How to create a map/Level with opponents etc

baddog

hi everyone
in GameCreator I can put some actors to the scene. So it is possible to create a small level. But when I want to create a huge level bigger than camera view, then I would like to have something like a "Leveleditor" to snap wallpieces to each other, put monsters to specific points and so on.
How do you do this with GameSalad?#

(and I want to have maybe some levels as an inapp-buy or free additional updates)

RH

Not too sure what you mean but i think this will solve your problem.

You can increase the size of the scene so that it is bigger than the camera view and then set the camera to follow your main character or whatever it is by using the control camera behaviour on the actor of your main character.

baddog

thanks rory and tshirt

I meant, if you make your labyrinth-level using copys of one square putting next to each other, it is hard to position these squares. They overlap or have some distance.
It would be easier to have a tool to put the squares / monsters/ switches etc exactly next to each other.

RH

oh right, i completely misunderstood, my bad

QuinnZoneStudios

You can however make a grid as a guide only, in an image editor and that might help layout your blocks.

baddog

Good idea but still too time consuming and unhandy. Do you really do your huge maps this way?
I'm pondering about coding a little level-editor for myself, making it possoble to easy positioning several blocks together to a whole map with different layers using a "snap-to" feature and alpha color. It should be possible to export that as png file. I did this some years ago for a little windowsgame, i think i can convert it to mac.
Is there a need for that? And do you know how big the pngs may be tegarding to performance issues on iphone?

Btw how do you tell gamesalad what is the transparent color of a sprite and can you do savegames?

Vmlweb

It is possible to snap stuff in game to the nearest co-ordinates

floor ( self.position.x / 50 + 0.5 ) * 50
This will snap the objects x co-ordinates to the nearest 50

firemaplegames

He's talking about when you lay out the Actors in the Scene editor...

Vmlweb

Ye but if you lay them out roughly every 50 and don't worry about gaps then using that would straiten them all out.

baddog

Thanks for your answers, if this is not on the todo list for a next release, i need to code an editor. Gs is too unhandy for doing nice levels quick and easy. What about my other questions? Any comments?