The Map editor is located in the main game directory, simply run MapEditor.exe to get started. (Sorry, it's currently only in the Windows version right now)
All rooms in AVWW are drawn using a grid, which is what you see in black in the main part of the map editor.
Most of the controls for the editor are on the right hand side of the grid.
Starting from the top, they are:
“Map Size” - These controls aren’t currently functioning, so you can ignore them.
"Create Blank Map” - This gives you the grid you see when you start the game and is used for starting a room off fresh.
“Import Data/Export Data” - These are used for loading and saving rooms. Rooms are stored in ASCII text files. To save the room, click Export, then to into a blank text file, paste the export into the file, and save. Try to make the filename somewhat descriptive of the room or something in the room, but, the exact name of the room isn’t crucial.
Loading a room is just the opposite, go into the text file, select all, copy it to the clipboard, then click Import on the map editor.
--Colors--
White - Background Wall - This is the space in your room. This is where the PC and the enemies move around in. Most of your room is going to be in this color.
Black - Inaccessible - PCs are not allowed in this section, please be sure to not have any of this direction bordering with any areas that players can access.
Red - Floor - While this is called floor, it’s actually serves as walls as well as floors. This should border your entire room as well as be used for platforms and such throughout the room.
Burgundy - Stairs - This one you can use to allow the player to go up one tile of incline without having to jump.
Pink - Crates - These are the destructible crates used in many boss rooms. These are not recommended in non-boss rooms. They are ok out of the way for decoration, but, they should not block the path.
Blue - Ladder - Ladders for the players. These do not block shots or movements of players or enemies.
-The numbers under the colors allow you to choose how grid spaces you will fill with a mouse click. 1 will suffice most of the time, but there are uses for the other numbers.
-The “Size Per Tile* setting allows you to adjust how big the grid squares in the editor are. This has no effect at all on the actual room.
Some other controls:
*Right clicking in a square will Fill. This means that it will take the tile you are currently clicking on, and change all tiles that are touching it and are the same color to the new color you currently have selected.
*Shift-Clicking will allow you to draw straight lines while dragging.
Some guidelines for room creation:
-The player character is three tiles high, please make sure that the player always has at least three tiles to move between. The character is only one tile wide, so places for the character need only be that wide.
-Boss Rooms should have cover for the player to hide. Be it in the form of walls, crates, or even floors, they need a place they can run to, even if only temporarily.
-Hallways and Atriums need to have plenty of space for doors/exits. Because of the way they are seeded, a doorway can be up to three tiles wide (they are also three tiles high). This means that a platform that is only six tiles wide may only be able to hold one door. Please keep this in mind when designing hallways and atriums. These rooms should be able to hold up to either 5 or 10 doors, your choice, but they ae organized in the game as being able to hold 5 or 10 (more is ok). If you really want a short hallway and you can’t fit 5 doors on the floor, having a space at least two tiles high above the doors will allow room for vents. In other words, to be sure that there is enough space for both doors and vents, you need to have at least 5 tiles worth of usable space to fit them into.
