Organization of an idea.

Hi,
I would like to impliment a system into my game that shifts the color based on the user's current time of day.

currently I use a function that finds the average between two colors and sets the color based on the multiplier variable. How would I make more than two colors used per day?

Say I had X number of color points. How would I find the proper color based on the time of day?

Basically I draw a transparent rectangle over the screen to give the impression of a global lightsource. This tints the whole screen and can give cool effects.

Sorry if this is unclear, most of my games are more abstract art based.....

24 hours or 1440 minutes in a day.
That means the RGB value changes 0.18 per minute.
Take the start RGB from 00:00, determine current time, work out the difference in minutes and the start RGB values by the RGB change factor. When RGB reaches 255 loop to 0.
If I have understood correctly...

My code currently only allows for 2 colors where the first is 00:00 and the last is 23:00. How would I make a similar code that used say a list of color objects to find the color of the time based on the color objects?

Strict
Graphics 640,480

Function setdaycolor(r#,g#,b#,r2#,g2#,b2#,percent#)
	Local r_dif#=r2-r
	Local g_dif#=g2-g
	Local b_dif#=b2-b
	SetColor r+(r_dif*percent),g+(g_dif*percent),b+(b_dif*percent)
End Function
Local time=0

While Not KeyDown(Key_escape)
	Cls
	
	setdaycolor(255,255,0,0,0,128,Float(CurrentTime())/23)
	DrawRect(MouseX(),MouseY(),320,240)
	Flip
WEnd

You do exactly what you are already doing, then when it reaches the second colour, do it again.

I was actualy just thinking about this for a hitpoint bar in a game I'm working on. I haven't implimented it yet but here's the concept I've got so far.

Do just what you have to get the color between 2 points. but set each point at a certain value. That's not very clear so I'll try with more detail using hitpoints as an example.

You have 100 to 0 hp
from 100-80 is one segment changing from say green to yellow. That's a 20point range so each point is 5% (5% * 20 = 100%) . If your current Hp is say 95 out of 100. it's above 80 so we use this HP color segment (instead of the 80-60 segment, or whatever other segment) 95-80 = 15. 15 is 75% of 20 so find 75% of the color (using your current method) between the color for 100 and the color for 80.

This requires you to assing a point along your line, and a color to each point. To make it more specific for your time system, 00:00 is point 0, color at point 0 is green. 01:00 is point 1 (if you're going hourly) and color is blue. time is 00:45. that is between points 0 and 1 so we used the colors for 0 and 1. it is 75% of the way to the second color so use your color finding function to find 75% of the color of point 0 (green) and point 1 (blue) and there you go.

Something tells me there is a more elegent way to find that than an array which is what I would use, but that will work.

Of note, the points do not have to be evenly spaced, as you are finding the % difference between 2 points. you simply have to know where those points are and what colors you want to use if something is perfectly on the point.

If you have already come up with a cleaner solution I would be interested if you would like to share it.

I would use a palette object and store the entire day by calling the setrange method multiple times:

Type TPalette
	Field r[256]
	Field g[256]
	Field b[256]
	
	Method UseColor(n)	
		SetColor r[n],g[n],b[n]
	End Method
	
	Method SetRange(lo,r0,g0,b0,hi,r1,g1,b1)
		Local i,d
		d=hi-lo		
		For i=0 To d
			r[lo+i]=r0+(r1-r0)*i/d
			g[lo+i]=g0+(g1-g0)*i/d
			b[lo+i]=b0+(b1-b0)*i/d
		Next
	End Method
End Type