Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => FS2 Open Coding - The Source Code Project (SCP) => Topic started by: FreeTerran on April 02, 2003, 09:12:16 am

Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 02, 2003, 09:12:16 am
Can anyone programm that we can use 16.7 Mio colors for the interface and not the limitation of 256 colors.
And the limitation of Animations too please.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: kasperl on April 02, 2003, 09:17:10 am
this has been suggested before, and it was decided that this wasn't neccesary. if you just make an image in 16million, and then compress it to 256, it will look just as good. as long as you use some reasonable graphics software.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 02, 2003, 09:19:35 am
:wtf: But i use over 100.000 colors for one of the pic and when i convert it to 256 colors it looks bad but i must take the pic at my mod and can't use an other.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: kasperl on April 02, 2003, 09:25:22 am
what program do you use to convert it?

perhaps you can e-mail me the pic and let me try.
I AM NOT JOINING YOUR MOD, I'M ONLY HELPING THIS ONCE.

or perhaps you should use another picture
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 02, 2003, 09:26:31 am
I DON'T USE AN OTHER PIC
I use PSP 7 and Photoshop.
What usee you to convert it ?
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: kasperl on April 02, 2003, 09:49:27 am
i'd use PSP. can you first post some before and after pics, then i might see the problem.

why don't you just use another picture, and stop demanding things.

or even better, work on missions first, and then work on interface. missions and a good storyline are more important then mods.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 02, 2003, 09:51:18 am
:mad2: Why will you not that the fs_open support 16.7 mio colors ?
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: kasperl on April 02, 2003, 09:55:18 am
i'm no coder, so you can just wait for one of them to see this topic, and then ask nicely. but i just don't think it's necesary and that you shouldn't put that much time in things like new interface and music, and more time in story and mission.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 02, 2003, 09:59:20 am
I have talked with inquistor and they have say they do what they can.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Black Wolf on April 02, 2003, 10:34:17 am
Quote
Originally posted by Free Terran
:mad2: Why will you not that the fs_open support 16.7 mio colors ?


Probably because people come in and demand it, and then get angry when it's not done within thirty one minutesor so of the thread first being posted.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Fry_Day on April 02, 2003, 10:39:18 am
While I don't believe 256 colors looks nearly as good as 16.7 million colors, no mater what converter, when the image is truly complex, I still think it's pointless to add as a feature, since it's just the interface. Get over it. who cares about the interface when they're exterminating shivan scum? :)
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 02, 2003, 01:24:05 pm
Gives here any people they will that ?
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Stunaep on April 02, 2003, 01:39:12 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Free Terran
Gives here any people they will that ?


this has got to be a record
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Inquisitor on April 02, 2003, 01:39:15 pm
I actually said I'll look at it, not that I would do it.

And I will look at it, and ask the other folks, and see.

It would help if you showed us some before and after shots of the graphic you are using, if we can't make the change easily, then perhaps we can suggest an alternative ;)
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 02, 2003, 01:42:14 pm
Please do it.
I can't the pic at moment appear you because it is now not finished but when its done i appear it you.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Kazan on April 02, 2003, 02:25:37 pm
terran, du störst jeden Mensch, die das Forum lesen

Gebrauch "ich woellte" nicht "ich will"

[yes i know my german is rusty]
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Sesquipedalian on April 02, 2003, 04:22:13 pm
Did we not go through this once already?
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,13213.0.html

Download Bright, Free Terran.  It will solve your problem quite nicely, I think.  CptWhite gave you the link in the thread I have posted here for you.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: IceFire on April 02, 2003, 08:03:17 pm
I was just going to suggest Bright.

In PSP, use Palette: Optimized Octree/Reduction Method: Nearest Color.  That is a very good way to do it...its not perfect, but its very good.  Photoshop does one better and Bright does one better than that.

I'm not even sure if any current day game is using a full 16.7 million colors for any of their artwork.  Someone want to confirm that for me?  I think people still use 256 as often as possible...its much more efficient.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Galemp on April 02, 2003, 08:27:47 pm
Most textures don't have enough variety in the color scheme to make 16 bit useful. Just convert it with one of the decent programs already mentioned.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Inquisitor on April 02, 2003, 09:02:46 pm
We've also talked about PNG support, which Komet and I discussed briefly earlier...

It's a big maybe.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: diamondgeezer on April 03, 2003, 12:36:21 am
Quote
Originally posted by Free Terran
Gives here any people they will that ?

