05-17-2004, 05:19 AM
i recently got it completely operational... tell me what you thing.
http://www.rpg-dev.net/beginning_map_editor.zip
here's some documentation.
-starting:
the map editor uses a mouse, so to start all you have to do is click on "new" or "load." "exit" will close the program.
-new:
if you click new, you'll be asked 5 questions. DON'T SCREW UP!!! if you mess up, you'll have to close the program and start over again... because you can't backspace, so if you miss one key, your screwed.
first it asks for the x and y dimensions. enter anything you want, within parameters.... make sure you know the length and width of your tiles. because the program will crash if you enter sizes that will not at least fill up the screen. the program has it's limits in sizes. the largest i've tried is 200x200, but you could go way higher.
next it asks for the palette name. just put the name of your palette. you don't need extensions either. (NOTE: the palette MUST be in the palettes folder. Palette loader only compatible with pp256 palette format.
next it asks for a tileset name. enter a tileset you wish to use. you don't need to put an extension either, as the program will do it for you.(NOTE: the tileset MUST be in the tiles folder. Tileset must also be put format.)
last it asks you for a map name. name it anything you want. don't put in an extension. it saves it as .map for you.
-loading
simply type the name of your map. no error trapping yet, sorry!
-map editor
--the menu bar
in order to give you the biggest operating environment possible, the menu bar is a pop-up. simply move your mouse to the top ten pixels on the screen and the menu will pop into existance. there you will have several choices: file, edit, view, and numbers. to prevent accidental activation of the menu, you must right click on a menu item in order to activate it.
---file:
the file command is basically for doing all the loading and saving. the first command is menu. clicking on it will return you to the main menu. you may return to the map editor by clicking outside of the box, or you may load a new map or create a new map. Second is resize. resize will resize your map. (of course.) however, the map can't be shrunk, only enlarged. it is a wise idea to start with a small map, then resize your map as needed. Third is save. it will save your map in .map format. Last is load tiles. load tiles will load a tileset into one of 4 arrays.
---Edit:
the first four commands are layer1, layer2, layer3, and layer4. clicking on one means that is the layer you are editing. notice the numbers on the far right. a white box will highlight the number related to the layer you are editing. the fifth command is change tilesets. it changes the tileset that a layer uses. so if you are using the first tileset for layer one, then you may change layer one's tileset to the second-4th one. note that if you choose to change it's tileset, that layer will be erased to prevent problems. use this command combined with load tiles to do several things, such as have a base tileset for the first layer, a wall/ceiling tileset for the second layer, and items for layer 3. the first four commands are kinda useless though, as you will soon see.
---view:
you will notice the layer1, layer2, layer3 and layer4 again. this tile they may have check marks beside them. this menu chooses which layers you can see or not see. the checkmark means you can see the layer, no checkmark means it's hidden.
---numbers:
you will see 4 numbers. this is related to editing. click on that number and you will switch to editing that layer.
--layers: there are 4 layers, but only 3 are displayable. the fourth layer is for collision detection. the first three layers you can choose what tilessets to use for them, but for layer 4, it comes prebuilt in with it's own tileset. it can be changed though by replacing coltiles.put in tiles with another file. layer 1 is a base layer. it should be drawn first. next is layer 2. that layer is suggested to be used for high walls and ceilings. it is also suggested that this be drawn third, after the player. the third layer is an object layer. objects such as chairs or tables are drawn on this layer. it is suggested that this layer be drawn second, before the player is drawn.
--scrolling:
the scrolling is tile by tile, since pixel is not needed. scrolling can be done with the arrow keys or the mouse. to scroll with the mouse move the mouse to the outermost edge of the screen.
--changing tiles
to change tiles, click the right mouse button anywhere except on the menu. you will come to a new screen that will show you the tileset being used by that layer. click on that tile to create your map with it. if your tiles cannot all be displayed on the screen, click the right mouse button to view the rest of your tiles. (NOTE: if do not click on a tile but on blank space then attempt to draw, you will CRASH THE PROGRAM!!!)
that's it... tell me what you thing.
http://www.rpg-dev.net/beginning_map_editor.zip
here's some documentation.
