SpeedRunners Level Editor - PUBLIC Beta -- open to everyone in r22

[party time]

Hi guys!

Welcome to the SpeedRunners (private) Level Editor Beta!

Video tutorial of the level editor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jlXPbVMpvM&feature=youtu.be

http://i.imgur.com/b6bZy36.jpg

How to use the editor. Please read this carefully.

General controls:

Controls depend on which tool you have selected. For example, if you're in the tile tool, these controls will apply only to tiles, to objects, etc.

• CTRL+Left Click = area select
  
• Left Click & drag on corner of selected area = resize (applies to Volumes)
  
• DELETE when area is selected = delete selected area
  
• Hold CTRL while area selected = drag-copy the area
  
• Right Click = bring up options
  
• E and Q = switch between objects in a tool
  
• "[" and "]" = switch layers
  
• 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 = change brush size
  
• ALT+left-click is delete, useful in the Tile tool to make tunnels

Specific tools:

[T] Tile Tool

This is used to create actual tiles. These are the things you run on. Most collidable objects are made with this tool. Useful to know is how to make slopes. Use E to get to a slope tile, and then press 1-9 (depending on the size you like) to scale it. Here using CTRL+Left Click is very useful to copy parts of slopes around. Remember that only white ceilings enable swinging, and they're part of the Tile Tool.

You can also use the Tile tool in background layers.

[O] Objects Tool

These are in-game objects. Let's run through them.

• Item Pick-Up gives you a random pick-up, respawns on a timer
  
• Falltile disappears on impact and doesn't respawn
  
• Boostpad gives you boost, can be flipped
  
• Box is a box. You stumble over it. It respawns.
  
• - has skin variations in Right-Click menu
  
• Spike kills you on impact.
  
• - has orientation options in Right-Click menu
  
• Rocket Launcher shoots rockets that kill on impact
  
• Lasers spin around, make a great light show. Also kill.
  
• - has rotation options in Right-Click menu
  
• Gate is a gate that you can configure to do things with Triggers
  
• - you can configure it's starting and end-angle in the Right-Click menu
  
• The Trigger is the area which triggers your gate to rotate. Triggers are volumes you can resize.
  
• - the TriggerID must match the gate you're trying to control

http://i.imgur.com/RrOfRhR.jpg

[G] Graphics

Each world has it's own set of visuals, and you have full access to them. Seriously. Here is where you want to learn to use Layers (shortcuts "[" and "]").

You can replicate the visuals of any level in SpeedRunners with this tool. Drag around, scale, place objects on different layers.

[C] Checkpoints

Controls: place around with the mouse, and use ALT to connect them together.

These are super important! Your levels won't run properly without Checkpoints!

Checkpoints are used to determine who is in the lead in your level. Think of them as laser-distance detectors (that go through walls). You need to know who is in front, and sometimes it's not clear with complicated level geometry.

In open areas, you should draw just one line that ends at a turn section, a junction, whatever. However in tight corridors you should always draw several lines that measure all possible angles of people coming into the corner.

Meanwhile in open areas, it's just a straight line.

First, draw a line that connect your start and finish. This can be a simple collection of straight joined lines that go through the level. Then you can add-on more lines in different corners to measure all possible angles.

We have a little preview generator if you press C. It will use gradients (from dark to light) to fill out the path. Lighter gradient means you're closer to the finish.

Let's take an example sequence.

http://i.imgur.com/sv4rL00.jpg

1. Basic implementation. You just make a straight line down. Whoever is furthest DOWN wins. It will work, until you get situations where someone is slightly on the left or right wins, while logically it should be the other person.

http://i.imgur.com/qaZngGw.jpg

2. Less basic implementation. Make it connect via diagonal lines that touch edges of platforms. The grey stuff you see in the screenshot is the C-button enabled gradient, showing you dead spots.

http://i.imgur.com/uC3Zy3g.jpg

3. Advanced implementation. This is how you should really do it. Multiple lines track position. If this area is played in Sudden Death, its clear who wins no matter from which side the player drops out of screen.

This takes some patience and is probably the most important aspect of making a map. We spent a lot of time on this system and would love to hear your feedback on improving it!

[V] Volumes

Volumes are what we use to control bots. These are areas that you use in specific places to tell bots what to do. You can set an area for a bot to go right, left, jump, use boost, swing, etc. Bots by default just run forward like it's nothing, and we give them hints what to do in specific areas.

This design is very simple but as you noticed pretty flexible. You can tell bots when it's a good idea to use items for example.

Notes:

> there are no saws yet
> there are no arrows (that show direction of where to go)
> Your saved levels will appear in the level select after you've published them

edit:

The beta is now available to everyone in the r22 public release. Please go ahead and make some levels so we have content on the workshop before doing any press announcements :)

You can upload levels you created during the private beta! Simply open up the Workshop item in the menu, and search for .SR extensions next to names of saved levels. You can open them and publish to the workshop! (Don't forget to opt out of the beta though, otherwise you won't get the latest update(s)!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpemOqs2kS0

[Tizzu]

I would like to try it :)

[Speedy]

Oh definitely! :)

[Tizzu]

First of all I would say thank you for giving me the possibility to help you creating the level editor.

