In-depth Level Customization
#1
Cool 
Features that emphasize level readability & depth.

LEVEL EDITOR

New Layers
Entities Layer
- Place entities in the air or in-front of regular blocks. Includes Egg Minions and new entities.
Art Layer
- One single art layer. More can be created by the player.

Options
Undo/redo history
Selections
- Complex block highlighting. Hold button to add, remove, select all of a certain block in a region, etc.
Modify
- Cut, copy, paste, transform (rotate, horizontal flip, vertical flip), fill, delete, replace with ___ (including air)
Count or measure

Co-op Level Editing

Camera Options

Block themes
Different themes for the main block set. Some could be unlocked by completing specific levels.

Stencils
Any region of a level can be highlighted to create a Custom Stencil.
Custom Stencils can be ID attached to Blocks, Players/Teams, or Entities to move with them.
Examples: A rotating platform could keep its artwork. Egg Minions could have a massive drawing placed over them for a visual effect.

Sorting system

Folders alongside tags and filters for Custom Art and Level Saving.

BLOCKS & ENTITIES

Slope Modifier
Places a diagonally cut-in-half, sloped version of the block. Example: arrows or trampolines for fun movement.

Guest Block
If a replay system is going into the game, it'd be great to build it from the ground up to support the Guest Block.
When hit, a Guest NPC pops out and follows prerecorded actions until they finish or their replay runs out (or their block is hit by the same player, starting the replay over.)

Settings
- Mode: Ghost/Real
Ghost mode: NPC's do not interact with the player and their path is completely predetermined. The purpose of Ghost mode is for speedrunning against, demonstrating
glitches or challenging sections, and general spookiness.
Real mode: NPC's can do anything a player can do. Sword players, place mines, push blocks/run contraptions, spam weapons, etc.
- Record
Record inputs for the NPC.
- Loop: enabled/disabled
Have the NPC loop their recorded movements when it ends.
These could interact with any other block to mechanically open up the game. They could run timers, serve as obstacles, be aesthetic, or otherwise add flavour to a level.

Ghost & Haunt Block
Ghosts (Entity) are a tile placed in-front of other blocks.
Haunt Blocks are bumped to activate and deactivate the Ghosts, causing the tile Ghosts are in-front of to toggle their collisions on/off.

Examples: key doors, jump puzzles, walls and floors on a timer, player-filters.

Ghost (Entity) Settings
- Colour ID: ___
IDs are assigned to make a colour group disappear and reappear together.
- Enabled/disabled
Ghosts can be individually toggled to be in the opposite state to other Ghosts. This way when the Haunt Block is toggled some blocks will deactivate while others will be activating.
- Team IDs: ___..___ ..
Multiple IDs means Ghosts could work individually for different teams.
Haunt Block Settings
- Colour ID: ___
Appearance
Entity: A small coloured ghost in the centre of the block. When the ghost is inactive it appears transluscent and the block is opaque. When the ghost is active it appears opaque and slightly larger while the block is transluscent.
Block: A simple block with a group of Colour ID Ghosts in the centre.

Team Block
Team Blocks offer a way to have players win and lose together, as well as respawn at specific places despite where their safe block is anchored. They can also interact with blocks like the Ghosts to make team (or player) specific challenges - to avoid the "copy paste level four times" and maximize player interaction.
When stood on, a flag appears which becomes the players' spawn point.
Bumping the team Block can add the player to a team without the respawn mechanics (used for other Team Applications like Ghost Blocks). Being in a team and bumping your own Team's block resets your Team to neutral.

Settings
- Colour ID: ___
- Mode: Damage / Safety Net / Item
Damage setting: causes players to respawn upon taking any damage, mines, swords, etc.
Safety Net: causes players to respawn when hitting a safety net.
Item: Causes players to respawn when using an item. Example: players teleport out of traps on a practice trap level.
- Shared health: enabled/disabled
- Friendly fire: enabled/disabled
Appearance:
A basic block. Two icons in the block visualize the Mode and Friendly Fire settings. For mode, an explosion[dmg]/net/question-mark[item]. For Friendly Fire, a sword with a stop symbol through it when Friendly Fire is turned on.

Gravity Block
Can be used to set gravity including directional gravity which acts as "wind" to push the player.

Settings
- Angle: ___
- Force: ___
Can create multiple forces.

Power Block and Plug (entity)
Expanded functionality of the Switch/Player Detector that is in PR4.
The Power Block is used to remotely bump other blocks and apply them to a player and their team. A player with their team set to blue could teleport their whole team to a location. Everyone could be set to the same team in a race to have their gravity change for their whole team.
Plug (entity) is placed in-front of a block and is the target. The Plug's ID is activated by the Power Block.

