320 x 200 sprite resolution

[tys]

Hi all, been looking at making a game at 320 x 200.
With sprites stretching in this resolution, how is it possible to make sprites with out any reference to how it will actually look in-game?
If anyone has done this, any tips or pitfalls?
Im going for an old-school lucasarts look and would prefer to stick with 320 x 200.

Tys

[Reno Caspain]

How do you mean without reference? If you mean that your drawing program uses different resolution, just zoom it closer.

[Ishmael]

If not scaled, all sprites are actual size, like if you make a 100 pixel high object, and put it's  bottom pixel on the bottom pixel of 320x200 room, It'll fill half of the room's height.

[ThunderStorm]

Just open a background of your game in the graphics program for a reference, that way you can quickly control the size of characters and sprites.  

[tys]

Sorry, i should have explained in more detail.
It seems, (at least with my setup), in the demo's and templates i've tried, that for 320 x 200 resolution the sprite's width is made slightly skinny. There is a difference between how it appears in the imported picture, and how it looks in the game.
Im sure this is due to the non-square pixel resolution, as it looks fine in 320 x 240.
I'd just like to know any work-around apart from making my sprites 'fatter' to look normal in 320 x 200.

Tys

[Scorpiorus]

Im sure this is due to the non-square pixel resolution, as it looks fine in 320 x 240.
I'd just like to know any work-around apart from making my sprites 'fatter' to look normal in 320 x 200.

Yes, because of that. You need some paint editor allowing height-width-independent scaling. So you could set the height scale to 120% whereas width scale factor is 100% (Does anyone know such?). Or just use the one supporting 320x200 resolution at fullscreen. Delux Paint for example. I'm not sure about how it's suitable for drawing the sprites though.

-Cheers

[Esseb]

You can make your game in 320*240 instead. Close enough to the lec resolution, and the same aspect ratio as you're making your pixels in.

I.e, if you have set windows to 800*600 res.

800/600 = 320/240.

[Kweepa]

Or make a widescreen game. 320x200 on a 320x240 screen.

[CB..]

on windows ME there is a stock microsoft programme called paint (very basic) this has a width and or height stretch facility that works ok...dun do much else mind but it's available right click open with choose paint from the list

[Ishmael]

Paint has been in window for the whole of it's existance... AFAIK... in 3.x it was named PaintBrush...

[CB..]

well there yu go .saves downloading a new programme just to stretch the sprite..

[Scuzling]

if i understand correctly.. when he stretches the sprite the images are too fat & he doesnt want to have to redraw them

[Ishmael]

Eh... I understood his sprites become too thin in the 320x200 res, since the monitor is 320x240 size, and by stretching them horizontally makeing the sprites fatter, but in the game they would then look normal.

Or cource, the letterbox can be used to go around this... in the games setup, the player can choose if they want to see the sprites normal or vertically stretched...