We are new to Coldstone, and game development in general, but I thought I would pass on something I learned tonight that might help other newbies who are trying to make pict files from Appleworks for Coldstone. I am running Coldstone under OS X, but use Appleworks in classic mode. (iMac DV SE, G3 processor)

I found the only way under my configuration to get a usable pict file was to place it in a paint file in Appleworks and then either save it as a pict from there, or use SnapZ Pro X (which I am trying out as a demo) to capture it from the paint file. Saving as a pict from a drawing file, trying to capture using SnapZ Pro X from a drawing file, or using Graphics Converter (also being tried as a demo) on a drawing file that had been saved as a pict did not result in a usable pict file that could be seen in the game. Changing the extension to .PCT did not help in any case.

I think the reason for my pict problems probably lies in the fact that only the paint file can have the pixels per inch set to 72 (as per the Coldstone requirement in Appendix A). If there is a way to set drawing files to 72ppi I don't know what it is. My attempts to get a successful pict from a drawing file by using either SnapZ Pro X or Graphics Converter should by no means be used by anyone as a measure of those programs usefulness as I am not expert in them by any stretch of the imagination and could have in all likelyhood been using them incorrectly.

I did notice something odd when trying to capture an image of a jpeg that had been copied into a paint file and then selected with SnapZ Pro X. I used it as a pict on a layer in Coldstone and the colors changed when the game ran. Since I am new to all this I don't know if I have something set wrong somewhere, but I will continue to work with it to see if I can come up with a solution.

Hope this helps someone. (Remember I am only a newbie and by no means an expert on any of this - but I'm having fun learning!)

Mommacat

Word to the wise: Don't use Appleworks for any kind of graphics!

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I won't lie to you, friend. Every man or woman who has stood their ground... everyone who has fought an OP has been /banned. But where they have failed, you will succeed. I've seen an OP /kick through a concrete firewall. Men have emptied entire scripts
at them and hit nothing. But yet their power and their speed is still based on servers that have rules, so they will never be as powerful or as fast as you.

OK, first a tip. If you absolutely have to use Appleworks for graphics work, don't use it's save as pict function. Instead, when in the 'Painting' section, select your work, copy it, and paste it into GraphicConverter. More hassle short term, but it'll work in the long term.

Secondly....... as Gluey said, don't use AppleWorks for graphic work. It's OK for stuff like charts and whatnot for an assigment, etc, but not really suited for a game.... mind you, 'Attack of the Polygons' has a certain charm....

-Andiyar

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"Any good that I may do here, let me do now, for I may not pass this way again"

I'm not super familiar with Appleworks, but my guess is that the reason you can't get good results straight out of it, or by using screen capture functions like Snapz, is that Appleworks is a multipurpose desktop publishing application. It's designed to incorporate graphics, Text, and vector graphics into one document. Because of the screwy "magic" it takes to do this, getting just a PICT image out of it isn't always easy.

Andyarus' copy and paste idea is pretty good, since Graphic converter may be more affordable for you than Photoshop 7.0 or Photoshop Elements. If you have recently bought a scanner, or plan to do so soon, you'll more than likely find that the scanner comes with a free version of one of Adobe's Photoshop programs. Not that I'm shilling for Adobe (there are other equally cool image editing applications) but the benifit of Photoshop is everyone knows how to use it, so you can get tips easily.

Thanks for reporting your Appleworks Odysse for us....!

-chuck

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Grant me the Creativity to Code cool software, the peace to accept all that is not Open-Source, and the Wisdom to pay all applicable Shareware fees. (Oh! ....And gimmie a huge friggen bag of money...!)

Thank-you all for your input. We are currently using Appleworks because that is what we have to work with, and at our stage of learning it will work just fine. "Son of Mommacat" and I are learning Coldstone as an entry into the world of game development. As he shows improvement and continued interest the variety of programs at his disposal will increase. Currently I am considering Photoshop Elements, but was wondering if anyone who has used it could advise me on its usefulness for Coldstone graphics development.

Thanks,

Mommacat

Again, I agree with Andiyar. If you don't want to get photoshop, then use (url="http://"http://www.versiontracker.com/moreinfo.fcgi?id=1870&db;=mac")Graphic Converter(/url). It is shareware, so you can use it for free for a while.

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Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

Quote

Originally posted by spitfire:
**Again, I agree with Andiyar. If you don't want to get photoshop, then use Graphic Converter. It is shareware, so you can use it for free for a while.

**

Another avenue I chose was Canvas 7 SE for $85. Does everything Photoshop does. It's more versatile than Photoshop. I've been using Canvas for years. Plus there is a 15 day free trail. (url="http://"http://www.deneba.com/products/canvas7se/default.html")http://www.deneba.co...se/default.html(/url)
Canvas 8 15-day Demo

rplate@vvm.com
Never give up never say die.

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(This message has been edited by Toast (edited 05-03-2002).)