The Tile Editor can be used to create both Tiles and Level Palettes from scratch, or to modify Tiles/Level Palettes that already exist or that were imported using the Level Ripper.
Once editing mode has been entered by pressing Ctrl+Tab during gameplay while running a non-"packed"/"protected" game, there are two ways to enter the Tile Editor:
Left-click to save all existing Tiles, "Level Palettes", and all of their settings to the current Tile File. This file must have been loaded by Script, or by the "-editfiles" or "-tilefile" command-line parameter, but doesn't need to have already existed.
Pressing F3 will also save all of the same Tile and Palette data.
Hold Shift while pressing "F3" to save Level Layout and Tiles.
Hold both Ctrl and Shift while pressing "F3" to save Level Layout, Tiles, and Objects.
Left-click to exit Editor Mode and return to Gameplay Mode.
Color and Palette Selection, Adding, Deleting, and Reordering
Colors
At the upper-Left corner is the 256-entry Palette Table.
The currently-selected Palette Entry is surrounded by a flashing box when in Tile Graphic drawing mode, or a white box when in Tile Solidity drawing mode or when modifying the "Water" color.
The letter "T" marks the "transparent" color, also referred to as the "backdrop color", which is Index 0.
Anything drawn to the screen behind the Tile will show through wherever this color is drawn, unless the Tile is drawn to an "Opaque" Tile Plane.
Left-click any entry in the Palette Table to select the color for drawing or editing. This will also switch to Tile Graphic drawing mode, as opposed to Tile Solidity drawing mode
To swap the positions of two entries in the Palette Table, Right-click one of the entries to select it for swapping, and then Right-click the other to perform the swap. All Tiles in the current Tileset will be updated to call on the same colors from their new positions in the palette. Any Left-Click, or any Right-Click outside of the Palette Table will cancel an incomplete swap operation. This does not function with "Object Colors", as the Global Palette cannot be manipulated from within the editor.
Palette entries 64-69 (the first 6 colors of the "Global Palette") are modified for use by the editor. They will revert back to their original "Global Palette" settings when gameplay is resumed.
To the right of the Palette Table is an 8x8 "Fat Bit" grid, showing the currently-selected Frame of the currently-selected Tile, magnified 8x. Right-click any area within the grid to "pick up" the color that is used by that part of the Tile.
"Palette Sections"
HCGE's Palette system breaks the 256-color palette up into four 64-color sections. There are two types of "Palette Sections":
Level Colors- These are colors that come from the interchangeable "Level Palettes" that are saved with the Tile File, are editable, and can be made to animate. There are 1, 2, or 3 of these, depending on whether
the currently-selected "Level Palette" is set for 64, 128, or 192 colors, respectively. They occupy the Palette Table and on-screen palette in the following way, with the bolded number in this table corresponds with the rightmost value shown in the "Pal" section of the editor (Pal ???/???-XXX):
64
-
Palette indexes 0-63
128
-
Palette indexes 0-63 and 128-191
192
-
Palette indexes 0-63, 128-191, and 192-255
Object Colors- These are a fixed set of colors that were loaded from an image file as the "Global Palette", are not editable, and cannot animate. There is only one of these if the currently-selected "Level Palette"
is set for 64 or 192 colors, and there are two if it is set for 128 colors. They occupy the Palette Table and on-screen palette in the following way, with the bolded number in this table corresponds with the rightmost value shown in the "Pal" section of the editor (Pal ???/???-XXX):
64 or 192
-
Palette indexes 64-128
128
-
Palette indexes 64-128 and 192-255
Left-click or Right-click the rightmost value shown in the "Pal" section of the editor (Pal ???/???-XXX) to increase or decrease the "Level Palette" size.
The type of section that the currently selected color resides in is displayed just below the Palette Table using either the word "Level" or "Object". The word "Water" is used to signify that the "Water" Color is currently selected. The type of color that is selected will also determine which controls are available.
Palettes
More than one "Level Palette" may be stored with one set of Tiles.
