Appropriate Background Maker?

[DrKay]

Yes I HAVE been searching, bothon and off forums, but I can't find anything discussing or suggesting this. What programme is best used to create characters and backgrounds for a 320x200 game? I heard of artgem, but they no longer have a download.

[Galen]

There is a pinned topic under one of the boards that lists paint programs:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=32234.0

I'd advise just using Ms Paint to start off with.

[DrKay]

As in microsoft paint? But then when I convert it into a reasonable size, it turns really tiny, too tiny to even see. If I don't then its too big.

[Cino]

There is a zoom function in paint, use that.

[Galen]

Make sure you canvas is set to the right size (320x240, 320x200, or 640x480 normally), then use the zoom function to get the details.

[DrKay]

Okay thanks, but a new problem now. I already went ahead and made a background in artgem, but it won't load into AGS, or paint, I'm not even sure what sort of image file it is. Is there something I'm meant to do it make it 'done' or convert it?

[nihilyst]

You best save it in .png-format. You can then import that into the AGS editor. But make sure you save your image in the ArtGem-format, too, since the .png-files merge the different layers into one.

[DrKay]

OKay I managed that thanks, but now another problem. The drawing I did is too big. Sure I can use it, but it means that the avatars i use will be in bigland. I confiured in artgem to make it 320x240 (although i did that after i finished it) and I've set the palette thing to 16-bit hi-colour. what else would I be missing?

[Khris]

I've never used ArtGem, but I'll bet there's a scaling function somewhere in the menu.

[DrKay]

im not too sure where

[monkey0506]

If your canvas size is 320x240, then your characters can't take up the whole canvas. That would take up the whole screen. For such a low resolution, your characters should only be about 25x50 pixels (based off Guybrush from MI2).

Edit: It's width x height, d'oh!

[DrKay]

No no, I said my characters would be in BIGland (meaning they are too small)

[Galen]

Ah. Then? Erm... make them bigger?

[monkey0506]

Set the canvas size to about 25-30(width)x50-60(height). Then draw the characters using the FULL canvas. That should do it.

[DrKay]

I'd rather the background was smaller, otherwise people will haave to move the character all along the sides to find an entrance/exit, which will be tedius. I want to make it so the full room can be seen.

[Galen]

How about you take some screenshots (PrtSc key then paste into Microsoft Paint) of what you are doing? This isn't exactly a ArtGem support forum either way.

Sounds like the size of the image and the size of the game resolution are different which they shouldn't be if you really are using 320x240.

[Dualnames]

I use MsPaint. Then add various effects using photoshop.

[Akatosh]

I want to make it so the full room can be seen.

If the game's resolution is set to 320x200, and the background's size is 320x200, the whole screen will be visible at once.

[DrKay]

Yeah I think I accidently made the room using 640xetc.
Is there a way to downsize the whole thing to 320xetc.?

[Galen]

Try looking in ArtGem's help files for a scale-image function.