Homebrew The Whole "Color Limit" on the DS

[alex]

Okay, before I start making graphics for something(its a secret) I need to know something, how exactly limited is the DS when it comes to colors and sprites. I have a 256 color chart but I think it's off, since some colors repeat, and it seems like its TOO limited. Although it's the MSPaint 256 color chart, I think it might work on the DS I'm not sure. It was used for FretFury, but I'll link it and you tell me.

And is PALib the only way to code for the DS, it probably isn't, but the most simple way. Would coding in C(which would be hell for me) or any other way easier. I think I heard there are different programs to help with Wi-Fi and Multiplayer, but I might have heard wrong. Who knows? I want some more tips on coding, since I'm bored with my life.

Oh yeah, and here's the color chart:

*

*DISCLAIMER: I did not make the color chart, I found it somewhere in the FretFury topic. Go ahead and use it.

 

[Isaiah]

i think i remember 16000 colours or 60000

 

[alex]

i think i remember 16000 colours or 60000

Wait, I hardly think that's it. Some projects had good graphics in the beginning, but ended up horrible quality. Like FretFury, the fretboard was a gradient, or two. And it came out pretty bad, like only three colors. Someone at least link to some sort of Wiki, I just Googled it and it brings me to the Forum, and shows the topic name in the search.

 

[ShakeBunny]

Bad fretboard? I worked really hard on that.

I think I know what you are asking, and I'll try to answer. As far as I know the homebrew scene can only code games that use 256 colors. The DS is capable of more (how else would commercial games look so good), but homebrew games can't use that many colors.

I'm not sure if any of this is right or not, so please don't get mad at me if I'm wrong. Also, I'd like to know what you're working on. I'm rather bored with my life, too.

 

[alex]

Bad fretboard? I worked really hard on that.

I think I know what you are asking, and I'll try to answer. As far as I know the homebrew scene can only code games that use 256 colors. The DS is capable of more (how else would commercial games look so good), but homebrew games can't use that many colors.

I'm not sure if any of this is right or not, so please don't get mad at me if I'm wrong. Also, I'd like to know what you're working on. I'm rather bored with my life, too.

No, I liked it, but too many colors, and in the DS it looked bad.

Sorry...

I think I saw a homebrew game that used more I'm not sure... I might have been mistaken.

And yes, the video quality from FFXII: Revenant Wings is awesome, 256 can't be the limit for the DS.

 

[ShakeBunny]

Here is the pallet I used when working on FretFury. Hope this helps.




Also, will you let me know what you are working on? I'm very interested.

 

[alex]

Here is the pallet I used when working on FretFury. Hope this helps.




Also, will you let me know what you are working on? I'm very interested.

Heh, you don't know the secret do you?

Thanks though!

 

[ShakeBunny]

Um, no. I don't know "the secret", but I'd like to.

Also, a little off topic, but why does the ninja smiley look suprised?

 

[alex]

Imageshack makes you put that link at the bottom don't they...

 

[ShakeBunny]

Yeah, I'm not sure how to make it go away.

 

[Sweater Fish Del]

The DS displays graphics with a 15bit color depth (plus 1 bit of alpha), so that means 32768 colors are available. You can have unpaletted 16bit graphics if you want, but this will eat up your memory very quickly so using a paletted mode is better in most cases.

Using 256 color paletted graphics doesn't mean you're limited to only a certain specific group of 256 colors for all your graphics, though. Instead what it means is that each individual sprite or background can't be more than 256 colors, but each background has its own palette and you can have up to 16 sprite palettes per screen. You can have whatever 256 colors in each of those palettes you need out of the 32768 that are available.

Also, you can combine 16bit unpaletted graphics with paletted graphics if you want (and so long as you don't need a lot of VRAM for the rest of your graphics since that 16bit layer will eat up most of your memory). For instance, you could have a 16bit background with 256 color sprites on top of it. You can also use 16 color graphics if that's all you need for certain sprites and they will use up a lot less memory than 256 color sprites.


...word is bondage...