Adventure Game Studio

..:: Background Blitz Collection Screensaver.

..:: Containing 261 background blitzes from 2003 - 2010. Blitzes are shown in a random order in an infinite loop.
    Images are all changed into 640x480, letterboxed when needed. v1.2: 23-bit (true colour).

..:: I always follow the "Background Blitz" forum thread and I'm always amazed by the fantastic entries.
    So I made this screensaver in order to immortalize their great work.

..:: Options:
    Set Background Blitz info on: Theme, Date & Background Blitz by are shown.
    Set Background Blitz info off: No info is shown, you are able to set the slide duration [1 to 8 seconds]

..:: Note:
    [ESC] quits the screensaver but due to wait functions this can be a little difficult.
    So if [ESC] fails just use [ALT][X].

..:: Updates:
    22 Juli 2010: v1.3:
    * Fixed room bug.
   
    19 Juli 2010: v1.2:
    * Changed the colour depth from 16-bit (high-colour) to 32-bit (true-colour),
    * Contributors lists now scrollable.

    08 Juli 2010: v1.1:
    * Removed one BB entry on demand
    * Fixed 2 name typos in the list.

..:: Size:
    Zipped...: 90.0 Mb
    Extracted: 128 Mb

..:: Thanx!:
    Khris, monkey_05_06 & tzachs: for helping me out with the randomizer :-)
    Dualnames: for hosting [mirror]
    ProgZmax: for let me use his "underwater rocket thingy" as intro pic

..:: Download:
    from the gamepage (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?category=&action=detail&id=1325&refresh1278533023)

..:: Screenshot:
    (http://arj0n.webs.com/-%20Data/WEBPIC.png)


..:: Mosaik compilation of [almost] all the entries used in the screensaver:
    (http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/9350/mozakcompilation.jpg)

List of contributors who's Background Blitz is included in this screensaver:

A
abstauber, Afflict, Al_Ninio, Alan v.Drake, Andail, Art_Sempai.
B
Babar, Bartimaeus, Ben304, bog, Bohnito, Buckethead, Bulbapuck, buloght, bush_monkey.
C
Captain Ricco, cat, Chicky, Clip, Cluey, cobra79, Coconut Shuttle, CodeJunkie, Corey, cpage, Creed Malay, Crimson Wizard, cuestaluis.
D
Darth Mandarb, dave gilbert, Dcummbuddy, Def, Dorcan, DrewCCU, Dualnames.
E
EdLoen, esper, Exsecratus
F
frinder
G
gameboy, Geratuza, Ghost, Grim, gypsysnail.
H
Ha Ha I Am OK, He-Man, HillBilly, hofmeier, Hudders.
I
InCreator, IndieBoy.
J
J.H, Jakerpot, Jenn, jerakeen, Jim Reed, joelphilippage, jon_swe, Jose Luiz.
K
Kastchey, kec, Kelma, Krysis.
L
lightman, LilBlueSmurf, lilemX, limeTree, LimpingFish, loominous, lord_hellfire
M
Mad, MarVelo, Meat, Mikko, Misj, Mordalles
N
Neil Dnuma, Nihilyst, ninepug, noed.
O
Oddysseus, OneDollar.
P
Palikka, pilferinloot, Pinback, Privateer Puddin', ProgZmax.
Q
Questionable
R
raddicks, Renal shutdown, Renegade Implementor, riseryn, RocketGirl, Ryan Timothy, RyRayer.
S
scotch, scourge, seaduck, Sektor 13, Sham-yesh, SierraFreak, Simonsez128, Sinsin, Snarky, SookieSock, Stickieee, straydogstrut, Sughly.
T
TheJBurger, TheRoger, Tier, Tiki, Trapezoid, Traveler, Tuomas.
V
Venus, vertigoaddict, Vukul.
W
Wyz.
X
Xellie, xenophon.
Y
yarooze.
Z
Zooty, zyndikate.

This is a great idea!

I wholeheartedly agree. Well done. :)

Apparently my laptop can't handle it :(

'The graphics mode is not supported'

Quote from: Stupot on Fri 09/07/2010 05:18:30
Apparently my laptop can't handle it :(

'The graphics mode is not supported'

It's compiled using: Colour depth: 16-bit (hi-colour), Resolution: 640-480 which should be low enough.
Doesn't it run when using windowed mode using no graphic filter?

Yay, I made it into the collection :D

Great idea to collect all those backgrounds. What have you done about the "2d adventure data loss" ?

