.NW Level capabilities and file format

[zokemon]

Originally Posted by Ter13

Speaking of which, did you ever finish your editor? I saw the thread, and that was the big inspiration for me to make an editor. However, I never found a depot for it, or a release.

I'm working mine in Java. I've got the tile-selection and laying working, but I haven't gotten multiple tile modification or multiple layers working that well. Plus, I haven't built my NWFileStream class yet, so it doesn't load or save.

I've made a really ugly, hacky editor, so in a few days, it should be ready for public consumption, and in a week or two, the code should be cleaned up enough to put it on sourceforge as an open-source editor.

I didn't finish it as it is a GS2 editor that uses external windows and since there are still some bugs with external windows that mess with the display and such, it still doesn't work well. The file saving and loading I finished years ago though.

[Ter13]

Yeah, mine's gonna be set up a little bit differently. I'm trying to lay the framework for a few features that I've always wanted to work with.

It'll be a layered 24bpp .png-based editor that will include a GS2 syntax editor. Unfortunately, one will not be able to test their level from within the editor, as it is an external program, and it would be completely pointless to try to duplicate that feature of the original editor.

I'm trying to tie in a few convenience features, like multiple tilesets that will automatically swap based upon which map you are loading.

There's another tentative feature I'm messing about with, and that's environments. Rather than working with a single .nw file, I want players to be able to boot environments, and load up a GMap from the environment, and edit an entire GMap all at once just by scrolling about. I know this would help me greatly.

I'm thinking about completely duplicating all the features of the RCon in the future, and possibly making a tie-in for project management. Sort of a one-stop-shop.

But the first step along the way, is to get the external editor working properly. I've only ever made videogames, or simple console applications. I've never used Java for GUI Applications, so the shift of know-how has proven quite difficult.

[zokemon]

Originally Posted by Ter13

Yeah, mine's gonna be set up a little bit differently. I'm trying to lay the framework for a few features that I've always wanted to work with.

It'll be a layered 24bpp .png-based editor that will include a GS2 syntax editor. Unfortunately, one will not be able to test their level from within the editor, as it is an external program, and it would be completely pointless to try to duplicate that feature of the original editor.

I'm trying to tie in a few convenience features, like multiple tilesets that will automatically swap based upon which map you are loading.

There's another tentative feature I'm messing about with, and that's environments. Rather than working with a single .nw file, I want players to be able to boot environments, and load up a GMap from the environment, and edit an entire GMap all at once just by scrolling about. I know this would help me greatly.

I'm thinking about completely duplicating all the features of the RCon in the future, and possibly making a tie-in for project management. Sort of a one-stop-shop.

But the first step along the way, is to get the external editor working properly. I've only ever made videogames, or simple console applications. I've never used Java for GUI Applications, so the shift of know-how has proven quite difficult.

I was planning to do quite a few things somewhat like those as well but at the rate I'm going sitting and twiddling my thumbs, I would be surprised if I finished first.

My main focus was a little different though as I plan to integrate the level editor in with other editors I make/plan to make and other things...

[Ter13]

=P I didn't get a chance to work on the project tonight. For the most part, the meat and potatoes are finished. I still have quite a few things left to do for the expanded features.

1) Implement a NWFileStream class for saving and loading of the map files.

2) Implement an Undo/Redo cache.

3) Implement clipboard features (like copy&paste)

4) Add the layers GUI so that you can navigate and arrange layers properly.

5) Add the NPC editor as well as a syntax highlighter and checker.

6) Create the toolbox GUI so that you can switch between the pencil, block, fill, selection, or eyedropper tools. (Currently the only tools that I've linked to the MouseEvent listeners, is the selection tool and the pencil tool.)

7) I still need to figure out why Javaw.exe isn't disposing and system resources aren't being freed when run from a JNLP.

8) I need to hook up some GUI controls so that users can change tilesets freely.

9) ???

10) Profit!



I know, looking at the list, you are probably all thinking: What HAVE you finished?!

I assure you, the only thing lacking in functionality is the GUI. I have almost every function completed and working, such as fill tools, tileset swapping, etc. Complete, however, I am missing the GUI implementation so that you can't currently use those features. This means that most of my work from here is working on the layout, and writing action listeners and the like, that will manage the GUI.

The only *real* programming I've left to do, is writing the NWStream components. That should be trivial, as file I/O is one of the most basic aspects of programming you should know, and I'm well beyond struggling with it. There's also the issue of writing a syntax highlighter and error checking class for use with GS2, which I believe will be much more of a task than the I/O, and actually force me to look up some tutorials in the internet before even attempting it, as I never really deal with string tokenizing or the like when making games, so I've never had to do it. =/

Anyway, this is all the product of about eight hours of work spread over the last two days, so in my mind, the pace I'm keeping is pretty good. If I keep this pace up, I should have an alpha version available for public consumption within the week. After a considerable source code cleanup (for the GUI), I will make the source available under the LGPL on sourceforge. I should expect that will take me an additional couple of days to a week.

