I really like how it's getting so far, KingOfHarts. I think the interface is pretty ok, but you would want to put some kind of "target" image at the center of the map editor, so it's possible to know if the map is well positioned in case people does new objects or change animations. Now I wanna ask, will this allow image import for the sprites? If so, will it support the PCX or some similar format? Or any other method that lets us pick the colors freely rather than working around a glitchy auto-detection.
As for a target image... there IS one... I just didn't set it to appear in front yet... oops. That will be fixed, and it will be a toggle-able option, as well as outlines around individual pieces which can be displayed by themselves and edited. As for image import... I'm afraid that for now, that will be probably the one biggest weakness... is that there will likely not be support for this... for now. I'm just honestly not sure how exactly to do that yet, though I will explore it after the main stuff is done. I too hate the auto detection. A color selection is ideal for this feature, as I'm not sure that there is any great way to be able to do proper detection on its own... but again, not on the cards in the immediate future, though it is so... down the line.
If you're going to do image import at all, please don't only support PCX. Many other image formats support indexed color modes, such as GIF, PNG, or even BMP.
Well shoot me down! It's about time someone got around to making one of these... I like the setout I must say. I would love to see a ruler on the X and Y axis though. I do have a question about mapping formats that will be supported. SonMapEd obviously has I think three or four game formats supported, and are fixed directly into the tool, and selectable under a menu. Do you plan to do it in the same way? Or will you consider some sort of format file/script/dll that the tool can read for different available formats? The reason why I ask, is that I'm hoping you'll go for the later, thus allowing anyone to make their own format file/script/dll/whatever for any specific format for say another Mega Drive game that has a different format.
This is an interesting thing to consider... I'll be completely honest, I never once thought about that. As it stands, it is all pre-programmed, but that can be easily changed... OR I could simply add a "Load Custom format" option. While we are on that topic, I could look into doing something similar for Compression formats as well... say, if someone wants to use Comper... or Star Compression, or whatever the hell else is out there. Thanks for the tip Markey, I'll definitely look into it.
Mad. This should've been done five years ago; now I don't need it anymore. Great to see this being done at last though.
No, not for sprites, it's actually for map planes. But support for sprite output assembling might be an idea.
Looks great! Only thing I don't like is the blue-as-fuck UI. Coming from someone who's favorite color is blue. Unless that's your OS settings doing that, of course.
I wish for something like that for sprites and maps....the color is too bright, maybe a generic grey will hurt less on the eyes
I'd recommend following the OS' UI in terms of color and style. Generally making your program different just for the heck of it doesn't work too well. This is what I do for programs with GUI designs. Granted, this makes the program not stand out too well and look a little generic, but I prefer it that way. Function over form. If you want to keep the blues, I'd just recommend toning them down.
