<i>i want to thank all the people that used some of their time for reading, commenting and posting on the other 3 posts i've made so far. I have been wondering for long if to keep writing my articles or not, and i was a little disappointed in the low response of them, but seeing one of the 3 topics getting 100+ views and after being asked by graciano1337 to go on, i'm here back on my keyboard! <b>karsten</b></i> So let's go on with the article (as usual it'll be LONG): <b>karsten's videogaming talks Vol.4: “Improving your videogaming experience"</b> This article will give you all some suggestions that came out from my 15+ years of videogame playing history. Many of this suggestions might seem really silly, but i'll put here all that i can think off, and you all are welcome to add some suggestions to the big list. The main point of this list is to keep it all everything simple and as much as possible low cost; surely a 18000$ BOSE surround system can improve your gaming experience, but is it possible for everybody to buy one? I think you got the idea So let's start. <b>Video Related Issues: Hooking up the machine</b> This is an obvious point. The games you play are displayed somewhere, be it a TVC, a LCD tv, a PC monitor or even your room's walls if you have a projector. Whatever is the method you are using, what will make the image look good is the machine's output. Modern (from the 1990 on) machines usually have a vast array of ways to be hooked up to your display; -RF switch -composite (those 3 red-yellow-white jacks) -Composite SCART -S Video (S-video Jack + red and white jacks) -SCART RGB -Component Cable (the one with red-green-blue jacks) -DVI -HDMI other ways are possible too. One of the first important things to understand is that the video quality is not something to joke about. For example, if you'll hook your machine with a composite cable and put the game in pause, you'll be able to see the picture on screen "moving", expecially the red colors. Well, this degradation of the video signal doesn't allow your machine to show its real potential, since the image will be tiring for the eyes (nowadays i can't play anything on composite cables for more than 30mins...) and the colors won't be as the game programmers planned. Now all of these can be avoided easily buy buying a cable that can output RGB signal to your display. The colors will be brighter, the image will be as stable as looking at your pc's monitor or to normal tv shows. Well, this GREAT improvement (trust me, if your are always using composite cables and you'll try a RGB one, you'll never go back) will be available only if: 1)you'll buy a scart RGB cable, a component cable, DVI or HDMI one. 2)if your screen/tv set can output it For old consoles (up to playstation) any one of the already mentioned cables are ok since they all output RGB, but for more modern consoles, that can output resolutions bigger than the normal ones (i.e. HD contents) you'll need a component, dvi or HDMI cable, otherwise your video signal, while still in RGB will be limited to a resolution of 720x instead of the HD ones of 1280x and 1980x. A small thing must be said about RGB SCART; be SURE of 2 things before getting one; 1) that the cable is a real RGB one, since there are SCART cables that are NOT RGB 2) that your tv set can accept RGB signal. If you have bought a RGB SCART cable, and you see no benefit, before swearing around try to plug the cale in all the different SCARTs, since some tv sets have 2 or 3 SCARTs, but only 1 or 2 can display RGB signal. COST of the operation: for RGB scart cables for most consoles from snes to playstation 2 expect to pay less than 10$. for composite cables, a little more around 12-15, and for HDMI up to 20 or more AH, one last thing about cables; the component ones, really often doesn't bring audio! If you need AUDIO IN you should search for a cable with 5 jacks (3video+2audio)! <i>But what if my console doesn't have for sale RGB cables?</i> Well, never surrender! Even tought many console had no RGB cables in sale, they were still able to output an RGB signal, so if you are good at soldering your can get a decent video signal even out of your NES. On the net There are many tutorials about this topic! <b>Miscellaneous Video Related Issues: 50/60Hz, lightning, color corrections</b> So, let's start from the infamous 50/60hz matter. So in short, part of the world uses PAL signal, the other one uses NTSC. These 2 video broadcast signals differ in resolution and screen refresh rate. Some of you might wonder "what's the point? we are talking about games!". Well, the point is that the console sold in PAL territories were modified so that all the games would run in PAL. That would not be a problem if the videogames programmers wouldn't be ******** lazy, and would modify their games. Well their solution was to not mod anything, and output the signal at a lower refresh rate by slowing down the whole console. This is the reason for the infamous black borders and smashed aspect ratio of almost all the games released in europe for 10+ years! So almost all the PAL games have black borders and are 20% slower in gameplay. For a dedicated player this is inacceptable! The solutions? Well if your tv set can display NTSC signal (in short is MULTISTANDARD almost all are nowadays), always buy the USA or JAP version of the console. This is not always true, since the Playstation 1 can output both NTSC and PAL signal; that is chosen by the data on the being disc played, but sadly is not true for the Sega Saturn for example. So first of all gather info on your console; if you still have to buy it, consider buying a NTSC model, or ELSE build yourself a 50/60Hz switch. Many tutorials are available on the net; a 50/60Hz switch on your PAL snes will allow you to play your PAL games fullscreen and at full speed. COST of the operation: well if you still have to buy your machine, choosing to buy an NTSC one costs no extra. Building your 50/60hz switch is close to zero too. Next, a really overlooked thing; the lighting. Well it might be silly to say but one of the most spoiling