Code for Display of Oversized Portraits Needs Explanation

[Wussel]

Hi Jamit, since you are called developer you might be able to answer my question. I try to keep it simple.

How is the code in 1.10 displaying images, when they are bigger than 500x500?

I do not want to get into that discussion if there are valid reason to enforce the size of art. I do not want to get in a discussion, how to enforce the size of art best. I just want to know what the current enforcing attempt do as detailed as possible.

To get an idea what i am talking read the spoiler (you have been warned).

Spoiler:

Take a portrait and replace it by a 800x500 square flat color png file. Make it show up ingame. Take a ruler (yes old fashioned hardware). Measure your display in cm or inch.

Flip the 800x500 for 90 degree to 500x800. Display ingame. Use your ruler again. Compare the numbers.

Repeat the process with different pixel sizes to your liking. Find this anoying? Me too.

For some strange reason I can not post in the bug report anymore. Shall I make a new one? I would guess that would bring even more exotic feedback.

[JaMiT]

Hi Jamit, since you are called developer you might be able to answer my question.

Nope, sorry. I have not looked at the code that displays images, and I have only looked at the 1.10 code when one of my changes to 1.11 warrants backporting. Plus, I have no motivation to take a look at code in the hope of finding an ill-defined, alleged problem.

[Wussel]

Apology accepted. I never said you are motivated. I just assumed you could if you wanted to. As this is all pastime for us, nobody has to apologyze for not doing anything. However I want to point out, that the problem is very clearly defined and extremly easy to reproduce. I did allready say above that a programmer might consider this issue a feature and not a bug. The question remains: What is the code doing, wether someone thinks it is benefitial feature or detrimental bug?

[JaMiT]

However I want to point out, that the problem is very clearly defined

OK, go ahead and point it out. Where has the problem been very clearly defined?

[Wussel]

I try to keep it simple.

How is the code in 1.10 displaying images, when they are bigger than 500x500?

Here you are Jamit. If xou need more citations please ask.

[AI]

That's not a problem description, that's a question.

[Wussel]

That is absolutly correct! You must be a well trained mathematician. My problem is that I want an answer to that question.

Please understand that it is virtualy impossible to explain to a programmer, why users might consider something a bug, while developers consider it a feature. However if you care to read the problematic behavior which the game displays, when using oversize pictures: It is described in this thread above. Moreover the process, how you can actually reproduce the problem and measure it with a ruler is described in the spoiler tag.

Please lets not go into the discussion, why some users are not happy with this "improvement". I did not perceive your post as request for more citations, since you like to state the obvious so blunt. Please spent the effort to look it up above. If you need more help, I will gladly deliver citations when requested.

[JaMiT]

However if you care to read the problematic behavior which the game displays, when using oversize pictures: It is described in this thread above.

Not that I saw. Hence my request for you to point out where it is described.

[AI]

Images larger than 500x500 have been problematic since portraits got bigger than 200x200, as the behaviour I suggested in the past has never been implemented due to unfinished engine support. I'm not aware of any changes though.

I did not perceive your post as request for more citations, since you like to state the obvious so blunt. Please spent the effort to look it up above. If you need more help, I will gladly deliver citations when requested.

I do not know what changed, so if that'll help, then yes, that's exactly what I want.

Please understand that it is virtualy impossible to explain to a programmer, why users might consider something a bug, while developers consider it a feature. However if you care to read the problematic behavior which the game displays, when using oversize pictures: It is described in this thread above. Moreover the process, how you can actually reproduce the problem and measure it with a ruler is described in the spoiler tag.

Maybe you could take the effort to give us the result of those measurements? I don't know what the problem is, and if you don't want to take the effort to describe it, then I'm not going to take the effort to find out for myself either.

[doofus-01]

As someone who got bitten by problems using portraits bigger than 500x500 px, I think I know what Wussel is talking about. But I just tested it in dialogues in BfW 1.11.6, using 1024X768 and 1440X810 resolutions, with the spoilered images (which are white&empty checker patterns - I wasn't sure if transparency mattered. They don't look like anything with a white background), and the game did not crash or distort the images that I could tell.

So, the problems are either fixed, or it is an intermittent bug. Either way, it is not an over-zealous combating of "creeping biggerism", so there is probably not a single place in the code that can be pointed to. And if there is a bug, no one is likely to know where, or it would have been fixed.

Spoiler:

750_750.png (3.61 KiB) Viewed 5452 times

750_500.png (2.47 KiB) Viewed 5452 times

500_750.png (2.78 KiB) Viewed 5452 times

[Wussel]

Thanks for helping out. Ok I will just say it again. Would be great if this stuff will be history in future.

I will use the words "Tall Image" TI for an image taller than 500 pixel.

I will use the words "Wide Image" WI for an image wider than 500 pixel.

I have a 13,3 inch subnotebook screen. Not sure about the pixel.

All said below applies to version 1.10.3

All things said apply to portraits beeing displayed through the dialog options in game.

I noticed strange behaviour:

A TI to tall to be displayed (900px) results in end of game, but no end of programm anymore
A TI is scaled (not distorted) a picture 800px tall appears to me roughly scaled to 5/6 of original size.
A TI of different hight will be scaled differently resulting in a less high picture to appear bigger than a higher picture (Obvious solution: use some canvas size)

A WI appears to be displayed as is on my screen, not beeing scaled at all. (The problem is if you want the TI and the WI to be on the same scale, you would manualy discover the scale ratio with a ruler (here 5/6) and than fix it in the graphic file. Of cours this only applies to a certian screen size. That is not good in my humble opinion)

A wide and tall image (WTI) more than 500px in both dimension is not displayed at all on my screen and results in end of game. If it would be possible to display say 800x800, the scaling would not matter, as user would be able to use same canvas size. If you have a regular 500x500 and wish to add a speech bubble on top using this blit function the base picture might have to be on a bigger canvas size already (not scaled up, but free space for the speech bubble) , (Based on my prelimiary testing the above speech bubble would have to go onto the base picture and easiest way to position is same canvas size)

Moreover I would like to be able to display portraits in the upper left and right corner too. (Think about a dwarf sitting in a baloon or a dragon head looking down from above) This can be done only by discovering the exact right pixel size for a tall image right now and would only apply to one screensize.

Best would be to scale any image which does not fit to the availabe screen or windows size, thus avoiding any crash, displaying any art and scaling only if necessary at the given screen. Does that make sense?

[Wussel]

Is there an update on this issue?

Did something get fixed fo 1.11 and more important for 1.12 betas?

[AI]

Not at this time. I have played around with the GUI2 C++ and WML some, but haven't gotten satisfactory results yet.