Yet another bit of evidence, IMO, that we really need a *completely
different* approach to our graphics engine.
Our current system of basing not only our gameplay, but also our
drawing code on hexes really makes us jump through hoops - I'm not
sure how badly, because I really haven't looked at the code yet, but
something really doesn't seem right about hitpoint bars being clipped
by the hex boundaries.
The only thing that should have to care about hex boundaries is the
terrain drawing code, really. If some unit overlaps the side parts,
it *should* overlap. And the hitpoint bars should be on an entirely
different layer, overlaid above the rest of the game graphics, not as
part of the unit layer.
;_; I suppose that's a project I should take on in tandem with that
new particle engine, but man oh man, that ain't gonna be fun.
I'll post some plans in Developer's Discussions within a month or so,
as I intend to take on this project relatively soon.
On Nov 17, 2005, at 11:16 PM, John McNabb wrote:
I have attached a quick sample of what happens if one naively
shifts the hp and
xp bar over by 10 pixels, a two line change in the code. It does
generally
look good, but it leads to graphical glitches where the ends of the
bar outside
the hex get lopped off. This might be fixed with a little more
sophistication
, but I suspect that it would be much more than 2 lines. A long,
long time
ago, I had suggested horizontal hp and xp bars that the unit would
kind of
stand above, but people disliked them.
On Thu, 17 Nov 2005, john w. bjerk wrote:
The simplest thing would seem to be to move the bar over to the left,
as i've done in the attached for Konrad and old Defador. That would
get it out of the way for most units. Is there some technical reason
it must be entirely within the unit's hex?
-eleazar.
