Legacy of Kain: Revival - First preview

[Vincent]

Haha!  :laugh:

Yeah, it sure is loooong to load up...  I started optimizing it following bluemonkmn suggestions, but there is a lot to do.  Little by little, it will get faster...

Thank you for testing it!

[TheLaw]

Anytime, Vincent. Thank you for making it!

[bluemonkmn]

It looks like you are still loading the splash screen from the file system.  Yes it's embedded in the project, but you should be able to delete the bin file from the output directory and still be able to run the project (rather than keeping duplicates of this data both in a bin file and in the EXE).
Here's an example line of how fmodbase.cs accesses the embedded resource in the EXE:

Code: [Select]

System.IO.Stream fmodrc = System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().GetManifestResourceStream(this.GetType().Name + ".bin");

I don't have time at the moment to explain how to adapt this for loading a bitmap, but if you have trouble, I can try to provide more detail later.  Hopefully there's something as simple as a method to construct a bitmap from the provided stream.

BTW, what format is your image in?

[bluemonkmn]

1) Your image is much more compact (and loses no quality) in PNG format, so I converted it for the following sample.
2) I separated out the Splash class into its own Splash.cs file and created an importable code object out of it.  It should automatically size itself to whatever image you provide as the binary data for the code object.  The default binary data is your splash screen image.  If you delete your splash screen class from Custom.cs, you should be able to import this and see your splash screen loading from within the EXE.  Of course you can also delete all the FMOD stuff that you don't need too.  Right now I can run the game successfully with just the following files (this is what I get if I build the project and then select the "Delete Intermediate Output Files" command):
OpenTK.dll
OpenTK.dll.config
LokRevival.exe
LokRevival.exe.config

[durnurd]

I'd certainly like to take a look at the game, but I've upgraded my graphics card once in my life, and it's gone through three computers, so it's definitely starting to show its age.  The textures are just too big. I saw that BlueMonk gave you some suggestions for cleaning up the graphic sheets.  I saw that the first graphic sheet I looked in (images of Kain) had many empty cells, and also had all the images facing both right and left.  You really only need one direction, and can reverse them all in the frameset editor, so there's another way to shrink your graphic sheets.

[Vincent]

Oh great!!! 

Thanks a lot bluemonkmn!  I'll take a look at that!

@durnurd:
Yeah...  I only recently found out that images could be reversed in within the frameset... 
I already started cleaning the graphic sheets.  It's a little long but I'm getting there.

There are a lot of empty cells in the graphic sheet of Kain because I'm waiting for my artist friend to give me the remaining sprites I need.  (Been a couple of months since he gave some though... )  This is probably the last graphic sheet I will update...  But I will!

I'll post a message when the project's graphic sheets are completely optimized, and update the project, of course.

[Vincent]

Great!  I just added the new splashscreen!  It works great! 

Thanks again bluemonkmn!

[Vincent]

Pfff!   :tired:

I've gone through a first iteration of optimization.  Now all the graphics sheets are smaller than 1024px X 1024px.  Also, the monsters graphic cell now match their actual size, thus removing a lot of transparent pixels, which should help collision masks.  I didn't do that for Kain's graphic sheet, because I want to have all it's sprites before doing that.  But it's graphic sheet is still way smaller.  I could remove about half of the cells since I knew I could flip the sprites using the frameset editor now.   

I think the file size says it all: it went from 7073kb to 5198kb.

I updated the submission in the project listing.  Now, with the new embedded splash screen (thanks again bluemonkm!) and the instructions posted in this thread, I think everything is OK!  Just waiting for bluemonkmn to update it.

Can you try it again durnurd?  It might work for you now!

Thanks guys!

[bluemonkmn]

Approved.  Too bad Remository doesn't have finer security control where I can give you access to approve your own project uploads at least for projects you've already uploaded and are just updating.
I see you set the default start map to the actual game now.  But am I missing something?  Did you say you also included the instructions?  Or are you saying that for instructions, you refer to this thread?  I only saw one file in the archive.

[Vincent]

Yeah, I changed the start up map in the project.  If you want to go to the test room, leave the start up room by walking toward the left.  To return to the start up room form the test room, leave the test room by walking toward the left.

For the instructions, I didn't include them in the game yet.  I meant that they are available in this thread.  I think it should be enough for now.  They will be included in the first level of the game.

Unless I have suggestions and comments, I think I won't update the project again.  Well, at least until the first level is completed.

Oh, by the way, I modified the jumping sprites a little, so they should behave less awkwardly.  It might not be perfect, but the character doesn't seem to fall through the tiles when he jumps now. 

[durnurd]

Hey, looks pretty good!

[Vincent]

Great!  I'm glad you like it durnurd!

If you have any comments or suggestions, I would be happy to hear them!