/gray-quest

Small test for Playdate grayscale

Primary LanguageLuaMIT LicenseMIT

Gray Quest

This is a little experimental method on obtaining gray pixels on the Playdate. Done out of curiosity and fun.

It’s just a static image, you can change the FPS by urning the crank.

It really only looks good on playdate (not on the simulator).

What is happening:

  • We’re essentially cutting the PD’s resolution in half, using a pixel grid of 2x2 for every game pixel.
  • Gray pixels are defined using a checkerboard pattern that flips or inverts, every frame update. Giving a smoother gray perception at lower FPS compared to just turning the black pixels on a dither pattern on and off.

Upsides:

  • Gray looks nice.
  • Potentially usable on an actual game.

Downsides:

  • Really only lets you use 3 colors ,black, 50% gray, and white. (25% and 75% gray tones are somewhat possible, but they look a little janky and distracting)
  • Potential flashing if the frame rate drops.