Bt Builder

[Methuselas]

The problem is that Bt Builder was harder with the idea of the Bard's Tale interface. To support transparency on the monster images I detect when the animation is playing in the main view and redraw the 3D view. If you were to draw other elements on top of the main view, they probably wouldn't be drawn all the time. Basically I need to redo it as a problem GUI layer. No elements hard-coded. To support a full screen view, I need to have the 3D view be the lowest GUI element. The other elements added afterwards and draw them in that order. I know a lot more about GUI code than I did when I initially coded Bt Builder. Even some of the Bt Builder code is better GUI code than others. The editors were because I made some of the code more flexible but some isn't still.

I like it though. Maybe I can get it up and running that way and we can do this for next dungeon crawlers game jam.

Okay! That explains it. I'm not a very good coder. I can read it and understand how it works, but I can't write it. I try, though. I thought you had this on layered UI, 'cos of some of the code I read. That's why I was having issues with the 3D View. Is it using a 1:1 ratio? That might be my problem, since I'm using 4: ratio.

I've wasted many an hour on coding tutorials, but they're so boring and the teachers so unengaging, I can't keep my interests. LOL! There are literally hundreds of pdfs on one of my externals about C, C+ and C#, but again, so boring to read.

I hope you realize I'm going to make a "Made with BTBuilder" sprite now.

Speaking of. Dulsi, is there any way we can have a "Create Module" function on the Mainscreen that creates a blank module, with a blank monster, image and spell xml? I know I asked a lot already, with the 3D View issue I'm having, but this is more of a "creature comfort" for me.

[Methuselas]

Hair test for the Wolfen Character Race in my module.

Dulsi,

Have you figured out what I messed up in the display.xml or is it a bug in the 3DView? Also, I have a couple of under the hood request, but they're "creature comforts" so I don't know how much of a priority you'd want to put on them.

1. You know that search feature we have under the Picture Select screen? Any chance we could get that for the Special, Item, Spell and Monster Editors to quick search? Would speed up my pipeline, instead of scrolling through, looking specifically for one thing.

2. NAME_ID for Items, Spells and Monsters, so I can put "Level 10 Barbarian" internally for the Editor, but display "Barbarian" in the Engine. Editor uses Name_ID and Engine uses Display Name.

[Methuselas]

Sorry for the long update. Moved into the new house. Finally got my PC set up while we sort out all the furniture and what not.

So, I finally got the template setup to do new Tilesets. It took me a while to set it up properly and ensure that everything would be scaled properly. I just need to get into my gamescreen PSD file, so I can get proper render size and set everything up to render. I also got the walls redone for the city, but I haven't textured them.

Dulsi, did we figure out what I messed up in the display.xml on why it won't due a full screen display at 1920x1080?

In the meantime, here's a WIP of a Wraith I was working on, before the move.

[Methuselas]

Modules:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HAE69N ... sp=sharing

Fonts:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-wWhYQ ... sp=sharing

Dulsi,

There are multiple folders in this module folder, for the following resolutions: 1280x960, 1600x900, 1680x1050 and 1920x1080. Each one has a 1x1 Multi and all but 1680x1050 have a 4x4 Multi. 1680x1050 isn't divisible by 4, so it has a 2x2 Multi. I only have slots up to 44 for each resolution. There are no tilesets. Don't worry about the spell or effect icons. Only the 1920x1080 module has them, I believe. I used the Pocket Chip display as my template.

1x1 Multi -

All resolutions don't display the 3DView correctly. It only displays a 1x1 section of the image, but the size varies with each resolution.

The map icons display correctly, if using the default 8px ones, but the map is extremely small. If you use 32px ones, they're squashed, as they still fill the same space the 8px ones do.

2x2, 4x4 Multi -

None of the resolutions display the full 3DView. I have confirmed that the 3DView has a max size of 580x580. That is the maximum the 3DView will display, regardless of resolution.

I'm not sure if the font uses the <Multi>, but if it does, it doesn't work. You have to input the full size you want to use of the font.

The map icons do NOT multiply if you use the 8px ones, but if you use map icons that are the correct Multiplier (x4 or x2), they work properly. Also, the 8px ones display in a map area that's multiplied, but the map icons are still only 8px.

1920x1080 -

The 4x4 version doesn't display properly. It's displaying at 320x200.

The 1x1 version doesn't display the font at the correct size. It looks to be reducing it to a quarter. The screen resolution is correct.

1680x1050 -

The 2x2 version doesn't display properly. I can't get an accurate size, but it appears to be stretching past 1920.

Mainscreen -

The initial mainscreen will not use a font.