Quote from: abstauber on Fri 09/07/2010 09:42:53
Yay, I made it into the collection :D

Great idea to collect all those backgrounds. What have you done about the "2d adventure data loss" ?

Sadly enough I got only one lost background back by asking here (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=40442.msg535688#msg535688).  :'(
I wish I had more lost ones back but I have no clue how to get these from "2d adventure" back.
Any idea?  ;)

Ha, I didn't even see 'none' as an option...
I'm in now though, thanks.
Man, some people are just gifted :)

Quote from: Stupot on Fri 09/07/2010 10:04:27
Man, some people are just gifted :)

Absolutely.
That's also why this screensaver itself is no fancy app, the slides are what it makes fancy.  ;D

Will you update this over time with new backgrounds? :)

I do not remember entering a background blitz.

Quote from: Stupot on Fri 09/07/2010 10:04:27
Man, some people are just gifted :)

Thanks Stu.

Quote from: [ Arj0n ] on Fri 09/07/2010 10:08:26

Quote from: Stupot on Fri 09/07/2010 10:04:27
Man, some people are just gifted :)

Absolutely.
That's also why this screensaver itself is no fancy app, Dualnames is what it makes fancy.  ;D

I know Arj0n

Quote from: Crimson Wizard on Fri 09/07/2010 10:37:14
Will you update this over time with new backgrounds from Dualnames? :)

Probably he will, I'm currently working on that.

Quote from: Zooty on Fri 09/07/2010 10:39:31
I do not remember entering a background blitz.

2005-03-09 - 03-24; Film Noir Street by Zooty:
(http://arj0n.webs.com/-%20Data/2005_03-09_03-24_Film%20Noir%20Street-Zooty-foggy%5B1%5D%5B640-480%5D.jpg)
If you are that Zooty than this was your entry ;D

Stop denying your child Zoot! Take it back!

Quote from: Dualnames on Fri 09/07/2010 10:42:04

Quote from: [ Arj0n ] on Fri 09/07/2010 10:08:26

Quote from: Stupot on Fri 09/07/2010 10:04:27
Man, some people are just gifted :)

Absolutely.
That's also why this screensaver itself is no fancy app, Dualnames is what it makes fancy.  ;D

I know Arj0n

Yeh, thanx for hosting the mirror, it does makes it just a little bit more fancy, does it?  ;D

Quote from: Dualnames on Fri 09/07/2010 10:42:04

Quote from: Crimson Wizard on Fri 09/07/2010 10:37:14
Will you update this over time with new backgrounds from Dualnames? :)

Probably he will, I'm currently working on that.

I might, but that depends on Dual... So get back to work Dual!! :P

Quote from: Crimson Wizard on Fri 09/07/2010 10:37:14
Will you update this over time with new backgrounds? :)

I think I will, maybe at the end of 2010, adding 6 months of extra BB's.

You did not have my permission....to be this awesome.


I totally forgot that underwater rocket thing I made back in 2004 or whatever ;o.

The image you have credited to me was, unfortunately, not mine.
I was just pointing out that someone had painted over a loominous critic's lounge paintover.

Why only 16-bit?

16-bit can have pretty disasterous effects on gradients.

Quote from: ProgZmax on Mon 12/07/2010 02:19:04
You did not have my permission....to be this awesome.

I totally forgot that underwater rocket thing I made back in 2004 or whatever ;o.

I took the liberty to use it as intro-pic, because it's very suitable for it I guess...
And because I have no artist skills to design something myself  ;)
So thankies for let me using your underwater rocket thingy for this screensaver  8)

Quote from: SteveMcCrea on Mon 12/07/2010 04:20:34
The image you have credited to me was, unfortunately, not mine.
I was just pointing out that someone had painted over a loominous critic's lounge paintover.

mmhh, must have overlooked that...
I'll remove your name [if there are no other entries on your name, I'll check]
and the loominous critic's lounge paintover pic in the next version.

Quote from: Calin Leafshade on Mon 12/07/2010 07:31:12
Why only 16-bit?
16-bit can have pretty disasterous effects on gradients.

Why:
Because I had no clue what setting to choose, so I kept it low.

Question:
Can I just change the setting from 16bit to 32bit and recompile the sceensaver without any trouble?

No not really.. you'd have to reimport the backgrounds or sprites (which ever way you have done it) after changing the setting.

Thanx for the info Calin.
Darn, 261 x re-importing room-backgrounds....
I guess I also need to re-import the guy-backgrounds?

