Color depth questions

[HristosKo34]

If I choose the 8-bit color depth (you know....in the general settings) can I display simultaneously 256 colors?
What do I have to know if I use the 8-bit color depth?
Space Quest IV & King's Quest V (floppy disk version) (SCI v.1.0), what color depth use?

[Crimson Wizard]

If I choose the 8-bit color depth (you know....in the general settings) can I display simultaneously 256 colors?

8-bit graphics mean you will have 256 colors max for every given moment. Yes, you will be able to display all 256 at once.
You also will have an option to change palette during game, replacing some colors in palette with a new color. This will change the look of all your graphics on screen real-time.

[Khris]

The downside is that semi-transparency won't work.
You'll also have to manage the colors yourself, meaning that you can't just go ahead and draw characters and rooms using whatever colors you want, even if you stay under the count of 256, because if they are using different palettes, the character ends up having the wrong colors.

It is not recommended for beginners, and like CW said the only advantage are palette effects like color-cycling. (Think the waterfalls in Indy4).