DXDRAW options

[czar]

Thanks for that Clootie.

In the situation where we needed it there was no direct3d used so it never affected anything in our case.

[seiferalmasy]

I have 2 further problems in delphix where this is concerned.

Firstly if I use jpeg or PNG images, the collision detection does not work, and more over, the sprites don't seem to even draw on the screen.

Secondly, If I use bitmaps for the animations and set transparency, there is still evident the colour that should be discarded. I set a picture animating 4 frames with colour, and black is the transparent, but still there is black outlining and even the box is sometimes visible

[czar]

For jpeg's don't forget to add jpeg to your uses section.

As for transparent colour always use a "pure" colour, on ethat doesn't alter when set to 16 bit mode.

I stick to fuschia for the transparent colour, $FF00FF.

In photoshop I use a "background" colour that is close to the colour of the sprite. For example gray.. Then change the bitmap from RGB to index colours including the "primary colours" this includes fuschia in the pallete. I then select the background colour and replace with Fuschia. That way I don't get fringes of colour surroundingthe sprite.

I find black to be a terrible colour as the transparent colour as you tend to have black in the sprite itself.

Hope it helps.

[seiferalmasy]

Well, the picture has blur to it needed for the effect of a shield. I chnaged to primary, and not rgb (it seems to go back to rgb actually when using primaries), used FF00FF as suggested and this is what I then got hehe:

[Clootie]

That kind of FX effect (if I imagine it correctly) require alpha-blending, and tend to require real alpha in source image itself (not just alpha-mask).

[seiferalmasy]

Is there anyway to implement this in delphix. My shield would look really crap without the gaussian blur I added in photoshop

[czar]

DelphiX is not suitable for what you want to do. I would suggest moving on from DelphiX and using different system. Have a look at DanJetX, it will do everyting you want and leaves room to get into proper 3d stuff later.

[ijcro]

Hello.

You can see to DXDraws in code for new function on DirectDrawSurface like

    procedure Noise(Oblast: TRect; Density: Byte);
    procedure Blur;

Regards

[seiferalmasy]

On some machines delphix certainly has better framerate or performance whilst in fullscreen mode.

Is this normal?

[Speeeder]

Alot better way... Make the shield effect on a totally black background, as if it'd be drawn on some black space already. Then draw it additively. That way the black will be invisible, and brighter it gets, the more visible it'll be. (In fact, draw about everything additively that's gonna glow) Also note that this is a pretty slow thing. So if you will use additive drawing, be sure to have the latest UnDelphiX and Hardware Accel on...
You should use an alpha of 255, that way, the effect will look about like how you've drawn it.
(For an example, lookie at http://freespace2d.try.hu, screenshots section... Yeeaaa, that's coloured additive drawing, same thing )

Of course, everything runs faster in full screen than in windowed...

czar: now who's saying bad things about UnDelphiX? You or me?