What format do the sprite frames go in? Being that it is a 3D engine, are they mapped to 3D objects? What do they look like right now? The last time i did anything with sprites of any type was like 1999 or so, and they were not animated, just like environmental features like trees and decals. Then they were mad ghetto basically just color key transparencies. What does more modern videogame shit look like?

Yarr, this is why i am down to a measly 8-10oz of coffee/caffiene a day at the moment. For me that was becoming like artificially induced manic. I couldn't corral it, and ended up just doing nothing for stretches or time, waiting for shit to slow down enough for me to actually be able to work on stuff.

The sprites are rendered as pixel-perfect textures onto a quad that's dimensions match the resolution of the sprite (so my main character's sprite is a 48x64 texture rendered on a 48x64 quad rendered onto a 640x480 screen.)

So the sprites themselves are actually old-school in formatting, I use Photoshop or ASEsprite to create "pixel-art" sprites that I import using the method above. Here are some shots of the development environment (not the actual Game Screen rendering):




And the Game Screen:






EDIT:

Also I should mention I am using an orthographic camera, so the Z-axis operates as a sort of layering dimension, but regardless of their proximity to the camera the sprites always render the same size. In this pc you can see the white box of the camera's rendering field:

So in that case, you currently are just using a solid blue color for the texturing image? Or in that view, it doesn't load the texturing elements?

If you wanted to paint that simple two poly model to look like a spaceship forinstance, how would you tell the game engine to treat parts of the image as transparent/invisible?

Would you not just map a transparent texture/material to those polys you wanted to stay transparent? Or would you have to do something with UV mapping and get it to exclude a certain colour on the map or something like that? Its been so long since I did any 3D stuff, I may not even be making any sense

It's just a flat blue placeholder for the time being.

As for transparency, I do that in photoshop with the brush opacity. I just threw this test together:

Ah, so you are not working with jpgs or bmps tiffs or anything like that. What does it use for a texture format, png?

The stuff i worked with was either color key-based lossless formats like bmp, or used monochrome alpha layers that the shaders would be told to use for the porpoise. For some reason, using actually transparent images was considered non-ideal at that point. Maybe just a shader flexibility thing though.

Hearts muchly. Did you ever czech out Isis at all? (Panopticon is the record to go for there.) Opeth and Mastodon still hold up for me. Even for just the straight up riff bits.



It's damned frustrating. I left the stove on earlier, which makes twice in the past few days; the first time, at least I was the one who caught it. Thankfully it was on low. I have zero short-term memory to begin with; I'm extremely forgetful. My housemate is bipolar as well and we had a good conversation about this and about how to cope (in my case, without going on a massive bender)- she's not one to judge, obviously. You'd think that's a potential hell but it's actually quite soothing; we are good friends and mostly keep to ourselves and have similar tastes in things. We're intensely private people outside of social situations and do observe for signs of life around the house as we don't necessarily see each other every day. There have been times I've intentionally moved gear on my side of the living room just to show that I was, in fact, alive.

I can't do caffeine anymore; it just makes me too paranoid. Mountain Dew is the worst- probably all the sugar. And that sucks ass, because I played a lot of D&D in high school. (Know any gamers? It's a stereotype, but it's true about the MD.) Especially when I was drunk all the freakin' time- see above about the sugar; that's all that the booze is, really, a ton of empty calories, and enough of it is an energy source, albeit with an anti-nutritional value. (Wrecks yer B vitamins.)

Yup just a plain 'ol png applied to a 3D Object modeled to behave like a 2D object in a 3D environment.

And if you think that''s unnecessarily complex, wait til you see the code I use to make it behave like a 2D game.

It seems in my illness I have missed a few tings going on here and in life generally. When sick one can generally block out life. Or I should rephrase his. I had no choice but to go to work so my waking hours were spent trying to get through the day at work and once home trying to make it through to bed time. Whilst having a coughing fit. for two weeks.

I have spent very little time here other than a very rare post now and again and very little time even on my guitar. Starting to feel better nao, and have a few big shows and video coming up in the next week so I had best get my shit together. Hoping I will be able to sing. I will admit this whole work thing is getting in my way....

Snaxie, you made the right move my ignoring the wankers. Drunk amateurs are just that, also they tend not to feel pain from an ass whooping until the next day. I hate the idea of fighting a drunk. I always walk away. There is no winning.

Yeah I've listened to Panopticon quite a bit but I can't really get into it much. It's alright but not my kinda noise really.

Charge, damn shaver batteries, CHARGE! This accidental goatee WILL NOT STAND.

I would think you would rock an old-school manual shaving device. Go figure. No straight razor, eh?

Normally, i roll wif blades and brush, but of late i have been boycotting insanity pricing on replacement blades that are of a shittier quality than they used to be and only last a couplefew shaves. Shit is a racket, almost as bad as inkjet cartridges.

I do not honestly fully trust the olde straighte razore style cutters. I cut myself plenty enough by accident, and kind of feel that using them would constitute in essence, a distinct choice, to start doing it on purpose.

I've never had the balls to do the straight razor. That is for MEN. I would say I'm not where near that manly.


Saw Planet of the Apes this weekend. Chuck Heston shaving with a knife. Yes, it was a movie, but I think he did that shit IRL

I did shave with an axe once, but only partially, and that was more to prove a point than anything else. I would not do it regularly. For one thing, the handle gets in the way of the mirror, big time.

Panopticon changed my life when it came out. Its aged quite badly though. Check out old man gloom - christmas.

I have spent all weekend at an old hall in Whitby. Its been messy. I am broken.

I loved Panopticon for the atmospheric weirdrock stuff. I've heard of Old Man Gloom but never gave them a listen- is that more straight-up doom, or...?

It is more than a little frustrating being more naturally talented at drums than guitar (by far and fucking away physically, at least) while having more of a songwriter's brain. Been practicing guitar a lot, as I am beginning to write more weird things that are demanding of a good amount of left hand dexterity. Tryna woodshed this bitch out, and I would like to see more results for my work.

I would personally rather have rad drumskills than rad guitarskills but If you require any guest guitar slots let us know Cam your poasts about your music actually always inspire me to get my shit together with recording, just opened up Reaper for more than just recording rough ideas for the first time in far too long