Designing Arcade Computer Game Graphics
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Designing Arcade Computer Game Graphics Ari Feldman Wordware Publishing, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Feldman, Ari. Designing arcade computer game graphics / by Ari Feldman. p. cm. ISBN 1-55622-755-8 (pb) 1. Computer graphics. 2. Computer games. I. Title. T385.F447 2000 794.8'166--dc21 00-047319 CIP © 2001, Wordware Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved 2320 Los Rios Boulevard Plano, Texas 75074 No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from Wordware Publishing, Inc. Printed in the United States of America ISBN 1-55622-755-8 10987654321 0010 Product names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies. All inquiries for volume purchases of this book should be addressed to Wordware Publishing, Inc., at the above address. Telephone inquiries may be made by calling: (972) 423-0090 Dedication This book is dedicated to my friends Dina Willensky, Stephanie Worley, Jennifer Higbee, Faye Horwitz, Sonya Donaldson, Karen Wasserman, and Howard Offenhutter, and to my parents, Dr. Bernard Feldman and Gail Feldman. These people stood by me during this project, always offering me encouragement and support when I needed it most. Thanks everyone! I would also like to dedicate this book to my eclectic CD collection, for without the soothing sounds from the likes of Lush, Ride, The Clash, The English Beat, and The Creation this book would have never been completed. iii Contents Foreword .........................................xvi Acknowledgments ...................................xviii Introduction .......................................xix Chapter 1 Arcade Games and Computer Arcade Game Platforms . 1 What’s an Arcade Game? .................................2 Arcade Game Sub-Genres .............................2 Maze/Chase Games ..............................2 Pong Games ..................................3 Shooters ....................................5 Puzzlers ....................................6 Platformers ..................................7 This Book and Arcade Games ...........................9 Computer Arcade Game Platforms ............................9 DOS.........................................10 Windows ......................................10 Macintosh .....................................12 Linux ........................................12 Java .........................................12 Video Game Consoles ...............................13 Chapter 2 Designing for Different Display Modes . 17 A Summary of Video Hardware Standards .......................18 Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) ..........................18 Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA)........................18 Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) ..........................19 Multicolor Graphics Array (MCGA) .......................19 Super Video Graphics Adapter (SVGA)......................20 Display Modes ......................................20 Screen Resolution .................................20 Why It’s Important..............................21 Screen Resolution Issues ..........................24 What You Can Do ..............................27 Aspect Ratio ....................................28 Why It’s Important..............................28 Aspect Ratio Issues .............................30 What You Can Do ..............................32 RefreshRate....................................32 v Contents Why It’s Important..............................32 Refresh Rate Issues .............................32 What You Can Do ..............................34 Color Capability ..................................35 Why It’s Important..............................36 Color Capability Issues ...........................38 What You Can Do ..............................39 Gamma Level ...................................40 Why It’s Important..............................40 Gamma Level Issues ............................40 What You Can Do ..............................42 Choosing Display Modes to Design For ........................42 Screen Performance ................................43 Image Clarity ....................................45 Color Capability ..................................45 System Compatibility ...............................45 Audience Hardware Capabilities .........................45 Programming Support ...............................46 Graphics Production Time.............................47 Display Mode Selection Matrix ..........................47 Comprehensive Comparison of Display Mode Attributes ............48 Specific Display Mode Recommendations ....................50 Display Mode and Arcade Game Sub-Genre Recommendations ........51 Arcade Game Type Recommendation Explanations ............51 Rules for Display Mode Selection.........................52 Chapter 3 Image Compression and Graphic File Formats. 55 Image Compression ...................................56 Lossless Compression...............................57 RLE Compression ..............................57 Packbits Compression ............................58 LZ77 Compression..............................58 LZW Compression ..............................58 Lossy Compression ................................59 Color Reduction ...............................59 JPEG .....................................60 Essential Graphic File Formats .............................61 BMP (Bitmap) ...................................61 GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) .......................62 IFF (Interchange File Format) ..........................64 PCX.........................................65 PICT (Picture) ...................................66 Important Graphic File Formats.............................67 FLIC ........................................67 JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) ....................68 PNG.........................................69 PSD (Photoshop)..................................70 vi Contents PSP (Paint Shop Pro) ...............................71 TGA(Targa)....................................72 TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) ........................72 XPM (X PixMap) ..................................73 File Format Suitability for Arcade Game Graphics...................74 File Format Compression Savings ........................77 Caveats for Working with Graphic File Formats ....................79 File Corruption...................................79 Incompatible Versions ...............................80 Graphic File Format Recommendations ........................81 Graphics Applications ...............................81 Development Environment ............................81 Artwork Type....................................82 Operating System and Platform..........................82 Chapter 4 Files and File Management . 85 File Naming Conventions ................................86 DOS and Windows 3.1 File Naming Rules ....................86 Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000 File Naming Rules .............87 Macintosh File Naming Rules ...........................87 Linux File Naming Rules .............................88 General File Naming Guidelines .........................88 A Sample File Naming Scheme ..........................89 Managing and Organizing Directories ......................91 Exchanging Files Across Platforms ...........................92 Disk Compatibility .................................93 Macintosh Disk Compatibility with Different Platforms..........93 Linux Disk Compatibility with Different Platforms ............94 DOS Disk Compatibility with Different Platforms .............94 Windows Disk Compatibility with Different Platforms ..........94 File Compatibility .................................95 File Format Conversion Issues .......................95 File Naming Across Platforms .......................96 Compressed Files ..............................97 File Backups .......................................98 Importance .....................................99 Change .......................................99 Device Capacity and Performance........................100 Cost ........................................100 Portability .....................................100 Reliability .....................................100 Security ......................................100 Backup Media ......................................101 Floppy Disk Drives ................................101 Zip Drives .....................................102 CD-R/CD-RW Drives...............................103 Internet-Based Backup Systems ........................104 vii Contents File Backup Strategies .................................106 A Final Word about File Backups ...........................107 Version Control .....................................108 How Version Control Can Help .........................108 Go Back in Time ..............................108 Compare Revisions .............................108 Preserve Content Safely ..........................109 Lock Files..................................109 Implementing Version Control..........................109 A Final Word about Version Control Systems..................110 Basic Asset Management................................110 Do You Really Need an Asset Management System? .............111 Choosing an Asset Management System ....................111 Database Driven ..............................111 Thumbnail Support .............................111 Asset Keywords ..............................112 Large Catalog Capacity...........................112 Multiple Image Catalogs ..........................112 Low Cost ..................................112