Anyway, I'm getting ready to go to work, and when I wake up tonight, I'll get back to work! Hope all is going well with the rest of you.

[DustyPorViva]

Support for >8bit PNGs?
Also, I'm wondering if you will support any kind of testing(play button)?
I wanna try it!

[Darklux]

Why didnt you just edit the existing free tile editor mapeditor.org, as its open source too? o.o Just interested in programming experience?

[DustyPorViva]

I like the fact that it has a very familiar layout and feel to the current editor. I don't want to have to relearn the GUI just to keep making levels.

[zokemon]

I can give you the code for your nwstream if you want. I have the tile to nw conversion that I made a long time ago.

[Ter13]

Dusty: The main goal is supporting the features that the old editor does not support. However, some things are lost in translation: Such as the testplay feature, and I'm dropping baddies and probably chests from the support list, seeing as the engine "supports" them, but for the most part, their use is discouraged strongly. I see no point to the implementation of them, so if someone WANTS to use the source, and re-implement them, I have no problem with that.

DarkLux: I don't like mapeditor.org's GUI at all. I'm planning something more photoshop-like eventually. Particularly with the layer windows. Plus, writing my own took me a whole eight hours, so honestly... It's not like I'd be wasting a whole lot of time.

Zero: I've got it. I appreciate the offer, but I've got a bit of experience in the field, so I should manage. It'll be easier to just write it myself, as the beginning of this thread points out that I've managed to break out the file format pretty well, so the rest should take but a few minutes.


And Zero, don't feel like your project is useless. As has been said a few times in this thread, I won't have a feature available for testing of the map, so yours will likely have a faster deployment time than mine unless the developer really knows what he is doing. Yours will also be much more useful for map-tweaking, and mine more for initial/offline map building.

[Programmer]

Originally Posted by Ter13

Lol, NetBeans. Making it cross-platform compatible?
Make sure you keep the graphics to a minimum so you don't lag things up

[Ghost Pirate]

At last a level editor that will (presumably) work on a Mac. Thank you very much for working on this.

Do you plan on working on a gani editor too? *wink wink* .

[Ter13]

Alright, Programmer, I'm going to point out a few things here:

1) It's Java, go look up Java's portability.
2) It's not Netbeans I don't know where you got that idea.
3) Graphics don't cause lag. Graphics cause FPS stuttering. And I'm not even going to waste the time pointing out the failure of that common misconception.

It's a tile editor. How much graphic work can I really do to it? I don't really understand what you are talking about at all, and I suspect you really don't either. No offense, or maybe I just missed something.

And Ghost pirate, I'm considering it. I'm strongly leaning toward yes. I could have sworn Stefan Knorr wrote a Java Gani editor sometime after they released Graal 2001... Or it may have been after Classic's world closed to player submissions, and had to be massively cleaned up again... (I don't really remember...) As another thought, wasn't Graal Classic fully written in Java back in the day? I remember Zelda Online was a dinky little browser applet, and then they figured out application development after a while... =/

I dunno, I was too young at the time. Anyway, back to the coal mine...

[Programmer]

Originally Posted by Ter13

Alright, Programmer, I'm going to point out a few things here:

1) It's Java, go look up Java's portability.
2) It's not Netbeans I don't know where you got that idea.
3) Graphics don't cause lag. Graphics cause FPS stuttering. And I'm not even going to waste the time pointing out the failure of that common misconception.

It's a tile editor. How much graphic work can I really do to it? I don't really understand what you are talking about at all, and I suspect you really don't either. No offense, or maybe I just missed something.

And Ghost pirate, I'm considering it. I'm strongly leaning toward yes. I could have sworn Stefan Knorr wrote a Java Gani editor sometime after they released Graal 2001... Or it may have been after Classic's world closed to player submissions, and had to be massively cleaned up again... (I don't really remember...) As another thought, wasn't Graal Classic fully written in Java back in the day? I remember Zelda Online was a dinky little browser applet, and then they figured out application development after a while... =/

I dunno, I was too young at the time. Anyway, back to the coal mine...

:/

1.) I know Java. I use Java on a regular basis. I know how Java works, what it can do, and why it can do that. I know how portable it is, because I've written complex cross-platform applications in it.
2.) That IDE looks very similar to Netbeans, so that's why I said so. Now that I look at it, it doesn't seem to be.
3.) Graphics can cause substantial lag if used improperly. Sheer number of graphic operations per paint round can cause a lot of lag also.

I understand that it's a tile editor, and I was making a small joke. If you can't understand that, then don't bother getting upset about it. I also suggest that you do not imply that I know nothing about Java when you know nothing of me.

Also, Don't think that I'm a novice programmer just because I'm 15. If you can't handle that, then oh damn well.

[James]

Originally Posted by Ghost Pirate

At last a level editor that will (presumably) work on a Mac. Thank you very much for working on this.

Do you plan on working on a gani editor too? *wink wink* .

What an epic return post!

[cbk1994]

I started to make a Java editor once, but never went farther than the interface because I'm lazy