Specific requirements for custom graphics?

[Malimar]

So I figured out ages ago that there are certain specific requirements for BoA custom graphics. .bmp format, obviously. Most of the existing ones I've looked at today are set to indexed colour with a custom index, 8-bit. But hey look, there are graphics that work that are at 16 and 24 bits. And this one other graphic isn't working despite all the settings I can find being the same as the graphics in the game. It sets one's head awhirl, verily.

 

In any event, I was just wondering: Is there a complete list of the specific requirements for a BoA custom graphic? A checklist to go through to make sure your graphic fits all the requirements and will look the way it's supposed to in BoA?

[The Loquacious Lord Grimm]

There is indeed a complete list of the requirements: It's in the documentation!

 

But just in case you didn't read the documentation:

Quote:

Graphics intended for different purposes need to be arranged in the sheet in different ways (more on this later), but your graphics have to have these qualities:

They need to be at 72 dpi.

They need to be either 8 bit (a 256 color palette) or 16 bit.

Once your sheet is made (with new terrain icons, item icons, or whatever), you put it into the game. You can create up to 100 custom sheets. They can be numbered 500 to 599. How they are put into the game depends on whether you are using a Macintosh or Windows.

...

All large terrain icons are 46 pixels wide and 55 pixels high. They are arranged in sheets in rows of 10, with a black frame around each icon.

Floor tiles need to be drawn with exactly the same diamond shape and positioned as far down as possible in the frame. See sheet 700 for the shape and positioning.

For terrain types like pillars, table, etc., you may need to shift the icon around in the frame a bit to get it positioned exactly.

All small terrain icons are 16 pixels wide and 16 pixels high. They are arranged in sheets in rows of 10, with a black frame around each icon.

In the editor, the icon is drawn as-is.

In the automap, the automap draws a 4x4 graphic for each space. It gets that graphic by taking every fourth pixel from the small graphic, starting at the upper left. So the upper left pixel of the 4x4 automap icon is the upper left pixel of the small graphic, the next pixel to the right on the automap is the pixel 4 to the right in the 16 x 16 icon, and so on.

...

Look in Item Graphics to see a wide assortment of sample item graphic sheets. All items graphics are 28 x 28, arranged in the sheet in rows of 10, with a black frame around them.

Each item has two graphics: first, the small icon for an item on the ground in the terrain area.

Second, the large icon that appears in the getting, store, and inventory area. Both icons for any given item have to be in the same sheet.

...

Look in Character Graphics to see many sample sheets of creature graphics. For sheets with creature graphics, the icons are 46 pixels wide and 55 pixels high (like terrain). The icons are arranged in rows of four, with frames around them

The graphics in each row represent some pose or action for the creature. There are two sizes of sheet for creatures:

The Small Sheet

First Row - Creature just standing there.

Second Row - Creature attacking.

Third Row - Death animation.

Fourth Row - Four tiny (11 x 16) views of the creature facing in the four cardinal directions, used when drawing it outdoors.

For examples, look at sheets 1450 and 1452.

The Large Sheet

First Row - Creature just standing there.

Second Row - Creature with weapon out.

Third Row - Creature attacking.

Third Row - Creature sitting in chair.

Fifth Row - Death animation.

Sixth Row - Four tiny (11 x 16) views of the creature facing in the four cardinal directions, used when drawing it outdoors.

For examples, look at sheets 1500 and 1513.

To tell the game whether a creature uses the large or small sort of sheet, use cr_small_or_large_template.

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The Silent Assassin wonders how long it will take before I realize that he is in the room.

I hope this answers his question.

[Lazarus.]

The dpi and bit requirements are a bit more flexible than that makes it sound. I know 24 bit graphics are fine. 96 dpi graphics work also (not that I know what the hell that means.)

 

Terrain/floor sheets can be multiple rows of 10 (at least 100 icons, possibly more) but item sheets can only have one row. Dialog pics are supposed to be 64x64, and preferably they should be to make it look right, but really they can be any size so long as they don't spill off the screen. You can't, however, put multiple pics on one sheet-- each dialog pic needs its own sheet.

 

That's about all I know about graphics.

[Malimar]

How odd, I was sure I checked the documentation.

And I even spent a while looking at that very section.

Missed the 72 dpi and 8bit/16bit part, which is what I was looking for.