Messages

I used blur to try to show that it was not in the foreground.  Your comments are helping and I'm editing it, I'll post a new version tommorrow...your comments have given me inspiration to take it further (i thought there was nothing i could do...) but hearing that it looked like a big blob of Panda has a way of making me find new ways to improve it...

1 - the mountains look like large anthills.  a real mountain would have a diameter larger than all of those mountains combined at that distance.

2 - i dont get why ther is a large redwood there.  wouldnt it have friends?

3 - it looks like they mowed the grass with a lawnmower, yet, the architectural style of the house suggests an earlier time period

4 - colossol is right, needs lots more undergrowth and interesting plantlife.  i think it should be all forest.  if you're going to make it grass, make it wild grass.

When I draw with a wacom it always feels like my left hand :/ that or I'm just 6 years old again...

And I think he redouces the depth of colors when adding noise, so, we don't get that annoying, red, blue, yellow and green tones when adding noise.

I think.

Farlander, if you reduced the depth of the color to add noise, wouldn't you lose the depth of color in the entire image?  Anyway, you can produce noise that looks identical (to me) to this just by simply checking "monochromatic" in the noise filter

hey, its just an idea.

but, there are 2 hurtles redrum:

1 - making the character appear before the hill, and then behind the hill, without crossing a baseline...

2 - making the character be forced to walk backwards or stand still in order to go forwards

continuous scaling would also need to be in effect...but it is not a hurtle because it already exists.

I neglected to mention in my previous example that you would also need to define and link a walk-behind area to the orange/purple walkable areas.

Strazer: I read the thread and downloaded your file but I don't know how to open this type of file (AGT?) and the original posters files are no logner available

As it stands I see no way to have a walkable area that accurately represents walking over a hill parallel to the viewing direction.

You can have an abrupt change in scaling, as they go from being on the front side to the far side, but still when they walk to the top of the hill then its a continuous walkable area and all of a sudden they are way far away.

So I have 2 ideas for simple ways to change this.

1) Allow walkable areas to overlap each other, and give them a layering order.  By default it is assumed they are on the top layer.  Make a new tool, the "seam" tool which allows you to join walkable areas.  When the character walks over a seam, the area they are on will switch to the area it was seemed to.  This would allow for characters (in 2d) to appear to be realistically traversing mountanous or other odd terrain.

Here is a screenshot to demonstrate what I mean:



does this make sense?  I think it does...

the second Idea I don't have time to explain because i have to go on a date but ill explain later

im trying a new style.  this is one of my first attempts to actually paint with the wacom.  i didnt paint over a scanned sketch.

That looks like a 3 AM post.  Oh wait.. that's because it is...

I made a game with pokemon style battles...(didnt finiish it but i made the battles part)...

I recommend using overlays for the background, characters, damage, and attack effects, and a GUI for the fighting options.

some of these functions will be helpful:


use the slide function to make the pokemon slide in from the side (or slide any way you want...)

function LW_SlideOverlay(int overlayID, int x, int y, int newx, int newy, int step, int delay){
// can only slide vertically or horizontally
// step MUST BE > 0
  if (x<newx){ //if moving right
    while (x<newx){
      MoveOverlay(overlayID,x+step,y);
      x = x+step;
      Wait(delay);
    }
  } else if (x>newx){ //if moving left
    while (x>newx){
      MoveOverlay(overlayID,x-step,y);
      x=x-step;
      Wait(delay);
    }
  }

  if (y<newy){ //if moving down
    while (y<newy){
      MoveOverlay(overlayID,x,y+step);
      y=y+step;
      Wait(delay);
    }
  } else if (y>newy){ //if moving up
    while (y>newy){
      MoveOverlay(overlayID,x,y-step);
      y=y-step;
      Wait(delay);
    }
  }
}

//use this functoin to shake an overlay

function LW_ShakeOverlay(int overlayID, int x, int y, int amount, int delay, int repeat, int pause){
  int loop=0;

  while (loop<= repeat){
     MoveOverlay(overlayID, x-amount,y-amount);
     Wait(delay);
     MoveOverlay(overlayID, x-amount,y+amount);
     Wait(delay);
     MoveOverlay(overlayID, x+amount,y-amount);
     Wait(delay);
     MoveOverlay(overlayID, x+amount,y+amount);
     Wait(delay);
     MoveOverlay(overlayID, x-amount,y-amount);
     Wait(delay);
     MoveOverlay(overlayID, x-amount,y+amount);
     Wait(delay);
     MoveOverlay(overlayID, x+amount,y-amount);
     Wait(delay);
     MoveOverlay(overlayID, x+amount,y+amount);
     Wait(delay);
     Wait(pause);
     loop++;
  } 
}