thing when playing are reflexes on your screen. Make sure that there are no, move curtains to avoid it or install them if you don't have any. Also playing in complete darkness; even tought you might think it helps getting more involved, usually your tv settings are not suitable for playing in the dark, and your eyes will be strained soon. Using a really low light in the room it's always advisable. For color correction, we have to stated that not all the poeple have the same taste, but for sure we can say that all the tv that are sold (expecially costy LCD ones) have their color fucked up so that thay can stand their competitors while being exposed in the shop. Color tuning is a long and boring process. You can Have professional doing it for you with special machine for a 200$... But as always i prefer to do it myself My way of tuning is like this (IN SHORT!). Have your display show a picture of a Wedding dress. Yes the white one. Make the brighteness of the screen at max and start lowering step by step until you can see well the embroiderings on it. Next take a pic of a rose with green leaves. Put Red at max and start decreasing until the color is defined (I.e. you can see shadows on petals) and doesn't "bleed" on the green leaves. Next take a pic of a lady half or completely Naked (completely is better ), and start moving the contrast until your lady's skin tone looks natural. Lastly take a pic with some colors and blacks too. Tune the backlight of your screen so that the black are blacks. This should more or less help your setups. Obviously you'll find yourself working more on your tune to have it satisfy you but that is just normal. In case everything looks like shit go back to a previous display option . Obviously trying your display inner setup is always worth it. Same games too have their own display setup for brightness; it's a good idea to tune it accordingly. <b>Audio Section</b> Yes, audio is an important part of games.The very least you can wish for is to have a good stereo Tv set, but obviously that is not the best way to enjoy your game's beautiful score... This section gives suggestion for people not willingly to spend much for improving their audio setup and that doesn't have their consoles hooked up to they stereos or dolby surround speakers. First of all, the cheapest method is to just setup your tv speakers; usually the speakers are set with too low bass settings and the scores sound too much "live" like. Also if you are not alone, closing your door and windows to avoid uneeded noises can be a good idea; always better than competing noises with volume. As a rule, the higher your volume setup, the worst the sound is outputted. Now, what would you say, if i were to tell you that with around 40$ you can drammatically improve your audio experience when playing games, indipendently of the console your are playing and its hook-ups? Interesting right? Well it was a great revelation for me too Just buy a set of good quality 2.1 computer speakers! For 40E i have bought a Creative set of 2 Speakers + subwoofer of EXCELLENT quality. How to hook it up to your console? Well, there's no way! Just hook it to your Tv set's headset plug! The quality will be surprisingly great (after all the plug on your PC is the same as the one on your TV set and nobody ever complained, right?). The 2 Speakers are able to output great stereo sound with a really wonderful R/L channel separation, the sound will be perfectly clean and your subwoofer will take great care of loud sounds and sound effects. I really suggest you all to try before criticizing, because the effect while playing will be really astonishing. Some examples to try? 1) Persona 3. Start the game and listen to the intro music (not the one on the FMV) to understand what the music composer meant the song to really be. 2) Valkyrie profile: Silmeria. The soundtrack won't even seem the same. try walking around in the dungeon with the water flowing at the entrance. 3) Load up any RPG with a great soundtrack like FFX; even SNES games gets a notable boost! Super Turrican comes to mind. Vagrant Story too. If you are interested in this, you can first try with your pc speakers, but you'll probably end up buying a new pair Some recommandations in case you are thinking of buying a new 2.1 set to enjoy your games: 1) Choose a set with adeguate power; as i stated it's better not to have your tv, nor your speakers volume too high, otherwise the audio will get distorted. 2) More famous brands are almost always better than unknown ones, no matter if on the box the info claim the unknown ones have more power 3) Choose a set that have adjustable subwoofer volume. In case you are wondering what is my set, here you can find the infos about it: http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=4&subcategory=789&product=15773 (no i'm not getting anything from them ) This speakers are cheap, small, provide great stereo separation and have a subwoofer that will make your neightbours come and complain. <b>Game confort section</b> What about this? Beside obvious things, like having a confortable sitting place, a beer close to you etc etc there's one overlooked thing. For improving your enjoyment of what you are playing is really important to use confortable tools. With this i mean that using 3rd party cheap control pads is usually not a good investment for your confort and enjoyment, but also that is a great idea, and relatively cheap to keep using your favorite controller from one console of your choice to another. For example, no matter how much i like my Dreamcast, i'll always hate its controller, that is too darn small for my hands. This is just an example, sure, but keep in mind that many adapters for using your favorite gamepad on other console are available, and that most of the pads can be modded to work in any other machine. For example i love to play my SNES games using a Playstation pad, so much i got used to it and my enjoyment is really improved thanks to the familiar feeling of a friendly pad. The cost of most dapters is around 10-12$. DIY solutions are easy and almost