Category:Editing Working with Sprites - EDukeWiki

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# Category:Editing Working with Sprites

From EDukeWiki
Build/Mapster32 Map Editing

Level Editing · True Room Over Room Mapping Guide · Build/Mapster32 Keyboard Commands
Special Tile Listing · Sector Effector Tag Listing · Sector Tag Listing
Utilities Reference Guide · Mapster32 Scripting · Mapster32 Map Checking

NOTE: Much of information on this page is from around 1999. Some may be outdated, and some may be incorrect -- this page exists to get you started with the Level Editing and may not currently cover some of the additional features available in Mapster32.

## Working With Sprites

... using Mapster32. (If you use the original Build Editor refer to the main page and review Placing Sprites and Adding Sprites)

Basics

A sprite is placed in a map with the [s] key in 2D mode or 3D mode. The very first sprite of a new map will be tile 0. To change this sprite, or any other, switch to 3D mode, point to the sprite and press [v]. Mapster32 switches to the tile selection mode, displaying all sprites present in a map. Not much at first. Press [v] again and all available tiles are displayed. Scroll with your mouse up/down and point and left-click on the desired sprite. Mapster32 switches back to 3D mode and shows the sprite in the map. Tip - If you know your tile by name, press the [s] key (in tile selection mode) and type in the full or partial name. Then press [Enter] key and the first tile matching the name is highlighted. Continue until you found the desired sprite; then either left-click or press [Enter] on the tile.

Positioning the Sprite.

To change the position of a sprite in 3D: point, Left-Click+Hold the mouse and press the Up/Down keys to set the elevation. In 2D point with your mouse and drag the sprite into position.

A sprite has different display modes.

The default mode is: always face the player; mode two: vertical and mode three: horizontal. To cycle through the modes point to the sprite and press the [r] key. The vertical and horizontal modes have the option for a subsequent one or two sided mode. When the sprite is in vertical mode, point to the sprite against the direction of its tail (check in 2D and switch back to 3D) and press [1]. Go around the sprite, it is now visible only on one side. When the sprite is in horizontal mode simply position yourself either on the top or bottom, point to the sprite and press [1]. The extent of the horizontal sprite is shown in 2D mode for easy and fluent positioning of multiple sprites. Note - A sprite placed directly to a wall, will be in the vertical mode matching the angle of the wall.

A sprite has a block and damage toggle (Those map settings will be overwritten if those were programmed in the game)

To make a sprite blocking or non-blocking press the [b] key in either 2D or 3D mode. The 2D mode identifies blocked sprites with a Blue-Violet colour. If a sprite is to be damageable, set the Hitscan with the [h] key on/off (in 3D mode only). Sprites with the Hitscan ON have a thicker tail piece.

A sprite can be sized.

The size of a sprite can be modified in 3D mode by moving the cursor over the sprite and pressing the KP ( aka numpad ) Arrow keys (8,6,2 and 4). To accelerate the sizing function, press the KP 5 key with the KP Arrows keys.

In Mapster32 you can also enter the size of sprites in 2D mode. Hover with your mouse over the sprite to highlight it. Press the F8 key and use the arrow keys to navigate to the {X,Y}repeat slot. The value of the smallest setting is (4, 4). You need to enter this value by typing the 4, then ENTER and another 4. You can also manipulate the cstat value of sprites. The flags(hex): slot accepts valid cstat values.

A sprite can be made invisible.

The invisibility cstat value is 32768. You can set this on sprites with the key combo [']+[I].

## Security Cameras

Map Name: TUTORIAL.MAP (ROOM 6-H)

STEP 1: Place one sprite where you want the viewscreen to be. You can use either sprite #502 or sprite #499. Give the screen a unique hitag value.

STEP 2: Place several sprites where you want cameras to be. The camera sprite is #621. Give all the camera sprites that you want associated with the viewscreen created in step 1, a lotag value equal to the screen's hitag value.

NOTE 1: The angle of the camera sprite (its tail in 2D) is the angle that the camera will point.

NOTE 2: To make cameras pan right and left, give them a hitag. Set the camera's angle to the center of the arc in which you want it to pan. Then set the hitag value equal to the build units of angle measure. A value of 256 will make the camera rotate 45 degrees to both the left and right of the sprite's angle.

NOTE 3: To change how far the camera looks either up or down, change the shade value of the camera itself (by pressing the [']+[S] keys on the camera sprite in 3D mode). A negative (bright) value will make the camera look down, and a positive (dark) value will make the camera look up. The brighter (smaller) or darker (larger) the value, the more the camera will either look down or up.

## Vents

Map Name: TUTORIAL.MAP (ROOM 6-I)

To make a vent and vent cover, simply follow these steps:

STEP 1: Create the vent area sectors. Make this area accessible from a room in your level.

STEP 2: Place the Vent sprite (#595) at the entrance of your vent area. In 3D mode, resize this sprite to properly fit the vent area entrance. The game blocks this sprite and set the hitscan to ON, by default. Check that the sprite is not one sided and is flush with the wall (floor).