I can't the pic at moment appear you because it is now not finished but when its done i appear it you.


Free Terran, you've raised the bar for engrish speakers everywhere. Good effort.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Fry_Day on April 03, 2003, 12:46:06 am
The last large-scale gaming engine that relied on 256-color textures is the original Unreal Engine. Every game engine later than that (Quake 3, Lith-tech since around AvP2, Unreal Warfare) uses 16, 24 and 32-bit textures, with texture compression supported. Texture compression is a much better solution than palettized textrues, in my opinion, since the gains are even larger (A texture can be compressed 8-fold, which means a 24-bit texture can be compressed to 3/8s of the size of an 8-bit texture, giving both a higher resolution, and a higher color precision)
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Bobboau on April 03, 2003, 01:36:08 am
you know I was thinking about looking into this, I made my own PCX loader for Aurora, I think I might give it a shot later, I'm still waiting for the final 3.51 bug fix before I commit anything, though I'm starting to think I missed it or something
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 03, 2003, 04:43:12 am
Quote
Originally posted by Kazan
terran, du störst jeden Mensch, die das Forum lesen

Gebrauch "ich woellte" nicht "ich will"

[yes i know my german is rusty]


Your german is very bad. :shaking:
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: CmdKewin on April 03, 2003, 04:51:12 am
Quote
Originally posted by Free Terran


Your german are very bad. :shaking:



like your english.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: KARMA on April 03, 2003, 05:06:19 am
like my english
:)
out of the joke...
a 256 colors pic will look worse than a 16m, it's obvious, but not SO bad, until you convert digital photos...
16m pics are far bigger than 256, but since we are talking of interface this won't be much a problem, but i don't see why they should spend much time in something that gives a minimal advantage (minimal because it is interface+ not much gain in beauty)
althught i haven't seen your image it is very probable that, if you are having BIG quality reduce after converting, well probably you have done something bad converting
with photoshop (if i remember well) to convert to 256 color pcx you have to go to image/mode/indexed color: here a little menu will popup, where you can select the number of colors AND the way colors are reduced (adaptive,perceptive etc). Play with this parameter (you will have a real time preview) and i bet you will solve most of your probs
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 03, 2003, 05:09:56 am
OH i have edit the post.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Bobboau on April 03, 2003, 10:36:44 am
untill someone changes this, use bright
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: CptWhite on April 03, 2003, 10:52:34 am
do a search for bright i linked a version a few weeks ago
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: LAW ENFORCER on April 03, 2003, 03:54:22 pm
At the very least I would request high bit on sun pics.... on high res suns (Aldo used one in that casualties thingy, and I use them) and the coronas on them appear banded (rings of colour) which is just crap and runins the effect of the sun....



so...


hummm??



(you have 31 minuets! :lol: )
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Sesquipedalian on April 03, 2003, 04:57:11 pm
Since people can't seem to click on a link even when posted, here is the relevant content to this whole discussion.


Why is it unnecessary to upgrade to 16.7 million colours?

16.7 million colours (a.k.a. 24-bit colour):
(http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/scroll/misc/ntflogo24bit.bmp)

256 colours (a.k.a. 8-bit colour):
(http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/scroll/misc/ntflogo8bit.bmp)

Can you see a difference?  I didn't think so.


How can I make my 8-bit colour image look good as a 24-bit?

The above 24-bit image was converted to the 8-bit using Corel PhotoPaint (which eats all other graphics programs for lunch).  If you are not so lucky as to have PhotoPaint, then you want Bright (http://www.btinternet.com/~ken.sue/Bright.exe).  Bright is free, so there is no excuse not to make nice 8-bit images out of your 24-bit images.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: LAW ENFORCER on April 03, 2003, 05:29:06 pm
oh dear me....
16
http://www.armouredstar.com/pics/other/16(2).bmp
8
http://www.armouredstar.com/pics/other/8(2).bmp  

well looky here, what is this!!!! hummm!!! :ha: get 16 million NOW!!

(What do we want? 16Million! When do we want it? 31 minuets!)