-starting:
the map editor uses a mouse, so to start all you have to do is click on "new" or "load." "exit" will close the program.
-new:
if you click new, you'll be asked 5 questions. DON'T SCREW UP!!! if you mess up, you'll have to close the program and start over again... because you can't backspace, so if you miss one key, your screwed.
first it asks for the x and y dimensions. enter anything you want, within parameters.... make sure you know the length and width of your tiles. because the program will crash if you enter sizes that will not at least fill up the screen. the program has it's limits in sizes. the largest i've tried is 200x200, but you could go way higher.
next it asks for the palette name. just put the name of your palette. you don't need extensions either. (NOTE: the palette MUST be in the palettes folder. Palette loader only compatible with pp256 palette format.
next it asks for a tileset name. enter a tileset you wish to use. you don't need to put an extension either, as the program will do it for you.(NOTE: the tileset MUST be in the tiles folder. Tileset must also be put format.)
last it asks you for a map name. name it anything you want. don't put in an extension. it saves it as .map for you.
-loading
simply type the name of your map. no error trapping yet, sorry!
-map editor
--the menu bar
in order to give you the biggest operating environment possible, the menu bar is a pop-up. simply move your mouse to the top ten pixels on the screen and the menu will pop into existance. there you will have several choices: file, edit, view, and numbers. to prevent accidental activation of the menu, you must right click on a menu item in order to activate it.
---file:
the file command is basically for doing all the loading and saving. the first command is menu. clicking on it will return you to the main menu. you may return to the map editor by clicking outside of the box, or you may load a new map or create a new map. Second is resize. resize will resize your map. (of course.) however, the map can't be shrunk, only enlarged. it is a wise idea to start with a small map, then resize your map as needed. Third is save. it will save your map in .map format. Last is load tiles. load tiles will load a tileset into one of 4 arrays.
---Edit:
the first four commands are layer1, layer2, layer3, and layer4. clicking on one means that is the layer you are editing. notice the numbers on the far right. a white box will highlight the number related to the layer you are editing. the fifth command is change tilesets. it changes the tileset that a layer uses. so if you are using the first tileset for layer one, then you may change layer one's tileset to the second-4th one. note that if you choose to change it's tileset, that layer will be erased to prevent problems. use this command combined with load tiles to do several things, such as have a base tileset for the first layer, a wall/ceiling tileset for the second layer, and items for layer 3. the first four commands are kinda useless though, as you will soon see.
---view:
you will notice the layer1, layer2, layer3 and layer4 again. this tile they may have check marks beside them. this menu chooses which layers you can see or not see. the checkmark means you can see the layer, no checkmark means it's hidden.
---numbers:
you will see 4 numbers. this is related to editing. click on that number and you will switch to editing that layer.
--layers: there are 4 layers, but only 3 are displayable. the fourth layer is for collision detection. the first three layers you can choose what tilessets to use for them, but for layer 4, it comes prebuilt in with it's own tileset. it can be changed though by replacing coltiles.put in tiles with another file. layer 1 is a base layer. it should be drawn first. next is layer 2. that layer is suggested to be used for high walls and ceilings. it is also suggested that this be drawn third, after the player. the third layer is an object layer. objects such as chairs or tables are drawn on this layer. it is suggested that this layer be drawn second, before the player is drawn.
--scrolling:
the scrolling is tile by tile, since pixel is not needed. scrolling can be done with the arrow keys or the mouse. to scroll with the mouse move the mouse to the outermost edge of the screen.
--changing tiles
to change tiles, click the right mouse button anywhere except on the menu. you will come to a new screen that will show you the tileset being used by that layer. click on that tile to create your map with it. if your tiles cannot all be displayed on the screen, click the right mouse button to view the rest of your tiles. (NOTE: if do not click on a tile but on blank space then attempt to draw, you will CRASH THE PROGRAM!!!)
that's it... tell me what you thing.
Jumping Jahoolipers!
