"KaM Editor" WIP thread

[Krom]

My statement before I inserted .pro was "I'm making a tool for myself and maybe someone else likes it". Now .pro file has data on terrain brushes and I can't store it anywhere else. That makes it clear - .pro is needed.

About stealing - I'm happy for you that you didn't met it in your modding career I have more experience in this field and I believe measures I've taken are adequate.
Further talks of this matter should go in PM. End of discussion.

Now to the news:

Next version 0.3f will have few minor fixes and then I need something bigger for 0.4. It's not mission editor yet. Your ideas?

[Merchator]

A random-map function!
Sounds strange, but is it possible?
So that you click "Random Map" and the editor makes a simple map with trees, rivers, hills and valleys. Would be great, cuz im a very lazy mapper 8)

[Daniel_15]

Random molding the land.
It relied in order to on random with molding the land on the map.

Is it possible ?

To mend these platforms so that more they answer to what is in the game. To remove the mistake around tiles.

[The Dark Lord]

I keep saying it: please make a tool with we can copy terrain (including heights) and paste it! That would be great.

And there is another problem... I'm pointing at the mushrooms and flowers. You can't build on the single big mushroom and all big flowers.

[Lewin]

Hi Krom,
I accept that you will not allow editing of map files, it kind of makes sense. However, if I wanted to use someone else's map on my mission I could just publish it with unmodified map file, and no one would know it wasn't mine. The knight is way over the top about no "hacking"
Features I would like:
- A tab for adding water terrain. At the moment if you place random water it swirls randomly. You could make a tab where you can select a direction to flow, and a speed (normal, fast) and a brush size and then place water like other terrain, but it will just place the tile that you selected, plus weed randomly. There is a tile for across and diagonal and I think there is one for different speeds (like fast just before a water fall) and there is one that looks like waves for the sea. (experiment) By using manual tile I have made a river that flows properly. Also, a toggle check box to show water direction and speed, paint an arrow on top of the tile, red for fast, green for slow. Or you could make the tiles animate like they do in the game when you toggle the check box, but this would take more system resource and coding. These features would make creating rivers easy.
- Copy and paste. You could make it so that it won't copy from .map files, to prevent "stealing". You click copy, select a area on the map, the click paste somewhere else and it pastes it there. I would need to work so that I can open one pro file, copy a section, then paste it in another pro file, so it still remembers what you have copied when you open a new file.
- Make the elevation and shadows look more like KaM, at the moment something slightly elevated in the editor looks more elevated in KaM, and KaM has more shadow.
- Easier bridges, you select direction, how long and wide, (it could do this automatically) and whether it is curved or not, number of supports and it lets you places it.
- A toggle check box to show the elevation value for tiles, (a percentage or number) sometimes it is difficult to tell, even with wires. (wires were a great idea)
- Stretch the tiles properly, like kam does. It should load the map in 32X32 pixels, then strech the whole image, not just each tile separately. This would make the edges smoother and it would look more like kam.

I don't think random map would be worth it, it would take a lot of coding to make it good and we don't really need it, Merchantor is just lazy. Maybe a random object generator, so when you click, it places trees, rocks, etc. on appropriate terrain. (eg. cactus on desert, palm trees on sand, pine trees on dirt, nothing in water and hills)
And with the tile/random terrain thing, sometimes I want to place specific types of terrain (eg. a certain type of sand, not just bridges) I think this is quite important.
That message turned out bigger than it was meant to, oh well.
Lewin.
P.S. I am not on ICQ all the time as I have just been away for holidays. I hope to chat with you soon.

[The Dark Lord]

- Copy and paste. You could make it so that it won't copy from .map files, to prevent "stealing". You click copy, select a area on the map, the click paste somewhere else and it pastes it there. I would need to work so that I can open one pro file, copy a section, then paste it in another pro file, so it still remembers what you have copied when you open a new file.

Yes, that is what I mean! I'm going to make something like the first/second/third mission of TPR, where the maps pass over in each other (I have already done that, and I had to do it all with Qage's editor ), so such a tool would be great!
It's good to see you back, Lewin.

[Merchator]

Ahh, now I get why copy&paste would be useful.
I Tought, lazy people will copy a hill and paste it everywhere again...that would'nt loo good!
But your thing makes sence

@lewin: Welcome back I don't really need a random map function, it was just an idea^^ I made a map a few days ago and it was fun to do it. But random-map would take all the fun. Im sure the map would look terrible like a AOE-random map...

Bridges are a good idea, too, but i don't need things like that, cuz i don't like bridges Maybe this will change then!

[Krom]

Few days ago I had a talk with Lewin and he suggested very good idea how to get rid of PRO format and keep everything in MAP file. Whats most important talks with Lewin resumed KaM Editor progress

Now to the current WiP status:

PRO format is removed, all data is stored in MAP files footer now. Users can load old PROs if they need.
I had no time to run thorough tests, but resaved singleplayer level1 map was working fine as before. I hope there will be no drawbacks.
I started "city planner", for now it's quite basic allows to place streets/houses (without GFX, you might saw how it looks in old WiP screens at this site). Once I'm done with placement I make an export to TXT (so to write all roads/houses locations in KaM DAT format) that can be used to paste into MissionEditors. And perhaps even later on some kind of mission editor can appear.

[Thunderwolf]

two more suggestions:
1. Could you add a square elevation tool for making a fortress? all current ones are rounded, making it fairly difficult to do. (Maybe setting a square block with variable width and heigth to a specified heigth)

2. fixing the "usage", making it possible to fully block the sides (as in quages map editor)

[harold]

Does this mean I have to write a program that adds a fake footer so you can edit old maps, or will it just work again?

[Krom]

Yes Harold, but only when you want to edit someones map without permission :evil:

EDIT: I'm sick of your disrespect

[The Dark Lord]

PRO format is removed, all data is stored in MAP files footer now. Users can load old PROs if they need.

Hmm... So if I understood it well, you can open .map files which you have made yourself + normal .pro files, and no original .map files (of TSK/TPR)?
I can certainly live with that. There's no need to open and edit the original maps. I only wanted to open and edit .map files if I had lost the .pro.

If I may add a suggestion:
- Repair the flowers and mushrooms. You can't walk or build on some of them.

Great to hear of you again.

[The Knight]

Krom, Thunderwolf, Lewin and harold in ONE thread on ONE page!!!

This is armageddon OR a new milestone in KaM history

I which me a completely graphical editor IN ONE PROGRAM! Uninteresting, which guy it develops, ...but when.....

[Lewin]

Hi,
In the last version of your editor troops would still walk over the top of mountains, when they are touching the top of the map. Could you fix this?

Does this mean I have to write a program that adds a fake footer so you can edit old maps, or will it just work again?

It doesn't really matter if you do that or not, you will still have to do tiling by hand. (and that makes editing maps no fun at all) Unless you can put the rotation data then your tool will be useless. BTW: What is the news of TKE? No change logs for a while...
@TK: It is indeed great that so much is being done for KaM, and even better that I am a part of it!
Lewin.

[harold]

Yes Harold, but only when you want to edit someones map without permission :evil:
EDIT: I'm sick of your disrespect

Really Krom, I don't disrespect you, it's just that being forced to use Quage's editor just because you can not get permission (because it's one of the original maps for example) does not make much sense at all, especially because this limitation is somewhat artificial..
But maybe I won't make a program for this, anyone could add a fake footer manually (those who can not might not deserve it)

@TK: don't forget The Dark Lord