Background for sidescrolling platformer

butterbean

So say, you want to create a sidescrolling platformer, and level 1 you want to be, 1480 in width

Given the power of 2 rule, and 1080 X 1080 being the maximum recommended measurement for one scene, how are GS users approaching this?

Do I place 3 background layers that are say, 580 X 320 next to each other to create one long scene?

And are people just placing these scenes next to each other, and using camera movement only?

Or are you creating a rule, when X= negative half it's width, to adjust the scene accordingly?

Sorry if this is confusing! Just trying to get an idea of how GS users are approaching a sidescrolling platformer given the power of 2 rule

JGary321

Hey Butterbean, I haven't done a platformer yet, but from what previous posters have said, they just put multiple scenes next to each other.

Mr.pH

Where does it say that the maximum for the background is 1080 x 1080? Can we make it bigger.....will it just increase loading times?

CodeMonkey

so actually its a 1024x1024 limit because the iphone doesn't handle anything bigger than 1024 in either dimension for the image.

And the power of 2 rule is more beneficial to users because it rounds up to the next power of 2 per dimension even if to fill it up with transparent space.

Mr.pH

wait......wat is the next power of 2?

butterbean

So Codemonkey, you can still create 3 joining backdrops right, to loop the background and make on large one?

ie: 512X320 (320 would round up to 512 anyway) so is it better just to create 3 adjoining backdrops that are 512 by 512, or can you create 512X320 side by side X 3 and still be okay?

Mr.pH

wait......is the maximum of 1024 x 1024 for the scene size or a single image.......

JGary321

The max is imposed by Apple & has nothing to do with GS Software. It is per image. Anything larger than 1024 needs to be tiled. So you could have 3 in a row, or 3 up & down, or even 3 in a rows & 3 up & down, all at 1024 x 1024.

Mr.pH

I think I got it but I wanna be sure. I could have a scene that is a long side scrolling level that is 1024 x 4096 which means that i need 4 background images that are 1024 x 1024 instead of one large image.

JGary321

Correct, anything over 1024 x 1024 needs to be made into multiple images.