The Wallpaper Challenge

Emperor's Child · #1 March 1st, 2002, 07:40 PM

This is the Wallpaper Challenge, I'm throwing down the gauntlet to all you guys and gals that have nothing better to do but punch out shipsets. Render your fleet in a large format and show the world your stuff! Beat This:

1015002417.zip

[ 01 March 2002: Message edited by: Emperor's Child ]

Suicide Junkie · #2 March 1st, 2002, 08:23 PM

What's that have to do with screen savers?

When I get home tonight, I'll make a screensaver that animates your shipsets if you like.

Emperor's Child · #3 March 1st, 2002, 08:37 PM

Ok Ok, Wallpaper! sheesh! But, the Wallpaper challenge.... Just does not have the same ring...

Well, I guess this would be better titled the (ho-hum) Wallpaper challenge. Let's everybody see what you can do, a nice juicy mouth watering picture of your ships!

SJ: Cool idea... is that difficult? That's not what I was actually thinking of cause it requires more programming effort than I think most people here possess, but that would be pretty cool. Better yet, can you do a generic one up that you can simply point to a shipset and it will use that (or them) as data? Or even better yet, can it just randomly skip through ALL shipsets? Now THAT would be pretty cool...seeing everybody's ships moving aroud on the screen...

[ 01 March 2002: Message edited by: Emperor's Child ]

Suicide Junkie · #4 March 2nd, 2002, 07:53 AM

A quick & simple prog:
Moving 7 BMPs ships across the screen is only getting me about 9-18 FPS on a 1GHz machine.
The size of the BMPs to move around seems to make no difference, so I've gone with the portraits.

Oh, well, speed isn't one of VB's strong points

FlyingShipsets.gif
On the right side, a big black chunk of space, with null-ships flying by. (you'll see nothing until you select a shipset: see below)

On the top left, there's a drive/directory selector. Go to a directory with ship images, and they will appear. (directory name MUST match the race name: ie Klingon_portrait_escort in a "klingon" directory)

Below that, there is a FPS meter, and below that, a directional control box. Clicking in the box changes the direction/speed the ships move.

Below that is an Exit button.
Double clicking on the background between any of the above things will also quit.

Flying Shipsets.exe
To make it a screensaver, rename it to "FlyingShipsets.SCR", and place it in your windows directory. (Yes, that's all)

Fyron · #5 March 2nd, 2002, 08:06 AM

Your screensaver program doesn't mask the bitmaps very well (well, at all, actually). It looks weird when ships cross over each other.

Also, could you make it so that it will save the settings you input? And also so that it will display in full screen mode?

[ 02 March 2002: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Atrocities · #6 March 2nd, 2002, 10:19 AM

I'll bite. Starwolf Fleet 800x600 or Zip image download

[ 02 March 2002: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

Suicide Junkie · #7 March 2nd, 2002, 04:21 PM

Fyron:
I'm not sure how to go about masking... there are a few things I could try, but it'll take some time.

What settings? If you put the EXE into your races folder, it should only take a double-click to chose the race, and one more click to get them moving.

As for Full-screen mode: when I run it, it starts maximized, covers the start menu, and the only screen area not used is the border, and the control panel...
What are you seeing?

Fyron · #8 March 2nd, 2002, 10:35 PM

If you change the exe to a scr and use it as a screensaver in the display properties, then you have to tell it to use a shipset every time it loads. It's not too useful at present as a screensaver that loads up after an idle period.

When I open it up, it covers the entire screen. However, there is a constantly flickering whitish-gray border around the ship area, and the menu that lets you select a ship set is always displayed. It would make a better screensaver if that menu would hide, allowing the ships to fly accross the entire screen.

When I first open it, the folder that it looks in is whatever folder the file is located in. I tried putting it into a race folder, but it doesn't show the ships unless I select a different folder and then come back to the race's folder.

Taera · #9 March 2nd, 2002, 10:47 PM

Wallpaper, huh? I've been once doing a wallpaper for the Taera, i just might finish it or get something else done. Just might do it. Expect it tomorrow though, as its late already.

Suicide Junkie · #10 March 2nd, 2002, 11:43 PM

Fyron:
I can make it load the starting folder's shipset.
A shortcut to the program might work, if not, a .scr which runs an editable batch file to run the flyingshipsets program might work...

I could also make the flyspace expand to cover the entire screen if you don't click on anything for a few seconds...

Version2: Flyingshipsets.exe

[ 02 March 2002: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]