Input data information on ST graphics.

[JagChris]

As GroovyBee has ported Star Raiders for the ST to the Jaguar it was noted a tool would be useful to convert ST grahics to the Jaguar format for improvement and ease of conversion. I thought it would be useful to get a breakdown of the graphic data in games like Star Raiders for the ST so a conversion tool could be looked into being made. If anyone can share this information or post a link where to get it that would be helpful.

 

The game's images are all hard coded in the source as loads of ".dc.w $xxxx, $nnnn, ..." statements. To convert to *.bmp format a tool would need to be written to change the graphics from 4BPP ST planar to 8BPP chunky pixels. Its not a difficult tool to write but unfortunately its not on my radar for this game. In my mind it'd be better to spend that time on an ST YM sound chip emulator running on the jag's DSP.

Edited December 1, 2012 by JagChris

[Christos]

You could use True Paint to do the conversion. For speed I'd suggest to run it under Aranym though it wouldn't slow you much if you do it on a Falcon.

[+CyranoJ]

Assemble the dc.w lines into a .bin file, then patch a fake 34 byte header on the front so it looks like a PI1 and load it into CrackArt, then save it back out, and use XNView to convert it.

 

Of course, the resultant file is utterly useless because the source won't know how to deal with it, but don't let that stop anyone.

[sh3-rg]

As GroovyBee has ported Star Raiders for the ST to the Jaguar it was noted a tool would be useful to convert ST grahics to the Jaguar format for improvement and ease of conversion. I thought it would be useful to get a breakdown of the graphic data in games like Star Raiders for the ST so a conversion tool could be looked into being made. If anyone can share this information or post a link where to get it that would be helpful.

 

I think you misunderstood the tool requirements, Chris.

 

Converting ST graphics to "Jaguar format" isn't a problem, the tools to convert common gfx types to a format the Jaguar can use natively have been around for years as have those to convert from ST file formats to common formats - put the the together and job done.

 

The 'issue' (if you can call it that, as it really isn't one) with editing ST Star Raiders gfx was that they were not included as image files that could be loaded into a gfx program, edited and replaced, but instead were included as a converted series of data statements in the .S files... for whatever reason made sense to the programmers at Atari back in the day. This is why GB said editing the gfx isn't just a matter of load/edit/save/compile/done. The tool required would have been a simple one to take these data statements, convert to editable image files and v.v. But to do that in order to just touch up a few pixels probably seemed like a waste of time, as the whole idea of porting ST Star Raiders was meant to be as simple as making it work on the Jaguar, emulating the ST's bitplane graphics with the GPU (the interesting part) and not creating ST Star Raiders Shiny Edition, never mind ST Star Raiders 64... what you see on screen with this kind of port is exactly what the ST would have displayed at 320x200 as the ST's screen handling itself is being emulated. A different way of porting the game would have been to scrap all the ST screen handling stuff and do it in a more 'Jaguar way' from scratch... but that wasn't the plan here.

 

If you want to convert regular ST graphics to a format the Jaguar can make use of it's as simple as loading the PI1, NEO, or whatever file into the gfx editing proggy you prefer (I use PSP with a PI1 add-on and XnView on the PC) and saving them to something that makes sense when edited. Then use the appropriate Jaguar image converter if required. Or you could code your own routines to load formats such as TGA, BMP and IFF as CJ has done for Raptor.

[JagChris]

ok I see now. Thanks for clearing that up.

[sh3-rg]

ok I see now. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

No probs, Chris