These Palettes are not available for drawing all at the same time; they are swapped in and out, which changes the colors that are used for displaying any existing art.
Left-click or Right-click the center value shown in the "Pal" section of the editor (Pal ???/XXX-???) to increase or decrease the number of "Level Palettes" for the current Tileset.
Left-click or Right-click the leftmost value shown in the "Pal" section of the editor (Pal XXX/???-???) to switch to the next or previous "Level Palette" within the current Tileset.
Tile Graphic Drawing and Manipulation
On the upper portion of the screen, just to the right of the Palette Table, is an 8x8 "Fat Bit" grid, showing the currently-selected Frame of the currently-selected Tile, magnified 8x.
The letter "T" marks the "transparent" color, also referred to as the "Backdrop Color", which is Index 0.
Anything drawn to the screen behind the Tile will show through wherever this color is drawn, unless the Tile is drawn to an "Opaque" Tile Plane.
When in Tile Graphic drawing mode, the currently-selected color on the Palette Table will be surrounded by a flashing box. If it is surrounded by a white box, the current mode is Tile Solidity drawing. Left-Click the desired color on the Palette Table to switch to Tile Graphic drawing mode.
Left-click and drag across the grid to draw the currently-selected color to the Tile.
Right-click any area within the grid to "pick up" the color that is used by that part of the Tile.
Press "M" to mirror the current Tile Frame image Horizontally. Hold "spacebar" to Mirror all Frames of the currently-selected Tile.
Press "F" to flip the current Tile Frame image vertically. Hold "spacebar" to Flip all Frames of the currently-selected Tile.
Just below and to the right of the "Fat Bit" grid are the "Frame" options:
"Copy" will copy the currently-selected Frame of the currently-selected Tile to the Tile clipboard.
"Clear" will fill the currently-selected Frame of the currently-selected Tile with "transparent" color.
"Paste" will paste the contents of the Tile clipboard to the currently-selected Frame of the currently-selected Tile.
Hold "Ctrl" while selecting "Paste Frame" to "merge" the Tile Clipboard image with the currently-selected Frame of the currently-selected Tile, placing the new
image "above" the old (the old image will show through any "Transparent" pixels in the new image).
Hold "spacebar" while selecting "Paste Frame" to "merge" the Tile Clipboard image with the currently-selected Frame of the currently-selected Tile, placing the new
image "below" the old (the new image will show through any "Transparent" pixels in the old image).
Solidity Selection
Marked by the word "Solid", the 4-entry Solidity Type Table is just below the "Fat Bit" Tile editing grid.
Left-click any of the four Solidity Types to select it for drawing to the tile, and to enter Tile Solidity drawing mode.
Hold Space while clicking to automatically fill the entire Tile with the selected Solidity Type.
Hold Shift while clicking to automatically fill all non-zero graphics pixels of Tile with the selected Solidity Type.
Tile Solidity Drawing
On the upper portion of the screen, just to the right of the Palette Table, is an 8x8 "Fat Bit" grid, showing the currently-selected Frame of the currently-selected Tile, magnified 8x.
When in Tile Solidity drawing mode, the currently-selected Solidity Type on the Solidity Type Table will be surrounded by a flashing box. If it is surrounded by a white box, the current mode is Tile Graphic drawing. Left-Click the desired Solidity Type on the Solidity Type Table to switch to Tile Solidity drawing mode.
Left-click and drag across the grid to draw the currently-selected Solidity Type to the Tile.
Right-click any area within the grid to "pick up" the Solidity Type that is used by that part of the Tile.
Tile Attributes
Each Tile has two script-readable properties, which appear within the editor just to the lower-right side of the "Fat Bit" Tile editing grid:
Floor Type
This value specifies the currently-selected Tile's "Floor Type" setting. This has no specific meaning to HCGE,
but may be set to any value between 0 and 255, and can be read by using the
???=TileInfo(???) Script Commands
so that Players and Objects can be made to react differently to different terrain. The value is displayed in hexadecimal form.