(sorry for the size btw.... humph, fire for effect;7 )

EDIT: woops! 512*512 is bigger than I though! (i use them to texture my ships but they never look THAT big!!!) Change with 350*350 ones that WERNT saved as .jpg first!:rolleyes: :doubt:

the images arnt working again (been a while) links...:rolleyes:
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Kazan on April 03, 2003, 06:09:04 pm
get a freaking clue - demanding a programmer does something = programmer NOT doing that something
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Sesquipedalian on April 03, 2003, 06:10:24 pm
Quote
Originally posted by LAW ENFORCER

Rant

1) Did you use the proper program to convert that?  2) Did you remember to turn on Dithering?  It will solve your problems quite well, my friend.  Look:

Your version of the 8-bit:
(http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/scroll/misc/8-2.bmp)

My version (using dithering!):
(http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/scroll/misc/16-2.bmp)

Learn to use the converter properly, and you really, truly don't need 24-bit colour in FS2. :)
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: LAW ENFORCER on April 03, 2003, 06:15:48 pm
does dithering make them into red Xs? :rolleyes: K ya fixed them...
:)



and by the way... yuck, thats horrible!!! I use 512 (zoomed in more) and it would STILL look horrible!


anyway, I like my textures to be hiest res (the ship textures are mainly the same colour and so it dont affect it much BUT the suns annoy me SO MUCH!!!) (and Aldo's did this to!)
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Sesquipedalian on April 03, 2003, 06:18:54 pm
Then Aldo needs to learn to turn on dithering, too.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Sesquipedalian on April 03, 2003, 06:21:30 pm
Quote
Originally posted by LAW ENFORCER
and by the way... yuck, thats horrible!!! I use 512 (zoomed in more) and it would STILL look horrible!
What, the centre section?  Yes it is, and that is exactly what it looked like on your 24-bit version.  Click your own link and see.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: LAW ENFORCER on April 03, 2003, 06:23:34 pm
Ok, whos gonna tell him?.... hes from scotland ya know:shaking: :nervous: (they dont HAVE to use baseball bats like USA does!!!! They use their teeth!!!!:shaking: )


Yeah, yeah - mines called 'error defusion' by the way so it didn't look so appeling to click on...:doubt:


No the rings - even that small (and they ARE much better than my old 8bit things explained above) they are quiet noticble and annoy me SO much when im looking for enemy fighters...



(ANNOY THEM UNTIL THEY GIVE UP! ;7 )
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Sesquipedalian on April 03, 2003, 06:25:32 pm
You definitely want to diffuse the errors.  It is a good thing.  The alternative is to have concentrated errors, which makes them very visible and bad.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Sesquipedalian on April 03, 2003, 06:29:53 pm
On a larger image they will be even less noticable, because there is more space to work with.  Run a proper conversion on your 512*512, and it will be fine.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Sesquipedalian on April 03, 2003, 06:37:54 pm
Quote
Originally posted by LAW ENFORCER

(ANNOY THEM UNTIL THEY GIVE UP! ;7 )
Have fun with that... :blah:
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: diamondgeezer on April 03, 2003, 06:50:01 pm
Triple post? S'not like you, Sesq mate.

BTW, your link to Bright wasn't having any of it, so I went and searched File Mirrors to find a working one. This (http://www.gratilog.net/anglais/images/Bright106e.exe) one, in fact :)
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: LAW ENFORCER on April 03, 2003, 07:25:38 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Kazan
get a freaking clue - demanding a programmer does something = programmer NOT doing that something



ha ha ha! What a strange, unexpected comment!

Im not demanding anything! for sure! just voicing my opinions in a compltly uneducated and dictorial way.... only...


oh and by the way, GET IT WORKING j/k:o
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Sesquipedalian on April 03, 2003, 11:35:06 pm
Quote
Originally posted by diamondgeezer
Triple post? S'not like you, Sesq mate.
Artifact of the real time conversation Law Enforcer and I were having.  He'd keep editing his posts, and I'd respond to the new bits.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: J.F.K. on April 04, 2003, 04:01:48 am
Yeah, come on Free Terran. 16.7M colours is unnecessary (at least for now and as long as we have human eyes), and would probably result in a big performance hit in the interface. As well as that, there is negligible gain, and lots of programming work required. If you're still dead set on getting this feature in, maybe you ought to take up programming and learn to do it yourself.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 04, 2003, 04:05:51 am
In what for a file under the code folder are the file with the 256 colors limitation ?
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: vyper on April 04, 2003, 04:10:49 am
If you are asking what I think you are asking, then : quite a few.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 04, 2003, 04:12:28 am
And how nemed the files ?
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Bobboau on April 04, 2003, 04:24:19 am
pcxutils/pcxutils.cpp

