bpotts1980's Forum Posts

  • 8 posts

  • Prominent - Thank you! That helps.

  • (sorry if this is a duplicate - I had to make some edits, but that must have flagged it for deletion, somehow)

    Hi all!

    I have a few questions about tilemaps. And then a perplexing issue I can't seem to get around. Hoping anybody can help! This is kind of long-winded, sorry.

    1. If you take a static image, whatever it may be, is there a difference if it were a single image as opposed to being constructed in X number of tiles? Let's just say there was no variation of the image in a level (side scrolling platformer), is there a performance benefit to having it "sliced" into however many number of tiles? I don't know if I'm asking this the right way. For example, say if it's a tree. Yes, I understand if I want to vary the height, to have it vertically tileable in such a way that it can be tall or short. But let's assume it's just the same height throughout.

    2. If there are multiple layers of tilemaps, is that a drain on the performance of a game? For example, a brick building (layer 1), and a tree in front (layer 2). Should I just build the tree into the brick tiles? Or does the engine (or whatever), recognize both layers condensed into a single tile? Hopefully this makes sense. I don't know how else to describe it.

    (EDIT - I figured this out. Basically I just had to shift the boundaries up - it was off center) Tile challenge - I'm making a sidewalk for a platformer. The seams in the concrete of the sidewalk are at an angle, from the upper-left corner of the tile, to the lower-right (this will take up two 32px tiles, horizontally - but the graphic is constrained to the top half, so 64x16 px). There is a subtle seam I can't get around. Since the line of the seam terminates into the corner, it results in a point. This seemingly simple thing has wracked my brain. Screenshot below. This is more of a general game-art question - not specific to Construct.

    Thanks for any help!

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  • Hi!

    Short version:

    What's the best way to implement a vector style (i.e., not pixel art) for backgrounds in a game.

    Long version:

    Here's the deal. I'm making a platformer. I know the art direction I want to take this project. Think Earthworm Jim, but with the slickness of Shank. Yeah, I know, lofty goals.

    I'm not so much concerned with coding at this point, but more with the overall layout, the workflow. I just don't know what would be the smartest, most resource conscious way of doing this. I don't want my game to look pixel-arty, but rather, slick and smooth. I'd like to use Adobe Illustrator and Spriter to create all (or most) of the assets (primarily characters). But it's really the backgrounds that I'm at a loss with. I want them to look good, not overly repetitive. Yes, I do realize there can't be a billion unique elements in a level.

    I understand why tilemaps are used. I understand the limitations of using huge images for backgrounds, and why it's best to re-use elements to cut down on the size. But between Tilemap Editor, or Shoebox, or Texture Packer, or whatever else....I have no idea how to go about this.

    Any suggestions or helpful links would be appreciated!

    Thank you!

  • Hi!

    I have another question about the example game, Kiwi Story. Wondering if somebody could shed some light on how the "Menu Lock" variable works, pretty please?

    Here's what I do understand (I think) - having this variable prevents (or disables) control once a menu option is selected, so the user cannot keep scrolling...? Or maybe I'm totally off. Any help would be appreciated! Screenshot below...

  • Imagine if the transition function was called twice, the second time it would destroy the first functions transition sprite before a new one was created.

    Ethan - thank you! The helps clarify it even further.

  • At the first line of the Transition function, there is no Transition object selected yet which means that "Transition destroy" will destroy ALL Transition objects, and by doing so it will clean up leftover transition objects from previous transitions. After all "old" leftover transition objects are destroyed, a new one is created and the new transition object's size is changed.

    Got it. So at the start of the game, after the first call, there won't technically be a Transition object to destroy yet, so that action will just be passed up. Then each transition afterward will enact the clean-up action of Destroy.

    Thanks for the reply!

  • Hi!

    I'm going through the example games for Construct 3, and have been "studying" the platformer Kiwi Story.

    I'm wondering if anybody could explain what's going on in this specific piece of code below. The main thing I'm looking at is the first line in the function "Transition" (for those who haven't gone through the game, this function is a fade in/fade out effect between layouts). Why is the Transition object being destroyed right away?

    As a test, I deleted that line and ran the game. Nothing seemed to change, but I suspect something is happening in the background that I can't seem to put my finger on. Any insight would be appreciated!

  • Hi! I apologize up front, but I've done my due diligence and can't seem to find another post with this issue.

    My question is regarding this tutorial and an issue I've found....

    https://www.scirra.com/tutorials/243/bu ... ide/page-1

    I've went through it, and it almost works perfectly. But the issue I'm having is very specific and hard to explain. The character seems to be "stuck" in the run animation after having jumped from one platform (rather "solid") to the next. So at its most basic, the character's animations trigger correctly - it stops after clearing the jump. BUT, if I take my finger off the arrow early (after clearing the jump - in other words, the button isn't held to the full extent, but enough to clear the gap between platforms), it still triggers the run animation and you'll see the character running in place after landing. I'm sure it's a timing thing, but I have no idea how to overcome it. I hope this makes sense!

    Thanks everyone who may be able to help out. <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile">

    UPDATE - The issue was resolved by following this tutorial, which was a little more in depth..

    https://www.scirra.com/tutorials/253/ho ... ame/page-1

    I can't explain why exactly (yet). But I believe it has to do with including more conditionals (sub-conditions).

  • 8 posts