Which is the best level editing program?

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Alopex
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Which is the best level editing program?

Post by Alopex »

I recently started to mod and I was wondering which would be the most suitable level editing program for beginners.

Any suggestion?
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Bubzrulz
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Re: Which is the best level editing program?

Post by Bubzrulz »

Abiathar is what i use im a newbie like you only been doin this since dec
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Nisaba
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Re: Which is the best level editing program?

Post by Nisaba »

well... it depends. are you about to mod a Vorticons (Keen 1-3) or Galaxy (Keen 4-6) game?
normally I'd suggest to pick the most up to date Editor (Mindbelt for Vorticons mods, Abiathar for Galaxy mods). but if your computer isn't up to date (for eg it's DOS based) you might want to consider using another more fitting tool for your needs.

simply check these two pages:
http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Vorticon_Tools
http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Galaxy_Tools

happy modding!
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Fleexy
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Re: Which is the best level editing program?

Post by Fleexy »

For Vorticons, I would choose Mindbelt. The "magic" tool is amazingly helpful for beginners making level packs. There are a handful of Mindbelt versions floating around that are adapted to various situations (e.g. KeenGraph, the V2 patch), so once you learn the interface, you can work with all the different editions. I'm not sure how well it works on new Windows versions - I've heard some secondhand reports of strange behavior - but on Windows XP I remember it being rock solid. It's also very fast and has plenty of nice features (e.g. multiple tile bays, copy/paste).

For Galaxy (though I'm probably biased), I would wholeheartedly commend Abiathar to you. It's designed to be easy for beginners but flexible enough for the most complex projects. You can use Abiathar on anything from a 10-minute level tweak to Atroxian Realm. Personally, my favorite Abiathar feature is one that's been there since the beginning: the Tile Properties overlay, which lets you visually distinguish solid tiles from walk-through ones. It's a lifesaver when making levels with secret areas, or when constructing pole pass-throughs. Also, Abiathar still receives updates, so any reported bugs or requested features can be addressed.

Let me know if you'd like more information or other options. Happy modding!
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