Neblim's site

Flash Client: Screen Resolution

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:39:38 +0000

I have just a few simple questions about game screen resolution with the Flash client...

Are there ways to resize? If I make a game with 16x16 map tiles, but not much screen room (320x240), can I resize them to 640x480? Will this be interpolated/blurry upon resize?

I'm assuming it won't resize, but I just want to clarify the possibility.

Oops a title screen leak.

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:51:08 +0000

Finished in a couple hours. I'm PRO graphic artist baby.

C&C welcome. Trolling even more welcome.

BYOND Client: Flash networking

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:22:01 +0000

I have a question regarding Byond's server communication between the Flash client... I don't know anything about Flash with networking, but I'm aware of HTML5's websockets using a TCP/IP connection with base64 encoded strings... How does Byond's normal client (and flash) process between server and client similar to this? I heard Byond relies on a TCP/IP connection, but I am not fully aware (UDP?). Maybe I should lookup Flash polling?

Tom wrote:

The main advantages, IMO, are:
1) Finally BYOND support on Mac and some tablets (and we can work to support iPad etc. down the line once HTML5 or whatever is stable)

How is HTML5 not stable? What are you referring to? It's incorporated in ALL major browsers, even some minor ones (Konqueror and anything webkit as an example). Even IE9 had to incorporate it before they were left in the dust. I believe IE10 will be supporting websockets (last of the browsers to...).

I have done a lot of research and testing with HTML5 if you have questions or need some good material to read about...

2) No need to download.

But registering through Byond keys is still there?

Does that mean we have to leave the flash client (wherever the game is hosted) and be crudely interrupted by a site redirect to Byond's registration page? Or can we just register within the Flash client itself? I would prefer the ladder to prevent confusion.

3) Ability to run BYOND games on portals like Kongregate and even Facebook, although we will have to decide how to handle this so we don't get left behind; we may rely on embedded ad-revenue in the client to fund the project and that will require cooperation from portals, if we use them.

I have SOME (mostly the network connection information) interest in this Flash client... please don't ruin it with crippling ads. Nobody slaps a giant label on their C++, Python, Java, etc. game/software, they list it in their "about section" or a general list of tools to create it. There are plenty of Byond fandom going around that they will undoubtedly say it's from Byond... I'm sure the key registration will be a dead giveaway too...

Graphic Design 101: Image File Formats

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:47:17 +0000

There are a handful of image file formats, but only a select few we use for certain purposes. New ones pop up now and then, but not often enough to worry much about being up to date with all of them.

For graphic designs (raster), we typically use PSD (Photoshop Document) and XCF (eXperimental Computing Facility for GIMP) especially when working with layers. Think of these file types as "workstation" formats. You don't publish them, but you modify and back them up for future versions or derivatives.

"But PNG is the best format ever!". No, a PNG (Portable Network Graphic) is a lossless (doesn't lose quality) image format for raster/pixel graphics. It is widely used, but not for everything. It cannot do animations (single layered) like a GIF and can be unnecessarily large for photos (unlike JPG/JPEG).

Use JPG/JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) for photos and generally large graphics with lots of detail. It is best used for images under 128x128 or with a very low color count (under 16 colors) for best file size optimization. Don't forget to backup your original as a PSD or XCF so you can convert to a lossless image format if needed. JPG is meant to compress in file size through stretching and interpolating calculations, making it a primary candidate for photos with millions of color. You can adjust the quality level from 0-100% for compression. 100% quality isn't necessary as 70% typically does just fine with most photos, but it is better than using a PNG if you must.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) are a lot similar to PNGs with two major exceptions. They are animated and they have a color limit of 256. This is why you avoid drawing in a GIF opposed to a PNG or (preferably), a PSD/XCF file. I always have ran into trouble drawing in GIFs (the color palette appears fixed sometimes even if you don't exceed the limit). You could be drawing in an orange-red and end up drawing brown (at least this behavior is in GIMP).

If you want to modify a JPG/JPEG or a GIF that you don't have access to their original format, export them to a proper format (PSD/XCF). You will be able to use all the color and layers (or even animation frames) you want. Export them to whatever desired (with the proper format in mind) when finished.

Now we all (for the most part) heard and may even know what these formats are. But what about those vector formats?

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic, open format) and EPS (Adobe Illustrator's Encapsulated PostScript) will save both vector points (you will lose the ability to modify them in any non-vector format). The good news is, they also handle layers and animations. I want to advocate though, to use SVG over EPS. SVG has actual support on Internet browsers these days (though I'm not sure about the notorious IE), making it a possible new image format to post. Of course, if you ever design an image in SVG format, you can always export it to PNG or JPG (which you probably should do anyway for compression).

Next we'll discuss layers and how you should use them.

Graphic Design 101: Let's Start From The Beginning

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 23:47:57 +0000

There seems to be a lot of misconception of graphic design these days. Perhaps being unable to attend courses for basic education behind this field makes people naturally defensive and aggressive to those who try and help their self-taught "skill". I love interjections I get that I'm self righteous for stepping on people's toes and breaking their little hearts for their creations. Well, as I have been taught from every art community/college course, art is not meant for the faint of heart if you want to make something on a respectable level. But this marks the path to a new series of tutorials! I been itching to write something vaguely useful these days since my HTML5 starter tutorials.

