A number of the samples don't work; apparantly the ones that need resources.  I uninstalled EZGUI and re-installed it but that didn't help.  During the installation I accepted the defaults.  My installation of PB 10.4 is completely standard, again accepting all the defaults during installation.

Working:
 gThreads
 media (plays audio but not video)

Not working:
MDIapp
mdirich
Sprites

I get the following error when I compile:
Error 478 in C:\ezgui50pro\examples\Sprites\sprites_sources\sprites.bas(25:001): Resource file error
  Line 25: $RESOURCE ".\rcdata\sprites.pbr"

There is no sprites.pbr in the rcdata folder.

I've tried making a copy of the project on my desktop and creating it there but the results are the same.

I've also tried a sample called spritesd85 that I found in this forum.  I downloaded the zip file and unzipped it into a folder on my desktop.  It fails to run because it can't find ezgui50.dll, although that is in my System32 folder.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Barry

I don't really want to scale the sprites, just the movement.  That makes for smoother movement and finer control.  I can do that myself so it's not really a problem.  It's just easier if I don't have to.

Thanks,
Barry

Is there a parameter or flag or some way to get EZSrpite to respect a GRAPHIC SCALE DDT setting?

I can figure out a way to do it programmatically but if there's something built in I'd like to use it.

Thanks,
Barry

Thank you!  It's working now and that gives me what I think I need to start using it.

Barry

Okay here's simple little program that's intended to draw a sprite in a graphics control.  It doesn't work and I have no idea why.

In trying to make it work I've added a number of lines that I don't really know if it needs and I've left those in because I really don't know what it needs and what it doesn't need.

Can you please tell me what will make this little program work and what can be left out.  It simply tries to display a single sprite in a graphics control. No movement is intended yet.  I think once this works I can start to learn how to deal with sprites.

Code:

'-----------------------------------
' Single Sprite Test
'-----------------------------------

#COMPILE EXE
#DIM ALL

%USEMACROS = 1
#INCLUDE "WIN32API.INC"
#LINK "ezsp10.sll"

%GRA_MAIN   = 1001
%BTN_EXIT = 1099

GLOBAL hDlg, hBmp, hSprCtl AS DWORD

'---------------------------

CALLBACK FUNCTION DlgProc

    SELECT CASE AS LONG CB.MSG
        CASE %WM_INITDIALOG
        CASE %WM_NCACTIVATE
            STATIC hWNDSaveFocus AS DWORD
            IF ISFALSE CB.WPARAM THEN
                ' Save control focus
                hWndSaveFocus = GetFocus()
            ELSEIF hWndSaveFocus THEN
                ' Restore control focus
                SetFocus(hWndSaveFocus)
                hWndSaveFocus = 0
            END IF

        CASE %WM_COMMAND
            SELECT CASE AS LONG CB.CTL

                CASE %GRA_MAIN

                CASE %BTN_EXIT
                    IF CB.CTLMSG = %BN_CLICKED OR CB.CTLMSG = 1 THEN
                        DIALOG END CB.HNDL
                    END IF

            END SELECT
    END SELECT
END FUNCTION

'---------------------------

FUNCTION PBMAIN () AS LONG

    EZ_BeginSpriteEng

    ' Create dialog

    DIALOG NEW PIXELS, 0, "Single Sprite Test", 10,10, 700,550, _
    %WS_SYSMENU OR %WS_DLGFRAME OR %WS_BORDER, TO hDlg
    DIALOG SET COLOR hDlg, %RED, %RGB_SEAGREEN

    ' Create graphic control

    CONTROL ADD GRAPHIC, hDlg, %GRA_MAIN, "", _
                5,5, 640,480, _
                %WS_CHILD OR %WS_VISIBLE, %WS_EX_CLIENTEDGE
    GRAPHIC ATTACH hDlg, %GRA_MAIN
    GRAPHIC COLOR %RED, %GREEN
    GRAPHIC PAINT BORDER (20,20), %RGB_GAINSBORO, %RGB_SEAGREEN,0

    'graphic render bitmap "Graphics\bkgnd2.bmp", (0,0)-(639,479)

    CONTROL HANDLE hDlg,%GRA_MAIN TO hSprCtl
    EZ_AttachSprites hSprCtl

    GRAPHIC BITMAP LOAD "Graphics\Bug.bmp", 54,18 TO hBmp
    EZ_DefSpriteByPict "S1", hBmp, 3, -1, 0
    EZ_SetSpritesFrame "S1",1,1,1
    EZ_AssignSprites hSprCtl, "S1"

    EZ_SetSpritesEffect "S1", 1,0
    EZ_MoveSprites "S1", 100,100, 0
    EZ_ShowSprites "S1",1
    EZ_UpdateClient hSprCtl

    ' Create exit button

    CONTROL ADD BUTTON, hDlg, %BTN_EXIT, "Exit", 635,520, 50,20

    ' ---- Show dialog ----

    DIALOG SHOW MODAL hDlg, CALL DlgProc
    EZ_EndSpriteEng

END FUNCTION

Thanks,
Barry

By the way, the zip file I received for the upgrade either didn't have anything in most of the folders or my unzip program didn't unzip them correctly.  I no longer have the original zip and the link no longer works.  I do have things compiling okay now so maybe none of this matters.  But if you think there's something I might be missing, like other SLL compileable samples, I'd like to get another copy if I may.

