CMI ScummVM Graphical Filtering Comparisons

[Scummbuddy]

I've been looking to introduce Curse of Monkey Island to my wife and while I think the original CMI can look beautiful, perhaps some graphical upgrades may improve the enjoyment for a new player now that we're in the future year of 2021.

Along with AndywinXp's new work on fixing iMuse issues within CMI and ScummVM, I wanted to test out the two current options for improving the looks of CMI within ScummVM compared to the standard edition.

• 0. No Filter.
• 1. Graphical Filtering (ScummVM built-in smoothing).
• 2. Experimental xBRZ add-on for ScummVM (Written up by Dimi on Steam, using the "xBRZ" filter by Zenju)

 

Comparing the Difficulty screens:

• 0 and 1 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=357b115a-4d54-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df
• 0 and 2 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=709b23c2-4d56-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df
• 1 and 2 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=123c35b8-4d57-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df

 

Comparing the LucasArts Presents Map:

• 0 and 1 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=505a378c-4d57-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df
• 0 and 2 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=6b8d6e70-4d57-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df
• 1 and 2 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=8581193a-4d57-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df

 

Comparing the Part One screens:

• 0 and 1 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=0a4d4696-4d5a-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df
  • (NOTE: I was also preparing to compare the "Part 1" screen but I couldn't get a proper screenshot of that when using the xBRZ filter for some reason.)

 

Comparing the Guybrush and Wally dialog screens - Probably Most Interesting One

• 0 and 1 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=aed24c28-4d57-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df
• 0 and 2 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=cb13434c-4d57-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df
• 1 and 2 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=2b74bcc0-4d58-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df
  • (NOTE: Differences in spacing of "Hello. Please don't kill me." is likely due to ScummVM engine being used follwoing the xBRZ tutorial.)

 

Comparing the Inventory screens:

• 0 and 1 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=6f31066c-4d58-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df
• 0 and 2 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=7d5891d8-4d58-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df
• 1 and 2 - https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=9d420ace-4d58-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df

 

 

So far, as I have been playing with this, I feel that the simpler ScummVM Graphic Filtering choice from within it's Loader is the best. The animated cutscenes seemed to suffer more under the xBRZ filter and turned moving items into colored blobs. For instance, during the opening cinematic, as we're zooming in on Monkey Island, the "carnival" on the right-side is a blur until we've zoomed in enough that it is showing in better resolution and moving less. I don't have my capture cards up and running just yet in order to show this visually, but if there's interest I can see about doing so after I move houses.

 

Maybe more to come? Also, you can make your own, free, lovely comparisons at https://juxtapose.knightlab.com/

 

 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Scummbuddy
Removing attached image.

[Lagomorph01]

I understand people wanting to play the games in a higher res, and the results are impressive. However, for me the ‘blob’ look is less aestethically pleasing than the pixel look. It somehow always feels like a compromise.

I remember someone using the same technique to upres the CMI intro movie, and, to me, it only made the intro more wobbly and noisy.
 

I applaud the effort, and anyone who’s spends so much time on these classics is a top player in my book, but I’ll stick to the pixel look for my playthroughs. (Unless somehow a special edition is made that is up to snuff.)

[ThunderPeel2001]

Personally it's give me pixels or nothing. I don't like any filters on retro games. I think your eyes adjust to pixels after a while.

 

That said I do like the AI upscales of CMI's backgrounds. I'd love to see them added one day.

Edited January 7, 2021 by ThunderPeel2001

[OzzieMonkey]

I posted this in the comments where Andywinxp posted about his iMuse fixes but it ocurred to me that article is too old for people to go back to and see, so I'm posting it here. 

"So I've done some more testing, and there seems to be a bug in the music. Sometimes, when the music is transitioning from one track to another, the previous track continues to play, or it transitions to the start of the next song rather than whatever the track's up to. For example, in the Barbery Coast, when you finish talking to one Rottingham, it transitions to the main theme but keeps playing the Rottingham version. I also noticed that when Guybrush comes back from the Plunder beach to the Voodoo Lady's after finding Elaine's been kidnapped, it keeps playing the generic Plunder beach theme over the top of the Voodoo Lady's theme. This seems to only happen when you've been playing the game from the start, as I've tested it using a save and it doesn't happen. I don't know how many other times this may occur as I didn't get that far but it seems like there might just be a bug in the fix that needs to be ironed out."

[Lagomorph01]

Hey OzzieMonkey, thanks for the update on the project! I'm actually waiting to replay CMI until these bugs are fixed, so I can play it with the music like it's supposed to be. So I just wanted to tell you how awesome of a job you're doing!

 

Next time, maybe it would be a good idea to open up a new thread for this, as I think these two topics are too unrelated (the reply's might get mixed up this way).

 

Keep up the good work!

[AndywinXp]

Thanks for the bug report @OzzieMonkey! Have you been using the latest dev build? Please try that one and tell me if it happens again

(I did start a new game on Android a few days ago, now I'm on Blood Island, and I didn't encounter this problem)

 

A little update on the ScummVM dev side: after this work was done (and there's still a Pull Request pending for Full Throttle) they asked me to go and properly decompile the original Digital iMUSE; this is gonna take A LOT. Luckily half the decompilation work was already done in 2008, but still, the hard part will be the integration of this old Windows based code with the current ScummVM one.

 

I'm hoping they'll be making a ScummVM release with the current fixes (which are good, but still a temporary viable solution), otherwise I'll see you guys in several months haha

 

EDIT: Next time, don't hesistate to send me a private message for other CMI-iMUSE related bug reports, so I won't miss it!

Edited January 21, 2021 by AndywinXp

[Kasenshlogga]

Hey, I made a reshade config for CMI that you mind find useful: https://forums.scummvm.org/viewtopic.php?p=88204#p88204

 

Example:

https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=d81f8744-680a-11eb-83c8-ebb5d6f907df

 

As you can see most of the dithering is reduced and the details are mostly preserved. Since it's Reshade based it only works on Windows, though.

 

 

[Lagomorph01]

I like the effort, Kasenshlogga, but like with most of these the end result looks way to blobby for me. And this one takes away way too much detail, if you ask me.

I'm really interested in these things, because I'd love a less compressed version of the artwork, but too me every attempt so far just doesn't look right to me. I'll stick with the pixelated, dithered look.