Settings
- ID: ___
Appearance
Power Block: The power lights up for a moment when the block is used.
Plug: Plug icon

Art Block
Modifies an art layer. This could replace the art on the way back through a section, or swap out backgrounds to change the theme (in Pr2 the player needs to move incredibly far away to not see the old Layer 3 for example.)

Settings
- Layer value: ___ (what goes on top)
- Parallax value: ___ (if/how much background movement).
- Visible: enabled/disabled

Camera Block
Modify the camera relative position, catch-up acceleration, and zoom.
Bigger levels with high stats might want to zoom the camera out or have the camera pull ahead of the player as they move.
Settings
Relative x-Position (default 0): ___ can offset the camera from the player on the x-axis
Relative y-position (default 0): ___ can offset the camera from the player on the y-axis
Accel ahead position: ___ Moves the transform of the camera units towards the direction of forward acceleration
Accel above position: ___ Moves the transform of the camera units towards the direction of upward acceleration
Camera zoom (default 100, max 250): ___ Zoom the camera in or out to reveal more of the screen.

Telescope Block
Holding down to charge a super-jump at a Telescope Block puts you into a spectate camera until space is pressed. Used to view challenges up ahead or to spectate players.

Vanish Block
Vanish blocks can be shared by each team individually. Players in other teams will not have you disappear their vanish blocks. Useful for Frust/Solo levels where each player would be on a different team so they wouldn't hit each others vanish blocks. Or for team challenges.

Settings
- All Teams: enabled/disabled (default enabled)

Launcher Block
Spawns an entity and can shoot it with force. E.g. An egg minion with a weapon, or a wall of blocks with kinematic physics on a factory line.
Settings
- ID ___
- Facing direction
- Velocity
- Velocity angle
- Gravity

Move Block
Move Blocks behave like PR3 but with the options of Move Increments. A number setting that determines how many blocks to jump for each move. Could be used for higher-difficulty platforming, or swapping blocks around with more freedom.

ENTITIES

Entities are placed in their own layer to attach mechanics to a block they're in-front of. They can also be placed in the air. Example: arrow entities in the air can push the player but don't have collisions.

Arrow Entity
The arrow component of the Directional Block. Used to create surfaces that apply forces to the player. Example: A push block with an up-arrow entity could be bumped to ride it up like an elevator.

Push Chain Entity
The push symbol component of the Push Block. While only the push block can be pushed, any block (including air) can be added into the push-chain. Example: Create a push block line with an empty space in the centre. Or move a solid wall.

Teleport Entity
The circle teleport component of the Teleport Block. Can be linked with any other Teleport Blocks like normal.
Example: Teleport into the air or inside a wall.

Move Entity
Allows any block to move with a preset (or random) path.

Heart Entity
Regenerates blocks on a timer.

Vanish Entity
The vanish entity has an invisible centre to see what block it is in-front of. It could be over a mine, safety net, etc.

Ice Entity
Takes the form of white jagged lines. Causes a block to be slippery.

Hat Entity
Select a hat to be placed in the level with a rotation.

Ghost Entity, Plug Entity
Explained in the BLOCKS section.

Reset Entity
Functions as an "air block" with special properties. Removes the hit-stun effect, invincibility, item, and freeze state of a player.
When adjacent to blocks, it repairs their state. A smiley face or heart block would be replenished and ready for re-use. Could be useful if the Reset Block was in a push-chain where it could be moved away from a block to stop resetting it. Example: one-time use Item Blocks would be infinite items until the Reset Block is pushed away.

Egg Minion Entity
The Egg Minion can be given any item. Super-jumps when falling. Weapons are used with different range detection for respective weapons. Bubbles are dropped when a player is nearby. Teleport attempt when hitting a wall. Other items like mines are placed at random.

Bubble
A versatile floating entity.
A method to distribute items or entities to the player. When it is damaged or touched, it is popped and its contents are dropped.
Contains an entity (or one or more item IDs).
When landing on a bubble, pops and pushes the player up.

Universal Entity settings:
- Duration: ___
Duration 0 for no duration. Entity destroys after a certain period of time.
- Regeneration time: ___
0 setting does not regenerate the item. Any other time will cause it to regenerate when destroyed.
- ID
Entities are given a unique ID by default but can be set to the same ID. When one entity is destroyed, so will others with the same ID. Example: Bubbles or vanish blocks with the same ID act as a disappearing jump-pad.

