Best way to create mazes

JarrenH

Ok, I have an odd question, and it's more asking for opinions. My game will require a maze type set up with a 16x12 grid of squares. I have 4 images that could make up these squares, so that I can have sides, corners, ends, and T-joints. Like this image:


So these 4 types will be scattered throughout each level (Game will have over 50 levels), in a predetermined arrangement. Now here's the question, in order to lay these out well, do I:

A. Quickly lay them out in photoshop (Takes less than 5 minutes for each level), and then overlay transparent actors on the image in GameSalad (So that it can collide with another actor)

B. Lay them out in GameSalad (Takes more than 5 minutes, have to lay out actor, assign image, move into position, and rotate to right orientation)

C. Do a crazy table algorithm for each level, that figures out how to spawn the actors with the right rotation and image. (14 possible configurations)

I want to cut B out, only because it's way too tedious for me. I would like to do A, but it might be costly in terms of image size. C would be pretty sweet, but I'm not sure how to do that.

Any solution would probably work, and I'm sure different people have different opinions. So all I'm asking for is opinions.

Thanks,
Jarren

jamie_c

I did a maze style "game" for corporate use last year using your A choice. It was pretty quick and painless, though I do like the concept of C and using tables. Seems like it might be a lot more work though.

SnapFireStudios

Using tables would be the best way to go.
Just set up 17 6x6 tables using 0s and 1s and set up 36 actors that change their image, or a spawner.

Shouldn't be to complicated, and then you just edit the tables to make new levels. B-)
- Thomas

SingleSparq

As I found out on my game (out soon) there is a 50 table limit so if each level is a table your stuck at that limit unless GS ups that.

SnapFireStudios

@SingleSparq - That sucks! But you can just put it in one table that is 6*14 columns long. A bit more work, but it'd work.

I think 100 tables would be more realistic..
- Thomas

JarrenH

I've been experimenting with tables for the past hour... But now that I know theres a 50 table limit I might just have to go with choice A. I am close to getting tables working, so perhaps I can figure out how to make it double the width to cram them in. Thanks for the ideas guys!

SingleSparq

Yeah my game has 48 level (12 per world) with 2 tables for other things. It's nice to be able to build your level in a spread sheet and more accurate on placement.

JarrenH

Alright Thomas, I tried tables and sure enough, I think I'm in love!

One little issue I leave you all with (Wee past my bed time :P)

When I use plain old actors with colors assigned, they are lined up just fine.

But as soon as I assign an image to an actor, I get these terrible spaces between actors!

I know its not a problem with my image file, because I made another 64X64 image and filled it with black in photoshop. Lines show up in the same places... Help?

SnapFireStudios

Try adjusting by the y or x position .5 increments up or down where needed. GS is weird like that.
- Thomas

JarrenH

What am I adjusting? I'm using DeepBlueApps Collisions with tables template as a rough outline. http://www.deepblueapps.com/collisions-with-tables-template/ So as the spawn actor zips around, it spawns the blocks. Do I offset the spawned block?

SingleSparq

Yes it's unfortunate I have that problem too but since my design is individual blocks that make up the 'maze' it's not as noticeable. (Used the same template incidentally)

SnapFireStudios

@JarrenH - Yes, offset the blocks by .5 wherever there is a line.
- Thomas

JarrenH

Fun... I wish location was an integer instead of a real number, seems to affect a lot of development....

JarrenH

Alright, I got it working, thanks guys, it looks awesome! Now to figure out how to put 2 levels into one table. Should be pretty easy to add 16 to the attribute when it's on it's correct level.