//similarly, if you want to shake an object...
function LW_ShakeObject(int object, int amount, int repeat, int pause){
  int objX = GetObjectX(object);
  int objY = GetObjectY(object);
  int loop = 0;
  int speed = 25;
 
  while (loop <= repeat){
    while(IsObjectMoving(object)==1)
      Wait(1);
     
    MoveObjectDirect(object,objX-amount,objY-amount,speed);
   
    while(IsObjectMoving(object)==1)
      Wait(1);
     
    MoveObjectDirect(object,objX-amount,objY+amount,speed);
   
    while(IsObjectMoving(object)==1)
      Wait(1);
     
    MoveObjectDirect(object,objX+amount,objY-amount,speed);
   
    while(IsObjectMoving(object)==1)
      Wait(1);
     
    MoveObjectDirect(object,objX+amount,objY+amount,speed);
   
    while(IsObjectMoving(object)==1)
      Wait(1);
     
    MoveObjectDirect(object,objX,objY,speed);
   
    loop++;
   
    Wait(pause*20);
  }
}

you wont use this, but this is the function i used to start a fight sequence.. yours could be very similar.

function LW_Fight(int sprite, string name, int cs, int ep, int immune_mindb, int can_evade, int cs_penalty, int windest, int losedest){
  int flee=0; //do not flee right away
  string buffer;
 
  LW_ENEMY_CS = cs;
  LW_ENEMY_EP=ep;
  LW_CAN_EVADE = can_evade;
  LW_IMMUNE_MINDB = immune_mindb;
  LW_CS_PENALTY = cs_penalty;
  LW_LOSEDEST = losedest;
  LW_WINDEST = windest;
 
  //start fight music
  SetMusicVolume(3);
  PlayMusic(2);
 
  //draw fight background
  LW_FIGHTSCREEN_OVERID = CreateGraphicOverlay(0,0,46,0);
 
  GUIOn(FIGHT);
 
  if (LW_CAN_EVADE==0){
    SetButtonPic(FIGHT, 10, 1, 51); //disable evade button if cannot evade
    SetButtonPic(FIGHT, 10, 3, 51);
  }
 
  //update cs/ep statistics for lw/enemy
  StrFormat(buffer,"%d",LW_ENEMY_CS);
  SetLabelText(FIGHT,8,buffer);
 
  StrFormat(buffer,"%d",LW_ENEMY_EP);
  SetLabelText(FIGHT,9,buffer);
     
  StrFormat(buffer,"%d",LW_GetCurrentCS(immune_mindb));
  SetLabelText(FIGHT,4,buffer);
 
  StrFormat(buffer,"%d",LW_GetCurrentEP());
  SetLabelText(FIGHT,5,buffer);
     

  //draw combatants
  LW_ENEMY_OVERID = CreateGraphicOverlay(400, 1, sprite, 1);
  LW_OVERID = CreateGraphicOverlay(-200,1,LW_SPRITE,1);
 
  Wait(30);
 
  //move combatants into position
  LW_SlideOverlay(LW_OVERID, -200, 1, -10, 1, 10, 0);
  LW_SlideOverlay(LW_ENEMY_OVERID, 400, 1, 100, 1, 10, 0);
 
  LW_OVERID_X = -10;
  LW_OVERID_Y = 1;
  LW_ENEMY_OVERID_X = 100;
  LW_ENEMY_OVERID_Y = 1;
 
 
 

}

hehe no.

the correct answer will fit well.

call of duty..i must admit...is extremely addictive once you learn the good sniper spots

thanks for input guys

You have and know how to use 3ds.. why not animate with it?

yeah, I can animate with max...but, im not sure if i want to render all the backgrounds...im good at some stuff, but certain scenes ill spend like 100 hours on and then just realize that i could do an oil painting in 30 min that looks 10 times better.  so im considering switching to sketching/painting/photoshoping....and if i do that, 3d characters might look out of place.

im in riddle mode since ive been writing so many for my game...so...i wrote you one

its before you, and its for you.
its in your hands, but you cant hold it.
and even if you dont try, you can mold it.

The human element as increator puts it ruins so many good ideas. Lying, cheating, stealing, oppressing, envying, and various other words that end in ing...

