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Saren · Wed 05/01/2011 13:47:10

What's an alpha channel?

Monsieur OUXX · Wed 05/01/2011 14:22:44

Quote from: Saren on Wed 05/01/2011 13:47:10
What's an alpha channel?

In a file containing a picture, the colors are usually stored using 3 informations : the Red, the Green and the Blue. (If that part's not clear for you, just tell me)
The corresponding "channel" is a general way to call all information related either to red, or to green, or to blue. In other words, the Blue channel refers to the overall "Blue" component of the entire picture, or specifically to the Blue component of a single pixel.

The Alpha Channel is a 4th channel meant to store something else, something that's not litterally a color.

It's meant to store the transparency.

Instead of having RGB, you'll have RGBA (A = Alpha).

===========

Simple example :
Suppose you want to display a Red pixel. then the RGB values will be : (100%, 0%, 0%) (all red, no green, no blue)
Suppose you want to make it opaque : RGBA will be : (100%, 0%, 0%, 100%)
Suppose you want to make it half-transparent : RGBA will be : (100%, 0%, 0%, 50%)
Suppose you want to make it completely transparent (invisible): RGBA will be : (100%, 0%, 0%, 00%)

theo · Wed 05/01/2011 21:24:06

Thanks for the quick response Gilbet!

Anyone know if there are any plans on pushing the mac runtime to AGS 3.2 compatibility?
The thread seemed somewhat dead sadly.

Saren: A good thing to know about alpha channels is that there are two common different types of them. There are those traditionally used in oldschool games that are simply transparency on/off. This is what you get in a .gif or a 8 bit .png. More commonly nowadays however is a fancier transparency that uses 256 depths of transparency, thus making it possible to have nice smooth edges on things, instead of jaggedy on/off pixels. 24 bit png's for an instance, use this.

Monsieur OUXX · Thu 06/01/2011 10:35:56

Quote from: theo on Wed 05/01/2011 21:24:06
A good thing to know about alpha channels is that there are two common different types of them.
- There are those traditionally used in oldschool games that are simply transparency on/off. This is what you get in a .gif or a 8 bit .png.
- More commonly nowadays however is a fancier transparency that uses 256 depths of transparency, thus making it possible to have nice smooth edges on things, instead of jaggedy on/off pixels. 24 bit png's for an instance, use this.

+1

Monsieur OUXX · Thu 06/01/2011 10:42:38

Quote from: theo on Wed 05/01/2011 21:24:06
Anyone know if there are any plans on pushing the mac runtime to AGS 3.2 compatibility?
The thread seemed somewhat dead sadly.

If I'm not mistaken, the old MacOS port of AGS 2.7x is from the time when MacOS was MacOS 9, that is a completely different OS from nowadays.
Now that Apple has changed technology and that MacOS X is a UNIX in disguise, you'd actually need someone to continue the Linux port (and extend it to MacOS X support).
Then again, I might be wrong.

I'm pretty sure all that will be made much easier if/when Chris Jones releases the source of the Engine, which seems to be pretty imminent.

Saren · Thu 06/01/2011 14:37:36

Thanks Monsieur! I've been wondering what alpha channels are for a long time.

Saren · Thu 06/01/2011 16:40:43

Oh and another one: When I import character images into AGS for sprites, how do make sure the white background that I drew them on doesn't appear in the game? I once downloaded some characters in a package just to see what they looked like and they were on pink backgrounds?

Monsieur OUXX · Thu 06/01/2011 16:53:14

Quote from: Saren on Thu 06/01/2011 16:40:43
Oh and another one: When I import character images into AGS for sprites, how do make sure the white background that I drew them on doesn't appear in the game? I once downloaded some characters in a package just to see what they looked like and they were on pink backgrounds?

You'd better post that in the beginners forum.
The transprent color by default in AGS is pink (that is : red=100%, green=0%, blue=100%)
I think you can pick another one at the time you import the picture, there is an option to use the color of the upper-left-hand-corner.

LRH · Thu 06/01/2011 16:55:39

Quote from: Saren on Thu 06/01/2011 16:40:43
Oh and another one: When I import character images into AGS for sprites, how do make sure the white background that I drew them on doesn't appear in the game? I once downloaded some characters in a package just to see what they looked like and they were on pink backgrounds?

