Posted By: Error014
Manual suggestion - 12/16/12 14:14
Hey there!
This is not a mistake or anything in the manual, just a friendly suggestion. I recently had some trouble with this error message:
Warning W1553 - Can't create alpha
The texture has no standard content (BMP, PCX, or TGA) and can't be automatically converted to an overlay or alpha texture. This warning is only issued when the warn_level variable is set to 1 or above
The problem was totally on my end (a wrongly set format in bmap_createblack (888)), but it was very difficult to find, since the above doesn't really give a starting point. Consider that for a stupid idiot like me, it might not be obvious what constitutes "standard content" (does bmap_createblack create "standard content"?), and what is necessary for "automatic conversion"?
I had to do a google search bringing me to this topic, which prompted me to do the investigation regarding bmap_blit (which in turn led me to check the different formats).
The whole mess was even more confusing, as I used this bitmap using ent_setskin for an entity that didn't had OVERLAY or TRANSLUCENT set.
What I'm saying is: This problem can be hard to debug. Some direction would be helpful!
Of course I realize that in hindsight, this is an obvious problem, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you that those can still be difficult to make out in larger projects. A sentence like this in the manual would be helpful in providing a starting point.
This can happen if you're using a dynamically created bitmap with a wrong format that Acknex does not create an alpha channel for. Check if the bitmap you're trying to display has a format with no alpha channel (such as 888, 565, ...).
~~
I've always liked that you included the "Programming Trouble: FAQ" in the manual (unfortunately a bit hard to find) - I believe thats a great idea especially given Gamestudio's target audience. Perhaps we could have a thread where users can suggest new questions and sections to add to this, so that in cases like the above, the user would know where to start looking?
In that case, the above could also be turned into a new question there.
This is not a mistake or anything in the manual, just a friendly suggestion. I recently had some trouble with this error message:
Quote:
Warning W1553 - Can't create alpha
The texture has no standard content (BMP, PCX, or TGA) and can't be automatically converted to an overlay or alpha texture. This warning is only issued when the warn_level variable is set to 1 or above
The problem was totally on my end (a wrongly set format in bmap_createblack (888)), but it was very difficult to find, since the above doesn't really give a starting point. Consider that for a stupid idiot like me, it might not be obvious what constitutes "standard content" (does bmap_createblack create "standard content"?), and what is necessary for "automatic conversion"?
I had to do a google search bringing me to this topic, which prompted me to do the investigation regarding bmap_blit (which in turn led me to check the different formats).
The whole mess was even more confusing, as I used this bitmap using ent_setskin for an entity that didn't had OVERLAY or TRANSLUCENT set.
What I'm saying is: This problem can be hard to debug. Some direction would be helpful!
Of course I realize that in hindsight, this is an obvious problem, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you that those can still be difficult to make out in larger projects. A sentence like this in the manual would be helpful in providing a starting point.
Quote:
This can happen if you're using a dynamically created bitmap with a wrong format that Acknex does not create an alpha channel for. Check if the bitmap you're trying to display has a format with no alpha channel (such as 888, 565, ...).
~~
I've always liked that you included the "Programming Trouble: FAQ" in the manual (unfortunately a bit hard to find) - I believe thats a great idea especially given Gamestudio's target audience. Perhaps we could have a thread where users can suggest new questions and sections to add to this, so that in cases like the above, the user would know where to start looking?
In that case, the above could also be turned into a new question there.