* * *

So, I created a new 1920x1080 gamescreen. This time, I ensured that all areas: 3DView, Text box, Main Text box and Character Text pixel size were all divisible by 4. If we can get a new layout element for the 3D View, so I can input the 3DView size, I can create display resolution xmls down to the Pocket Chip resolution. If we can get the 1x1 Multi element working, it will be even easier. I can reduce all the resolutions that multiply by 4 accurately. The remaining are all divisible by 2. That way, if you wanted you could add a resolution screen before loading.

Also included are all the freeware fonts that I gathered. There's around 100 and they're organized in: Fantasy, Modern and Sci-Fi. ReadMe and License are in !Misc folder. All of these modules will look for the MontserratBold.ttf in the Modern folder. These are really nice freeware Arial clones.

As soon as I can finalize the gamescreens, I can start rendering new tilesets [edit].....and placeables.

I do have a request, but can we have the engine look for slots under /image/slots/? I want to have a separate folder /images/portriats/ for Player Characters, so I can make thumbnails for Minimalist.

[Methuselas]

Bump.

[Methuselas]

New goodies. I'm really interested in a Sci-Fi BTBuilder game now.

[Methuselas]

Dulsi,

I was thinking about the issue you brought up about Portraits and how they could mess up the 3D View, if you used the Status command. I was thinking..... Instead of making Portraits, how about we use the original backgrounds I did for the first slots on their own layer, for when the Status command is activated. When the Status command is activated, it will load a background image to block everything underneath the Slot layer. When done looking at Stats, the background disappears. That way, we can have transparent animations, but when we load the status screen, it blocks everything but the character animation and ALL of the character animations would be available for characters/Spell Binds. I think I have 8 or 9 of them. I could just label them "Background1," "Background2" etc and BTBuilder could pick one at random, every time. Adds a little variety.

I'm working on a 1280x960 layout. The map editor is broken, though. All the problems listed above. Converting some Unreal outfits I have to Character Creator. Here's a 578x578 3D View render. The Human texture is one I did in Substance Painter.

[Methuselas]

Dulsi,

What does "Label $$" do again? I always used it as a Label for Groups of Actions/Conditionals, for easier copy pasta within a special, but I remember you telling me it was specifically for something else.

Also, might a get a look at the build you have that supports multiple attacks for monsters? I've got 10 male and female texture maps done, but it takes 15 or so hours to bake all the maps I need to paint in Substance Painter, so I started working on the tech module, instead and I found some new stuff I didn't know about. I'm re-writing the manual stuff for the editors, so it can be packaged with the executable.

I'm still running into issues with 1280x960, specifically the map editor, which means probably downgrading to a lower resolution, which is something I didn't want to do.

[Methuselas]

I got 1280x1024 working. I also figured out what the problem was. The Width and Height Elements under Display have to be divisible by 4. Any Resolution that isn't divisible by 4 won't work, so no widescreen.

However, we have 1280x1024 now, with a 576x576 pixel 3D View.


I had to turn off the coordinates to make it look nice. It's my hope that Dulsi can update the map editor to use the white boxes at the bottom to show the X and Y coordinates for the arrow's current location. Map view is 21x28.

[Methuselas]

The default tileset is done. It's called "The Matrix." Unless you're specifically using this tileset, if you see it, it means the tileset you're using is broken. This is also the template you'll use if you want to create your own tilesets, either 2D or 3D. It will come with an FBX and a bat file to rename all the images, once rendered.

This also has support for a total of 10 spaces for light, if Dulsi wants to support light sources that have a distance. They're labeled Front0 to Front9.

[Methuselas]

I just broke 1680x1050.

I actually broke 1920x1080, but the font isn't displaying properly. All this time, I had forgotten to update the wall.xml file. That's why the 3D View was never displaying correctly. You can see in the image below the font issue:



I'm baking out the 1920x1080 images for the Matrix tileset and I'll do more testing. If it's stable, I'll post it to see if Dulsi can figure out the font issue. Oh and the mainscreen still crashes if you point it to a font.

[Methuselas]

Interesting discovery I made last night. The Map icons, by default, are 8x8 pixels. So, if you're not using a XMult/YMult, no matter what, it will only display them at 8x8 pixels, even if you point it to 32x32 icons. It squashes them, if above 8x8 pixels. If you use an XMult/YMult of 2, it expects Map icons that are 16x16, so if you use 8x8 icons, it doubles it. If you use 16x16 icons, it displays them normally. If you use 32x32, it squashes them. If you use an XMult/YMult of 4, it expects Map icons that are 32x32, so if you use 8x8, it quadruples it. However, if you use 16x16, it squashes them again. If you use 32x32 icons, it displays them normally. I haven't managed to get any working display above an XMult/YMult of 4. This also explains the issues I was having previously with squashed Map icons.

