Introduction
To be able to create levels for this game in a fast, efficient and flexible way, an editortool is necessary. This tool will not be available for public use so layout, art and intuitivism is not focused.
The basics
The editor will provide tools to perform 4 main actions.
- Create a nice looking 3D borderline, seamless, varied and locked on a grid.
- Put detail meshes to enhance the environment with details, beauty, variation (trees, leafs, roots, rocks etc)
- Put all levelspecific objects into the pond grid including, startpoint, endpoints, blockers, tiles, bonustiles etc
- Create valid and nonvalid zones in the pond (lets the game fast decide whether the player can place tiles there or not)
Level Grid
The Pond is divided into squares of maximum 30*15. These squares, now referred to as the Pond grid all contain data of what’s in all squares.
When creating the whole level, there is actually another grid called the Level grid put on top of the Pondgrid(and also extends outside the pondgrid in all directions). The level grid is built up with squares 4x bigger than the pondsquares and therefore any object placed on the levelgrid will take up 4 squares of the pondgrid.
3D environment
The environment is mainly there to showcase the borderline of the pond, using chunks of normal terrain to define the borderline. As the borderline can shape the pond, these chunks can be placed into pond as well, creating narrow paths, wider areas etc. As soon as an environmentpiece is interfering with the actual pondsquares the level editor must also make those zones invalid for placing tiles. I suggest the developer creating the level do this manually.
The environment is actually built up using 2 different types of meshes.
- Terrain
- Simple meshes that draws the borderline of the level. Single textured with grass, mud, small rocks etc. Terrain is locked to the LevelGrid
- Details
- They are placed on top of the terrainmeshes to cover eventual seams, creating variety, enhancing the detaillevel and making the level look more beautiful. Details are not locked to any grid and can be placed anywhere on the level.
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