SNES Sprite Scaling on the Super Nintendo

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The Super Nintendo was one of the earlier home systems with sprite scaling capabilities. Eventually, cartridges would be made with special chips that enhance these effects even further. I thought about it because I was happy to find that sprite scaling was still in the SNES version of Art of Fighting. So, what are your personal favorite examples of sprite scaling on the Super Famicom?
Yoshis Island Nintendo GIF
 
No. Super Nintendo Entertainment System does not have sprite scaling abilities, and neither does Mega Drive for that matter.
Art of Fighting uses several, non sprite scaling tricks to achieve the faked version of same effect Neo Geo uses; true (one way) sprite scaling. One way because neo geo also cannot enlarge a sprite, it can only shrink one. Though, with arcade cartridges that would go to very massive sizes, the constraint was worth the space sacrificed.
Most other examples of "sprite scaling" are mode 7 backgrounds, which is in the most arse way to say "none of it is sprites". Mode 7 deals with background tiles that are by definition not sprites. There is few games though, where the effect is used on a boss monster or such, giving the illusion but it is not true sprite scaling, and with limitations. The funny trick with these inverse use situations is that sprites get used as fake background or such.

Only example you point out of SuperFX(2) being used as sprite accelerator is the only case of true sprite scaling on SNES, helped by additional hardware. 3D acceleration tends to do such effects manageable, as it does also add 3D shapes and objects as parts of some levels. Though, the fact that Yoshi's Island manages a lot of SuperFX accelerated stuff while maintaining 60fps is the true miracle. There is lot of simplification tricks to make every effect in the game run at the desired framerate. Optimization around SuperFX's relative slowness is next level on Yoshi's Island for sure.

This is to say; aside SuperFX and creative reverse uses of Mode 7, other types of sprite scaling is brute forced with code, not using any SNES specific graphical features to accelerate such. Or using existing feature set, that does not include sprite scaling, to fake it. Swapping sprites is very common, was even done on NES. One would likely say "what is the difference there? Fake sprite scaling is still sprite scaling and SNES did it?" but then we would have to also claim GameBoy has 3D acceleration capability because Faceball came for it. I would like to say GBA too, but it's CPU just competently makes it 3D capable. Not great at it but it can pull off Yoshi's Island, Doom even Duke Nukem 3D without additional helper chips. But we would still not call it 3D acceleration. This concedes a halfway for the claim though.

This video:
This channel in general with Sharopolis go into many examples and breakdown explanations of these impressive "impossible for device x" effects. There is a lot of really cool stuff achieved on 16bit generation.

I do think these are all clever and cool but I do have to debunk a sentence like "SNES has Sprite Scaling Capabilities" when normal understanding of that sentence would be wrong. As far as gaming devices went, sprite scaling hardware existed on arcade platforms, out of which Neo Geo is prominent one, as is Sega's various systems. 32x, Sega CD and Saturn are likely only home systems with straight out sprite scaling hardware capability, if we disqualify 3D(acceleration) as it's own thing, namely Playstation and any game on it.
 
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No. Super Nintendo Entertainment System does not have sprite scaling abilities, and neither does Mega Drive for that matter.
Art of Fighting uses several, non sprite scaling tricks and swaps between different sprites to achieve the faked version of same effect Neo Geo uses; true (one way) sprite scaling. One way because neo geo also cannot enlarge a sprite, it can only shrink one. Though, with arcade cartridges that would go to very massive sizes, the constraint was worth the space sacrificed.
Most other examples of "sprite scaling" are mode 7 backgrounds, which is in the most arse way to say that none of it is sprites; it is always background tiles that are by definition not sprites. There is few games though, where the effect is used on a boss monster or such, giving the illusion but it is not true sprite scaling, and with limitations.

The only example you showed; SuperFX(2) being used as sprite accelerator is only case of sprite scaling on the hardware. 3D acceleration tends to do such effects manageable, as it does add 3D shapes and objects as parts of some levels. Though, the fact yoshi's island manages a lot of SuperFX accelerated stuff while maintaining 60fps is the true miracle. There is lot of simplification tricks to make every effect in the game run at the desired framerate.

This is to say; aside SuperFX, and creative reverse uses of Mode 7, other types of sprite scaling is brute forced with code, not using any SNES specific graphical features to accelerate such. Or using existing feature set, that does not include sprite scaling, to fake it. Swapping sprites is very common, was even done on NES. One would likely say "what is the difference is there, fake sprite scaling is still sprite scaling?" but then we would have to also claim GameBoy has 3D acceleration because Faceball came for it. Or GBA, though, the explanation for GBA is simply capable enough CPU, same way DOOM and even Quake work on just the IBM CPU.

This video, and this channel in general with sharopolis does have many examples and breakdown explanations of these faked sprite scales. They all are really cool.

