Upscaling Flare Art

[WithinAmnesia]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fix6u4pksrg
^This, for Flare?

The Flare Engine now has the ability to host at least 4 times the graphical resolution of the Legacy Flare Engine and this can lead the way forward towards Flare HD. 64-bit executable for the Flare Engine is now available across all major PC Platforms. Effectively giving the Flare Engine with the 64-bit executable 18.4 Exabytes of usable RAM over the previous 4.2 Gigabyte of usable RAM from the legacy 32-bit executable.

The 64-bit executable for Flare empowers the Flare Engine to be able to operate with effectively 4K+ support. Meaning that the original Flare art assets can now be enlarged x 4 in scale to achieve 4 times the pixel density with stable Flare Engine Performance where this was simply impossible with the Legacy Flare Engine and the hard limit of usable RAM of 4.2 Gigabytes. Of which the 32-bit executable was insufficient to host enlarged x 4 Flare art assets without crashing half way through rendering due to insufficient memory errors.

The 64-bit executable for all major PC systems can bring the Flare Engine from a technological era of the 2000's with pixelated legacy graphics running at low frames per second and a 32-bit executable; into a technological era of the 2020's with 4K clear graphics with high frames per second and a 64-bit executable. The 64-bit executable Flare Engine is proven to be able to run with 4 times the original resolution of the legacy 32-bit executable Flare Engine. With the 64-bit executable Flare Engine is proven with high frame rate that each individual legacy pixel can now become 4 pixels in the same screen real-estate / pixel density; thus proving the viability of high resolution Flare Engine operation. I call this 64-bit executable enlarged x 4 art asset version of the Flare Engine 'Flare x 4'.

The above is an initial prototype of a successful test running the Windows 64-bit executable of the Flare Engine successfully rendering at 60 frames per second with an enlarged x 4 Flare player character avatar sprite. With also an enlarged x 4 Fantasy core art asset tileset for an area map of 1000 x 1000 tiles in scale (for 1,000,000 tiles in total map scale area). With each tile being 256x128 pixels in dimension; 4 times scale of the legacy original Flare art scale at a scale of 64 x 32 pixels.

The Flare Engine performance to host Flare x 4 (and the path toward Flare HD) is there and proven to work. Yet the graphical detail is not yet properly harnessed. As such the prototype above can have 4 times the detail and could effectively host high resolution 4K graphical detail art assets if they existed for Flare. Of which I currently understand that there are no Flare x 4 and or Flare 4K and or Flare HD art assets available for the creative community to harness this 64-bit executable high resolution graphical power.

Should there be an art campaign undertaken to Upscale Flare Art to improve the art presentation quality of the original art? This Upscaling Flare Art process could be simpler than making new renders of original Flare Art blender files. This also could serve as an interim / in-between step for improving the Flare graphics and could potentially lead to Flare HD Version 1.0. Would there be community interest in such an art campaign to Upscale Flare Art? Also is there any experience / advice / interest with Upscaling Art within the creative community?

[dorkster]

This has been an open topic for a long time now: #209

My thoughts:

• We still want to support people playing on 32-bit CPUs. So we can't just blow things up to the point where a 64-bit CPU would be required. That being said, packing and splitting up spritesheets would probably keep us within 32-bit limitations anyway. So a 64-bit executable is not the game changer you think it is.
• We want to support less performant hardware in general. I was doing some playing on a Raspberry Pi 4 model B (4GB) recently, and was able to play at 1600x900@60FPS. However, I needed to decrease the Maximum Render Size setting in Flare to 480p to keep it at a smooth 60.
• AI upscaling is great and all, but I'd rather only use it when needed. We certainly have some assets where we don't have access to a larger source. But for 3D models, we should be able to render those out at any resolution. Which brings me to my next point...
• The biggest hurdle to properly doing this is fixing the workflow for the 3D files. I think I mentioned this before, but artists should be able to press a single button to run a script that will output the spritesheet/tileset and any accompanying text files in a form ready to use in Flare.
• I would rather stick with Clint's plan to do 2x instead of 4x scale. The reason is a combination of performance and the quality of the original source files. Past a certain point, I think there are diminishing returns.

[dorkster]

FYI, stitching together the individual images into a single spritesheet can be done with ImageMagick's montage tool.

Here's a example that Clint left in the art_src folder: https://github.com/flareteam/flare-game/blob/master/art_src/characters/hero/montage_script.txt

Obviously, you would change 128x128 to 512x512.

Also, this is what I was talking about in regards to workflow. The Python script that spits out the individual images should also be able to (optionally): combine them, pack them, generate the animation/tileset definition, and move them to the appropriate location in the mods folder.

[WithinAmnesia]

You guys have a script for stitching them together? I was using imagemagic montage script shown by Danimal lol XD https://opengameart.org/forumtopic/dual-wielding-animations-and-mechanical-support
"Danimal how do you make your Image Magick montage where they fit a 4096 x 1024 .png where as mine just turn out 2048 x 2016? Which makes a miss match where 2048 times 2 = 4096 (match) but 2016 divided by 2 = 1008 (miss match)? What command line works for you with Image Magic Montage?

I have this so far: magick montage *.png -background none FILENAMEHERE.png

My blender output frame images are 128 x 128 or they should be. I wonder if I have undersized images? Nope I checked and they are all 128 x 128. Then am I using a buggy Image Magic command line? What Image Magick montage command line works then? What one am I supposed to use?