So, I made map icons for 8, 16 and 32. Depending on what XMult/YMulti you use, you'll have to point them to the correct folder. It's also interesting to note that the BEST way to design a display.xml is to actually use no multiplier, but if you do, you end up with the smallest pixel icons with maps 4 times the size. I've currently got 1680x1050 working 100%, except the map icons are 16x16 pixels, due to using an XMult/YMult of 2. This also means the map size for the gamescreen is 50x40 at 16x16 pixels. That's GREAT for the MapEditor, but not so much for the gamescreen.

Is there an element in an xml I'm missing that lets you change the multiplier for the Map icons? It would be nice to be able to pick the size you want, without having to hassle with the Display Mult.

[Methuselas]

New discoveries. I don't know if it's 1920x1080 or if it's full screen, but BTBuilder does not multiply at all at a 1920x1080 resolution. I was testing 1920 again and got the same results as usual. I noticed something different, this time however when I attempted an xMult/yMult of 2. The resolution pixel density should have been 960x540, multiplied by two. When I fired up BTBuilder, the resolution was at 960x540. I confirmed this by reducing the gamescreen to 960x540.

It displayed perfectly.

I tried the same steps, using an xMult/yMult of 4, which would result in a pixel density of 480x270 and sure enough, when the game screen was reduced to 480x270, it displayed fine.

So, full screen is definitely a no go.

Also, one thing I wasn't aware of, but am now, is the fact that the wall.xml is hard-coded. I rendered a new tileset and it had an additional left/right1_2 wall. Adding it caused a crash. This also means you can't add new wall sprites to the Engine, so we're stuck with the 24 walls and 5 levels of light, until Dulsi decides to update the code. I'm still going to render the 10 levels of light, but conform to the original parameters of the Engine, so as not to break anything. In the data, you'll have 2 wall.xml files: wall.xml and wall_10.xml. It should be pretty self-explanatory.

We have two options now for 1680x1050. Variant 1 has a 3D view of 800x640 and looks similar to the original Bard's Tale game. Variant 2 moves the Spell Effects and increases the 3D view to 880x640. Me, I'm partial to Variant 2, but I wanted to leave it open to suggestions. Could I support both? Yes, but I'm thinking file size. Right now, the converted slots run about a gig in size and since I'm wanting to change how I deliver slot images, it will definitely get bigger. I'll reduce the slot file size, when I start rendering new mobs. I'll just use every 4th image, instead of all of them.

Variant 1:




Variant 2:




Some caveats:

In order to get this resolution to work, I had to use an xMult/yMult of 2. That means the standard font/map icon size is 16.

For the Gamescreen, I doubled the font size to 32. If it's at 16, it skews the text in the character stats area. I don't know why. The font (for me, at least) was too small at 16 pixels. The map, however, doesn't display map icons at 32 pixels, like I wanted, so it's actually really huge - 50x40. Also, due to the squashing of fonts, I had to turn off the numbered items in the status.xml. If you don't the symbol used for equipped/unequipped is also squashed.

For the MapEditor, I kept the font size at 16. The reason for this, is due to the Coordinates. If it's turned on in the MapEdit.xml, any font size higher than 16 is squashed, due to the MapIcons displaying at 16x16 pixels. If the Coordinates option is turned off, you can increase the font size to 32. I'll have two MapEditor.xml files. One with the Coordinates and one without. The MapEditor without coordinates will have two boxes available for xPos/yPos for your current square, if Dulsi adds that option to the MapEditor.

So let me know. Which one do you prefer: Variant 1 or Variant 2?

All of the other Editors work fine and have a font size of 32.

Oh, one more thing. The mings load REALLY slow. Take about 30 seconds or so to load the monk anim, so if you're wandering around and it seems like the Engine froze, it means combat started and it's loading an animation slot.

[Methuselas]

So.....

I found the map icon multiplier. It's in the Wall.xml. I'm guessing it's there, to share between the Display.xml and the MapEdit.xml. That means I have 1680x1050 working exactly the way I wanted it. My scale was off on the 3DView by 16 pixels though, so I'll have to re-do everything, but it's functioning perfectly now.

Also, my discovery led to my working on my 1920x1080 screen, with no multiplier again. I got it to open and it displays everything perfectly.....

except for the font. It's still displaying at 8 pixels, even though I have it set to 32. Note the character stats and see how the AC, Hits and Spls are off center. Again, I have no idea why it's doing this, but it is and it does the same thing with the 1680x1050 screen, if the font is set to 16.

SO fucking close!

[Methuselas]

The Matrix is corrected. Map Editor is done. I converted most of the png slots. I'll do the mings later.

Here's me running around Skara Brae from Bard's Tale 1. This will be so nice to use, when finished.


Interesting side note: I managed to squeeze the original 3DView size from the 1920x1080 into the 1680x1050 screen.