Little help please? - a little bit "off-illarion-topic" tech

Peace Keeper · Post by **Peace Keeper** » Wed Feb 20, 2002 3:48 pm

Me and a couple friends are working on a similar online game, except we're all VERY new newbies to isomertic designs. So my question is this.

We're currently working off a common free engine called "Isometrix"(may be obtained here), the origional intension of the code was made for 640X480 resolution. I've done some very basic changes to set it to do 1024X768. Is there a way for me to set it up in a way so that it could do different resolutions on different machines? Thanks!

(Edited by Peace Keeper at 8:03 am on Feb. 20, 2002)

Astral · Post by **Astral** » Wed Feb 20, 2002 7:36 pm

AHHHHH!!!! That link is INSANE i tell you!!!!!! Like 50 pop ups appear all of the sudden!!!! Had to ALT-CTRL-DEL them out!!!!!!!!

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Thu Feb 21, 2002 1:51 am

grrrr... they should really change their webspace provider, or sue him for these popups.
I would almost suggest to work into direct3d instead using another graphic engine.

(Edited by Damien at 1:54 am on Feb. 21, 2002)

Sebi · Post by **Sebi** » Thu Feb 21, 2002 11:33 am

I vote for OpenGL!
It's a nice library (ok, not THAT suitable for 2D content, but if you are already doing a pseudo 3D engine why not do it in 3D natively). Also i'm a big fan of portability. If you use OpenGL and some other libraries (like commonC++) it yould be a piece of cake porting your software to other OS's.
I have never actually worked with DirectX, but i just don't like it because it's Microsoft

If you disapprove just ignore me - i just wanted to hear my voice again

Bror · Post by **Bror** » Thu Feb 21, 2002 12:51 pm

To do different resolutions, you can either

use a formula everywhere, where direct screen coordinates are used (i.e. if your inventoy starts at X=600 in a 800x600 resolution, just write 600*factor, where factor is 1 for 800x600, 0.8 for 640x480 and 1.28 for 1024x768.
This implies that the coordinates are calculated during runtime (slow), graphics are available in the highest resolution and are scaled down for lower resolutions (fairly easy but very slow, may look crappy) or the graphics are available in all three resolutions (takes much memory and work for the graphic artists to provide the same graphics in top quality in three sizes).

Another aproach would be like in Ultima online, where the graphics stay in the same pixel size, but you have a bigger view of the world (i.e. you see more fields -> more network traffic, unfair for players with old hardware) and/or have a black area at the border, where you can store things. The size of the border depends on the resolution.
In ultima online the "black border" beneath the world area can be used to display your controls, i.e. your inventory can be moved freely to a position where you like it, be it the world area or the black border. In the same way status information, containers, skills etc. can be put anywhere you like.

PS: We were also VERY new newbies to isometric engines. In fact I have never seen any isometric engine except the one I programmed myself.

Erdrick · Post by **Erdrick** » Thu Feb 21, 2002 2:41 pm

Woooo... Those cpu codes make my head spin...
The least I can do is make banners and start to do some BASIC stuff...
But, Hey, I can help you with storylines! Storylines are good!
Just ask if you need proposals or storylines, PK,
I have loads of them, but I need to space them out here so I don't spam :biggrin:

@Bror: Just a question, but they have a mapeditor on their site somewhere... is the mapeditor you guys making the same sort of idea as that one?

(Edited by Erdrick at 2:44 pm on Feb. 21, 2002)

Bror · Post by **Bror** » Thu Feb 21, 2002 6:01 pm

I don't know if that map editor is the same, and I won't go to that homepage to look at it after I heard about the advertisment spaming there.

Erdrick · Post by **Erdrick** » Fri Feb 22, 2002 2:29 am

I only see 2 ads, or 1... maybe they are hiding?

rahgnar · Post by **rahgnar** » Wed Feb 27, 2002 12:22 am

ugh...popups are so bad im not going any farther than the homepage......4 webcam ads, 3 empty ads. an one preeteen girl lifting up her shirt...sick....well i like young girls (i am 16 an like a 12 year old) but not nude....thats wrong

rahgnar · Post by **rahgnar** » Wed Feb 27, 2002 12:50 am

ugh it changed my homepage too....this isp sucks...no offence

Astral · Post by **Astral** » Sun Mar 03, 2002 5:45 am

I went there once and I am never going back again!

Tell me when this new game is up, i would like to see it