EFFECTS (Block Entities in Bubbles)

When collected from a Bubble, Block Entities apply an effect to the player for a duration. Visible above the player's name-tag when active. Most effects can be applied permanently with "duration 0".

Arrow
Picking up an arrow bubble applies a force for a duration of time. For example, picking up a Right Arrow could make the player feel like they're zooming on Right arrows for 5 seconds even when they're not touching blocks.

Push Effect
Causes the player to have collisions. Players could jump off each-other. Minions are invulnerable to stomping.
With duration 0, this could be applied permanently (until hitting a reset block).

Teleport Effect
Has an ID and is part of a teleport block chain. Collecting the teleport bubble causes a teleport to the next ID in the line (it's a regular teleport block in a bubble.) Elapse time setting.

Move Effect
The move entity causes the player to jolt in random or predetermined directions like a move block.

Heart Effect
Applies a life and invincibility effect like a Heart Block.

Vanish Effect
Adds collision to the player. Goes transparent and has no collision after being hit or touched.

Ice Effect
All movements become slippery.

Hat Effect
Gives the player a specified hat.

Ghost Effect
While in Ghost mode, the player no-longer collides with blocks. Toggled by the Haunt Block. Or by a Cycle Time setting.

Plug Effect
Any blocks this player bumps is applied to their whole team.

Reset Effect
Applies Reset Block and prevents the player from picking up items, etc.

ITEMS

Universal settings:
- Item Ammo/Duration: ___ how many times can it be used

Sword
Can also be pointed up or down to slam opponents into the stratosphere or hell respectively.

Hook Gun
Ammo: 1
8-directional

Shoots out 7 blocks in the held direction and attaches to whatever it hits. If the player is holding space when it attaches, it's used to swing like a pendulum that detaches when space is released. If space is not held when it hits its target, then it pulls directly to it instead (yanking players together or zipping towards a block.)

Spring Boots
Ammo: 1, timed effect

All collision surfaces act as a medium power trampoline block for a short duration.

Sludge
Ammo: 2
Left or Right Directional

Spews out green sludge in an arc. Players directly hit become 'sludged', slowing their movement speed for a short duration. Sludge on Blocks increases friction - Walls that are sludged can be wall-jumped off.

Disabled by default items
(these items are for custom maps, not necessary in regular racing)

Bubble (disabled by default)
Ammo: 1

Contains a bubble entity that can contain an entity or item. Cannot be popped for half a second after being placed by a player. Can be used to share items with other players. Could also contain no item and just be used to jump off of.

Custom Block (from item box) (disabled by default)
Any Block can be added to the list of items. This means the player could place an Up Arrow Block, a Trampoline Block, etc.

Settings
- Custom Block Max: ___
How many times can the player place a Custom Block before it begins to replace the oldest one.
(The Reset Block would remove any placed custom blocks by that player.)

Switch (disabled by default)
Ammo: Infinite
ID: ___

Toggles/activates blocks that match up with its ID. Haunt Blocks, gears, etc.
Example: Jump puzzles, space to toggle the walls with Ghosts on them.

COLLISIONS

Some specific rules and features for what happens inside blocks.
When inside blocks, the player can move and free-fall.

Gears
When gears push a player into a place where there are no more valid spaces to move, the blocks on the gear lose collisions until the player finds a valid space. Optional: enter the squished state & lose a heart.

Forces
Blocks like the Arrows can still apply forces to a player free-falling in walls.

Crack Entity
A Crack (or jagged opening) is placed over a block allowing the player to freely enter a block from a side. This offers a clean transition through blocks into free-fall areas (unlike Teleport Blocks).
Direction: left/right/up/down

Strong Block
The Strong Block reflects attacks and effects. If the player freezes the wall, they get frozen. Swords cause self-damage. Teleports don't go through.
The player collides with Strong Blocks always - even when they are free-falling through blocks.
With these options, walls can be entered and raced through easily.
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to jc66266 For This Useful Post:
  • Adulock77, Magniloquent, MoonFiredk, Northadox
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#2
Reworked formatting for readability. Added Stencils (art can be duplicated or attached to moving/rotating blocks). Added section on Collisions.
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#3
Many of these ideas are incredible!! I especially love the idea of a hook gun and the sludge items, that sounds 100% MADE for racing levels and will be completely new to Platform racing (making the game feel more fresh!)

I also love the idea of the Telescope block. Will make puzzle levels cooler to explore and solve!
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