So with the smaller frame sizes (i.e. 32x48), is the transparent area still selectable, or only minimized?
of the original sprites have transparent areas that are
BOTH:
Original as in the ones that came originally programmed in the game.
So ALL new sprites must follow those same two rules...
I stated earlier that I would provide proof supporting the fact that all original sprites indeed have transparent areas that are selectable...
So yes, the transparent area is still selectable so I did not remove selectability of transparent areas of the sprite (that would be amazing)
The thing is that we need the transparent part of the sprite to be a hotspot because transparent areas of ALL original sprites are in fact hotspots(registers as part of the sprite)
The hotspot bug is
not a problem because the transparent area is selectable
the hotspot bug
is a problem because we uploaded a frame size 512X512 that was way too big(and which just happened to be mostly transparent)
We need to think of the 512X512 as more of a "canvas" to create our new sprite frames where once completed we crop out in the smallest viable frame dimension that LOMUT/LOMSE will allow (I am working on a list of all possible combinations)
In order to believe this we must see evidence-
This is my proof that original sprites have transparent areas that are hotspots...
You can see in my GIF images some test results...
First off in order to verify my test yourselves we will need to capture the output dialog of LOMUT while unpacking an original sprite, for example an Earth Warrior...
I have EA.BAT: Pikol's batch file set to unpack all imps in a 'units' folder, in this case only the ealdfa.IMP and .H files are in this current 'units' folder however instead of running Pikol's batch from windows I enter Command Prompt and change my directory to where EA.BAT-
C:\Users\aa\Desktop\LOMUT\
Type in your path and .BAT but right after type in
>"C:\Users\aa\Desktop\frameEALDFA.txt"
you have to keep the double quotation marks!
Where C:\Users\aa\Desktop is any path you like where you can find it easy and frameEALDFA.txt is any name you can remember easy
Enter your variation of this command into your prompt:
C:\Users\aa\Desktop\LOMUT\EA.bat>"C:\Users\aa\Desktop\frameEALDFA.txt"
After you hit 'Enter' and run your batch file your prompt will freeze until your new text file is created (roughly the same amount of time to unpack a sprite in LOMUT normally) hit 'Enter' when you see your document is fully created on the desktop and your command prompt should return, if not wait a few seconds and keep trying to press 'Enter'
The reason I say to do it this way is because the dialog box on LOMUT is limited and escapes if you press any key, and by limited I mean that it seems like if sprites have too many frame libraries (attack,move,?) you lose the ability to see all that valuable information as you cannot scroll up in command prompt mode once a screen is gone its gone...
If you prefer LOMUT's output dialog you can still use it if possible as the info is the same...
But if you do my method you save all that info about your sprite and can Crtl+F move, stand etc.
If you find the second frame library 1-stand and then go down to the number 4 frame in that library, you can see all the info about that sprite at that frame...
For our experiment ealdfa.IMP 01-stand-04-000 frame
If you run LOMUT or look at my picture you can clearly see that at 04-stand-04-000 the frame has a Width=40 Height=57
Take your new original extract of ealdfa.IMP 01-stand-04-000.pcx file you just made by running the command batch I used to save the command output dialog of LOMUT or if you have an original lying around somewhere already and Open it.
Upon opening 01-stand-04-000.pcx you will notice an Earth Dwarf front stand facing directly to you (South Face)
If you select the closest box small enough to barely fit the sprite in, while cropping the most transparent you can out(top of horns is the top most pixels and bottom shadow is bottom most pixels etc.etc where not even a pixel extra of transparent area is selected more than you need then you will find that what you just did is make a selection box that is 40X57!
If in paint (Converted .pcx to .bmp via IrfanView) you can see the selection size at the bottom left
if in Pmotion or UP I cut and paste in IrfanView then open the Information to see that yes it is 40X57
I have tried this at least a dozen times: If you crop out the most transparent area you can you will find that it's dimensions will be identical or close to every value LOMUT says it should be and was when unpacked.
In mathematics coincidence disappears after about a magnitude of about 10... anything else is correlation or a miracle...
It is not a coincidence that the info about frame sizes we get from LOMUT more than suggests that sprites were originally inserted in the game with the bare minimal of transparent area...
ALL ORIGINAL SPRITES HAVE MINIMAL TRANSPARENT AREA
- Exactly the amount of transparent area as LOMUT dialog indicates
- These areas although transparent were never hotspot free
- These areas although transparent are selectable areas of the sprite
Those facts have always been originally in the game and this has always been normal for the game...
Look at this dwarf in battle, here it is already selected and as you can see when we move onto a transparent selection we still have a select unit cursor!
If you look closely the four areas above and below each of his arms are transparent and selectable parts of the sprite!
You saw those same transparent hotspots before in the first GIF image of the Dwarf, while the 40X57 select box is around him they are the only ones left when you properly crop the 01-stand-04-000 frame to the dimension LOMUT gives us. Just a little above each shoulder and then one beneath each hand ubder the axe(i.e bare minimum of transparent area)
Here the Dwarf was not selected but is clearly SELECTABLE on his transparent parts as shown by the green outline that forms when the sprite is underneath a select unit cursor...
SO all in all the issue of the hotspot bug was just a 'frame' of mind(a size of 'frame' Irony again!?)
"And thus was the evil lord Hotspot Bug defeated... Vanquished!
And Urak knew peace for a long age...
And the land became renewed And was cleansed of the vile poison
the wretched serpents were driven from every corner of Urak
And the cities returned once again to there former glory
And Hotspot Bug: the terrible BUG of Death seeing that his efforts had come to naught and now with no one willing to serve him passed through the world like a shadow and troubled its peaceful people no more
how long will this last?
only the seers can say..." -EyeSoDialted
but I know that 32X32, 64X64, 136X136, 68X78 and 78X136 as well as 40X57 for sure work %100 for me... What I see from LOMUT is alot of different unique ones too...)