Nifflas' Support Forum

Being Creative => Creativity Support => Topic started by: willomo on September 02, 2009, 09:36:19

Title: Windows XP loading bar.
Post by: willomo on September 02, 2009, 09:36:19

hello!
 I'm making a game for school using game maker, and for it I need an animated gif of the loading bar from the windows xp startup sequence.
I don't think i've been very clear so I've included a picture which what I want outlined in red.

Cheers~Willomo

Title: Re: Windows XP loading bar.
Post by: TechnoGeek on September 02, 2009, 21:14:34

Game Maker (Lite at least) has several restrictions on the loading bars. However, If you can find a way to use it, Google is your friend (search for it on images, or get a resource hacker to extract the bar and hand-make it off of that)

One thing that could present a difficulty is that Windows does not store that as any gif or other animated file. It is a static image that is moved through an area and then scrolled back.

Title: Re: Windows XP loading bar.
Post by: minmay on September 02, 2009, 21:34:55

Even GM's "pro" version (I despise calling it that; I remember the good old days when it was unregistered and registered) does a terrible job with its external loading screens.  There are ridiculous size restrictions, they break at many resolutions, and they can't be animated, nor can they have varying transparency.
A much better option is to have most of the loading take place after the game itself initializes (basically store everything externally), so that you can properly use a custom (fullscreen, if need be) loading screen.

But that is besides the point.  And wouldn't the easiest way to do this just be to "fake" an animation by moving the bar along manually with an image editor?  Even MS Paint could do that easily (though you'd need a different program to actually compile the images it produces into an animation).

Title: Re: Windows XP loading bar.
Post by: willomo on September 04, 2009, 10:06:24

now i see where i wasnt clear, what i meant that i wanted was not for a loading screen goin to the game, but just an animated gif of it loading but not actually loading anything.(for a fake windows xp startup screen level)
I hope this clarified what i meant... thanks anyway minmay and TechnoGeek.

Title: Re: Windows XP loading bar.
Post by: TechnoGeek on September 04, 2009, 16:49:38

oh, okay. not the loader, just a level or something.

In that case, an animated gif should work. however, if it's game maker, a spritesheet (like the ones for KS CO's) may be in order. also, you can just animate the bar within the space

Title: Re: Windows XP loading bar.
Post by: willomo on September 05, 2009, 02:53:42

thank! I fogot that you can make animated sprites on gamemaker  :oops:   Thanks for the help! youve given me heaps of ideas...