It's not that the human element ruins good ideas, its that the idea just isnt a good one if it doesn't work with the human element.  The attributes you listed are found within all of us.  And I should assume anyone designing a form of government would first assume that most citizens are greedy, lazy, and willing to believe anything that feels good to believe.

Okay...I have photoshop, I'm familiar with layers...I can do this, I just assumed there was a better way to go about it.

I was more expecting to find some kind of interpolation software that allows you to define arms and legs and movements and then have it draw the frames for you...

...or perhaps more general, to let you draw multiple frames and then define edges and have it draw middle frames using either linear or logarithmic or sinusoidal interpretation...

[Frictional unemployment]

Basically, I feel that every human being is entitled to food, shelter, health care, and other necessities of modern life. I feel that unemployment should NEVER exist; there is a job for every human. I feel that hunger should NEVER exist; there is surplus food for every starving human. I feel that the government should provide these things and more to EVERY human. I feel that each human should be able to cast his or her individual vote and have it count toward the final vote (popular vote). I feel that nearly every government decision should be made by popular vote (we have the technology to do this).

There are 3 kinds of unemployment:
1) Frictional unemployment - People who are in-between jobs, or recently entered the job market and have not found a job yet.  It is impossible for this type of unemployment to be eliminated, nor should it be. 

2) Cyclical Unemployment - Unemployment due to a decline in demand for labor.

3) Structural Unemployment - Unemployment due to a larger supply of workers in a given field than there is demand for, resulting in some of them to not be able to find work.

It would be impossible for unemployment to never exist.  It is a well-known government fact that unemployment must exist to a small degree between 3-6% in order to have a successful economy where most people prosper.

Also, many people choose to be unemployed.  Other people may have injuries that force them to be unemployed.  Your comment that nobody should ever be unemployed therefore seems not very intelligent or not very well thought out.

You feel that hunger should never exist also.  This may SOUND righteous, but it's not.  What it means is, you want hard-working people to pay to support the people who don't work hard.  This reduces the encouragement to work, because the money isn't going straight to themself, and they know they will still not starve if they don't work...so why work?

Is this Socialism? It is my Socialism. I look at Socialism and Socialist ideas and only find links to communism and failed ideas. This is not what I consider Socialism. Hitler and Stalin were no where NEAR Socialist in anything that they did. Communism is not even remotely related to Socialism (at least in the way that it is practiced in this century).

Is that Socialism?  Who knows, you haven't said anything about your form of government other than what you WANT.  A government is defined by the WAY IN WHICH it governs, not what the results are...so no, it's not your socialism.

1. What do you think of Socialism?

Socialism is an idea borne from before the study of the economy existed.  There was little knowledge on what caused economies to function well.  The concept of Socialism, which you have failed to mention, is to have the government manage the supply of all resources.  This is an incredibly stupid idea, because the government does not have the information to do this, let alone it is a great deal of work.

Every product has a demand that is set by the society, by how much they want it.  In a free market economy, vendors will quickly notice how much people are willing to pay and adjust their prices and stock according to the market, so that whatever people want, there is enough of it to go around.

In a socialist economy, this doesn't happen.  The governemnt cannot respond as quickly to the fluctuations in demand for various products, and as a result, there will not be enough of certain products and too much of others.  So mayb you don't get bread this week, even though you worked your ass off, and waited 10 hours in a line to get it handed out to you. 

There are a lot more problems with socialism, it leads to inflation, your money becomes worthless, everyone becomes poor, nobody works hard, life sucks, socialism sucks.

1) This says it's for Win95.  Does it run properly in XP using the integrated Win95 emulator?

2) I'm not sure if this is what I wan't.  Sorry I'm not so specific...but I have never done this before so I'm not crystal clear on the process.

I keep seeing people post walk-animations and such in the C&C forum.  I understand these are GIFS.  But AGS requires still frames, not GIF...people just convert to GIF to show the animatoin for C&C right?

So what I'm interested in is not converting the still frames to GIF, but a tool to make it easier to draw the still frames in the first place...I'm assuming there are more efficient ways than drawing 1 frame in MSPaint and then copything that to a new file and modifying it etc for each frame...

no text needed..

lol, i don't think you guys are getting the joke...

aladdin is checking out jasmine's boobs, and he says aloud "man, i wish i could get my hands on those" while holding the lamp...and genie, being the sadistic one that he is, misinterprets alladins "wish" by giving aladdin jasmine's breasts so that he can touch them all he wants...!

and the reference is to a famous panting by john singer sargent, an idol of mine