The Forest - a wallitem test

[Toni Y]

I did some experimenting on if two different kinds of walls would be possible to fit into the graphics set. Unfortunately, DM doesn't draw wallitems in certain orientations, so this trick only half worked...

Anyway, here's my test if anyone wants to try it. I present - The Forest:



http://viila.lethalcode.net/forest.zip

It's a PCDM graph.dat and PCDM savegame. Unzip, copy the save to the DM dir, and the graphics.dat into the DATA dir (backing up both saves and graphics). Run DM, resume.

[Gambit37]

Nice effect!

I tried something similar a while back and like you was disapointed to discover the limitations of DMs wall decorations...

If you really want to do something like this, you're better off using a more flexible engine such as RTC or DMJava. There's some things that simply can't be done in original DM.

RTC has the benefit that you can do the whole thing as a wall set -- which allows you plug decorations over the top. Although it's tricky to merge walls with trees interchangably on the same level, there are tricks you can use to simulate it...

[cowsmanaut]

multiple graphics.dat files were disscussed at one point in relation to this issue under CSBWin. Don't think anything big was done about it.. but the possibility is there.

The idea being that when you go up or down stairs you can change .dat files. loading a new wall set.

moo

[Toni Y]

Yeah, I remember reading about that. It's a good idea, but my test was to see if one could get two kinds of walls somehow on single level. Which opens even more possibilites.

[Zyx]

It would work if you avoid open spaces of 3x3 or bigger, no?

[Toni Y]

It mostly works as long as you keep the player at arms length from the walls. It breaks since DM doesn't draw wallitems on walls that are right in front of you on the left and right. And directly on your side.


(The wall spots illustrated with red arrows. Applies equally to mirror image)

So, as long as the player can't get right in front of the wall, the only thing that breaks is the wall as seen in my first screenshot, in the distance far right. Which is only a very minor visual gaffe one could live with.

So the thing that actually works best is very large open spaces, since player isn't hugging the wall all the time.


Anyway, I got some ideas one how to fix that, by using oversized wall items that cover more than one wall... Will have to test that later.

[Paul Stevens]

I don't know how all of this works. But I bet
we could substitute a different wall graphic on
a cell-by-cell basis.

Do you have a different wall-graphic set in the
same format and sizes as the one used in the current
graphic file used by CSBwin? If so, I would be willing to
attempt to display it on a couple of cells as a proof of
concept. If it works it will not be too hard to make it
much more general.

God only knows how you might hang a Torch Holder on
those trees.

[Zyx]

I guess there will be a problem to change the floor and the ceiling on cell-by-cell basis.

[Paul Stevens]

The floor and ceiling are placed first, in one big memory-move
operation. If you could provide different floor and
ceiling along with a mask for each of the cells (12 of
them, I think) then it would be fairly easy to overlay the
existing graphic with the alternate graphic.

Each cell would have a byte saying what 'skin' to use
and each 'skin' would have a floor graphic, a ceiling graphic,
and a wall graphic. So you could have 256 different 'skins'.
You would still be limited to the same palette currently
in use.

The central area is currently black. Maybe you would want
to specify a graphic for that?

And all of this could go into the CSBgraphics.dat file
without too much trouble for me.

[Toni Y]

Well, you already can kinda have two floors... Using pits to overlay second floor graphic tile by tile, but it's kinda tedious.

But your plan sounds good Paul. Unfortunately I don't have the forest in wall set format (as it was a wall item), so someone else will have to provide the test set.

Here's floor/ceiling mask:


(Non checkerboard source image: http://viila.lethalcode.net/dm_mask2.png )

The lines in the horizon show where the floor and ceiling "horizon" is. The cyan and green areas show where the floor and ceiling bitmaps extend to.

[beowuuf]

Like the general effect (also the touches like the windows and the new out of dungeon view at the door)
The ceiling looks good too, stars don't move but whatcha gunna do : )

Zyx did a forest in ConfluxII really well with immovable creatures - can't you combine those two effects? So a one deep layer of monsters for trees with the background after will mean you won't ever have the side graphics that don't display. If you need a wall item on a tree, you just need to make sure that you only have a single wall square coming out from the mass.

Can't do this graphics stuff myself, but love all the cool effects people come up with like this!

[Toni Y]

I gave half an idea for making forests with Grey Lords, but in isolation. You're right, combined, that should fix the wallitem problem, since they block you from getting within 1 square of the wall. Great idea Beo.

The stars are motionless by design. DM flips the ceiling bitmap too each walk, so the stars are in symmetrical pattern. The lack of motion while turning is much less of a visual problem, than changing stars while walking ahead.