Left-click or Right-click the value to change the "Floor Type" setting by 1.
Hold Spacebar while clicking to change the "Floor Type" setting by 10.
Tiles may be made to animate by assigning them more than one "Frame" (graphic), and a list of "Pause" values that specifies how many Game Frames should
pass before the Tile displays the next Frame.
The Tile animation controls appear at the upper-right corner of the screen, just to the right of the "Fat Bit" Tile editing grid.
The Frame counter runs separately from the Pause counter, meaning that one "Pause Value" may be used for the entire animation (all Frames will display for equal times), the number of "Pause Values" may equal the total number of display Frames (each Frame can display for a different amount of time, which will be the same every time that Frame is displayed), or the number of "Pause Values" may have no direct relation to the total number of display Frames (each Frame will display for a different amount of time, which will change every time the Frame is displayed).
Solidity is not affected by Animation; each Tile only has one Solidity Map, regardless of the number of Frames it has. One way to achieve "Tile Animation" that also changes the Solidity (and other properties) of the terrain might be to use the _Plane_CopySection Script Command to modify certain level areas at regular intervals.
On the "Animation" controls just below the "Fat Bit" Tile editing grid and near the center of the screen, Left-click the word "Tile" once to activate the Animation of Tiles within the Tile Editor, and once more to stop Tile Animation in the Tile Editor.
Right-click the word "Tile" to cause all Tiles to reset their animation state. This may be desired after editing Tile Animation Frames and settings, so that
any edited Tiles will be synchronized with the rest of the set when Animation is activated.
This value specifies the ID number of the currently-selected Frame of the currently-selected Tile.
Left-click or Right-click the Frame ID value to select a different Frame of the currently-selected Tile for editing.
Total Frames
This value specifies the total number of Frames that are defined for the currently-selected Tile.
Left-click or Right-click the value to add a new Frame to the end of the list, or to delete the last Frame from the list.
Total Pauses
This value specifies the total "Pause Values" that are defined for the currently-selected Tile.
Left-click or Right-click the value to add a new "Pause Value" to the end of the list, or to delete the last "Pause Value" from the list.
Current Pause
This value specifies the ID number of the currently-selected "Pause Value" of the currently-selected Tile.
Left-click or Right-click the value to select a different "Pause Value" for editing.
Pause Value
This is the value of the currently-selected "Pause Value" of the currently-selected Tile.
Left-click or Right-click the value to change the value of the "Pause Value" by 1.
Hold Space while clicking to change the value of the "Pause Value" by 10.
Color Editing
General
The letters "R", "G", and "B", just below the 256-entry Palette Table at the upper-left corner, mark the Red, Green, and Blue color components of the currently-selected Palette Entry.
Left-click or Right-click the value beside any of the three letters to change that component's value by 1.
Hold Space while clicking to change the component's value by 10.
Reverting
Just to the right of the "R", "G", and "B" components, below the 256-entry Palette Table at the upper-left corner, are two white-outlined boxes filled with color. The box to the right is the current color
setting for the currently-selected Palette Entry, and the one to the left is the "unmodified" version of that Palette Entry (the
color settings that the entry was set for when it was last selected, before any modifications were made).
Left-click the left box to revert the currently-selected Palette Entry to the color setting shown in that box.
Color modifications will be lost after a revert, and the original color setting will be lost when another Palette Entry is selected.
"Water"
The word "Water" marks the color that is used to automatically generate the colors for the "Water Effect"
when the "Level Palette" is set for 64 colors.
Left-click this color to select it for editing. When selected, it will be surrounded by a white box.
"Color Animation" is distinct from "Palette Rotation" in that a single Palette Entry cycles through "Frames" of color, a method similar to Tile Animation.
Both "Color Animation" and "Palette Rotation" may be used on the same palette indexes at the same time.
The "Color Animation" controls appear to the left of the screen, below the Palette Table, just above the "Palette Rotation" controls.
