text on map, necessary or unnecessary?

ID:265309
 
Oct 20 2004, 10:43 am
Do you like games that display the name of the mob on the map?

One problem I've run into with a demo I was using was the text wouldn't be displayed if the terrain was the same color as the text...
could always change the RGB of the text to fit the text whenever it entered certain terrain, but that would be very resource intensive, wouldn't it?
Oct 20 2004, 10:45 am
if the text was big enough, why not make an outline or drop-shadow effect on the text in a different color. or make a little box around the text, and fill it with an opposite color than the text color and use it like a background for the text. either way if you come across background the same color, the text is still readable.
Oct 20 2004, 10:46 am
In response to digitalmouse
because that would create lots of work if you think about it, since you'd have to shade every letter - caps, noncaps, etc... Which if I get enough responses on text being necessary here, I probably will just go ahead and do. I was thinking probably white with black backshadow would do... I'm just trying to figure out exactly how resource intensive this will be, since I'll have 40+ procedures that loop throughout every 40 seconds in intervals, so any way I can cut down on lag is a good way.
Oct 20 2004, 10:49 am
I don't think it's necessary unless knowing the mob's name is important for some reason. Remember that you can usually access verbs by just right clicking the mob.
Oct 20 2004, 10:51 am
In response to Jon Snow
Well, for a drop shadow effect you can always just offset a copy of the existing letters by 1 pixel. You could even have it color the letters to the other color
Oct 20 2004, 1:58 pm
In response to Nick231
is there any easy way to change all of a certain shade to a different shade in a single icon file? That would make it easy then...

Oct 20 2004, 2:21 pm
In response to Jon Snow
Jon Snow wrote:
is there any easy way to change all of a certain shade to a different shade in a single icon file? That would make it easy then...


It's easy to do within Dream Maker. Just double-click on the palette entry of the colour you wish to change, and then choose a different colour.
Oct 21 2004, 4:30 am
In response to digitalmouse
digitalmouse wrote:
if the text was big enough, why not make an outline or drop-shadow effect on the text in a different color. or make a little box around the text, and fill it with an opposite color than the text color and use it like a background for the text. either way if you come across background the same color, the text is still readable.

exactly, though a good programmer would use a color that wouldn't be used as a tile color if possible. What you could do is make an obj(a box really) to tie the Image to as well as for a back drop.
Oct 21 2004, 5:09 am
In response to Jon88
Jon88 wrote:
Jon Snow wrote:
is there any easy way to change all of a certain shade to a different shade in a single icon file? That would make it easy then...


It's easy to do within Dream Maker. Just double-click on the palette entry of the colour you wish to change, and then choose a different colour.

if you are talking in game, you can alway use RGB to adjust the color. But it would be best if the original text was black.
Oct 23 2004, 8:12 am
I think it is a bad idea until BYOND starts handeling it. Adding in a text on map library or making your own can become a very, very big code placed into your game for such a small feature (Especially when huge codes hurt you like they have to me in the past.), and I'm thinking it can create a lot of un-necissary lag.

I'd say wait for when BYOND has it in DM as an option, since that would probably manage the lag a lot better... Hell, the libraries would be fine if BYOND did more things client-side instead of server-side.