Map Editor

[Templarian]

Heres a SS of my map editor for Little Game.

Really Basic Description: This saves to a text file that pretty much controls everything in the game from quests to items (which you can see on the screen below). Only part way though developement sadly.

Left Panel: Allows users to view the world with a nice size 20x20 viewable area.

Top Right: Where all the Array classes are changed and edited.

Bottom Left: Where the Array Classes are linked to the actual world tile. Say the hero is on tile x,y and he hits space it will activate all the specific array class such as an item. Which can easily been seen on the screen with a specific picture. This will activate that the item has been picked up or if its a Type1 of 4 (quest) it will say "You have found Quest Item, "+item name. This is in developement at the moement.

Bottom Right: Yea this isnt the set up it will be in the end. Im currently setting it up into certain tabs that will group them into Walls, Trees, Ground ect...

Find more info on the site: Yea, the site sux i really dont care about it as much as i do the game. In the support section i update my progress. I do this like every 3 days or when ever i make large changes in the games developement.

Image:

[Blackspirit]

That looks good...is done in Java?

I think the compile|Name Author etc should be placed above the map view, and have it run all the wall across the screen.

I don't know about how you change tiles, it says you select the tile first, and then select the tile picture. That wouldn't make creating a large land mass easy....I'd rather be able to "paint" the map with my tile type selected.

I would also think about scrollbars so you can scroll the landscape really fast. Or you could make a minimap, the displays the entire map, and you only need one click on the minimap to go to a location.

It looks good though. I'd be happy to create maps in this rather then notepad :D

[Templarian]

Visual Basic/ and some really nice Flash AS.

//edit there was a lot of other text here just kinda doesnt matter anymore.

Anyothers have any comments or advise?

[Templarian]

Bump,
i update the picture from the old one. I believe i've changed a lot from the last version. (wish i hadn't delted that SS).

Question: You guys play games and have probably used map editors hows this and does it seem easy to use?

Even if you like it say so im trying to get some ego here. lol.

[Aggrix]

Looks great! Seems easy enough to use. :thumb:

[Templarian]

Am i forgetting any types of walls (i added diagonal becuase they make the building look different)? im going to have different kinds of walls also like cement, brick, ruined, so on.

//edit yea i forgot a whole bunch of walls. the type where you can walk on both sides. and not have a square inbetween.

And im willing to add any thing into it if it would make the use of it easier.
Help: Has a search.
Items: Currently adding a way to jump down more than one row at a time.
Tool Tips: Every thing is tool tipped and explained in a way everyone can understand.

[Lord Rahl]

Hey, very impressive so far. Its looking good. There are a few wall types you need, but good so far.

[Templarian]

Yea, lord i'm making the new hit tests also. That way the houses wont be so large but still will be sectioned off. The hit tests are on a different layer so one can just walk though the thing walls that section off the inside of the building. Back to writing the engine part of things. i just added the Items thing so that users done have to scroll down once at a time. (this editor wont be availiable to the public till a good year after i get the game up and running online lol so im not in too much of a hurry. I made that building in the SS in about 1 min considering that if you look at the .txt it would take at least 10min to make it by hand.

If you look at the .txt you will notice that i've only got one class in the game build (Items those are the I ones under the Maps (M)).
//edit, you guys can see the map file, but later on it wont be open source, users will have to load it off the internet before they come into the game.

[Blackspirit]

Hey looking better....it still looks busy though.

The way I would create maps is try to get the map graphics done, so all the tiles, and then when I've done that I move onto populating with items, monsters etc.

It would probably be better if you could hide the tile window, and work with the item window, or have them open at the same time. Kinda like in flash, usually when I'm designing stuff I get rid of the property/timeline and have only the tool and colour windows open. It would kinda structure your workflow a bit better.

I don't know if you can do that in vb, or if its even worth it when your the only one using it at the moment.

Just a thought when you release it to public :D

[Templarian]

VB does nothing but load and save the map file i want into my program. That entire view area is flash (i just made it look sectioned off).

well. i can make the properties windows detach (items, shops, etc...) then the user can drag them around. It would be really easy to do this becuase i cheaped out on the code the other panels are just off the stage to the right lol.

And for me to put an item on the ground i just have to hit the picture and then the tiles i want that item on (just like how everything else is put on the map.

I k it looks crushed together, but really i have nothing else that goes there. And i pretty much have everything that will be there already (except for the other collision types).

Im currently going to be remaking the entire tile system so that tiles are grouped into sections so i'll have to do it after that.

What did you think of the .txt file organized?

[Templarian]

okay, i got bored and figured i'd post a SS of my editor before work, i've been messing with the editor trying to find errors. Opening and Saving a lot.
Before i added hit tests (becuase it looks better without the red lines):

[TheCanadian]

That looks like a great editor. Maybe if you post it, we can check for bugs. I understand that you probally want to release the game first :). Anyways, good luck.

[Templarian]

Yea, im sorry but that editors wont be in beta for the public and their probably wont be a editor for the public for little white. The game will be after the editors done.

I just like to post my work once and a while becuase i post on this site all the time and people wonder what i do.



Adding a Save Button above the Save As... button now. dont know how i could of forgot that lol.
Still procrasting on making a web site for the game. I'll get around to it.

[Dauntless]

Why do you have a seperate settingsbox for the hit area? I would think that evry tile has a set hitarea ? Or am I wrong here?

(Looks cool though ;) ).

[Templarian]

umm... wrong. Tiles images work independent of the game therefore i can take away a hit test and add one to a wall when it seems right. I shift around tiles all the time currently and later on when the game's tile engine uses about 1000 or more tiles it will be much easier to just add a hit test over the tiles than add their number to 16 different arrays (remember their are 16 different ways to hit test in a 4 way tile based game.).

Remember this engine is made for quick editing and sending smallest files possible (sending only the objecttiles.swf and map rather than the games engine(103kb)).



Currently making the official site (and the map editor when ever i get bored). You can view the site currenly to see basic info about the game and SS's of the actual game.
And Blackspirit i made the winds detachable (still working out little things with it so its not completely working right).