smaller characters in these games. For a fighting game that depends on large characters and high frame rates, sprites could keep us at 30fps or better, keeping nicer backgrounds that use most of the 448 tiles, while maximizing the use of that limited bandwidth bringing characters from the game cart to VRAM on onto the screen.

Maxim Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 1999 Posts: 14745 Location: London	Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2022 5:28 pm
	Virtua Fighter Animation uses it to zoom in on the fighters when they are close:

segasonicfan Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 374 Location: USA	Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2022 6:08 pm
	I love stuff like this. And I mean love, like the classic super scaler sega arcade games(space harrier), what the Lynx did with blue lightening, etc. We saw some of it in the 32 bit systems (loved it in Knuckles Chaotix, even if the game isnt good) but 3D games spelled its quick demise. I hope zooming / sprite scaling stuff makes a comeback. It really is the next evolution of that extra pizazz for pixel art games, and when done well, its marvelous. Didnt know the game gear could do something like this too, given its lack of Blast Processing. Then again, Sega Does.

Kagesan Joined: 01 Feb 2014 Posts: 878	Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2022 7:33 pm
Kagesan Joined: 01 Feb 2014 Posts: 878	Not to rain on your parade, but there's a reason why SMS games never used the sprite scaling feature: It doesn't work consistently across all VDP iterations.

segarule Joined: 23 Jan 2010 Posts: 439	Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2022 8:38 pm
segarule Joined: 23 Jan 2010 Posts: 439	Kagesan wrote Not to rain on your parade, but there's a reason why SMS games never used the sprite scaling feature: It doesn't work consistently across all VDP iterations. Zoom mode in SMS 1 is broken, right? Seems that work only for the 4 sprites and Sega fixed it with GG.

maxxoccupancy Joined: 05 Mar 2022 Posts: 129 Location: Seabrook, New Hampshire	Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2022 9:05 pm
	Kagesan wrote Not to rain on your parade, but there's a reason why SMS games never used the sprite scaling feature: It doesn't work consistently across all VDP iterations. NOOOOOO!!! Why must you crush my dreams?! I was going to use just a pair of the 8x16 sprites to create four scaled up 16x32's. This would allow a large pants sprite and torso sprite, each one being moved to where it's needed for that particular frame. It seems unfair to limit ourselves only to those features that all SMS's had. I had the SMS1 and later the SMS2. ryu flying kick SF2 single sprite.png (50.92 KB)

Emrabt Joined: 17 Aug 2021 Posts: 80	Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2022 9:29 pm
Emrabt Joined: 17 Aug 2021 Posts: 80	maxxoccupancy wrote I was going to use just a pair of the 8x16 sprites to create four scaled up 16x32's. This would allow a large pants sprite and torso sprite, each one being moved to where it's needed for that particular frame. It doesn't work like that, it would scale all the sprites across a scanline, so the whole width of the screen, you couldn't have a few sprites at 2x the size on ryu and the rest normal. Earthworm Jim used it for a HUD, making the regular in game sprites for the ammunition and power twice the size along the bottom of the screen. That said, I absolutely think it's perfect for beat 'em ups, and have said so in the past. Imagine streets of rage 2 with double sized characters.

haroldoop Joined: 25 Feb 2006 Posts: 874 Location: Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil	Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2022 9:43 pm
	Emrabt wrote That said, I absolutely think it's perfect for beat 'em ups, and have said so in the past. Imagine streets of rage 2 with double sized characters. I believe one of the GG ports of Streets of Rage has an option to use zoomed sprites; it's optional, it looks ugly, but it's there.

maxxoccupancy Joined: 05 Mar 2022 Posts: 129 Location: Seabrook, New Hampshire	Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2022 10:22 pm
	haroldoop wrote Emrabt wrote That said, I absolutely think it's perfect for beat 'em ups, and have said so in the past. Imagine streets of rage 2 with double sized characters. I believe one of the GG ports of Streets of Rage has an option to use zoomed sprites; it's optional, it looks ugly, but it's there. Where do you find this? I'm playing the GG SOR, and I don't see anything in the options menu. Is this an option for only one port?

haroldoop Joined: 25 Feb 2006 Posts: 874 Location: Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil	Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2022 1:14 am
	maxxoccupancy wrote haroldoop wrote Emrabt wrote That said, I absolutely think it's perfect for beat 'em ups, and have said so in the past. Imagine streets of rage 2 with double sized characters. I believe one of the GG ports of Streets of Rage has an option to use zoomed sprites; it's optional, it looks ugly, but it's there. Where do you find this? I'm playing the GG SOR, and I don't see anything in the options menu. Is this an option for only one port? I may be misremembering... can't find this information anywhere, either. One other game that has optional sprite zooming is VR Troopers for the GG: in the options screen, there's an option named "Sizes", that can be set to "Normal" or "Giant". VR Troopers (USA, Europe)-1.png (8.43 KB)

sverx Joined: 05 Sep 2013 Posts: 3828 Location: Stockholm, Sweden	Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2022 10:29 am
	maxxoccupancy wrote Kagesan wrote Not to rain on your parade, but there's a reason why SMS games never used the sprite scaling feature: It doesn't work consistently across all VDP iterations. NOOOOOO!!! Why must you crush my dreams?! The truth is that sprite 2× zooming is a mess. You get it fully working only on SMS II (or on newer VDPs SMS) or on the Game Gear. On the older VDP (the SMS I, let's say) you have it working only partially, that means that if you can ensure that there are no more than 4 sprites on any scanline you will have it working fine otherwise the poor 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th sprite on a scanline won't be properly zoomed horizontally (but will be zoomed vertically anyway). And if this wasn't enough, this feature is not present on the Genesis/MegaDrive. You don't get any zoomed sprite at all, that VDP register bit is simply ignored.

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