[CF-Devel] xpm removal???

[Andreas Vogl]

Pertti Karppinen wrote:
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      Why do peole want to remove xpm's?
     
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      [...]
     
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      If someone is going to point that "we cannot maintain 3 separate sets of
     
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      graphics", then I think the development is taking the wrong route. It
     
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      basically means that lot of monsters are added to the game. There are alot
     
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      of monsters allready, we don't urgently need any new ones. What we need
     
     are
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      maps. And maps. And perhaps some more maps. If someone absolutely has to
     
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      make a new monster, she/he should take the trouble of making the picture
     
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      available in all supported formats, using automated transformation if
     
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      nothing else. If the picture is sufficiently bad someone will make a
     
     better
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      one someday.
     
     
Did you ever create maps for yourself? Well, I did - And I can tell you
that when working on a set of maps, you quickly come to a point where
you desperately want to insert a new monster.
Placing the millionst enhanced dragon called "very old dragon" or
"fiery dragon" or "ancient dragon" or "mega dragon"... that becomes
very tiresome after a while. Not only for the map-maker but also for
the players.
You want to have unique monsters/NPCs? Then you'll need unique images
as well. And what about weapons? *Every* map-maker dreams about inserting
new weapons... Using an old image? NO, NEVER!

Now if you're working on a multisquare monster with animation and
you have to draw every pic three times (and that means half a day of
extra work), only because some people don't get a consensus...
To say it mildly: That doesn't make you happy.
And doing the picture exta-aweful (like using convert/resize),
saying "oh someday someone will make it look better", that isn't a
good solution.

I'm not saying we must remove xpm ASAP, nobody said that. Especially
not now that future of CF art is kinda.. "uncertain", and
developers have so many different preferences.

What I do want is that, at least, xbm gets removed (the bitamps for running
CF on gameboys) and that we finally *decide* heading for ONE set. We don't
have to remove all others, but there should be one set that is the
"main set". And some future day, when it is far better than all others,
it should remain the only one. I don't really care if this is png or xpm,
iso, front-view or top-down, 24x24, 32x32 or maybe something completely
new. As long as it looks good and it is ONE set.


Andreas Vogl