Using the Object Editor

To enter editing mode from gameplay mode (when running a non-"packed"/"protected" game), press Ctrl+Tab. While in any other editing mode, press the "4" key to enter the Object Editor.

This mode is meant for use to place Game Objects, reposition or tweak their values after they've already been placed using this editor's Placement Mode or "Debug Mode", or delete them entirely.

When entering this mode, Resettable Objects will be "reset", unless the "ALT" key is held while entering the editor. Preserving the Objects' current states can be useful for on-the-fly testing, while allowing them to "reset" enables editing beginning at their "resetted" states.

The pointer, represented by an arrow, is moved by the mouse.

The Editor will scroll across the Level when the Ctrl key is held or an Object is being dragged while the pointer/cursor is moved to any of the four screen edges, and can be scrolled by one Tile's width/height at a time by using the four arrow keys.

There are also Scrollbars in Large Editor Mode that can be used for scrolling by clicking on the bar or the arrows, or by clicking and dragging the scroll position marker.


All Objects are marked with "Handles", partial white boxes covering a 16x16 area that surrounds the Object's Position. These "Handles" are the "selectable" part of the Object; hovering the mouse over this part of the Object will select it for properties viewing and modification. They are drawn above all other Objects (this includes Tile Plane Objects), so they will be visible even if the Object itself is covered up.

This editor has five major elements:

Status Display

Common Control Features

Editing Mode

Placement Mode

Main Menu


Status and Options Display

Pressing the "TAB" key will enable or disable the Status display.

Whether the editor is currently in "Large" or "Small" mode determines how exactly this display will look, with "Large Mode" placing it along the top of the screen in a section cleanly-separated from the editing area (and allowing some options to be clicked instead of requiring the use of hotkeys or a "Main Menu"), and "Small Mode" using a vertical list format starting at the upper-left corner of the screen, and drawing over the editing area.

This text display provides the following information in both modes:



(Object )ID:	The active Object Listing ID of the selected Object, its position in the Object List based on its Priority
(Object )Type:	Object Type ID of the selected Object
Num Vars:	The number of Built-in and "Extra" Variables that are defined for the selected Object. In Large Mode, this element is actually merged with the next in the format "Curr / Num".
(Current )Var:	ID number of the Object Variable or "Extra Variable" that is selected for editing. In Large Mode, this element is actually merged with the previous in the format "Curr / Num".
Value:	The current value of the selected Variable
[SpawnString]:	This entry shows the name of the selected Object Variable, or the "SpawnValues" string that was defined for the selected "Extra Variable" within the Object Def
Pos(ition):	The current X,Y position of the Object
Total( Objects):	The total number of Built-in and Object Def Game Objects that are currently active
Grid:	The current Snap-To Grid settings, in the format "GridSize- XOffset,YOffset"


Other elements provided only while in Large Mode include:





Dec Hex Bin:	The highlighted portion signifies that Object Variable and the editor's Object Property Settings values are displayed in Decimal, Hexadecimal, or Binary form, respectively. Clicking any of the names will switch to the corresponding display mode
Place Edit:	The highlighted portion signifies whether Placement or Editing mode is currently active. Clicking either of the names will switch the editor to the corresponding mode
Save: Obj:	Click to save the current Object layout
Lev:	Click to enter the Level Editor
Til:	Click to enter the Tile Editor
Spr:	Click to enter the Sprite Editor
Gam:	Click to return to gameplay mode

Common Control Features

These controls are common to both Object Editor modes:

Press "Q"to toggle between Editing Mode and Placement Mode.

Press "7"to toggle between Decimal, Hexadecimal, and Binary modes for displaying Object Variable and Object Property Settings values.

Press "H" or "N" to change the snap-to grid size. By default, the size is 1 pixel (free-placement).

Press "U" or "I" to apply a horizontal offset to the grid-snap for Objects that do not conform perfectly to the gridstop locations.

Press "O" or "P" to apply a vertical offset to the grid-snap for Objects that do not conform perfectly to the gridstop locations.

