Scanlines... Love 'em or hate 'em?

[MrOldSchoolCool]

Do you play all shmups with a scanline setup (when possible)?

A) I love scanlines
B) I hate scanlines
C) I'm indifferent.

[BIL]

I rove them <333

[KAI]

Hate 'em, games don't look good with them.

[Giest118]

No scanlines.

[cicada88]

A, of course

[rugdoctor]

Indifferent, sitting so close to the tv is not good for the eyes anyway.

[EmperorIng]

C) I suppose. While I love my WEGA Trinitron, and its clear, crystal-sharp picture, I mainly only care about the picture not being filtered and blurred. The appeal of scanlines for me has been to see every pixel (which is nice, don't get me wrong), but if the picture quality is good, it isn't a deal-breaker.

[AntiFritz]

If the options available I do, but I don't go out of my way for it.

[iconoclast]

A good scanline filter can look nice on a low-res game (Futari arcade mode), but I don't really care either way.

[beatsgo]

I don't mind. How I see it is if the game doesn't look refined without scanlines, then scanlines should be used. Otherwise there's no point.

[Hagane]

It all depends on what the game was designed for. Older games were made with scanlines in mind so they tend to look much better on a CRT, whereas high resolution games benefit from high resolution displays.

[Zengeku3]

I pick D for Ignorant.

[SuperDeadite]

If you're playing retro on a modern display, scanlines are required imo.
But as far as image quality is concerned, by cab equipped with an 18'' dual-sync is still the best looking picture I've ever seen in person. It has scanlines, but it's more like a grid, and due to the 18'' size the gaps are so small you wouldn't even see them unless you are looking for them. Tri-sync monitors have much thicker scanlines, and while they look good, no match for a dual-sync.

[Pteriforever]

I find them irritating because they confuse my eyes >_<

[Despatche]

the only point of scanlines is to respect the intended environment. that is a default, but it is not the only path.

[Softdrink 117]

I tend to like scanlines on games that were made for arcade hardware. It usually improves the experience dramatically, in my opinion. Ibara, for example, looks vastly better on a 15k monitor with scanlines. In some cases I even find that I feel more comfortable playing with scanlines on-- maybe the vertical grid helps me notice bullet motion more accurately on a subconscious level, or something to that effect.

However, it definitely depends on the game, and on whether it was designed to be displayed on a CRT. Many more recent shooters, like Ikaruga's HD port and Eschatos, look great on a high-resolution LCD.

[MrOldSchoolCool]

The only problem I have with the "it was designed with scanlines in mind" argument is that it's somewhat flawed logic. Retro games were designed with composite video in mind as well. Does that mean composite video is the best way to play the games? I suppose some people would make that argument.

[trap15]

Sometimes, the answer is yes. Sonic's waterfall rainbows, etc.

[cicada88]

Sonic's waterfall rainbows, etc.

are these real

[Skykid]

Scanlines are a requirement for classic gaming imo. I just prefer the original setup/look above anything else.

This is an off-topic topic btw.

[Jaimers]

I love looking through window shutters when I play video games.

[shmuppyLove]

I love looking through window shutters when I play video games.

[Jeneki]

It makes no difference to me. Once I'm in the zone, I stop noticing the presence or absence of scanlines. Also see 3d.

[Leader Bee]

Scanlines on original hardware but for emulation I generally avoid the option.
Smoothing however is something that should be made illegal.

[evil_ash_xero]

Scanlines on original hardware but for emulation I generally avoid the option.
Smoothing however is something that should be made illegal.

Funny, because on LCD screens I ALWAYS use smoothing. I don't use it on CRT though.

[brentsg]

The question is not clear. Some games were designed for a particular type of display, at a particular scan rate.. If they were designed for CRT display with scanlines, then they won't look right otherwise. If the assets of the game were designed for a progressive display, then it's fine.

[KennyMan666]

I don't care about it at all.

[Leader Bee]

i've just never found smoothing to look appealing in any format. If people like it, great, but it personally detracts from my enjoyment of a game

[evil_ash_xero]

i've just never found smoothing to look appealing in any format. If people like it, great, but it personally detracts from my enjoyment of a game

Well, what kind of smoothing are we talking about? Stuff like hi-res smoothing looks unbelievably bad. I have to use some sort of Bi-linear filtering, or Blargg's RGB stuff to make it look OK on a computer monitor. Those old graphics weren't meant to be so clear. But that's just my opinion.

However, if I don't slap some scanlines over the filtering, it does just look like vaseline is rubbed over the screen. I have to use both.

[Ed Oscuro]

Bilinear filtering is full-screen smoothing...do you mean something like the pixel filters, which were designed for the format in mind?

As far as I'm concerned, the main difference between 240p on a recent Sony Trinitron and MAME without bilinear filtering on an LCD (why oh god why is this enabled by default) is that there's a blank row between the lines of pixels on the tube. They can look good while being quite sharp, and I don't see what's gained by trying to eliminate the distinct character of pixels - that's making them indistinct and into something they never were previously. Also, not having the pixels sharp can be a distinct problem in many cases. On top of that, it just looks fuckin' ugly.