I do think these are all clever, hella cool but I do have to debunk a sentence like "SNES has Sprite Scaling Capabilities" when normal understanding of that sentence is wrong. As far as gaming devices went, sprite scaling hardware existed on arcade platforms, out of which Neo Geo is prominent, as is Sega's various systems. 32x, Sega CD and Saturn are likely only home systems with straight out sprite scaling hardware capability, if we disqualify 3D(acceleration) as it's own thing, namely Playstation and any game on it.
And this is EASILY one of the most informative posts I’ve seen in forever. I genuinely had no idea that instances of character scaling were only ever separate sprites, though I did know that many games would get clever with background layers for using mode 7 as a way of having “scaling” characters or objects.

All of this makes me wonder of the fate for this thread. If I could rename it then that’s the option I’d choose, but I don’t think that’s possible.
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If it’s possible, I have to ask why so many games struggled with “smooth scaling” while faking the effect? Space Harrier’s Mega Drive port comes to mind, since I’d love to know what it doesn’t do that a game like Panorama Cotton does.
 
And this is EASILY one of the most informative posts I’ve seen in forever. I genuinely had no idea that instances of character scaling were only ever separate sprites, though I did know that many games would get clever with background layers for using mode 7 as a way of having “scaling” characters or objects.

All of this makes me wonder of the fate for this thread. If I could rename it then that’s the option I’d choose, but I don’t think that’s possible.
Nah. I even was wrong the effect was bit different when I rewatched the explanation. You should watch the video I linked first if you are interested, it was something more of a line crunch or something in Art of Fighting specifically. One case I was thinking hard was likely MD Road Rash that has CPU coded scaling and different sets of sprites that use a rudimentary CPU driven scaling and different sets of sprites to give a full beautiful illusion of smooth scaling on Mega Drive.

All in all, the thread is not wrong, if I would add anything it's that "Faking" makes them more impressive in sense, not less. Cases where SNES "does" it is something to be appreciated even more for that, not less in my books. Just saying; in all technicalty and arseness; SNES (aside SuperFX) is not very if at all sprite scaling capable. There is also tons of same type of stuff done on it's competition too. If I piqued your interest, do watch White_Pointer Gaming and Sharopolis for some interesting videos on cool graphical achievements, including but not limited to "sprite scaling".

I am only, self admittedly, being an "acshually" arse to point out that the term "Sprite Scaling Capable" is about 33,333% true statement. And I think that makes the convincing instances of it even more amazing.
Heck, there is likely less games actually scaling sprites in hardware on SegaCD than there is very convincing fakes parading on SNES.
 
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For those who are keen to learn some more on the subject, I would suggest these excellent YT channels as well for breakdowns/explanations of retro game graphics, tricks and effects.

An actual game developper since the early 90s explains the tricks he used in some of his games. (Genesis/Megadrive mostly)

This one delves a bit more into the programming side of things as well

If you want to go even deeper in the programming hole. I am not a programmer myself, but still find it fascinating, entertaining and very educational.

For a plunge into 3D graphics, old and new.
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Now, to answer the original question, my favourite examples of "scaling" ;-> are the ones that came with my first game experiences with SNES, so mostly early games which were made to showcase as the SNES technical prowesses and made a lasted impression on me coming from the 8bit era. They're not always the best/most impressive, but they're the ones who blew my mind back then.

Title Screen Zooms ! :
Street Fighter 2 :
Soul Blazer, complete with sound slowdown :) :

Super Ghouls and Ghost : Zoom into the castle in intro

Super Castlevania 4 : Golem Boss

Contra 3 : The plane bombing of Level 1. This game was an absolute showcase, a constant visual and audio feast !

Last but not least, probably my favourite, the scalings of Samus's ships, the space station and Ridely in Super Metroid's intro.
 
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Now, to answer the original question, my favourite examples of "scaling"
Yeah. Those all are mode7 scaling. I did not give mode 7 it's kudos for sure, it is extremely capable tool that was used for many dramatic effects. Just, it was hard to use for something like a boss during gameplay. But not impossible. White_Pointer gaming's videos that delve into amazing mode 7 uses opens one's eyes to how versatile it really is. Even if you can scale a background "wallpaper" essentially, the ways you can perspective skew, split the screen, give very funky parameters and get disco results is amazing. Mode 7 is a scaling, and even more capable feature that nothing else on the market had. Even if it has limitations. Animating the background is one cool thing that can give different results.
I think what I seen, one of the R-Type games on SNES has very great looking boss fight against a mode 7 rotating and scaling boss, quite like Super Castlevania 4 does it.
I just forgot how many dramatic effects were done with mode 7 in such a transparent way compared to something like Mario Kart that of course people would say it had sprite scaling capability. It very much does have quite the hyper version of the Scaling and the Capability parts of that three word sentence.
 

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