If you feel that you want to criticize what I'm about to say, first stop to think and blame where I learned it from. College (Digital Foundations 101), the world, other graphic designers (career and certified, not hobby and self taught).

Let's begin with some background information about what a graphic designer is and what not is. While you would think this is common sense, it generally isn't to amateurs.

A graphic designer by definition is not a graphics editor. I cannot stress enough how much people take a picture (mostly stolen from a website) and apply a series of filters and special designs to it destructively and call themselves a graphic designer. I think I seen this mostly in "banners" for signatures (forums, game sites, etc.). PLEASE just stop it. You are to create what you want, but you are NOT by any means given the title of "graphic designer".

If you modify only photos that you take (via your own camera and not someone else's), you're not a graphic designer, you're a photographer. If you do this but don't take your own pictures but someone else's, your a photo editor with the crutch of not having any full potential in talent and vandalizing other's work. It's fine to do this for practice at home, alone, in a dark basement, but to publicly announce this (and claiming it) is blatantly plagiarizing.

A graphic designer DESIGNS their OWN graphic, hence "designer" and applies a series of non-destructive editing to it for modularity, simplicity, and speedy modifications for future derivatives (whether for yourself or your "team").

Now some of those raster/pixel artists (I, myself am one) use to be considered part of graphic designers in the older age of digital art, but this no longer holds true as vector art and layering came to our existence with improved non-destructive image manipulation.

But what is a graphic; what dictates its definition; what is it meant for? A graphic is an image of representation (like any form of art) created for the purpose of being flexible enough for varying canvas such as pictures in a magazine, a book, a poster, a billboard (try scaling to that resolution with pixel art!), websites (banners, logos, etc), the Internet, general computer images (IE: icons on your desktop), etc. The beauty of a vector graphic is that it can scale to any size without ever losing its quality. Scaling (small to large and vice-versa) a raster/pixel graphic will create interpolation, causing blurry pixelated blocked artifacts everywhere. Frankly, it's a dying art type (thus the small communities and scarce job opportunities). Pixel art that is mostly used in only games is even disappearing (3D is a good description of a more complicated vector graphic).

It can even be plausible (though border-lined today honestly) to create high resolution digital painting and airbrushing to be considered a graphic. But unless you're not designing it to be somewhat modifiable through something like layers, it's not a graphic. But even today this is border-lined a graphic due to its limitations opposed to vector art and 3D rendered images.

You make vector art through applications (primarily) Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape, but not excluding some tools in Photoshop and GIMP. They are typically called anchors and points, or sometimes Bezier curves (GIMP's vector calculation). All a vector is a point and a calculation of a line/curve to the next point, forming a "graphic" or image of representation.

You can even be a graphic artist using traditional methods, such as scanning your RAW pencil/pen drawings and tracing (my preferred way) over them with vectors in Illustrator or Inkscape. But all in all, it all comes down to conversion to vector, or a type of flexible art form (3D modeling/vectoring is another example).

While I will agree it's sad to regurgitate a lot of information that should be common sense to amateur graphic designers, but it had to be done. Next tutorial will introduce you to image file formats, how they're used, what they're meant for, and some myths. We'll get to the good stuff (graphics) after we buckle down on some of this background information.

Which Smart Phone/Device(s) do you use?

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:31:22 +0000

Testing my HTML5 game, I'm also trying to port to various smart devices/phones.

I ask,

If you have a smart device/phone, do you update your OS frequently?

Or

If you don't have one, do you care/want for one?

You may vote for more than one device if you carry those.

Which Browser do you use?

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:19:44 +0000

I am currently testing my HTML5 game with various browsers, and was wondering which browser do you use?

Also I ask the question, do you update your browser to the latest stable/beta? And do you do this frequently?

Thanks.

Slowly but surely - 16 bit sprites

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:09:10 +0000

Just a little progress over a short time...

15-bit RGB sprites, the conversion has begun

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 00:54:44 +0000

15 bit? Are you mad? You said 16 bit!

To be politically correct, it's 15 bit RGB. Super Nintendo uses it. GameBoy Advance uses it (with additionally a backlight).

A rather small start, but a start nonetheless. I converted 3 sprites from my NES monster collage to give this new theme a test run. Notice I didn't change the way they look, but their color palette (and some shading along with said change).

I wanted to make some more to my already lengthy 8-bit monster list, but it's something I really became curious about (the conversion process that is). I'll probably go back and forth between the two, honestly. I don't think that will be too much of a problem.

The backgrounds are not mine, they're from Square Enix's GBA remake of Final Fantasy 1. I only borrowed it for mere testing purposes. Hopefully I will have my own in the near future.

More 8-bit battle sprite work

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 01:52:04 +0000

After some family matters, and still a busy schedule, I just got back to drawing a few (+20) 8-bit monster sprites. As you can see, I'm redoing some (shadow dragon for example) as well.

Just thought I'd let my Byond buddies know what I'm up to after some months of absence. I am still waiting for that 4 years membership to end. :)