How big can a sprite be?
- Thread starter andrewlw
- Start date
answer to my own question
Each character is contained in a single file. This file can be any size, and is laid out with the character facing all four directions (down, left, right, and up) and going through four frames of movement, for a total of 16 frames. The size of the actual character will be 1/4 the height and 1/4 the width of the entire bitmap, and there are no limits on character size. The frames, when animated, will loop in a 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4 -> 1... pattern.
Each character is contained in a single file. This file can be any size, and is laid out with the character facing all four directions (down, left, right, and up) and going through four frames of movement, for a total of 16 frames. The size of the actual character will be 1/4 the height and 1/4 the width of the entire bitmap, and there are no limits on character size. The frames, when animated, will loop in a 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4 -> 1... pattern.
There is actually no limit beyond what fits on the screen.
However, as far as the game is concerned, for things like collision detection, your sprite is 32x32 pixels, regardless of the size of the onscreen graphics. This can cause a few surprises if you aren't careful-- a character can basically pass through the outer edges of a large sprite without "touching" it, as far as the program is concerned.
To demonstrate this, here's an easy trick: Export a charset graphic. Open it in your favorite paint program, and then resize it to be twice as big. (Yeah, it's blurry now, isn't it?)
Re-import it. You'll have a sprite that's twice as big. But contact will still be checked around that small block at the base.
However, as far as the game is concerned, for things like collision detection, your sprite is 32x32 pixels, regardless of the size of the onscreen graphics. This can cause a few surprises if you aren't careful-- a character can basically pass through the outer edges of a large sprite without "touching" it, as far as the program is concerned.
To demonstrate this, here's an easy trick: Export a charset graphic. Open it in your favorite paint program, and then resize it to be twice as big. (Yeah, it's blurry now, isn't it?)
Re-import it. You'll have a sprite that's twice as big. But contact will still be checked around that small block at the base.