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OXCE Wishlists / Re: _Raven_'s wishlist
« on: April 07, 2024, 10:49:35 pm »
I read about the limitation of 256 sprites and ways to bypass this limitation (moving alternative destroyed sprites to the end of the file starting from 257), but how is it that the game itself can load double locations of 512 sprites or even from 768 sprites (location + plane + UFO), but it is still impossible to remove the limitation and you have to bypass it in all ways.
Probably the 256 limitation consists of two bytes “FF” in the game code and cannot be translated into the four-byte “FFFF” system, but then how were these restrictions removed from the characteristics of units or the number of engineers on the base (previously it was impossible to hire more than 256 engineers per base , otherwise the bytes are reset to 0 "00" and engineer 257 becomes the first and only engineer on the base), besides, the game no longer works in 32 but in 64 byte mode, is it really possible to remove this restriction from the game and the "Map Editor 2" program? (then there will probably be an advantage in sprites (location + plane + UFO {256 + 256 + 256 = 768} if doubled, you get 1520 sprites in one mission + sprites of units and weapons), but if the game can still load more sprites , then I have an idea how to get around the limitation.
The texture pack consists of several .MCD .PCK .TAB files because one PCK file can contain no more than 65kb of weight, also the MCD file also has a limitation and it cannot store up to 254 texture IDs. I suggest doing the following:
1) MCD
Increase the file capacity to 508 texture IDs (254 sprites + another 254 alternative location destruction sprites;
2)PCK
Increase the file size from 65kb to 650kb or even 999kb so that all sprites fit into one file, including animation sprites and alternative sprites.
Thus, for each location it will be possible to create a texture pack consisting of one file (MCD PCK TAB) + a standard BLANKS file (2 sprites of the ground under the floor and an empty sprite), and use real 254 sprites and not the actual 256, but in fact only 150 or even less (because 2 sprites are already occupied by standard sprites + also alternative sprites of collapsing objects that cannot be taken and moved from all files to the end of the last file).
You probably cannot turn this idea into reality, otherwise you would have done it a long time ago, although there may be an opportunity to do this in the future.
Probably the 256 limitation consists of two bytes “FF” in the game code and cannot be translated into the four-byte “FFFF” system, but then how were these restrictions removed from the characteristics of units or the number of engineers on the base (previously it was impossible to hire more than 256 engineers per base , otherwise the bytes are reset to 0 "00" and engineer 257 becomes the first and only engineer on the base), besides, the game no longer works in 32 but in 64 byte mode, is it really possible to remove this restriction from the game and the "Map Editor 2" program? (then there will probably be an advantage in sprites (location + plane + UFO {256 + 256 + 256 = 768} if doubled, you get 1520 sprites in one mission + sprites of units and weapons), but if the game can still load more sprites , then I have an idea how to get around the limitation.
The texture pack consists of several .MCD .PCK .TAB files because one PCK file can contain no more than 65kb of weight, also the MCD file also has a limitation and it cannot store up to 254 texture IDs. I suggest doing the following:
1) MCD
Increase the file capacity to 508 texture IDs (254 sprites + another 254 alternative location destruction sprites;
2)PCK
Increase the file size from 65kb to 650kb or even 999kb so that all sprites fit into one file, including animation sprites and alternative sprites.
Thus, for each location it will be possible to create a texture pack consisting of one file (MCD PCK TAB) + a standard BLANKS file (2 sprites of the ground under the floor and an empty sprite), and use real 254 sprites and not the actual 256, but in fact only 150 or even less (because 2 sprites are already occupied by standard sprites + also alternative sprites of collapsing objects that cannot be taken and moved from all files to the end of the last file).
You probably cannot turn this idea into reality, otherwise you would have done it a long time ago, although there may be an opportunity to do this in the future.