to-be Keen 4-6 editor
to-be Keen 4-6 editor
As most of you know, I create my own editor for my game. It runs on Windows and uses openGL for most of the 2D rendering.
The editor already has most functions I wanted to implement, but not the extra game stuff. It's time for your help if you want it to be a Keen 4-6 editor too. Please tell me about those extra things that can be edited in Ted, like teleport locations, doors, bridges, etc. and how they are controlled in Ted! I want to make this editor easy to use, but I still need the information as I cannot get Ted to run.
BTW, the Keen 4-6 map format would be useful too... I use Carmack's compression for my map, so it won't be a problem.
The editor already has most functions I wanted to implement, but not the extra game stuff. It's time for your help if you want it to be a Keen 4-6 editor too. Please tell me about those extra things that can be edited in Ted, like teleport locations, doors, bridges, etc. and how they are controlled in Ted! I want to make this editor easy to use, but I still need the information as I cannot get Ted to run.
BTW, the Keen 4-6 map format would be useful too... I use Carmack's compression for my map, so it won't be a problem.
Man, this sounds excellent! Good luck!
I haven't, too bad, used TED almost at all. As far as I know all the values for bridges and doors and stuff are fed by hand by setting a value (2-byte (8 bits) integer value) to an info-plane block. If I remember correct there are no specific tools in TED for creating bridges or doors, so that kind of things could be very nice.
Here's something written by adurdin about the level format:
http://files.keenmodding.org/mobydoc.txt
I haven't, too bad, used TED almost at all. As far as I know all the values for bridges and doors and stuff are fed by hand by setting a value (2-byte (8 bits) integer value) to an info-plane block. If I remember correct there are no specific tools in TED for creating bridges or doors, so that kind of things could be very nice.
Here's something written by adurdin about the level format:
http://files.keenmodding.org/mobydoc.txt
- adurdin
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Download the source for TEDSetup -- it reads the MAPHEAD structure when exporting maps.z-one wrote:Everything is clear by that document, but this: "MAPHEAD is located within the EXE file." It'd be nice to know where is that in the exe.
My article for the first Keen Newsletter (http://dosclassics.com/article.php?id=13) briefly describes switches and doors in Keen 4-6, also.
It's easier than I thought! So the map headers are at different positions according to the version number, and these positions are known. Patching the game memory for playing new levels will be necessary though, but the patch file can be created automatically. I don't yet know how does that work and I won't need it until the editor is ready, but I'll ask.
Now, let's extract some levels! ];-)>
Now, let's extract some levels! ];-)>
This'll be so awesome.. :D
By the way, you don't really need to care about other versions than 1.4. It's rather standard that everybody uses versions 1.4 of the games for mods and level packs.
For the patch just make the program do the same kind of binary file that can be found inside the exe (MAPHEAD) although naturally with different values if the MAPHEAD has changed. :) CKxPatch can read that file directly into the selected memory address.
By the way, you don't really need to care about other versions than 1.4. It's rather standard that everybody uses versions 1.4 of the games for mods and level packs.
For the patch just make the program do the same kind of binary file that can be found inside the exe (MAPHEAD) although naturally with different values if the MAPHEAD has changed. :) CKxPatch can read that file directly into the selected memory address.
- adurdin
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- Posts: 549
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- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
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Have a look at the TEDSetup sources -- it creates a patch file for use with CKxPatch. IIRC the generated patch file contains only one line.z-one wrote:Patching the game memory for playing new levels will be necessary though, but the patch file can be created automatically. I don't yet know how does that work and I won't need it until the editor is ready, but I'll ask.
Andrew
My editor stores level information differently from the way it is stored in Keen, so I don't promise anything about this, but I'll try.
If there's any other feature you'd like to see in the map editor, it's time to tell that too. Maybe it won't be implemented at all or just differently but it's important for me to create a usable tool!
If there's any other feature you'd like to see in the map editor, it's time to tell that too. Maybe it won't be implemented at all or just differently but it's important for me to create a usable tool!
Look at this! (not a photoshopped image, though it was saved with ps)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/z-one/k4l0.png
Background layer for Keen 4 map!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/z-one/k4l0.png
Background layer for Keen 4 map!
There's a "brush" editing function. You can create an area of tiles that can be placed anywhere later, or used for filling the map.
BTW is there any information regarding the tile data? For example how does a tile block your movement, how to make it a secret passage tile, etc? It'd be nice if I could edit that too!
BTW is there any information regarding the tile data? For example how does a tile block your movement, how to make it a secret passage tile, etc? It'd be nice if I could edit that too!
The editor's import function works!
http://z-one.uw.hu/files/dopeon1.zip Try the dopefish enabled level 1 for Keen 4 now :D
I was trying different changes to level 1 but some had strange artifacts and once I got an insufficient memory message. Do you know what are the limits of Keen games?
http://z-one.uw.hu/files/dopeon1.zip Try the dopefish enabled level 1 for Keen 4 now :D
I was trying different changes to level 1 but some had strange artifacts and once I got an insufficient memory message. Do you know what are the limits of Keen games?