05-03-2012, 01:50 AM
102D2011272725272E420 wrote: [quote author=415C4056330 link=1334071748/36#36 date=1335870035]That would be great! I am missing aguamats mansions!!!!
I did a few tests and custom backgrounds don't work. I probably knew that but forgot. Still, I think for some mansions this will only have a small impact. It won't impact many of aquamat's since most don't use custom backgrounds. Whether it greatly impacts Immortal Ruins is up to SandyBean. Otherwise, I'd be up for uploading it, because it plays mostly fine without the various backgrounds. As I mentioned before - I did notice another graphical glitch in other rooms, but it didn't cause the game to crash or make it unplayable.
With aquamat's, it's kind of a mixed bag. All the mansions where the levers have been submerged so that the base is no longer visible are now unplayable. In some of those mansions there are a *lot* of levers. I am still looking for my set of scripts. I thought I had one which would identify all these cases and optionally fix them. So these shouldn't be converted without at least that change.
The mansions where there is only one or two custom graphics, seems to me like maybe it wouldn't be too bad without them in order to get another playable mansion out there. Aquamat may feel differently. As I said, for mansions where it is just one or two graphics, it's probably fine depending on which images they are. For other mansions where there are 5 or more, I think the changes start to drastically impact the look and feel, but still if the mansion designer is Ok with it - at least temporarily, then why not?
With the remaining mansions, we should at least try to contact the designers first. I'm fairly certain that Anthony would *not* wish his mansions to be modified by anyone else - especially the ones that use extensive custom graphics. Some of these would be completely ruined without the custom graphics, IMO.
First things first:
1. It's true, I hardly ever used custom backgrounds (maybe once or twice at max., my guess would be if at all it's in DoD). But nevertheless it's a shame that they no longer work. But that can't be too big of an issue, to make them work again, at least I would think so.
2. As for those levers: wouldn't it be easiest to convince Vern to either UNDO his lever 'improvement' to how it used to be (= allowing levers to be buried and still work) OR at least - like some of the other improved / changed features - make it choosable for the designer (on a per-mansion basis) whether the mansion in question allows levers to be buried or not ??
I really can't see a real reason for a lever 'improvement' that prohbits these lowered / buried levers anyway.
A potential (although less 'funny') alternative would be to simply add another lever-design to the catalog of sprites, one which simply does NOT have a base at all.... so when used would look almost like the buried ones. (I say 'almost' and 'less funny' because it wouldn't really look buried since it'll probably be just as long as the ones with bases.....whereas the buried ones are 1 unit shorter in size).
However, this third alternative would certainly be the easiest route to go, programming-wise.
BTW: In one of my hardest mansions, JUMP!, I even came up with the
upside-down - lever, which is hanging from the ceiling and can still be pulled by Jack. I was very proud of that..... and I bet my a#s this will definitely not work any longer, right ?!
3. As for the use of custom graphics in my mansions:
Indeed, if I remember correctly, the mansions where I really used several custom graphics, aren't all that many.
There are a lot of mansions where I didn't use any custom graphics at all, and several where I only slightly changed the look of Jack.
There are a few though, like DoD, where the custom graphics are essential to the gaming experience and/or the theme of the mansion. In DoD for example you have custom BBBs (including custom 70s-style text boards that appear when you activate / read a BBB), you have custom paintings and other disco-related design objects, including dancers etc. Most important are probably the changed bricks, platforms etc. But in most later mansions (say from 2008 onward) I rather tried to work with the tools (sprites, bricks etc.) we're given and (ab-)use and/or conform them for my purpose than use too much custom graphics.
Some mansions feature both approaches, like THE FOUR TUBES, which does include 1 sort of custom bricks (lemon-colored), several custom paintings and maybe 1 or 2 other custom-bits. That should be manageable.....