Can playfield pixels be 2 color clocks wide instead of 4?

[+Random Terrain]

Related bB thread:

 

 

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Nope. 

 

What you can do is changing the colors mid PF pixel. But that's in intervals of 3 pixel (= 1 CPU cycle).

[Mr SQL]

Yes there have been two ways to do this, @eshu created an algorithm to shift the playfield but I think there were issues replicating this technique with some TIA revisions. 

 

I also split the playfield pixels in my Fluid City game demo for SillyVenture 2019 1st place entry:

SillyVenture Fluid City BASIC Demo - batari Basic - AtariAge Forums

 

This effect is a visual illusion, you will notice the split pixels have 1/2 the intensity adding shading Fx to the split pixels too!  

 

Play the demo game on CRT to best see the effect. Throwing the BW switch will double the speed and the split pixels will instantly vanish.

 

It's worth noting I am using 8 color clocks to create phatter tile pixels, so 4 color clock phantom pixels emerge. The technique would work just as well with 4 color clock pixels where we would see 2 color clock phantom pixels with similar shading.

 

The phantom 1/2 size pixels are created by a doubled frame during animation, in this case 30 Hz animation rendered at 60 Hz. 

It may be possible to create smaller phantom pixels, the science is intriguing.