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[Sir Knight]

(I'd noticed the flickering when scrolling.  I'd gotten used to that (read: "resigned myself to that") years ago when computers first switched from CRT monitors, with their fast and broad-spectrum refresh and decay, to LCD monitors, with their host of problems.  But here I'm comparing my original art to the version displayed on my new browser side-by-side on the same screen, and I see such a mess: the lighter color in each wall segment (i.e., the background of the halftoned blocks) is supposed to be identical to the floor color, and it obviously is not.  Ew.  So in your experience the background color is the same all over?)

(I checked and this program, REXPaint, cannot create .svg files.  Now, I have Photoshop on my older computer, but in-context this is unhelpful.  If no one else is repulsed by the art, I guess I'll just keep plugging.)

And I acknowledge your input, HugeNerdAndProudOfIt.  I'm sure no one will get killed this way!

[Sir Knight]

Nope, update not happening tonight.  Way too much going on.  I got all the dice rolled, though!

Back tomorrow.

[Starver]

(Forgot the parenthises last time...  Probably the time before that, too...  )

Spoiler: Naturally (un)zoomed (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Full pinch-zoomed (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: I can get funny effects like this at intermediate zooms, but nothing to worry about (click to show/hide)

((Ouch, TinyPic is awful to use on a tablet..!  Or has just got more awful since I last used it. But used to be simpler and better. Shouldn't affect your end, though.))

(SVG is not an easy format to get right and can be more trouble than it is worth for this kind of image, so I wouldn't bother with it if you don't have the tools at hand (I can look at GIMP, maybe, as I use that rather than photoshop, and I know it has similar 'conversion' routines on it).  Although with manual tweaking or a specialist "DF-style tiling"-expecting compositor there could be sufficient optimisations to rival even DFMapCompressor. Would take experimentation, though.)

[Rautherdir]

(Hmmm... After a good bit of research I might have to try making a xp2SVG convertor in python. The Text function of SVG should help with it, i think the only major problem would be unicode versus ASCII.)

[Sir Knight]

(Various images.)

(Hmm, a problem is that you're trying to show me how your browser images look by putting them on my browser.  The first one looks the same as what gets me proclaiming "blurry" and "the background on the wall tiles is turning the wrong color.")

(I've now downloaded multiple images and opened them on this computer.  I've also tried opening my original artwork using the same viewer, comparing it to REXPaint's rendering.  I think that, regrettably, this operating system + high-DPI screens = dumb.  REXPaint is the only one that makes the art look good.)

(And I know for sure that REXPaint is doing an intelligent upscale because of the "zoom level."  When I open an image in the computer's own viewer, it SAYS it's at minimum zoom, but I can right-click and get an option for "view actual size" that makes it shrink (by what looks like the inverse of 2x).  This is smaller than how REXPaint renders it for my editing.  Meanwhile, on my older computer, REXPaint's display is completely identical to how the finished image displays when opened in a viewer or a browser.  So REXPaint is smarter than anything else on my new computer.)

(Hmmm... After a good bit of research I might have to try making a xp2SVG convertor in python. The Text function of SVG should help with it, i think the only major problem would be unicode versus ASCII.)

(Regrettably, I fear that vector graphics may be a non-negotiable part of making images look good in this terrifying new world.  If you make something I can use, I'd be glad to give it a go.  However, a search of the internet suggests that hosting .svg files may be difficult.  Imgur could no longer do it, and I already have my entire archive there.)

[Starver]

(Hmm, a problem is that you're trying to show me how your browser images look by putting them on my browser.  The first one looks the same as what gets me proclaiming "blurry" and "the background on the wall tiles is turning the wrong color.")

(As that's not my impression at all, I now say for sure that it is your imperfect screen rendering of images that (AFAIAC) were creation-rendered sufficiently correct for my purposes.  The colour behind the stippling of the walls in the max-zoomed image is definitely that which (SFAICT) underlies the unzoomed black stippling pattern, and the same as the bare floor such as you suggest it should. And darker walls at the edges of lit vision also match with darker floors similarly at the edge of vision, though my zoom-view didn't include such bits for comparison, as I should maybe have done.)

(I have big ideas for SVG rendering of such tile-built images, myself, and it's not by conversion from .png/.jpg/whatever. Nor would I be using actual Text, just vectorised and area-effect templates that replicate the ASCII/ANSI/Unicode/Tileset-Of-Choice forms, and that could be usefully dynamic (including various interesting possibilities that go into TWBT territory and beyond), but it would take a lot of work to reinvent this wheel and I don't think it'll be useful enough soon enough, esp. with the Imgur restriction on trying .svg files at all.)

(Thus I shall sit here appreciating the current game, and hope you can live with/tweak-without-breaking the current intermittent problems, whilst investigating why your new machine just happens to be such a crock...    Either way, though, don't worry about me!  I'll shout up if I feel the need, obviously.)

[Sir Knight]

(I am glad that it seems to be working for other people.  And, yes, the greys at the edge of lit vision are also supposed to follow such a pattern, so I'm glad that works too.  Hopefully, as the whole world moves to "fancier" computers, those making upscaling routines like whatever I've got here will feel the impetus to improve their software.  "High-fidelity" is a valued thing, even if the term itself is strangely obsolete.)

(I have big ideas for SVG rendering of such tile-built images, myself, and it's not by conversion from .png/.jpg/whatever. Nor would I be using actual Text, just vectorised and area-effect templates that replicate the ASCII/ANSI/Unicode/Tileset-Of-Choice forms, and that could be usefully dynamic (including various interesting possibilities that go into TWBT territory and beyond), but it would take a lot of work to reinvent this wheel and I don't think it'll be useful enough soon enough, esp. with the Imgur restriction on trying .svg files at all.)