has the basic PCX decompression code

and bmpman\bmpman.cpp has the implementation within  bm_lock_pcx

I think it would be easiest to change pcx_read_bitmap_8bpp so that it could interpet 24 bit PCX files as well

note the final code will probly be fairly small and you will not see any diference in the game.
becase they all get converted to 32/24 bit (depending on how you look at it) textures anyway
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 04, 2003, 04:26:43 am
I must only change 8bit to 24bit or ?
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: KARMA on April 04, 2003, 04:34:13 am
btw the shades are probably THE ONLY case when a CG created image suffers a little from reducing the color to 256, for obvious reasons

in this case i probably would limit the colors of the inner sun first (cut the sun from the overall image then limit its colors A LOT), then put image together and convert it to 256: you will have more color room for the corona
or work with a custom palette (good luck...)
btw the quality loss is anyway minimal so i don't see the urgent necessity of changing this. 24bit could be probably useful for alpha channel but i'm not expert in this so i'm not sure
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Bobboau on April 04, 2003, 04:47:27 am
you've got to learn how to program in c(++) and then you have to lern how the FS source works, then you have to figure out how the PCX file format works, then you have to figure out how to merge in 24 bit PCX file suport into the current set up without breaking anything, then you have to do it, then you have to hunt bugs.

note; this is _not_ a,
ALOW_24_BIT_PCXES == true;
type of thing
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 04, 2003, 04:51:43 am
Thats to difficult for me i hope that it do any people of the Source Code project.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Darkage on April 04, 2003, 04:53:09 am
Free Terran, 24bit aint needed. As Seq already explained and showed, proper conversions wil look just as good as 24bit files. And i find it hilarious you want to change it your self in the source code just give up.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: FreeTerran on April 04, 2003, 04:54:23 am
:(
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Darkage on April 04, 2003, 04:54:32 am
Quote
Originally posted by Free Terran
Thats to difficult for me i hope that it do any people of the Source Code project.




How many time do people have to tell you, that 24bit interface aint needed!?

And you are pissing people off by demanding things.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Bobboau on April 04, 2003, 04:59:15 am
I'll probly give it a shot just for the hell of it.
not right now though.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: diamondgeezer on April 04, 2003, 05:47:30 am
:wtf:

Didn't see that one comming, Bob...
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: CptWhite on April 04, 2003, 09:28:00 am
Bright pissses over EVERYTHING for colour reduction.  No Buts.

I changed my account details hence the broken link , its now

Bright's here, But Only For 1 More Week!!!! (http://www.btinternet.com/~cptwhite/Bright.exe)

I'm changing ISP's soon so that link is only valid for the next week I'm afraid.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Martinus on April 04, 2003, 10:01:53 am
Quote
Originally posted by Bobboau
I'll probly give it a shot just for the hell of it.
not right now though.

[color=66ff00]You sir, are crazy!
God bless insanity! :lol:
[/color]
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: phreak on April 04, 2003, 11:37:28 am
i do have 24/32 bit textures working in opengl, but someone needs to get it to work in d3d

edit here's a link:

http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,12652.0.html
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Bobboau on April 04, 2003, 06:11:03 pm
it won't open a 24 bit pcx file
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: phreak on April 04, 2003, 08:48:53 pm
it doesn't use pcx format
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Bobboau on April 04, 2003, 09:16:04 pm
exactly
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: IceFire on April 04, 2003, 11:22:34 pm
This is alot of belly-aching for nothing.  As has been clearly shown...the right techniques and the right approach will solve the problem 99% of the time.  The other 1% of the time (if its a in-game space object) SHOULD be flying past you at ludicrous speed anyways so who the heck is going to notice.

I'M ALL FOR making things look nice in game...but there are more important things I think that the SCP team can focus on than making 16.7 million colors so that we can slow the game down and get a digital photograph of god knows what into the games main hall.

By the way....the new TBP Release 2 mainhall....rendered in very high quality by Reaperman....was reduced to 256 colors with very little reduction in quality.

http://www.hard-light.net/vwbb/showthread.php?threadid=8468

Infact, the only place you notice it is on one of the nebulas...and its very miniscule. To the point of insanity.
Title: 16.7 Mio Colors for interface
Post by: Bobboau on April 05, 2003, 12:49:20 am
it wouldn't slow things down any