Hmm "PS C:\Desarrollo flare\Terminados\Flying terror> magick montage -background "transparent" -geometry 128x128 -tile 32x8 *.png sprites.png"

Edit: Bingo! 4096 x 1024 sprite tileset for the off hand dagger heroine animations. All that is left to do is test it but it is 7 AM now and I need to go to bed XD. Thank you tremendously

Hopefully I can test this animation successfully later :-P."

• these files for an Imagemagic Montage for Flare art asset creation manual I made:
  Image Magic Command Line For Animations.txt
  

Wonders, 'How do you guys make montages?' -> looks at link
https://github.com/flareteam/flare-game/blob/master/art_src/characters/hero/montage_script.txt
Well sh!t lol XD That could have saved some time and like 3 east Indian man youtube video tutorials of how to use Imagemagic montage [they were very informative by the way] and reverse engineering with what Danimal did lol XD. Either way it is looking good so far. Bit by bit XD.

[WithinAmnesia]

@dorkster Is there a way to get a script to make large form (non-compact format) working animation and tileset defs that are enlarged x 4 the scale not by hand?

I went nearly bonkers making a tileset def expansion by hand for this (64 x 32 pixel per tile) x 1 scale tileset: https://opengameart.org/content/flare-super-dungeon-tileset-version-10 . Myself and Danimal use the big caveman version of the non-compact tilesets (they are easier to modify and still work and we suck at making things compact XD). Is there a way to use a script to produce character animation tileset defs for these big enlarged x 4 tiles automatically / without going bonkers by hand? Also could this tileset def format be done in the same 16 x 190 format. As like how I made my very large 16 x 190 tile tileset definition (so I can easily keep adding more art tiles in blank area the future)? Is there a way to make a 16 x 190 tileset def for the big form tileset image for the 256 (X axis) x 128 (Y axis) pixel scale by using a script? If so that would be amazing XD. Making a tileset and animation definition by hand is so painful X.x.

I think that the enlarged x 4 large non compact animation total pixel dimensions are:
4096 x 1024 yet multiplied by 4 to create 16384 x 4096 for the character animations.

I think that the enlarged x 4 large non compact 16 x 190 tileset (with enlarged x 4 with 256 x 128 pixel scale tiles) pixel dimensions are: 1024 x 6080 yet multiplied by 4 to create 4096 x 24320 for the 16 x 190 tileset definitions.
So Flare 4K could use scripts to create definitions for:

• 16384 x 4096 pixel dimensions scale for the large non compact format character animations.

• 4096 x 24320 pixel dimensions scale for the large non compact format 16 x 190 tileset definitions.

[dorkster]

Sorry, such a script doesn't exist at the moment.

[WithinAmnesia]

I think the animation script already works? It is just the tileset def is a bit crazy but it can be done by hand for the 4K / 256 x 128 tiles. Although once it is done I can use it as a standard template for the rest of the areas. If I do get the Flare 4K 16 x 190 tileset definition text file made I should share it on Open Game Art to keep up the good will and be a good role model / lead by example / empower the creative community.

[WithinAmnesia]

I figured out how to make enlarged x 4 scale Flare 4K high resolution images from changing the render solution from 25% to 100% render resolution in Flare / Fantasy core art blender file source files (that works with the preexisting render script / render rig): https://opengameart.org/forumtopic/what-elements-of-rpgs-do-you-like-post-a-wish-list-of-rpg-features?page=1
"Hold on! I just did a bunch of successful experiments! Check this out: #895 (reply in thread) ! I made successful Flare 4K animations for dual wielding arming sword and I also made Flare 4K grassland tilesets with new renders! XD. I looked very close at the screen shots that Clint Bellanger has with the link from [at]bzt here https://clintbellanger.net/articles/isometric_tiles/ and used my Blender 2.79 and the art source files and it turns out the original files were in specification to render at 4 times the size of the regular Flare assets. in fact the regular Flare assets were shrunk down with 25% / 0.25 render scale and by making that render scale go to 100% / 1.00 it produces Flare 4K freaking graphics wow! I might suck with Blender but my detective work was on point and I lucked out lol XD. AAAH I am so relieved to find this HUGE surge of creative power and having the realistic power to do so XD. So far it looks like Flare 4K is coming! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JElrEbAcwY&ab_channel=Sam%26Dave-Topic "

[WithinAmnesia]

@dorkster https://github.com/flareteam/flare-game/blob/master/art_src/characters/hero/default_chest.blend I tried to used Blender 2.79 and render using the 8 direction render animation script thing in 100% 512x512 resolution (up from 25% 128x128). Yet the render animations stops at one direction and has a fraction of the frames rendered as it should? What should one do to render the hero and heroine animations at 100% for 512x512 (~Flare X4 / Flare 4K)? I can put the work in for all animations and share the animation art but I have to figure out how to get the default hero and heroines to render at 100% for 512x512 in 8 directions; any suggestions?

[dorkster]

I'm sorry, but I can't reproduce the issue you're having. For me, it renders the entire set of animations in all 8 directions (should result in 256 images).

Maybe try looking at the console output? If you're on Windows, you can open the system console by going to Window > Toggle System Console within Blender.

[WithinAmnesia]

I got it to work. I highlighted the script and right click opened a selection option for 'Run Script' and ran it and it worked with 100% resolution for 256 complete 512 x 512 animation frames. I was previously going render menu -> render animation.

[WithinAmnesia]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/870416511251124254/1052023156145143808/image.png
4K Plate Armour!