## "3D" Bridges

Map Name: TUTORIAL.MAP (ROOM 7-A)

A bridge is nothing but a group of sprites with the blocking and hitscan flags turned on. To make a bridge, simply place several sprites across the place you wish to span, size them to the desired length and width, and press the [B] and [H] keys on them in 3D mode (the sprites should be thick and pink in 2D mode). To make a bridge fall down when shot, give all portions of the bridge (i.e. - all the sprites that make up the bridge) a unique hitag value.

## Demo Cameras

To make a camera that will play back demos after they are recorded, simply place one sector effector sprite where you want the camera. Give this sprite a lotag of 27, and a hitag value equal to how far the camera can "see". Experiment with this value to get it just right.

## Spawning Stuff

Map Name: TUTORIAL.MAP (ROOM 7-B)

There are basically 4 ways to spawn something in the game.

Trigger Spawns

You can spawn items by either toggling a switch, or by triggering a Touchplate. To create this, place the switch or Touchplate where you want it to be, and give it a unique lotag value. Now place a Respawn sprite where you want another sprite to spawn. Give it the same lotag value as the switch or Touchplate. Give the Respawn sprite a hitag value equal to the reference number of the sprite you want to spawn. For example, if you wanted to spawn some Troopers, you would give each Respawn sprite a hitag value of 1680.

Spawn After Killing Actors FEM1 to FEM10, PODFEM1, NAKED1 and TOUGHGAL

This effect allows you to spawn something when those actors were killed. A good example of this is the stripper. If you shoot her, you might want some enemies to pop out. To do this, place the actor (that will trigger the spawn) where you want it to be (for our example we will use the stripper). Place a Respawn sprite (#9) where you want each monsters to appear. Give the actor sprite a unique hitag. Give the Respawn sprite a lotag value equal to the dancer's hitag. Now give the Respawn sprite a hitag value equal to the reference number of the sprite you wish to spawn. For example, if you wanted to spawn shotgun ammo, you would give the Respawn sprite a hitag value of 49 (because the shotgun ammo is located at tile #49).

The "CANWITHSOMETHING" (Tile # 1232)

This sprite is a trash can that will spawn something when shot. Simply place the sprite where you want the trashcan to be and give it a lotag value equal to the reference number of the sprite that you want to spawn. For example, if you wanted to spawn shotgun ammo, you would give the CANWITHSOMETHING sprite a lotag value of 49 (because the shotgun ammo is located at tile #49).

The MONK, LUKE and INDY (Tile # 1352, # 1354 and # 1355)

Each actor will spawn and item and activate a one time sound when shot down. Place any of those actors somewhere suitable and give them a hitag value of the item or actor you want to spawn; and as an option a lotag of a sound you want to trigger.

## Active Tripbombs

To place an active tripbomb, simply place sprite #2566 on the wall where you want the bomb to be. Resize the sprite to a realistic size. Keep in mind that the bomb does not arm itself until it "sees" the player, so place it in a convenient spot.

## Actors, Weapons and Items

After you played the game, you are familiar with all those characters shooting at you. Now it is time to put them in your maps.

  1. Place the actor sprite where ever they should be and size them down to a reasonable size.
  2. Place sufficient weapons and ammo to eliminate those actors.
  3. Place sufficient health and armour, so the player does not die too soon.
  4. Spice the map with a with some goodies; Atomic Health, Jet Pack and so on.

Yes, that simple, yet it is an art to master.

To help in this quest, an easy way to find all those Actors and Items And in case you need to make the famous Mini-Boss, just give him the palette 3. (The stock maps use pal 21. All pals other than zero are functionally equivalent but pal 3 is better because it changes no colors while pal 21 adds red dots where they do not belong.) And if you want the other Bosses to be Mini, well, you need to do some coding, and look at this tutorial Enable and fix the minibosses

## Exploding Helicopter & Sky Car

To create the exploding helicopter or car effect, simply place the Helicopter sprite (#1346) or the Dukecar sprite (#2491) where you want it to originate from. Set the angle of the sprite to the direction you want the car to travel in, and raise the sprite up as high as you want in 3D mode.

Note: This effect is triggered once only, when the player starts the map. You should leave enough room for the car or helicopter to travel through its path - if you don't, it will slide down the first wall it hits, making a very unrealistic effect.

## Cranes

Map Name: TUTORIAL.MAP (ROOM 7-C)

Step 1: Make a designated sector,where the player is to be picked up and place sprite 'Cranepole' # 1221 in it. The sector should be small yet still a valid player space.

Step 2: Create a straight path to where the player is to be carried too. Position sprite 'Crane' # 1222 at the ceiling of the end of the path. Make sure that this sprite is not re-sized and top of the sprite is level with the bottom of the ceiling. Any sectors in this path should have the ceilings flush with crane horizontal travel level.

Step 3: Give each Cranepole and Crane set a unique HighTag. (not required if only one Crane is in a map)

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