Bugs

• You can kill Speedrunner simply selecting the laser object and hitting the character (he also won't respawn) EDIT: He can be killed by everything
  
• You can't open a saved map from the menu but only open the existing one (EDIT: I discovered that it's not a bug, if you click the "open:xxxxx" option it switches between saved maps (that you can open with the "open existing" option - it's not really intuitive)
  
  Impressions and Suggestions:
  In the first minutes that I tried the editor seems pretty useable in general but I think it would be better if you:
  
• Make a "respawn" button for the character
  
• Implement a "Test and convalidate" function (convalidate is for not letting people upload impossible or unfinishable maps)
  
• Make possible to delete saved maps
  
• Make the possibility to draw lines (like the checkpoint ones)and squares for the tiles editor
  
  I don't know if you have planned these things but I hope you will implement these functions in the future
  
  Anyways tomorrow I will use the map editor again and I will try to gather more bugs, suggestions and so on

[RingJ5]

Is this still open for entries? I'd love to take a look at it.

[lebdrift]

This is my request. Looking forward to it.

[.Maxovitsj]

I'd like to try the editor :D

[Never Practice]

I REALLY wish I had the free time to do this. Just happening at a hectic moment in life. Sigh, happy to see it.

[Rob]

I've been thinking how nice it would be to have a level editor since the first time I played this!
Would love to dedicate a good chunk of time to this tomorrow and in the days to come, and share my thoughts and ideas :)

[milopkl]

i DEFINITELY want in on this!

friend invite sent...

[Never Practice]

I recant my previous regret!

My roommate will be able to do the level editor using my computer. He already came up with an incredibly awesome concept so please send a PW to me when time allows.

Thanks!

[Sir Wolfenhauser]

I would want to join, i had a dream about a fantastic map. Wanna try to make it, if not, I will just create something really crazy :D

[milopkl]

seems like a bug:

when selecting an area with graphics to paste/duplicate, the rotation of the selected graphics is altered visually, but the value number is unchanged in the right click menu

similarly, returning to a level with rotated graphics, the graphics appeared at different angles from where they were left. example i have 4 verticle girders which all appear to lean on an angle but the number value has not changed.

im super ghetto and so i just take a snap with my phone. check the images.

http://i58.tinypic.com/30vc8hz.jpg

http://i61.tinypic.com/15x32h3.jpg

[Tizzu]

New Bugs:

• If you put a falltile and you pass on it with the character it disappears...FOREVER!
  Seriously, even if you save and reload the map it will not be there
  
• You can select and edit multiple proprieties in the right click edit menu (but you have to hit enter multiple times to apply them) - also sometimes the game simply crashes
  
• You can drag-copy the start item, so you can create multiple starts
  
• If you try to drag-copy a gate the game crashes
  
• If you write in the proprieties menu some mathematical operations the game crashes (something like 0-90; -(180+45), and so on)
  
  Edit with new bugs:
  
• (graphical bug) if you select any other tool in the toolbar from AI Volumes the text of the tool remain in the point where you have clicked
  
• If you try to delete ALL the checkpoints at once the game crashes (EDIT: it seems that it happens if you include the checkpoint 0 to the selection)
  
• The properties menu does not work properly if it overlays the right tool bar, in fact if you click on a property it will activate the tool underneath the right click menu
  
• There is a bug with the checkpoint system that make a game crash, I can't figure out how to reproduce it (it happens when you link checkpoints though)
  
  More suggestions
  
• Make a checkpoint-like linking system for triggers and gates
  
• Don't give the free possibility to enter a number for properties (for example you can make a "<- select ->" or "select a number between 0 and 360")

[Rob]

My thoughts and suggestions so far, from most to least important:

ーThere seem to be some other issues playing multiplayer with people who are on r21. It seems it doesn't always display correctly which items and how much boost power the opponent have. For example, last night a friend I was playing with said I was dropping crates even though the game said on his end that I had the blue shockwave item. Will test more later.

ーNice, we have levers now :D - but! They can only be triggered once, then they stay stuck in that position.

ーOn the map selection screen in multiplayer, if the character's heads are on the Library map (the one right above the custom map) when you click on the custom map then the game crashes to desktop. I just tried it with every other map and it only crashes with the Library. Which happened a lot for me until I figured out what caused it - apparently I frequently move my mouse cursor over the Library before ending up at the custom map box.
Also had some other glitches where clicking on either of the arrow icons to browse between custom maps would instead just start the official map that the mouse last hovered over and the character's heads are currently at. Will try to figure out what causes that.

ーZooming out very far shows more empty space at the top of the map. You can't normally move the camera to this point. You can't place tiles here but you -can- place objects there, which are then stuck as you can't select them anymore when they are up there, making it impossible to delete them.

ーRockets kill, when in-game they only stun. Could be confusing.

ーIf you grab any item pick-ups and then die, SpeedRunner is shown to drop those blue tokens you can collect in Origins mode.

ーAdd a way to rotate spikes (and others objects that are rotatable) before placing them. Maybe the R key could be made to rotate your current object brush? So if you want to make a row of downward spikes you just press R once or twice and start placing them, instead of only being able to place the upward version and then having to right click them to alter their rotation.

ーAdd a way to undo and redo, on ctrl+z&y ?

I'll keep updating this post with new bugs and suggestions when I find/think of them! Any changes made since last update will be in bold.

[eighty]

I'd love to test this out, sounds fun.