[CF List] editor features (RE: level & exp)

[Andreas Vogl]

Several feature request for the JavaEditor have been issued
and I'd like to reply with my thoughts about them:

>
     
      > How about a few quick buttons, to which you could temporay assign
     
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      > a few commonly used tiles for the current map. Like if you use
     
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      > stone floor tiles and lava alot on a map.
     
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      At least in the x11 editor, you could use the picks to do that [...] 
     
     
Yes, pickmaps are indeed missing in the JavaEditor.
However, I don't want them to be all popup windows like in Crossedit,
clogging the entire screen. Therefore I plan to integrate them into
the framework which is going to be a bit difficult.

While I'd love to have pickmaps, there's a line of other things
which I consider of higher priority atm.

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      [...]And in the Java editor, a "fill below" option like the
     
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      old X11 editor had.
     
     
True, that would be helpful.

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      A random level monster designer, that makes files to put under
     
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      the styles/ directory.
     
     
These style maps are ordinary Crossfire maps. The best way
to edit these is by using the map editor directly.
A special "design-interface" for these style maps could
provide additional help, but seems a lot of work for little gain.

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      Maybe there could be templates for commonly used map mechanisms,
     
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      like a 1-8 randomizer; spikes,boulder and 8 buttons. I know
     
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      these aren't really hard to make, but if you're new to map making
     
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      a collection of map mechanisms could at least give you some ideas
     
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      on what is possible. (or just a machanism gallery in the help section)
     
     
At least for me, templates for map mechanisms seem too complicated
to realize in the Editor atm. Maybe at a later point when all basic
things are done...
Anyways, a map gallery with simple working examples appears to be
more practical - and simple to do.

>
     
      > [...] what about a design document w/ suggestions from the better
     
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      > maps. It could include comments on why the maps seem good [...]
     
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      There isn't a defined document, but in the server directory, there
     
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      is the doc/Developers/mapguide which says a few things to do.
     
     
I think the best thing we can do is provide an Editor which
makes map-creation a simple, exciting and entertaining process.
There's not much use IMO trying to "hammer" into people's heads
what a good map is and what they *must* do when creating maps.
It's not that people don't know what a good map is - The question
is: How hard is it to create such maps, and how many people
are both able and willing to do it with the existing tools?


Andreas

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