AuthorTopic: Graphics for a C64 game  (Read 18634 times)

Offline saimo

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Re: Sky for C64 game

Reply #20 on: September 27, 2010, 05:44:40 pm
One nitpick: I would not have the biggest dents anywhere at the corners where they touch the outlines ond the dark side on the right - looks odd.

Indeed it would be preferable to avoid that, but, on the other hand, it isn't terrible (I hope... or have I just grown used?).
The two solutions would be:
 * drawing the dents so that such problem never happens, which means restricting the size to 7x7, thus making the dents more similar to others - not good;
 * adding special checks in the code: easy and not much demanding computing-wise, but implicitly tied to the aspect of graphics, which is something I'd rather avoid at this stage since I'm not really sure the dents will stay forever.
But I'll keep in mind that people might be bothered and I'll re-evaluate the problem when the right time comes :)

Now I'll have to think of some animation for when the food is caught... sparking stars or something...

Offline Rydin

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Re: Sky for C64 game

Reply #21 on: September 28, 2010, 07:41:32 pm
Perpectively-speaking, it's feels like we can see the left side, front side, and right side all at once.
A potential solution is to think of each platform as its own three-dimensional object, facing at all sorts of different angles.  But never should we see two adjacent sides of the same object (because when in nature can you see both the front and back side of something?)
Man cannot remake himself without suffering for he is both the marble and the sculptor.

Offline saimo

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Re: Sky for C64 game

Reply #22 on: September 28, 2010, 08:39:17 pm
Perpectively-speaking, it's feels like we can see the left side, front side, and right side all at once.
A potential solution is to think of each platform as its own three-dimensional object, facing at all sorts of different angles.  But never should we see two adjacent sides of the same object (because when in nature can you see both the front and back side of something?)

Probably you're puzzled because you're thinking of the platforms as perfects parallelepipeds, but that's not what they're meant to be in the game - here's a possible interpretation seen from above:

Offline havocplague

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Re: Sky for C64 game

Reply #23 on: September 29, 2010, 10:55:55 pm
I might be missing something here, but isn't a hires-sprite two colors, one (transparent) background color, and one solid? I guess I'm just curious to see how you plan on doing the sprites in more than two colors?

Offline STE 86

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Re: Sky for C64 game

Reply #24 on: September 29, 2010, 11:50:59 pm
well, what you have to do is referred to as "hi res sprite overlay" which basically means you overlay 2 or more hires sprites to create a composite multicolour one.

if you do straight hires then u need 1 sprite per colour OR you can use 1 multicolour sprite with 3 colours and then overlay 1 hires sprite black outline to "clean up" its blocky edges.

either way its do-able given the assumption you have only you and 1 or 2 nasties on the same level.

HOWEVER, this method requires raster interrupts for graphic changes and i cant see that happening in basic. plus contending with the sprite MSB point after 256 pixels across is definitely not for the novice coder.

Steve
« Last Edit: September 30, 2010, 02:27:10 am by STE 86 »

Offline saimo

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Re: Sky for C64 game

Reply #25 on: September 30, 2010, 08:44:14 am
@ havocplague and STE 86

well, what you have to do is referred to as "hi res sprite overlay" which basically means you overlay 2 or more hires sprites to create a composite multicolour one.

Yes, correct.

Quote
if you do straight hires then u need 1 sprite per colour OR you can use 1 multicolour sprite with 3 colours and then overlay 1 hires sprite black outline to "clean up" its blocky edges.

This is correct, but not the only possibility. One can mix any number of sprites (up to 8, of course) in any mode at will.

Quote
HOWEVER, this method requires raster interrupts for graphic changes and i cant see that happening in basic.

What is strictly needed is synchronizing with the raster beam, and BASIC does allow to achieve basic (horrible pun :-X) effects. With a compiler, then, possibilities expand a lot.

Anyway, the game already runs and it has been doing so for 1.5+ years ;)
You can already download an old preview from CSDb, but this weekend a much better version (which includes the changes discussed in this thread) is going to be released at the X·2010 and on monday I'll upload it to CSDb, so stay tuned...

Offline Cow

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Re: Sky for C64 game

Reply #26 on: September 30, 2010, 07:20:53 pm
I know the rightmost cloud is supposed to be overlapping but it looks like it's wedging unnaturally into the other cloud form. That's the only thing throwing me off, looks good otherwise.

Offline saimo

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Re: Sky for C64 game

Reply #27 on: September 30, 2010, 09:48:55 pm
I know the rightmost cloud is supposed to be overlapping but it looks like it's wedging unnaturally into the other cloud form. That's the only thing throwing me off, looks good otherwise.

Yes, that's a weak point. I had tried to give a sense of depth by means of dithering, but the result did look quite consistent with the fact that the sun is behind the clouds. Although I'm by no means after a realistic lighting - the platforms' is all but realistic and consistent - having such a blatant issue in such a restricted space seemed too much, so I chose to just use shapes. I'll see what I can do and post the result here (but first I have to solve a synchronization issue in the code: for a certain feature I want to add, I have changed the way the video modes are handled to have more freedom with the top graphics, but this is again causing jerks... maybe I'm close to the solution, but I don't know for sure).

EDIT: issue fixed, so back to pushing pixels...
I tried a few quick things to tackle the issue of badly overlapping clouds (note: not all of them comply with the video mode restrictions, so they're just meant to give an idea of the possible solutions):



I think the last one is quite alright and I'll go for it unless somebody has a better suggestion.

Also, let me anticipate that now that the new video mode handling is in place I can start pixelling skies depicting dawn, sunset and night as well...
« Last Edit: October 01, 2010, 10:24:53 am by saimo »

Offline saimo

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Re: Sky for C64 game

Reply #28 on: October 01, 2010, 11:02:35 am
Just tried something for the sky at dawn...



I'm not sure it's any good, but I'll see if I can use it as a base to get anywhere... otherwise, I guess I'll have to change the concept radically.

EDIT: more experimentation...



EDIT 2: even more...



EDIT 3: more fiddling...



(The 24th line from the top is where the mode switch happens: to avoid jerks, I force the color to be the same of that behind the platforms, so that line hasn't to be considered when it comes  to HIRES restrictions.)

EDIT 4: final tries for today:



I think I'll go for the very last one: it's simple, it's consistent with the style of the noon sky and, hopefully, catches the hues of dawn...
« Last Edit: October 01, 2010, 04:53:08 pm by saimo »

Offline saimo

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Re: Sky for C64 game

Reply #29 on: October 02, 2010, 01:54:16 pm
Latest attempt at dawn sky and first attempts at sunset sky...



EDIT: yet another dawn sky plus several color tests for the sunset sky:



I can't really choose the hues for the clouds. A couple of combinations look better to me, but still I'm not 100% sure :-\
Also, should I add another cloud at the right to fill that space?
« Last Edit: October 02, 2010, 03:54:05 pm by saimo »