Graphics in AGS

[ezra]

Hi everyone,

What are the best graphics one can get within AGS. The artists and technology external to AGS can produce great works, but I want to know whether AGS could support graphics say like to the standard of Curse of Monkey Island... or even better!

The game that I have in mind to create is going to be of somewhat epic proportions, and one of the main focuses is the unique and descriptive artwork. I mean fine, smooth graphics! Can anyone help me here?

[quixotecoyote]

Anything that can fit into 800 x 600 resolution can be in your game.

Sky's the limit!

eta: Although once you start working on it, you will realize that extra-special graphics are a curse as well as a blessing, especially on a longer game.

[ezra]

When you say it's a curse are you referring to the time and effort spent working on those graphics? Because I understand that.

I was really just interested in how well the AGS system can support such graphics. Will it run very slowly? Is it clunky? Curse of MI was only 640x480 resolution (I think) and it only used 16 colours (I think). It looked brilliant. Can I get those sort of high-quality, seamless graphics with AGS?

[VK Dan]

I was really just interested in how well the AGS system can support such graphics. Will it run very slowly? Is it clunky? Curse of MI was only 640x480 resolution (I think) and it only used 16 colours (I think). It looked brilliant. Can I get those sort of high-quality, seamless graphics with AGS?

You can get any kind of graphics you want in AGS. The only trouble is you have to be able to make them. AGS isn't a graphics editor - it won't let you create the pictures. All it lets you do is make the pictures into a game. You must use an external tool to create the acutal graphics.

[quixotecoyote]

Yeah, I was referring to the time and effort involved to make it look nice. 


in 2.72 the max specs are Hi-color 16 bit and 800x600 resolution.  I've never played a game with 800x600, but the 640x400's move around with no graphics slowdown.

[FSi++]

Actually it's 800x600 and 32 bit (with alpha) iirc.
A game in 800x600 would be META (by Radiant), though it only uses 256 color palette.

[ezra]

Thanks for the replies guys. It's just that (and no offence) many of the games on AGS have poor graphics. They have great storylines (which I agree is the most important aspect of an adventure game), some of them have good music/sound, but many of them have pixelated and crappy graphics. I wanted to know whether it was that AGS cannot support certain graphics, or whether people just don't create higher-quality graphics. Now I know... AGS can do anything!

Thanks.

[Khris]

Curse of MI [...] only used 16 colours (I think).

Not quite. It used 256 colors. Although the backgrounds look like hi-color ones.

A few technical words:
While AGS supports up to 32-bit, the only practical appliance are transparent PNGs and the Hq graphic filters (which you won't need with 800x600).
16-bit is more than enough and there's no way an untrained eye could distinguish between the two.
800x600 can be run @ fullscreen mode, and it's easily big enough to obliterate single pixels. The only downside: internally it's handled as 400x300, so every object, GUI, etc. has to be placed on even coordinates @ 800x600.

[.M.M.]

They have great storylines (which I agree is the most important aspect of an adventure game), some of them have good music/sound, but many of them have pixelated and crappy graphics.

Pixels are cool!!!

[auriond]

Agreed - pixels are cool, and a lot harder to make than it looks

But be assured that higher-resolution graphics are supported. I make my images in Photoshop, definitely not pixel graphics, and so far any loss in quality is not very noticeable.

[Radiant]

Pixels are cool!!!

Pixels are evil!!

[.M.M.]

But be assured that higher-resolution graphics are supported.

Yes, I wanted to tell him that 800x600 is not best.