[DX8] Item RGBA Settings

[abhi2011]

FireBlade97 requested this via PM and since it's been a long time since I wrote a tutorial, I thought why not? 

After you add this you'll have control over how items in game look by tweaking the colour of the texture. So let's get started. 

**Note**: I've used Eclipse Worlds for writing this source but this should work on any DX8 engine. 
**Note2**: This tutorial is not noob friendly at the end. I suggest you have basic understanding of VB6 and certain terminologies like what methods are. 

**EDITORS**

Open up the **item editor** form a make something like this: 

Properties: 

Leave the Frame properties as it is. Change the frame caption to Colour if you want. 

**Label 1**

Name: **lblRed**

Caption: **Red: 255**

**Label 2**

Name: **lblBlue**

Caption: **Blue: 255**

**Label 3**

Name: **lblGreen**

Caption: **Green: 255**

**Label 4**

Name: **lblAlpha**

Caption: **Alpha: 255**

**HScroll 1**

Name: scrlRed

**HScroll 2**

Name: scrlBlue

**HScroll 3**

Name: scrlGreen

**HScroll 4**

Name: scrlAlpha

Now open up the source code of the Editors and paste the following at the end 

```
Private Sub scrlRed_Change()
If EditorIndex < 1 Or EditorIndex > MAX_ITEMS Then Exit Sub

Item(EditorIndex).Red = scrlRed.Value
lblRed.Caption = "Red: " & scrlRed.Value
End Sub

Private Sub scrlBlue_Change()
If EditorIndex < 1 Or EditorIndex > MAX_ITEMS Then Exit Sub

Item(EditorIndex).Blue = scrlBlue.Value
lblBlue.Caption = "Blue: " & scrlBlue.Value
End Sub

Private Sub scrlGreen_Change()
If EditorIndex < 1 Or EditorIndex > MAX_ITEMS Then Exit Sub

Item(EditorIndex).Green = scrlGreen.Value
lblGreen.Caption = "Green: " & scrlGreen.Value

End Sub

Private Sub scrlAlpha_Change()
If EditorIndex < 1 Or EditorIndex > MAX_ITEMS Then Exit Sub

Item(EditorIndex).Alpha = scrlAlpha.Value
lblAlpha.Caption = "Alpha: " & scrlAlpha.Value

End Sub

```
**modGameEditor:**

Find **ItemEditorInit **and before the end with add in this:

```
frmEditor_Item.scrlRed = .Red
frmEditor_Item.scrlBlue = .Blue
frmEditor_Item.scrlGreen = .Green
frmEditor_Item.scrlAlpha = .Alpha

```
**modTypes:**

This part is common for both client and server. Open up **modTypes** and find **ItemRec**. Before End Type add the following: 

```
Red As Byte
Blue As Byte
Green As Byte
Alpha As Byte
```
**modRendering:**

Find **RenderTextureByRects** method in **modRendering**

Add this to the end of the method declaration 

```
Optional ByVal Red As Long = 255, Optional ByVal Green As Long = 255, Optional ByVal Blue = 255, Optional ByVal Alpha As Long = 255

```
Add this to the end of the **RenderTexture** call 

```
D3DColorRGBA(Red, Green, Blue, Alpha) 
```
Find the **EditorItem_DrawItem **method in **modRendering**

Find the **RenderTextureByRects** call in this method

Add this to the end: 

```
frmEditor_Item.scrlRed.Value, frmEditor_Item.scrlBlue.Value, frmEditor_Item.scrlGreen.Value, frmEditor_Item.scrlAlpha.Value

```
**Now this part changes per change so I'll provide you with the code and help you figure out. You'll have to add in the code yourself.**

Wherever there items are being drawn in game, declare the following variables. 

```
Dim R As Long, G As Long, B As Long, A As Long

```
After this check 

```
ItemNum = GetPlayerInvItemNum(MyIndex, i)

If ItemNum > 0 And ItemNum <= MAX_ITEMS Then

```
Add the following

```
R = Item(ItemNum).Red
G = Item(ItemNum).Green
B = Item(ItemNum).Blue
A = Item(ItemNum).Alpha

```
Now find the call to the RenderTexture method (It can be just RenderTexture for rendering dropped items or RenderTextureByRects for inventory or it may all just be RenderTexture) 

Add this to the end of the call: 

```
R, G, B, A
```
And it should work. Depending upon how stupid your request of help is I'll help you. If it's very stupid then I won't. Ask someone else. 

Here are a few methods that render items. I'm not sure if there are more but search for them. (Search for **Tex_Item** and in **modRendering** and you'll find the methods)

> DrawMapItem
>
> DrawHotbar
>
> DrawInventory
>
> DrawAnimatedItem
>
> DrawDraggedItem
>
> DrawBank
>
> DrawBankItem

**NOTE**: For **DrawMapItem** use this code to set the r,g,b,a rather than using the above mentioned code: 

```
R = Item(MapItem(ItemNum).num).Red
G = Item(MapItem(ItemNum).num).Green
B = Item(MapItem(ItemNum).num).Blue
A = Item(MapItem(ItemNum).num).Alpha

```

[Slasheree]

if the color and alpha are only 0 to 255 why don't you use a byte for that ?

[deathtaker26]

> ,…,<>" data-cid="929736" data-time="1413631600">
>
> if the color and alpha are only 0 to 255 why don't you use a byte for that ?

Because that makes too much sense, and sense in eclipse is something we don't do.

[abhi2011]

> ,…,<>" data-cid="929736" data-time="1413631600">
>
> if the color and alpha are only 0 to 255 why don't you use a byte for that ?

Nice observation. I normally use a long without much thinking so yea.. Editing the OP

[Slasheree]

> Wherever there items are being drawn in game, declare the following variables. 
> ```
> Dim R As Long, G As Long, B As Long, A As Long
>
> ```

might want to change these to Byte too  :P

[abhi2011]

> ,…,<>" data-cid="929746" data-time="1413655184">
>
> might want to change these to Byte too  :P

meh. It won't cause any memory problems. They'll eventually be disposed.

[abhi2011]

Sorry for the double post. Had to do it

**Updated** the tutorial. I missed code in **ItemEditorInit** in **modGameEditors**. Scroll to the top and find the section called modGameEditors and add in that code.