MiSTer FPGA Forum

I compiled a custom build of ao486 that gives the option to set the screen to a monochrome display (e.g. green or amber),
simulating the monitor output of earlier XT / AT era computers.

You can find it here: viewtopic.php?p=56167#p56167

For very early PC games, a 8088 core (PCXT) is in development by spark2k06: viewtopic.php?t=4680
which includes a real CGA implementation and eventually a Tandy mode and 7Mhz clock speeds.

But for some games that came a bit later that need a bit more Mhz, the ao486 core is still too fast even at lowest cache and clock settings.
For those CPU sensitive games, the monochrome mode and a slowdown utility (further down the same thread) gives you an experience close to the original setup of a monochrome 286 machine.

The monochrome (amber/green) screens I remember didn't do gradients very well. That was more the area of what was called VGA Paperwhite monitors in the early 90's but those weren't green or amber.

Bas wrote: ↑Sun Jul 17, 2022 11:00 am That was more the area of what was called VGA Paperwhite monitors in the early 90's but those weren't green or amber.

There is also a black & white mode and some other variants (some real, others made up as an experiment).

Indeed different monochrome colors work better for some games/color than others.

Bas wrote: ↑Sun Jul 17, 2022 11:00 am The monochrome (amber/green) screens I remember didn't do gradients very well. That was more the area of what was called VGA Paperwhite monitors in the early 90's but those weren't green or amber.

Gradients appear when selecting a vga or ega graphics card. If you choose a cga graphics card, you will get a screen similar to the monchrome monitor you remember from the past.