costless. Another thing that can help the game confort, albeit maybe it shouldn't be covered in this article (due to higher costs) is the chance that has been opened on many consoles to use HDs to store and load your games (bought i hope). This can drammatically improve game confort (beside saving your laser) by shortening loading times for certain games that suffer a lot in the game experience by long waits, like Fighters and RPG games. <b>Miscellaneous Suggestions</b> The time you are playing is really important for certain kind of games that are heavily story driven like RPGs. It's a really good idea to play such games only when you have the actual time to sit, listen, read and enjoy the game story and musics. A common problem is the "dinner (or launch) ready" one. I guess this happened to everybody here; nothing is worst for your game's enjoyment than abrupt interruption in your gaming. Rushing the play to get to eat is always a mistake since it won't allow you to enjoy either food or your game. So my suggestion is to cut slices of REAL free time to play the games you like or you are really into. If you have little time, instead of playing 20 mins of lost Odissey, why not kicking some asses in KOF or shooting down some aliens in Galaga? Another thing that i REALLY can't stand is playing with walkthrough open. NOW THIS IS HATEFUL. There are 2 kind of games; those you like for real and that you'll play over again (FFT in my case) and those that you play, more or less like (or dislike) and never touch anymore. If you actually like the game it's pure madness taking out the pleasure of going on on your own, discovering thing, and managing the game's difficulties alone until you manage to finish the game. AFTERWARDS, if you like the game a lot you might be in the mood to play it over again, and THIS SECOND time can be a good time to check a guide to see, enjoy, and find all the things you missed due to the game designer's evilness By playing with walkthrough in your hands, you are immediatly draining the game you are playing of all the exploration, magic, secrets, effort. Even the most beautiful game, after being completed on first playthrought with a guide won't be touched again. Many say that they do so because they have little time and so many games are out. SILLYNESS. Gaming is about enjoyment. Gaming is an experience. Rushing to game completion is exactly like changing your pleasure INTO A WORK. Never play a game with a schedule in mind (i have to finish this in 4 days because fater that Halo7 is out!). This way you'll get pleasure of the games you have, sure, maybe you won't be always the first amongst your friends finishing the last game, but you'll have actually played and enjoyed it. <b><i>karsten</b></i> PS: Many other ways to improve your gaming experience exist; these ones are just the ones that came to my mind, for they have all drammatically improved my enjoyment. Let us know about them, come comment, add and post!
I agree with this...it has become natural for me to sit and enjoy a few levels of Donkey Kong Country or a round of Bakraid, knowing that I will likely be interupted (instead of trying to play an rpg). It is also a more enjoyable experience...that sense of accomplishment I presume,...the feeling of progress in that style of game can be achieved in mere minutes. Not to say that I do not like more "in depth" games,..I would just like to devote the time and attention to them that I used to. I started playing Chrono Trigger a week ago, but have not touched it since because I am not in the right mindset with the right amount of time to enjoy it.
karsten, I didnt had the chance to take the time to have a look at the other articles, but this one rocks
you can always get in the other topic, read, suggest and comment! this is the point of my efforts so far.
Great article. I'm also often trying to improve my videogame experience with the methods you described. One thing that came to my mind which you don't mention has to do with the sound. You say it's good to have nice speakers and stuff, thats true of course, but beside sound quality you should also try to eliminate "other" sound-sources, which don't belong to the game. For example I'm always disturbed by the noise coming from my PC (which is next to the TV while playing), or when there are some loud childrens outside (since we live near a playground) and things like that. Now I cannot eliminate the children but at least I can close the windows etc.
Wonderful read. My favourite setup for having a great gaming is: - RGB cable (if you live in a place with no RGB, get a RGB to component (Y Pb Pr, green, blue, red), converter, the image quality is incredible). - My Creative speakers. - Neo Geo AES pad. I've made adapters for basically every system I play since I love arcade sticks. I recommend to any arcade lover to get an arcade stick with good parts (be it Sanwa for the JP lovers or Mag Sticks for the US/EU lovers), it really improves gaming a lot, thanks to it I enjoy games a lot more now.
a small update that might be of great interest; on chip.de website is available for free download an NRG file that is made on purpouse to help you setting up your tv set. i have yet to try it but here is the link: http://www.chip.de/downloads/c1_downloads_hs_getfile_v1_30198802.html?t=1215203022&v=3600& i'll download it and make test soon. i posted the link in case it would go down soon or be taken off in days. karsten PS glad to see you liked it andoba
Thank-you for the advice on the color correction. I think I agree about the comments regarding strategy guides and walk-throughs. Indeed, gaming should not be a chore and something to be rushed (ideally). Hopefully one will enjoy the game enough to play through it will the guide again. If not...Then don't purchase the guide until you know that you enjoy it (if you are not a guide collector), or else there will need to be some serious introspection on whether you have good reasons to believe that you won't ever want to play the game through again and if you are a completionist--a disease which I once suffered from.
