Adjusting Transparency, Reflections

[Linkus]

It's rather a simple suggestion: adjusting the transparency values for layers. For example, 85% transparency allows to barely see an object behind another object you can clearly see, but the object you barely can see can be picked up by Link. Catch my drift?

Secondly, it's probably possible by script(and suggested a few other times), but a "Link/NPC Reflection" and "Reflective Water" combo would be nice to have when you want to have a more realistic experience. It would look pretty cool, also.

[Hot Water Music]

alpha control.

[beefster09]

I may not know about allegro or C++, but I bet the transparency table isn't extensive enough for that. It could instead use the "lazy" transparency mixer where it just averages the RGB values or something. Even then, the color capacity is too low to really make a difference.

[Dark Nation]

That's exactly what happens. Every time the palette changes, a transparency lookup table is created. This table contains 65536 (256x256) entries. When a transparent color is needed, the first color is found in the rows while the second color is found in the columns. The color listed in the entry where those 2 colors meet is the color from the current palette (of 256 colors) to use. The table creation is pretty fast right now. However, to do what you are wanting, the table would have to be 256 times as large as it is now, and take 256 times as long to create. Basically, this would cause a very noticeable delay anytime the palette changes (and the transparency table is recalculated). This happens when a dmap changes or whenever a color cycle occurs.

[Hot Water Music]

wait, so how do I make a more blended color that's correct to what the transparancy should be?

sometimes when I have like a dark color overlayed to make a night-time effect, a color turns to something it shouldn't.

ex: brown with black overlay = grey?

[Pineconn]

Ah, so this is why ZQuest looks wrong when you display a transparent object. (Of course, when I press 'B', it fixes.) That makes total sense now.

[Linkus]

Hot Water brings up a good question: why does the lookup table use odd colors?

For example:

Image without the transparent overlaying foliage--


Image with overlaying foliage--

(Images shot in ZC211 b12d)
Despite the transparent water, why are the green-yellow leaves on a tree turn to a white-gray color? Could the intensity of transparency in the screen too much for the lookup table?

[*b*]

I know this is majorly off topic here, but holy fucking hell, Linkus. You've sure come quite a long way since you first came to ZC... I'm jealous. Seriously

Back on topic, what about a 3-level scale? 25%, 50%, and 75% transparency. If I'm right, 25% and a 75% transparent layers could be stacked to make a layer that should be close to 85% transparency

Hell, with those three levels, we could also enhance the way we do glowing and shadows to make them look more realistic