What are the current limitations on HiRes

[darkestaxe]

I know that high res was thrown around a lot a few years ago, and as best as I remember the decision at the time was that the way the graphics were being implemented would require some pretty major rewrites to support higher base resolutions.

Codewise what would be involved in converting OXC to allow mod support for 2x2 resolutions for:
* battlescape tiles and object textures (like soldiers, etc)
* the geoscape globe textures for terrain types
* background images for things like the equip-screen or buy/sell screen
* Information text in lists like buy/sell screens
* Formatted information like screens like the soldier stat screen
* Menus and dialogues like the battlescape control bar or the pop-up when you click a UFO on the globe

Further what would be involved in converting OXC to display all screens at the current resolution when using things like 1/2 display. So that bases and equip screens wouldn't be all super small.

Just to clarify I'm under no illusion that Warboy and Supsuper are going to drop everything and switch gears so that Warboys hammer can smash OXC into HD-COM: Enemy Revealed.

[Shoes]

A user on the forums, xracer, was doing some work on getting some HD xcom going. Watching him work on his mod, it seemed like you would have to write some code on every single display to get it to show up at the right spot. Otherwise everything is cramped in a corner.

The bulk of the work is definitely source code changes to the engine. A working HD engine will lure artists more than HD art will lure programmers ;p

The devs are also very helpful, and if you do undertake this task they will help you where they can.

[darkestaxe]

So I've been looking at the code and xracers work and I realized a few things.

1. There is much more ambition in the community at large for this than I had anticipated and the artwork needed for a HD openxcom will probably just about materialize if the code supports it.

2. Whether it's a window or a arrow-button, all of the draw code is basically clones of each other.

3. Anyone could fork and start making this or that part HD in a variety of ways, not just increasing the resolution of the art assets, but it will never really work out.

I think the only hope for xracers approach is if after 2.0 Supsuper decides to start externalizing stuff and/or replacing all the code that works just one way. My guess is that Supsuper is already planning to do just that.

Anyway I'm willing to offer my help as an inexperienced wannabe programmer that wants to learn to C++ to anyone wanting to try something like that.