Press "F3"to save all active Object Def Objects that are flagged for saving and all of their settings to the current Object File. This file must have been loaded by Script, but doesn't need to have already existed.

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.

Press "F2" to toggle between "Large" and "Small" editing modes. "Large Editor Mode", enabled by default uses a 640x480 editing area so that more of the level is visible and can be manipulated before having to scroll, and also uses a more compact and non-intrusive status display and scrollbars, while "Small Editor Mode" is somewhat faster and displays the editing area at the game-native 320x220 resolution, however this means that there is less available editing space, and the status elements will overlay the editing area.

Editing Mode

In this mode, it is possible to edit the properties of Objects that have already been placed. To place objects, switch to Placement Mode by pressing "Q".

To apply any of these controls, first hover over the desired Object's Handle.

Note:Objects with a "Reset State" do not perform the "commit" action, described below, automatically, so that live edits may be made for testing without making them permanent. To make these changes permanent, the "commit" action must be performed manually. Flashing exclamation points will appear on the handle for an Object that has changes that have not yet been committed.

Left-click and drag to reposition an Object within the Level. By Default, the Object can be freely placed, but grid snap settings may be used for easier fine-tuned placement.

Press "A" or "Z" to select a different Object Variable for editing.

Press "S" or "X" to change the value of the selected Variable. This can also be used as a means of fine-positioning for Object movement by modifying the Object_X and Object_Y Variables. Be aware of the effects of variable settings, and do not change Object_Type unless the next/previous Object Type is set up very similarly to the current, as improper settings can damage the Object list and/or crash the program.

To shift the positions of multiple Objects in case of rows/columns being added to the Level, position the cursor in front of/above the target Objects, and use the arrow keys. This will move each Object by 8 pixels in the direction of the key that was pressed.

Hold "CTRL" and press "D" to delete the selected Object.

Hold "CTRL" and press "C" to "commit" the selected Object's current settings to its "Resetted State"; The Object will be reverted to these settings whenever it "resets".

Hold "CTRL" and press "F" to cause the selected Object to process its current Animations until they reach a break (effectively performing a one frame-step).

Hold "CTRL" and press "V" to cause the selected Object to process its Movement Phase once.

Placement Mode

In this mode, it is possible to place Objects into the layout. For an Object to be available for placement, it must be listed in the current Debug Object Listing for the current "Zone", and it must be assigned appropriate Built-In and Scripted Object Debug Drawing and Object Debug Placement Functions in its Object Def entry.

To modify Objects that have already been placed, switch to Editing Mode by pressing "Q".

Left-click to place the currently-selected object at the current cursor position, using the current Object Property Settings. The Object Cursor is moved using the mouse, and will conform to grid-snapping if a grid size greater than 1 is currently set.

Press "A" or "Z" to cycle through Object types that are available for placement.

The Mouse Wheel may also be used to cycle through Object types that are available for placement.

Use the "S"/"X", "D"/"C", "F"/"V", and "G"/"B" keys to change each of the four available Object Property Settings values. If they are used in the Scripted Object Debug Drawing Function for the currently-selected Object to alter drawing so that the properties are represented visually, the Object pictured as the Object Cursor will be automatically updated to reflect the change.

Main Menu

When in Small Editor Mode, pressing "0" will toggle on or off the Main Menu (which is not available in Large Editor Mode). The arrow keys are used to select an option, while the Enter key is used to activate it. The Menu, which replaces the Status Display and suspends Level editing, contains the following options:



Clear Objects:	Destroys all active Object Def Objects. Built-in Objects are left in place
Save Objects:	Saves all active Object Def Objects that are flagged for saving and all of their settings to the current Object File. This file must have been loaded by Script, but doesn't need to have already existed
Load Objects:	Reloads the current Object File
Level Warp:	Allows selection of a "Zone" ("A"/"S") and "Act" ("D"/"F") to warp to by pressing Enter while this option is selected
Return to Game:	Exit Editor Mode and return to Gameplay Mode
Exit Game:	Exit the program completely