On the "Animation" controls just below the "Fat Bit" Tile editing grid and near the center of the screen, Left-click the word "Pal" once to activate "Color Animation" and "Palette Rotation" within the Tile Editor, and once more to stop "Color Animation" and "Palette Rotation" in the Tile Editor.
Right-click the word "Pal" to cause all color indexes to reset their animation state. This may be desired after editing "Color Frames" and settings, so that
any edited Palette Entries will be synchronized with the rest of the set when Animation is activated. This does not reset "Palette Rotation"; "Palette Rotation" cannot be "reset"
Total Colors
This value specifies the total number of "Color Frames" the currently-selected Palette Entry has.
Left-click or Right-click the value to add a new "Color Frame" to the end of the list, or to delete the last "Color Frame" from the list.
Current Color
This value specifies the ID number of the currently-selected "Color Frame".
Left-click or Right-click the value to select a different "Color Frame" for editing.
Delay For Next
This value specifies the number of Game Frames that must pass before the currently-selected "Color Frame" is swapped-out for the next.
Left-click or Right-click the value to change the Delay value by 1.
Hold Space while clicking to change the Delay value by 10.
Palette Rotation
"Palette Rotation" is distinct from "Color Animation" in that several Palette Entries will "Rotate" left
or right by one entry within the given section of the Palette. Both "Color Animation" and "Palette Rotation" may be used on the same palette indexes at the same time.
"Palette Rotation" may only occur within one "Section"; it may not span across "Section".
If the currently-selected color is set to use "Palette Rotation", the last color within its rotation will also be surrounded by a white box.
The "Palette Rotation" controls appear at the lower-left corner of the screen.
On the "Animation" controls just below the "Fat Bit" Tile editing grid and near the center of the screen, Left-click the word "Pal" once to activate Color Animation and "Palette Rotation" within the Tile Editor, and once more to stop "Color Animation" and "Palette Rotation" in the Tile Editor.
Right-click the words word "Pal" to cause all color indexes to reset their animation state. This may be desired after editing "Color Frames" and settings, so that
any edited Palette Entries will be synchronized with the rest of the set when Animation is activated. This does not reset "Palette Rotation"; "Palette Rotation" cannot be "reset"
Rotate To
When any one Palette Entry is selected, it may be set to "Rotate To" any other Palette Entry that is listed afterward. This value
specifies the last Palette Entry that will be "rotated" in the section that starts with the currently-selected Palette Entry.
Left-click or Right-click the value to change the last Palette Entry in the rotation series. This selection may only go forward,
but increasing this setting beyond the end of the currently-selected "Section" will cause it to "wrap around", and be listed with a "-" symbol.
This means that the rotation will occur "backward", from right-to-left. To change the rotation back to left-to-right, lower this setting beyond the currently-selected Palette Entry,
and the "-" symbol will disappear.
Rotation Delay
This value specifies the number of Game Frames that must pass before the Palette section beginning with the currently-selected Palette Entry will "rotate" by one each time.
Left-click or Right-click the value to change the Delay value by 1.
Hold Space while clicking to change the Delay value by 10.
Supplementary View
The "Supplementary View" area appears at the lower-right corner of the screen, and has two possible settings (controlled by the General Options):
Mini Tile Selector:
This mode displays a listing of the current Tileset, much like the Full-sized Tile Selector, but lacks some of its special controls. The currently-selected Tile is surrounded by a flashing box.
Left-click any Tile on the list to select it for editing.
Use the Up and Down Arrow Keys to scroll through the Tile list.
Mini Level Editor:
This mode displays part of the Tile Plane that is currently selected for editing in the Full-sized Level Editor, but it does not display other Tile Planes selected for viewing, and lacks the editor's other special controls.
Use the Arrow Keys to scroll around the Tile Plane.
Left-click any part of the Tile Plane to draw the currently selected Tile to that location.
Hover over any Tile on the Tile Plane and press "G" to "Grab" that tile, selecting it for editing and placement.