Level Builder Quick-Start

If you're just itching to get started with the editor right away, and don't want to have to read the complete documentation first, you can read this to get started. Then, after you're familiar with the editor, read the complete documentation to learn even more about the editor, allowing you to create levels even more easily and efficiently. This should also answer any questions you may have after using the editor that this QuickStart does not answer.


Editing Levels

When the editor starts up, you'll be prompted to open a levels file. If you want to create a new mansion, first use the Finder to duplicate the "Empty Mansion" file (in the Custom Mansions folder) and rename it. Then open this with the editor.

After opening a mansion, you'll be presented with a map of the rooms in that mansion. Just double-click the one you wish to edit, or use the arrow keys and press return.

TIP: if you open a mansion that came with the game, you'll see a lot of "?" rectangles instead of preview pictures of the rooms. That is because the preview pictures are removed before shipping the game to cut down on download size. Just cancel the Open Room dialog, then choose "Create Preview PICTs" from the Special menu, and the next time you choose Open, you'll see a nice preview of the mansion.

There are two scrollable areas near the top of the screen. The left one has tiles, the right one has sprites. Just click in these areas to select a tile or sprite, then click in the main area to place it in your room. Tiles are stationary blocks that can only be drawn in a grid, like walls and conveyor belts, while sprites usually move around (enemies, keys, doors, etc.)

Don't forget to place Jack in the starting room. For other rooms, Jack's placement simply determines where he will start if you test that room from the editor.


Setting the Starting Room

The editor allows you to put Jack's sprite in as many rooms as you want for testing purposes, but the game won't know what room you want the player to start in. To set the starting room, first open the room you want the player to start in, and choose "Room Options..." from the File menu to see that Room's ID, then choose "Mansion Options..." from the File menu and enter that value in the Starting Room field.


Testing Rooms

Use "Test Room" in the File menu to test your creation. It's a good idea to place Jack in the room before you test it, otherwise you won't be able to play.

Press the Esc key at any time to exit back to the editor. You will also return to the editor when you lose all your lives.

If you want to test your mansion using the game itself, and not the editor, be sure to move your mansion into the "Custom Mansions" folder, since otherwise, suspended games, movies, and saved games won't work properly -- they won't know where to find your mansion.


Tile Layers

Use the "Current Layer" menu to select the layer in which tiles will be drawn. You have to be careful to draw things in the correct layer. Most tiles go in layer 4, such as the bricks, conveyor belts, energy beam floors, lava, vines, and poles. Ladders must be drawn in layer 5, and background tiles must be drawn in layer 0. The layer setup is as follows:

layer 0 - Background tiles
layer 4 - Main tiles (bricks, platforms, vines, poles, etc.)
layer 5 - Ladders
layer 6 - Anything you want to appear in front of the sprites. Also used for "secret passages" Sprites will not collide with anything in this layer -- it will be as if it doesn't exist.

Do not draw in layers 1-3. These are used by the editor to draw the pseudo-3D fringe for the bricks and other tiles. This is done for you automatically, so you may not even realize it's happening.


The Tools

The "black mouse" tool is your main tool -- use it to draw tiles or sprites.

The eraser tool erases sprites only. Use the very first tile (the black one) to erase tiles.

The selection tool can also be used for everything else you'd expect it to do: cut, copy, paste, clear, and move. The selection tool only affects the tiles in the current layer.

The "red mouse" tool is used to set up sprite properties. Click on a sprite in your room to set things such as its starting speed and direction. Not all sprites can be edited. If that's the case, nothing will happen when you click on it with the red mouse tool.

The eyedropper tool is a great timesaver. Click on objects in your room using it to auto-select that object in the tile or sprite areas. Hold option to temporarily activate the eyedropper tool. Release option to then draw that object using your previous tool.

The other tools are pretty self-explanatory. See the documentation for more thorough descriptions.


Tips

If you are drawing bricks, and don't see see the pseudo-3D top and right sides on them, this means you are in the wrong layer. Delete what you drew, change to layer 4, and try again.

To easily connect one room with another, so that the doorway connecting two rooms is in exactly the same place in each room, use the selection tool to copy the row of tiles leading to the other room. Then open the connecting room and paste. If there are ladders, repeat the process, first selecting tile layer 5. This method is easier and more reliable than trial and error.

To draw objects that are made out of many tiles, such as the ladder, the paintings, or pillars, make heavy use of Copy and Paste!!! It's painful to have to put these objects together one tile at a time, but it's easy with copy and paste. Put them together once in one room (or copy from a different levels file), then return to that room whenever you need a ladder, painting, or whatever. (Or you can copy commonly-used items such as ladders from nearly any room.)




So what are you waiting for?

That's all you need to get started. See the documentation for a complete description of all menu items, tools, and a handy list of shortcuts.