Black Borders

[Scribe99]

When you start a game of 94 in gens, any window size, the title screen and team select screens take up the entire window. However, once you start playing the actual game, the gameplay screen is centered and you have black borders around the window. If I select stretch under video options it corrects this problem, but I'm wary of stretching the image because I feel the control is a bit different. And I think it's still playing in the incorrect aspect ratio. When I've loaded other games such as Sonic, I never see black borders like that.

What is the deal with those? Is that an issue with the rom? I'm attempting to play the game on the correct 4:3 ratio but when I set the correct window size for that aspect, I'm playing with black borders and the game centered.

[edit] noticed that when I play the game on KEGA it does not have this issue.

[wboy]

When you start a game of 94 in gens, any window size, the title screen and team select screens take up the entire window. However, once you start playing the actual game, the gameplay screen is centered and you have black borders around the window. If I select stretch under video options it corrects this problem, but I'm wary of stretching the image because I feel the control is a bit different. And I think it's still playing in the incorrect aspect ratio. When I've loaded other games such as Sonic, I never see black borders like that.

What is the deal with those? Is that an issue with the rom? I'm attempting to play the game on the correct 4:3 ratio but when I set the correct window size for that aspect, I'm playing with black borders and the game centered.

[edit] noticed that when I play the game on KEGA it does not have this issue.

the genesis's hardware supports two resolutions... 320x224... used by the opening two menu screens and others in 94... and 256x224, used by the title screen and rink in 94.

Gens in full screen mode runs at 640x480, but by default does not stretch the image.. only doubles the zoom as such. Kega on the other hand stretches it.... thus mimicking its appearance on a TV. Gens does support stretching as well IIRC. Check the menus.

[Scribe99]

the genesis's hardware supports two resolutions... 320x224... used by the opening two menu screens and others in 94... and 256x224, used by the title screen and rink in 94.

Gens in full screen mode runs at 640x480, but by default does not stretch the image.. only doubles the zoom as such. Kega on the other hand stretches it.... thus mimicking its appearance on a TV. Gens does support stretching as well IIRC. Check the menus.

Ok that makes sense if its native resolution is 256x244. I'm just wondering why, when you play the console version on a TV, borders aren't placed around the picture. I assume the answer is that the TV stretches the resolution ... but it seems odd that the gameplay was programmed like that rather than in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio.

[wboy]

Ok that makes sense if its native resolution is 256x244. I'm just wondering why, when you play the console version on a TV, borders aren't placed around the picture. I assume the answer is that the TV stretches the resolution ... but it seems odd that the gameplay was programmed like that rather than in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio.

Yes, the NTSC/PAL output encoder chips/circuitry would effectively be hardware stretching the image.

The reason for its use.... limited tile numbers available in the VDP graphics memory of the Genesis.

Remember in-game all rink tiles, active animations (player and crowd), center ice logo's etc. are loaded at the same time. Even though they are only storing the optimized tile set (1 of each where possible), such size limitations with the active graphics memory is what most likely forced them to use 256x224.