Isometric sprite based games.

[TkSilver]

I have been using the android version of ppsspp for a long while and just built an emulation PC. I can more or less get the 3d games I tested (valkyria chronicles 2/3 and phantasy star portable 2) to look really nice but I don't know what combination of enhancements to use on disgaea 1/2 (I am guessing that the other NIS games will be the same).

Any recomemdations on settings for these types of games would be greatly appreciated.

[Asferot]

To be honest, using a lot of filters and such in sprite based games only makes sprites look like a colorful blotch of mess.
There are no filters to make them look much better. Unless you actually like overfiltered mess.

[TkSilver]

Thank you for your answer. It is good to know it was not just something I was just not getting right.

[LunaMoo]

I disagree, if this is about scaling algorithms if anything it would be opposite since most of those out there were designed for fairy low res anime-like/cartoonish 2D graphics. They make textures over 3D graphics clearer as well due to texture scaling feature, but most of the time not fitting the art style.
In games like Disgaea however which do have cartoonish graphics, they're doing exactly what they were designed for.

I would not recommend using scaling shaders here since those look bad in cases of:
- 3D graphics,
- stretched 2D graphics,
- non animated, but moving 2D objects.
All of which happen in Disgaea which isn't even native to psp, but a badly downscaled PS2 game with a lot of zooming in it's gameplay.

However texture scaling does look fine, we also have texture replacement using which you can archieve as good results as your graphic skills are and as much time you're willing to spend on it, even creating complete HD remaster. Can also be mixed with automatic scaling to just correct stuff that looks bad with xBRZ.

So basically best results will require manual work or endless waiting for someone else doing it and releasing HD texture pack;p. But I would say even using just the usual render res + texture scaling + some basic downscaling shader, makes a huge difference over not doing anything.

Small comparison based on D2:
(click to open in full res)
Unfiltered original graphics:


Standard: Render res + xBRZ combo + some subtle post process effects


Same as above, but with heavy filter to further hide some ugliness caused by increased render res(ie font underscore artifacts) and smooth things out



Maybe for some people that is a "colorful blotch of mess", but looking at those features popularity, I recon most would rather play one of the 2 with scaled graphics than counting pixels(nostalgia? no way if you're playing on few inch screen you were not counting pixels!). Or alternative abusing linear screen scaling filter(which is on by default) which ends up just blurry, yet still having graphics made in big square technology aka low res or using just high render res which while not as blurry, will still suffer from both: artifacts and low res sprites. :]

[Asferot]

Sorry, Luna, but I consider filtering like that bad. I never understood every ones obsession with such heavy filtering.
And. Your unfiltered sample looks different from my unfiltered output...