I'm using Power Archiver, which I've been using for maybe 15 or 20 years with never a problem.  It updates itself so I always have the latest version.  But problems do happen sometimes and I can get a copy of Winzip to unzip it and be sure.

Again, this is compiling now so if it's not trivial to send another copy it's probably not worth it.

Thanks,
Barry

I'll study your comments but I don't think you quite get it.

I can ask questions about what everything does but really for my purposes I don't need to know what everything does.  What I need to know is how to simply use your sprite engine.  I can take it from there.  I don't have any idea what I'll use this for yet.  I won't until I can have a simple little sample that can just move a sprite around in a graphic control and play with that and see what I can do with it and later when I'm thinking of things to do I'll remember something about it that might be useful, hopefully.

I can't wait till you're 70 years old and have a hard time learning new things.  I'm gonna stick around till then so I can say "That's how it is!"

Barry

Okay that did compile and run correctly.

I'm going to try again to understand how to use it but I've tried to figure it out a couple of times and gotten no-where so I'm not optimistic.  Your code is just too complex for my old brain.  That's why I've always asked for a simple example.

Thanks,
Barry

I tried your sample and I get the same results.  It compiles fine but there's no image or sprites.

I keep running into the problem with your samples that they're complex show-off-everything and when I run into problems I'm stuck.

I'll ask one more time and if nothing comes of it I'll just give up:  Any chance of getting a very simple sample that just moves a simple sprite back and forth across a graphic window?  Then if there's a problem I have a chance of figuring it out.

If you won't provide that I'll stop bothering you.

Thanks,
Barry

I've been playing with the update trying to convert one of the example programs to work with the sll version but no luck.

I have it now where everything compiles and runs but no sprites are displayed.  Any ideas?

I kind of wonder if the download I got from you was supposed to have that in it but it didn't.  What makes me wonder if there was a problem was that there were a lot of empty folders.

Any chance of getting a simple compileable sample for the SLL version?

Barry

I bought EZSprite but never did get around to doing anything with it.  I found the examples too confusing and I guess I wasn't motivated enough to keep trying to figure them out.  I finally gave up.

I have a small interest in game programming.  I'm retired and I like to spend a little of my time writing small games that are played by others here in the retirement home where I live.  I don't do anything very complex, just simple games, sometimes 2D games that might be able to use sprites and some are word games and such that can use the normal Windows controls.

So if you do a tutorial I'll probably take a look.  If it explains EZSprite I'll surely take a look.

However, I'd like to suggest that you won't stir up any interest by asking for it.  If you want to get people interested first have something to show them.  Write a tutorial, make it available and then ask if anyone is interested.  Then maybe someone will be able to answer you.

Barry

Thanks.  I'll be interested to see that.

In the meantime I'm trying to reduce your included DDT example to essentials.  I just got a new (used) netbook that I've been spending most of my time setting up so I haven't spent much time with it yet but I've removed about 2/3 of the stuff and it's still working.  I'll probably get it down to bare metal in the next few days.

My suggestion is to have a totally simple bare minimum program that simply moved a sprite across the screen so you can easily see what the essentials are.  I'm sure you've seen the disclaimer on samples saying "this isn't done in the best or fastest way but it was done in what we think is the clearest and easiest to understand way", or some such, which, freely translated means "this program includes many programming no-no's but it's simple and straightforward to illustrate the basic principles."

Barry

Thanks.   This is helpful.  I've already worked out much of this but you're tying it together and making it clearer.

However, I still think that if you provided a very simple sample program that just moves a single sprite across a graphic control, or something on that order, it would be useful.  I spent a few hours understanding this sample and I think I pretty much understand a lot of it now.  I'm still not sure what are the essential parts of a simple sprite program.

I'll look forward to your continuation.  I think this will help in the long run.  I'm not sure it's going to help me get started.

Barry

I'd like to suggest (or request although I'll probably get this going myself by the time you do) that you include a small, simple, very straightforward sprite example that can be used as a template for the easily confused, such as me.

The example programs you include are very nice but they seem more geared to showing what the engine can do than as something to learn how to write a program that uses sprites.  A simple example that does nothing more than show and move a sprite on a graphic window or graphic control would make getting started with this a lot easier.

Thanks,
Barry

Thanks.  I haven't settled on just how the bitmap will look yet but last night I was experimenting with ways to create the frames and I have a number of tools that will do it.

I wasn't aware of tbpaint.  Thanks for mentioning it.  It just went into my arsenal.

Barry