Re: Pixmap update.

[Tyler Van Gorder <>]

> 
> 
>  The code is pretty much completed.
> 
>  As of now, bit masks are used, and I have changed the code so that all
> object on the square (above the floor) is displayed.
> 
>  As an example is a shop.  Now both the item and tile under it is displayed.
> This looks a lot nicer (inventory and look window also uses the 
> bitmasks.  The change there is not so dramatic.  The main difference is
> that black and white can be used at the same time.)
> 
>  What really needs to be done is to color the pixmaps themselves.  Instead
> of just black and white (like they are now) color them appropriately.
> With pixmaps, another advantage is that each object can be many
> colors.

It is also important to note what these images will look like in black and
white...as many of the terminals used are such.

> 
>  Which then creates a problem.  If all the pixmaps are colored without
> paying attention to how the others are colored, this can easily use up
> more colors than are available for that display (there are around
> 1800 images).  The XPM library will try to re-color pixmaps if the 
> defined color for it is not available.  However, depending on the loading,
> the first many might be browns, reds, and yellows, leaving very few
> greens, blues, and magentas to match too.
> 
>  One option is to use a standard set of color for the pixmaps.  A pixmap
> can only be colored that color if it is on a list.  This has the advantage
> that you will not likely have color conflicts, but also requires some
> adminstration.  A simple one would be to have 5 values for any red, green,
> or blue value (for 5 values, they would probably be 0, 64, 128, 192, 255).
> This consumes 125 colors (a 6 color scenario would be 216).  The
> disadvantage with this scheme is that referance by rgb value would be
> required, since there are not many colors in the rgb database that will
> match that predefined set of values.


Well, what you are purposing is to allocate roughly 4/5 of a 255 color map...

This would most likely require crossfire to create its own colormap...which 
then creates the "techno-color" effect everytime the mouse cursor moves to/
from the crossfire windows......Allocating 216 colors in the default map would
be very difficult....sometimes crossfire doesnt like to allocate 16 :>


The number of colors would have to be small.....


> 
>  But what is really needed is people to color all the pixmaps to start
> out with.  The effective number may be less than 1800, since many of the
> pixmaps are multi part (ie, 4 pixmaps put together makes up a large building
> image).
> 
>  Other notes:  Speed is not that bad (although most of the pixmaps
> are still just BW without bitmask, just converted into XPM format (but
> the same calls are done as what will be used when they are colored)).  The
> main performance hit (I believe) comes from the fact that drawing objects
> is more time consuming, because instead of just drawing the top object
> on any square, it draws all the objects on that square.  However, if the
> top object does not change, it will not re-draw that square (if you are
> standing still, for example.)

How about drawing the top 2 or 3 objects?


> 
>  Some ways to boost performance would be to not animate objects (fewer
> redraws and search through the objects for that square), keep it like the
> old and only draw the top object (doesn't look as nice), or maybe implement
> a better scrolling algorthym, so that the it copies the game window that will
> exist after teh scroll, puts it back in the game window, and then only
> needs to do the more time consuming search through the item list for
> the new area to be displayed.

ACK!! no animationS?@@$$#%% 

> 
>  The last case would probably work best without animation.
> 
>  However, if you have a fast system, this may be a very minor point in
> any case.
> 
>    Mark Wedel
> 
> 
I very much like the idea of masking...and if it can be implemented effectively
:cool :>

I would definately like to keep animation.....not to keen on dropping it.

Tyler