(One factor here is that I'm using custom tiles, so I suspect I'd have to convert directly from .png.  Unless, perhaps, your system could accept a font graphic just like REXPaint does.  All of which is hypothetical and depends on how much fun you have implementing your plans.)

[Sir Knight]

Previous -- Next

Okay, so, this is heading towards combat, and normally I'd roll for combat order.  But the "ambush" question is in the air, and there's a ranged attack, so I'll do some rolls and see what's what.  John said he wasn't particularly expecting stealth . . .

Spoiler: Does it count as a surprise anyway? (click to show/hide)

You are approaching from behind, so . . .

John's ambush roll: 5, Succeed greatly!

Spoiler: Aggressive response indicated (click to show/hide)

You said you'd ambush if the ugly mugs appeared aggressive on their own, which they will in a moment

Dustan's ambush roll: 3, Succeed weakly!

Those are all "yes," so attack rolls.

Spoiler: John (ziizo), Frank (Coolrune206), and Dustan (Dustan Hache) vs. whatever ugly mugs they can reach in a quick ambush round (click to show/hide)

John's combat table, iron sword, target is armored against sharp attacks:

1: Fail terribly
2: Fail
3: Fail
4: Succeed weakly
5: Succeed
6: Succeed
7: Succeed greatly
8: Fail by succeeding

John's attack roll: 6, Succeed!
Damage roll (1d6+1): 3+1 = 4!
Ugly mug patrolmember A, HP: 6/10

Frank's combat table, sling and rocks:

1: Fail terribly
2: Fail
3: Succeed weakly
4: Succeed
5: Succeed greatly
6: Fail by succeeding

Frank's attack roll: 4, Succeed!
Damage roll (1d6+1): 1+1 = 2!
Ugly mug patrolmember A, HP: 4/10

Targets move around by the time Dustan attacks, so Dustan's combat table with a workstone knife is against a different target with even more armor:

1: Fail terribly
2: Fail terribly
3: Fail
4: Succeed weakly
5: Succeed weakly
6: Succeed
7: Succeed
8: Succeed greatly
9: Fail by succeeding

Dustan's attack roll: 1, Fail terribly!

Ugly mug sergeant's combat table, iron halberd:

1: Fail terribly
2: Fail
3: Succeed weakly
4: Succeed weakly
5: Succeed
6: Succeed greatly
7: Succeed greatly
8: Fail by succeeding
9: Fail by succeeding

Ugly mug sergeant's attack roll: 2, Fail!

Surely interracial (interspecies?) relations are best trusted to money-grubbing exiles with bladed weapons.

Overseer and Durenadal, yet again, remain with the wheelbarrows out of sight.  Dustan sneaks off ahead beyond the tunnel opening where the ugly mugs went, while, behind him, John takes Sir Lootington's estate-sale sword and goes for the direct approach.

The ugly mugs have their weapons out.  Only the one with the lantern and halberd is looking in your direction when you come around the turn.  His face twists in fury!

But it's too late, as you embed your sword in the shoulder of his subordinate!

Spoiler: Inspiration! (click to show/hide)

Otherwise known as making things easier on the GM

Result: 3, Succeed weakly!

. . . Which requires ripping through iron chain mail, no small feat.  You remember Etrigan at the Halfway House warning you that mail causes problems to sharp weapons.  "But a mining pick?  Piercing weapons go through almost anything."

You recover your weapon as your target turns in surprise, and just as Frank cracks a sling stone right across his knee.  Between the both, he's too surprised and in pain to respond.

But the one with the halberd isn't!  He throws his lantern to the other subordinate and leaps to the fore.  He is met partway by Dustan, effecting your own ambush.  The exchange . . . is less than graceful, and your workstone knife bounces off the enemy to fly out of your grasp!  What, this one's wearing workstone chain mail?!



GM note: As you can see in the spoilers, I'm referring to these characters as "patrolmembers" and a "sergeant."  Though you'd have to be psychic in-game for you to know that, I will use those terms into the future for efficiency.

[Dustan Hache]

chainmail only protects the torso and legs at best. Knock the bastard's helmet off and stab him in the neck!

[ziizo]

"Goddammit sword! why does the mining tool makes a better weapon than you?"

Drop sword grab pickaxe and finish the ugly mug.

[Coolrune206]

Frank charges in and tackles the bastard with the halberd while he is distracted with Dustan, trying to take him down to the floor.

"Quick, someonedisarmthisbastardI'malittlebusyjusttakehishalberd!"

[Sir Knight]

Thanks for your actions.  If the two cowering by the wheelbarrows would care to start a hand of poker or anything, that could be informative.

(I'm about to be out for a day and a half, which either will mean no time or lots of time.  Care to bet which?  Yeah, I'll just plan on being back later for more fun.  See you!)

[HugeNerdAndProudOfIt]

Now that I hear the sound of combat and know that the Ugly mug's are distracted, I'll pop around the corner and wing a stone at witch ever seems the weakest

[ufo]

uggghhhhh....
rip the dimensional fabric and appear as an dun dun dun ......... SHADOW MAN!

[Sir Knight]

I regret to inform you that "shadow man" is not a playable class.

Anyway, I'm back!  And if Durenadal (HugeNerdAndProudOfIt) is abandoning the position back there, I'll definitely need word from Overseer (FallacyofUrist) on whether he does something new or just stays blissfully distant from things that could make him bleed.