The Last Squadron is probably the best shmup for 8-bit Atari computers. That’s what I’ve heard. I was honored to do a title screen for the game. Today I present to you a Commodore plus/4 version of the same pic. Who knows maybe the game will come to C+4 too one day 😉
The C+4 version is on the left. Atari on the right. I’m aware that A8 version could add few colors and be more colorful here and there but TBH the G2F gfx mode is really hardcore to pixel. basically what you have to do as a pixel artist is to plan ahead how to use raster line colors. At least this is how I do it… On C+4 on the other hand you have the color attributes for each 4×8 pixel cell + the MFLI color mode. It’s too technical to explain so let’s assume The possibilities are almost limitless… sort off…
If you ask me how do I do these Atari pixel art here’s answer… When I start I threat them as a C64 image and do my regular routine Photoshop -> Timanthes and work on them as regular C64 image.
Then Timanthes comes to use and I simply recolor them. For Atari image the next step is G2F tool (on Windows) and for C+4 I finish it off while staying in Timanthes. Then I convert the C+4 image with a plus4conv from plus4emu package, which is a story to tell separately on some other occasion…
C+4 file download here: