[BG] Some interesting challenges

[rewlf2]

I have come up with some background challenges. These can be solved theoretically, and proposed answers are in the spoilers.

All challenges here must be done on backgrounds. No objects of any type may be used, and no hex editing is allowed.

1. Make a simple clock with only the second pointer, that is it revolves for 1 cycle every 60 seconds, and ticks once per second.

2. Make a dynamic pointer which remains static regardless of background moving, and the pointer will show the instantaneous x-position in real-time. For example, if the pointer is in the middle of screen and the map has width of 3000, the pointer will range from 397(middle of screen) to about 2603 (half screen before end of screen)

3. Make a digital clock which shows time in 12hr format, but using as few layers as possible

Spoiler (Click to View)

1. This can be fully solved provided you compress the layers used to be much lower than 30. In theory as low as 12 layers can be used to make a second-precision clock.

To make the clock, you need to familiarize with the features of the second pointer. The full cycle of the second pointer is to rotate 6 degrees anticlockwise per second,

but the more important thing is, if you don't use a thick enough pointer, each second the pointer WILL NOT OVERLAP with each other. Another thing is the pointer will not change shape over time (its texture just rotates)

Now we divide 60 to get its factors, we get 2,2,3,5, which means we need to make 4 sets of layers, one set consisting two of them being the pointer base, one set consisting 2 images as a mask, 1 set 3 images and last set 5 images

Set time of the masks and images to a certain degree. Since LF2 runs on 30 fps, the pointer layer should have cycle of 60f and alternates per 30f. Other masks have cycle time multiplied.

The images except the pointer base should be constructed from an clock base with no pointer, and the pointer bases should consist of two images, each of them consisting of 30 pointers, spaces for 2 minor markers (2 seconds)

The rest is to be done by ourselves.

Spoiler (Click to View)

2. This method I must give credit to Yinyin, the creator of MachinaEffectus, the only background hosting on LFE-fileplantet that uses the x-axis variant method. And yes, this challenge is hard to be done and must use the aforementioned x-axis variant method.

If you don't know what is x-axis variant method, support Yinyin and download the background here.

This challenge is hard but the outcome is surprisingly light-weighted. You would need 3-4 incredibly long images, similar to the example in the background. Then you must calculate the relative length of the images by multiplying 794 (the screen width) with the background width, then with another factor (which depends on the digit of the number displayed, the factor is a multiple of 10)

The actual images consist of large amount of black space, and (sets of)10 equally spaced numbers, ranging from 0 to 9. To make loading faster optimized 16 color is recommended for the images. Each number should space for 794 px. The lowest digit consists of 10 numbers, from 0 to 9, the 10-th digit consists of 100 numbers, from ten of 0s to tens of 9, which looks like this instead: 0 0...0 1 1 ... 1 2 2 ...

As we use 3-4 digits, this measure is not practically usable, but can be adjusted for using a much smaller spacing interval, with assist of some blocking techniques. We use some background images and cut out a small hole in it, and we put the line of images behind the hole. The working principle is very similar to film playback, in which the blocked area which is represented by image area other than the cut-out hole, acts as a barrier to block unnecessary characters. Thus, we can compress images by significantly reducing the spacing interval, but the normally showing characters will be mostly blocked by the background above it.

Spoiler (Click to View)

3. This is still being developed, but making a true-false table and using each digit display lights as an unit can be vital to this study.

[Hero destroyer]

I know this is a challenge, but making a BG AND doing these crazy DC, no offense, but hardly none of us will be able to do that. I mean, those who can sprite, can't do good DC and those who do good DC can't actually sprite well. yes, there are some members like Marshall, YinYin, BP...But I don't think they will even try this challenge.
By the way, I'm not joining for lack of spriting skills.

[rewlf2]

Well I would rather say it is bg "component" challenge, and is just some kind of brain teaser, but I feel interested inside them, so I myself would actually make them even if fellow guys don't wanna try it.