Difference between revisions of "Color Graphics Adapter"

From TheAlmightyGuru
Jump to: navigation, search
Line 1: Line 1:
An '''''Color Graphics Adapter (CGA)''''' is a piece of hardware developed by [[IBM]] and sold in 1981, which gave IBM personal computers 4-bit color text and 2-bit color graphics capabilities. It was superseded in 1984 by the [[Enhanced Graphics Adapter]] (EGA) which added 4-bit color in graphics modes and higher graphic resolutions.
+
The '''''Color Graphics Adapter (CGA)''''' is a piece of hardware developed by [[IBM]] and first sold in 1981 which gives an IBM personal computer limited color graphics capabilities. It was superseded in 1984 by the [[Enhanced Graphics Adapter]] (EGA) which added superior color graphic capabilities.
  
CGA supports two text modes with 4-bit color, and three graphics modes: 160x100 at 4-bit color, 320x200 at 2-bit color, and 640x200 at 1-bit color. Also, CGA graphics could be sent to an NTSC television which caused heavy artifacting due to poor color handling. Although this was technically unwanted, special manipulation of the graphics could actually allow thousands of different colors to be seen.
+
CGA supports two text modes with 4-bit color, and three graphics modes: 160x100 at 4-bit color, 320x200 at 2-bit color, and 640x200 at 1-bit color. Also, CGA graphics could be sent to an NTSC television. Although the poor color handling of the NTSC signal caused artifacting, this could be manipulated to allow hundreds of colors beyond CGA specifications.
  
Because CGA graphics were already on the way out by the time I started getting into computers, only the older less-impressive games I played utilized CGA.
+
By the time I got into computers, EGA was already standard, and VGA graphics had just been introduced, so the games that used CGA looked pretty dated, and I wasn't very interested in them. However, there were some that were just so fun, I saw past the poor color quality.
  
* [[:Category: 2-bit Color Graphics]]
+
==Games==
 +
:''All games that used [[:Category: 2-bit Color Graphics|2-bit Color]]''
 +
 
 +
These are games I liked that utilized CGA graphics:
 +
 
 +
* [[4x4 Off-Road Racing]]
 +
* [[King's Quest]]
 +
* [[King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne]]
 +
* [[King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human]]
 +
* [[Sopwith]]
 +
* [[Space Quest I: The Sarien Encounter]]
 +
* [[Space Quest II: Volhaul's Revenge]]
 +
* [[You Have to Win the Game]] (Simulated)
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==

Revision as of 15:50, 15 January 2018

The Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) is a piece of hardware developed by IBM and first sold in 1981 which gives an IBM personal computer limited color graphics capabilities. It was superseded in 1984 by the Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) which added superior color graphic capabilities.

CGA supports two text modes with 4-bit color, and three graphics modes: 160x100 at 4-bit color, 320x200 at 2-bit color, and 640x200 at 1-bit color. Also, CGA graphics could be sent to an NTSC television. Although the poor color handling of the NTSC signal caused artifacting, this could be manipulated to allow hundreds of colors beyond CGA specifications.

By the time I got into computers, EGA was already standard, and VGA graphics had just been introduced, so the games that used CGA looked pretty dated, and I wasn't very interested in them. However, there were some that were just so fun, I saw past the poor color quality.

Games

All games that used 2-bit Color

These are games I liked that utilized CGA graphics:

Links