Well, when you go to import a sprite, you should see a little box asking you to choose a transparency color, usually by choosing a pixel in one of the four corners of the image file. For example, if you draw on a white background and you want white to be the transparent and unseen color, if white is the color of the pixel in the upper right corner, choose upper right corner from the drop down menu.

LRH · Thu 06/01/2011 16:57:16

While I'm here I actually have a very strange question. Ultimate Game Solutions is giving my site more traffic than AGS. Not complaining, it's actually kind of cool. But why is that? I've visited the site and I can't seem to find anything on why this could be. It's not like it's featured or anything.

Saren · Thu 06/01/2011 17:09:53

Thanks for answering!

Stupot · Fri 07/01/2011 04:31:55

Dom, the links in your AGS database entries for Living Nightmare (original) and for Endless Dreams are broken. Deluxe is fine though.

Monsieur OUXX · Wed 12/01/2011 15:13:28

Anybody knows a good Forums hoster?

The requirements are :
- The forum won't disappear for no reason in 2 years
- It's free
- There aren't "too much" ads
- It's not "too" slow (SourceForge is awafully slow!!!)
- It has all the fancy stuff (BBCodes)

I'd understand if that kind of free service didn't exist around, but considering there are free website hosting, free files uploading, free pictures hosting, etc... I guess there would be free forums.

Butcher · Wed 12/01/2011 15:27:29

I have a question as well

When I post a link from my site (www.balderduck.com) on facebook I get to pick a picture from it. The selection includes only secondary pictures and avatars that are in the left and right columns but not the main pic which is the comic

I'm using comicpress, which is a wordpress related software for comic sites

I've looked at a lot of forums and suggestions and none of them seem to work. Has any of you had that problem or have any idea how to fix it?

Stupot · Wed 12/01/2011 16:02:00

Monsieur,
I know if you have a Freewebs website you can also add a forum to it.
Perhaps you could create a Freewebs account, and even if you don't care about using it to make a website you could just use it to set up a forum and then link to it from your own website.

Monsieur OUXX · Thu 13/01/2011 11:13:40

Quote from: Butcher on Wed 12/01/2011 15:27:29
I have a question as well

When I post a link from my site (www.balderduck.com) on facebook I get to pick a picture from it. The selection includes only secondary pictures and avatars that are in the left and right columns but not the main pic which is the comic

I'm using comicpress, which is a wordpress related software for comic sites

I've looked at a lot of forums and suggestions and none of them seem to work. Has any of you had that problem or have any idea how to fix it?

The image chosen by Facebook to generate the thumbnail depends on some algorithm they have, and can't be changed. To my knowledge, there is no workaround, but I might be wrong. You can click the option "do not show thumbnail". There won't be a thumbnail, but at least your post won#t be polluted with some random picture.

Monsieur OUXX · Thu 13/01/2011 16:17:11

Quote from: Stupot on Wed 12/01/2011 16:02:00
Monsieur,
I know if you have a Freewebs website you can also add a forum to it.
Perhaps you could create a Freewebs account, and even if you don't care about using it to make a website you could just use it to set up a forum and then link to it from your own website.

It turns out Sourceforge have 2 differentForums service, the regular crappy one, and the phpBB one. I've nabled the lattest and it's faster and cooler.

Monsieur OUXX · Thu 13/01/2011 16:18:17

Has Mr Fibble disappeared?
If I'm not mistaken there used to be an AGS user under the name "MrFibble"? Where has he gone, I can't seem to find any posts by that guy.

cat · Thu 13/01/2011 16:20:18

Did you mean MrFlibble? http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?action=profile;u=2068

Monsieur OUXX · Fri 14/01/2011 10:11:18

Quote from: cat on Thu 13/01/2011 16:20:18
Did you mean MrFlibble? http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?action=profile;u=2068

Yeah that's him. I misspelled his name.
I also mispelt "misspelled"
I also misspelt "mispelt"

On a totally unrelated note: I'm glad he changed his avatar, the old one (with the weird guy holding a puppet) was weirding me out. :-)