View Issue Details

IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0018106Starward RogueSuggestionJan 9, 2016 7:36 am
ReporterPepisolo Assigned ToChris_McElligottPark  
Status consideringResolutionopen 
Product Version0.207 
Summary0018106: Room Editor (or the blander as I like like to call it)
DescriptionFor the last few days I've been messing around with the room-editor, and while it's super user-friendly, I feel like I'm pouring my creativity into a blander (blender!). Fast-forwarding to the latest thing to irk me, I've been designing a room with a specific progression from left to right, then when I test the room in game I realize that the room can also be flipped from right to left (but with you still starting on the left), completely ruining the progression. Knowing this, I have to only design rooms that work multi-directionally now.

It's also a bit annoying that I can't do 1 square thick indestructible walls. To create a symmetrical divider I've got to use 3 square thick walls which takes up a lot of space. Either that or use a line of obstacles or something which just looks bad.

You don't have great control over the enemy spawns, so any rogue enemy could turn up and ruin a more specfic design. Plus, the existing object range is a bit meh (although I know some extra things are being added soon). Control over the actual room size would be nice, too.

The room-editor definitely needs a big overhaul, I think post 1.0. My complaints are a bit exaggerated as I'm a little frustrated with the editor right now, and I might just not be understanding certain aspects, but hopefully this feedback is still useful (shuts down the editor).
TagsNo tags attached.

Activities

Misery

Jan 4, 2016 6:13 pm

developer   ~0043968

I'll at least support the bit about 1-tile thick indestructible walls. That was bothering me as well.

Note that enemy spawns will get better over time. Some of them are likely mis-categorized (it's hard for me to figure out where to fit them properly, and right now I've been more focused on just making the things rather than categorizing them, which'll happen over time anyway) and I do think we still need more categories available, though I'm not sure just what.

I wouldnt expect the ability to put in extremely specific enemies into rooms though. I'd discussed this with Chris very early on, and he had pointed out some very good reasons as to why it just wouldnt work.

Also, if you have some rooms you've designed, feel free to send them in! They might get used. The more content, the better.

Pepisolo

Jan 4, 2016 7:21 pm

developer   ~0043974

I can't think of any problems with allowing for specific enemy placement alongside categories. It just seems like you're giving the designers more control to me, but I presume that whatever the reasons are, they're sound.

I've got a couple of rooms that are intended to be used with rotational lasers, so if those get introduced and work as expected I might be able to complete the designs, but I'll have to redo them to be multi-directional because of the previously mentioned room flipping problem I had. I hope to send a couple of room designs in at least some time.

Chris_McElligottPark

Jan 4, 2016 7:36 pm

administrator   ~0043977

Please note that you could be entering from any of the directions at all where there are doors. The little testing starting spot used in the editor is just for testing purposes only and isn't even used in the game itself.

Having rooms with a specific progression from one side to the other is certainly possible, although it seems a bit counterintuitive with a maze that might have loops and such anyhow.

1-tile walls are coming.

The ability to place explicit enemy types would require a complete rewrite of the editor, the level format, and more. I'm also just not a fan of that in general, because it leads to more repetition, not less.

Having things like a rotational laser or whatever that are meant to be room features are not really what I'd class as an enemy. That's what we consider an obstacle, and I'd be happy to make a new element for that in the level editor.

Pepisolo

Jan 4, 2016 10:44 pm

developer   ~0043978

Last edited: Jan 4, 2016 10:47 pm

Good to hear about the 1-tile block, nice change.

It'd be cool if you could do something like have a room tagged as left to right or whatever, and then those rooms would only occur on the edges of the map in an appropriate location. This would allow the player to start off in the center where things are a bit crazy and multi-directional, but as they reach the edge of a map you get the possibility of rooms with a bit more of a specific design that leads in one direction to a reward or boss.

If the coding for specific enemy placement is too much then yeah, it's probably not worth adding, although I don't think that the designers having the option of it would necessarily make things more repetitive. You'd just need some guidelines for them not to overuse the feature. The room designers having more control is probably just going to lead to better designed rooms, that's my theory, anyhow.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
Jan 2, 2016 8:00 pm Pepisolo New Issue
Jan 2, 2016 8:02 pm Pepisolo Description Updated
Jan 4, 2016 6:13 pm Misery Note Added: 0043968
Jan 4, 2016 7:21 pm Pepisolo Note Added: 0043974
Jan 4, 2016 7:36 pm Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0043977
Jan 4, 2016 10:44 pm Pepisolo Note Added: 0043978
Jan 4, 2016 10:47 pm Pepisolo Note Edited: 0043978
Jan 9, 2016 7:36 am Chris_McElligottPark Assigned To => Chris_McElligottPark
Jan 9, 2016 7:36 am Chris_McElligottPark Status new => considering