I also used "compress the sprite files".
That doesn't harm anything doesn't it?

nah the compression is lossless..

if they are sprites you can just delete them all and reimport en masse

if they are backgrounds in room then you will have to reimport them one by one.. :(

The guy-backgrounds are sprites, so that import en masse indeed  :D
The room-backgrounds will be a one-by-one import :'(

Anyone else got suggestions?
Otherwise v1.2 [32bit] is coming up.
Soon...

Wow, that's amazing. Great idea!

Maybe a suggestion, I once made a screensaver loader so you can actually use it as a screensaver in windows. I might revisited the code because there are a few issues I'd like to improve.
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=40804.0

@Wyz: Thanx :)

B.t.w.: I do remember that loader you made.
I might have a look after you have revisited the code cause
unfortunately it didn't workout for me last time I tried it with WOO....

I think scr files are just exe files renamed arent they?

Quote from: Calin Leafshade on Mon 12/07/2010 13:49:23
I think scr files are just exe files renamed arent they?

Yup

Yups, the loader just runs the AGS executable, but has one extra feature: it detects mouse and keyboard interactions and closes the game in that case.

Well, there is not much magical about the scr, it only tells windows it is a screensaver, the extra features are actually done by commandline switches.

Is there perhaps a way you can feed command line switches directly to the AGS executable and detect them in-game? That way I could make a game module, that would be even better.
Made a topic, I'll keep you posted.

If you fancy a bit of extra work you could have categories, or themes.  So the user could choose 'space', or 'landscape', 'interior', 'urban'... whatever really.  I think that would be a nice touch.

@Stupod:
So every background blitz theme would become a categorie?
That makes a lot of categories...
But I'll think about it  ;)

Looks great and categories is a great suggestion=)

If you really have absolutely nothing better to do, a Mac version would be nice. It'd make me stupendously happy and i'm sure lots of people..*voice echoes*..hey, where'd everybody go??

*ahem* Probably easier if I figure out how to do it myself, though I suspect i'd have to create it outside AGS (Xcode or somesuch).

Okay, that's my little project for the coming week=)

It's a good idea.

Quote from: Arj0n on Mon 12/07/2010 08:58:13
Darn, 261 x re-importing room-backgrounds....
I guess I also need to re-import the guy-backgrounds?

I haven't checked this program out yet.  I'm not sure what the 'guy-backgrounds' are, but I'm curious, instead of using room backgrounds why don't you just import them into the sprite manager?

That way you only have one room for the backgrounds and it loads the sprite whenever.  You'd only need to define the amount of sprites and it would be much less work for you.  It's just a thought.

Importing them into the sprite manager, mmhh, I'll check that out ;)

And oh, 'guy-backgrounds' was a typo, I meant 'gui-backgrounds'.

Quote from: Arj0n on Tue 13/07/2010 15:11:21
@Stupod:
So every background blitz theme would become a categorie?
That makes a lot of categories...
But I'll think about it  ;)

I don't necessarily mean for every Blitz theme, but just maybe 10 or so more broader themes p'raps.

Reimported all backgrounds in 32bit.
Now I remember why I had chosen to use 16Bit: the compiled size doubles using 32bit.
Still keeping it now at 32bit.

Update:
Now available: v1.2: switched from 16-bit (hi-colour) to 32-bit (true-colour) version.

Working on categories now.
01. Exterieur [88]
02. Interieur [67]
03. Sceneries/Landscapes [100]
04. Space [7]

Maybe splitting them up in subcategories and removing the category Space cause it only contains 7 BG's.
Any ideas?

Epic idea! Awesome downloading it now!

Other ideas for categories:
*Cityscapes
*Fantasy
*Water
*Night-time

You could also have categories of art style:
*Hand-drawn
*Pixel Art
*Watercolour
*Black and white
*Photographic/montage
*Cartoon
*Realistic

Obviously, backgrounds could belong to any number of different categories... I'm not sure how you're doing it, but you could give each background different 'tags', like the kinds you find on blogs

Another idea is that the user be able to make his or her own gallery, by browsing through the backgrounds and adding their favourites to a 'playlist', if you will.

@Stupot:

Thanx.

I think I'm not always capable to determine the art style category
of a background, but I can give it a try  ;)

The backgrounds can indeed belong to any number of different
categories and a user defined gallery is something to think off. :)

Updated: v1.3 [room bug fixed].