Discuss making the editor easier for new users

[Bugsbane]

If we're going to make old levels unusable for 3.0.0 though, then after 2.0.0 /2.1.0 are out we'll really need new levels. It would really help to get more people to do that if the level editor was faster and easier to understand and use.

What we have now isn't too bad, but it has a couple of issues, most notably starting people without any guidance and then being slow and fiddly. I have a couple of suggestions below for discussion. Any that are agreed upon, can be shifted out into their own issues. When all items are either eliminated or shifted into their own issues, we can close this one. So, here

1. A text box early in level one letting people know that they can edit the levels. I'd beaten the game before I even learned about the level editors existance. Being able to jump to editing from right into the game is a really cool feature.
2. A hint when starting it saying "Push F1 to see the keyboard shortcuts." when starting, possibly with a "don't show this again" checkbox. Don't make them search online to find the wikipage. Most won't.
3. Changing the wording from massive / semi-massive / passive / front-passive etc to something like solid / semi solid / background / foreground to help new users understand the concepts quicker.
4. Snapping to show when things are aligned, and do it automatically if they're within 2-3px. Put it on by default to avoid frustrating new editors, but give the option to turn it off, so people can fine tune when they've grasped the basics.
5. A draw mode, where whatever the user had selected when they turned it on, can be drawn onscreen by holding down LMB, with tiles places right next to each other without overlap.
6. Undo. Seriously.
7. Select image files visually with point and click instead of having to type in file paths (which aren't always obvious how much of the file path you should be entering). The same goes for being able to hear audio being added.
8. Show items in the menu with rotation from settings file applied. Right now things like Furball right and Furball Left both look the same in the menu, as to ground top-left and ground top-right... because it uses the right image but doesn't apply the settings file roatation.

[datahead8888]

If we're going to make old levels unusable for 3.0.0 though, then after 2.0.0 /2.1.0 are out we'll really need new levels.

We should try to fix old levels (even user contributed levels from the forums - https://github.com/Luiji/Secret-Maryo-Chronicles-Contributed-Levels) as possible. In #169 two items are listed for this: using chained conversion scripts to convert old levels and creating a tracker to track broken user/official levels.

Obviously it's going to be easier to convince users to make new levels than fix old ones, but we can try. Either way, we need to improve the editor as you suggested.

Don't make them search online to find the wikipage. Most won't.

Yep, it's pretty well accepted these days that games need built-in instruction manuals. Many people won't search the game's menus at all, either, so as Bugsbane said we will need a handful of textboxes in the game pointing some of these items out.

A draw mode, where whatever the user had selected when they turned it on, can be drawn onscreen by holding down LMB, with tiles places right next to each other without overlap.

Do you mean you could "draw" a body of blocks or other contiguous regions of objects?

Undo. Seriously.

Yes, definitely. This will also be a fun programming task for whoever does it.

[Quintus]

Snapping to show when things are aligned, and do it automatically if they're within 2-3px.

We have that already. Press "o" to enter "object snap mode", and press "o" again to leave it.

A draw mode, where whatever the user had selected when they turned it on, can be drawn onscreen by holding down LMB, with tiles places right next to each other without overlap.

Err, what is "LMB"? And could you be more specific as what to "draw"?

Undo. Seriously.

That will be quite a lot of work. But you are right, I have wished an Undo function some times already...

Vale, Quintus

[Bugsbane]

We should try to fix old levels

Definitely, if that's an option. Happy to hear it might be.

Do you mean you could "draw" a body of blocks or other contiguous regions of objects?

Yes. For example, select a block, hold down the left mouse button, move the mouse and leave a trail of properly aligned blocks under the cursor as it moves around.

Press "o" to enter "object snap mode"

I think... I love you. 6 years with the project and now I'm learning. I think this demonstrates the need to make things more obvious to new users.

Err, what is "LMB"?

Left Mouse Button (and RMB = Right Mouse Button, MMB = Middle Mouse Button). Feel free to confuse me with German acronyms some time. I guarantee it'll work every time!

That will be quite a lot of work.

I wouldn't say we have to have all of them. Some are more important than others. Now I know we have snap, just undo and a pop up message when entering edit mode would cover most of it. The rest is just adding a couple of text boxes in the current levels which even I could do.

Undo is really the only really important thing that would take much time or effort. The rest can always come later.