Layers...

[T-Squad]

When I use the graal editor, and place things like those blue jugs, I get annoyed...

But, if Stefan added some way to use layers directly on the editor (kinda like PSP) the new possibilities for levels are incredible...

I know their are NPC layers...but this would be so much easier and better...

For example, on the first layer you could make it so it can't contain tranparencies (like it currently is). But on the layers above that, you can, so you can place items where they would normally have tile errors, without tile errors. It would also make it easier to make tiles which draw over players, instead of the classic draw under player tiles...obviously thats already built into it with NPCs, but with tiles directly from the editor, it would save so much time. I would also expect it to make things less laggier...

Basicly, layers to level would enhance the quality of everyones level ALOT, and this should be considered for the next graal version...

[Bhala]

yea & there could be 3 differnt layers:

Layer 1 - Under player
Layer 2 - Blocking
Layer 3 - Over player

[T-Squad]

Originally posted by Bhala
yea & there could be 3 differnt layers:

Layer 1 - Under player
Layer 2 - Blocking
Layer 3 - Over player

Yes, exactly! A better idea then what I had...

Layer 1 - Under player - No Transperancies
Layer 2 - Blocking - Transperancies
Layer 3 - Over player - Transperancies

[G_yoshi]

Layers would be neat. It would also probably be cool if you could shift the top layer....or parts of it possibly

[T-Squad]

Originally posted by G_yoshi
Layers would be neat. It would also probably be cool if you could shift the top layer....or parts of it possibly

...? *confused*

[Tyhm]

Or MAYBE you could just use NPCS!

[fugitive316]

Haha when I saw this thread, I could have sword it said "Lawyers" lol.

[SSmutz]

Originally posted by Tyhm
Or MAYBE you could just use NPCS!

But that lags up things. Even offline, if I have a bunch of npcs an/or gifs on a level, that level runs slow.

[Lugie]

haha you sig is funny scalper, my aunt has one at her house

[Jerom]

ooo, I've heard this idea for quite some time now.
What I thought a while back would be that we could use objects, somewhat similar to picking chests and laying them on the level, only that images could be done the same way.

BUUUUUT!!!!
Now that we have setshape2. We can get those images in the level, then we can alter what type of sprite action we want while the player is over those tiles.

I also remember hearing Galen say somewhere that the NPCs are laid in the order in which you put them in the level. But I can understand that some people may want to edit those properties.
The three layers sound very good. One ground layer, one mid-level layer, and another layer for things higher in the air, perhaps above the player's sprite.
Stefan could possibley add this feature as a tile properties in another part of the Graal level editing window. Image directories could be imported into levels like they are imported into ganis. Then all what would be needed would be the images for second and third layers(first layer would be the tileset itself), and scripts for the second and third layer NPCs for effects(ei birds, fog, clouds, etc)

I hope I helped some instead of annoying anyone.

[fugitive316]

Originally posted by Lugie
haha you sig is funny scalper, my aunt has one at her house

Your Aunt is 1337

[T-Squad]

well my idea was more in the area that there are layer tabs, like the different levels tab, and it would work kinda like PSP...

each layer would use a different tileset, so maybe 1st layer has things like grass, weeds...all those !onwall things...2nd layer would have rocks, plants, base of trees...and last layer would have tree tops, wall tops...

that way you can make nice levels, at the same time as keeping them non laggy, and easy to edit.... (instead of having to move NPCs when you edit tiles below them)

of course, when viewing layer1, layer 2 and 3 wont be visable...layer2, layer 3 wont be visable...

[Jerom]

I've never used PSP, so I wouldn't know exactly what you mean by that. But yes, the different tilesets would be good for just those layers. Treetrunks would be the first layer, the actual branches and or leafs would be third layer, and if the leafs were to shake, then they would probley be layer 2.

I hope Stefan uses this idea, because I've wanted something like that in the editor for quite some time now. The images for the second and third layers would be easy to make because most of them would be from our own pics1.png, only edited so that they have transparencies(like the trees, the barrels, stones, etc)

Oh yeah! About viewing the different layers in the editor...
It would be just like an NPC without an image to define it, the tile or object in different layers would have an outline of some color to distinguish which layer you're trying to edit.
And you can change layering views. Layer1 visible/invisible, Layer2 visible/invisible, etc. It would just be a enable, disable option to view one, two, or all of them at the same time.

[Kaimetsu]

Originally posted by Jerom
I also remember hearing Galen say somewhere that the NPCs are laid in the order in which you put them in the level.

This is not the case.

[Falcor]

Search for RPG Maker 2000

Make ofline RPGs

ITs got a wonderful layering system where you have a ground layer (draw under player)

Then you have a sky layer
That has its own Tileset with transparency.

Then you got the player/npc layer.

[Bhala]

how about this:

we seperate pic1.png in to 3 differnt gfx for each layer. Then in the editor it would have 4 tabs: Under Player, As Player, Over Player, Preview Level. The first 3 are for the differnt leyers, but Preview level shows how the level would look with all the titles & npc's in place...In the last 2 layers they would have a transparent title so that they could shpw what was under it. Oh & the As Player layer would have the NPC's in it.

(As Player is the same as blocking titles)

[Jerom]

Thats plenty enough for me. All we need now is for Stefan to read these, think it over, and decide wether he should improve Graal using those types of layers for levels.

[Kaimetsu]

...or whether he should improve it with more useful stuff like script ganis.