[v2.11.3] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Here is where to post about the latest Commander Keen fangame or modification you've finished, a new website you've made, or another Keen-related creation.
User avatar
Bubzrulz
Vortininja
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Dec 21, 2016 13:21

Re: [v2.8.8] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by Bubzrulz »

how do i makes these spikes switchable i know i need too mod them switable tiles but how do i do this Image
User avatar
Nisaba
Janitress
Posts: 1597
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2016 23:34
Location: The Outpost
Contact:

Re: [v2.8.8] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by Nisaba »

Bubzrulz wrote: Sat Apr 01, 2017 21:03 how do i makes these spikes switchable i know i need too mod them switable tiles but how do i do this Image

switching spikes and other obstacles works quite similar to toggling bridges via switches.
we were talking about bridges earlier, here is just a quick reminder:
Fleexy wrote: Sat Dec 31, 2016 16:44 There are two different invisible "open bridge" tiles, one for the top half and one for the bottom. You've used the bottom one for your entire bridge. The top half tile is 0B51, found in the tileset just to the right of the top half of the closed bridge.

Image

You can see an example of a correctly configured initially-open bridge in level 12 (Pyramid_Shadows) of the original Keen 4.
with this in mind just do the following:
NY00123 wrote:Getting back to the usual 2-tiles high bridges (as found in Keen 4-6 with no mods), there is a little bit of a quirk to be aware of. When you point a switch to some location in the bridge's top row, it should toggle all tiles from this location and to the right. In the bottom row, it ADDITIONALLY toggles one more tile to the left. I assume this was done that way due to the tilted perspective.
all you want to do is to create new spike tiles which have the same tile properties like the closed bride tiles. next to them create tiles without spikes and give them similar tiles like the open bridge tiles (but to tweak them in a way, that Keen can stand on them).
out now (link) : Image
User avatar
K1n9_Duk3
Vorticon Elite
Posts: 781
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 9:30
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: [v2.8.8] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by K1n9_Duk3 »

Somebody was asking about Rise of the Triad map editors on the Duke4 forum.

Are there any plans to add native RotT support for Abiathar? Apart from the fact that RotT uses the WAD format instead of the plain old GAMEMAPS/MAPTEMP, basic level editing should be easy to add. EGAGRAPH tiles for RotT were realesed along with TED5, IGRAB and the TED to RotT converter. I have them if you can't find them anywhere else.
Hail to the K1n9, baby!
http://k1n9duk3.shikadi.net
User avatar
Fleexy
Tool Smith
Posts: 1432
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:21
Location: Abiathar C&C

Re: [v2.8.8] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by Fleexy »

I hadn't thought about that before. It seems sufficiently different that I'm not sure adding explicit support would be relevant, but I have been considering adding an official API for extensions to implement support for other formats. I would be up for doing that and making a RotT extension.

After a cursory inspection of the HACKROTT documentation, I got the impression that levels were stored externally, in RTC and RTL files. Are there more levels inside the WAD? (Sorry, I've never worked with RotT before, so I'm probably confused.) If you could send me those EGA resources and their chunk layouts, that would be great.
User avatar
K1n9_Duk3
Vorticon Elite
Posts: 781
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 9:30
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: [v2.8.8] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by K1n9_Duk3 »

Sure: rott_mapstuff.zip

The zip file contains the sample levels that were released in some ROTT goodies packs along with TED5 and other tools. There are EGAGRAPH, EGADICT and EGAHEAD files, which will be used by TED5 to draw the levels. The levels come as TED5-compatible MAPTEMP files (same format as in BioMenace) as well as the native ROTT version (SAMPLE.RTL). The conversion utility (TED2RTL) is also included.

Reading the EGAGRAPH file shouldn't be a roblem, but I've included PNG versions of the tilesets just in case.

All level files (RTL/RTC) seem to be external in ROTT. My registered CD has the following level files in the "REGIST" directory:
  • DARKWAR.RTL (registered single-player levels)
  • DARKWAR.RTC (registered comm-bat levels)
  • HUNTBGIN.RTL (shareware single-player levels)
  • HUNTBGIN.RTC (shareware comm-bat levels)
  • ROTTCD.RTC (additional registered comm-bat levels -- the registered foppy disk version didn't have these)
I haven't actually looked at the main WAD file (DARKWAR.WAD), but I don't think it contains any levels.

If I understand the HACKROTT documentation correctly, the basic format of the level planes inside the RTL/RTC files is the same as in the MAPTEMP file. Which is why I suppose it would be relatively easy to add support for in an a level editor. If not, then it should at least be possible for me to write a utility that converts RTL/RTC files to MAPTEMP files and back. Really, as long as there is an option to manually enter falues into the infoplane in Abiathar, getting basic ROTT compatibility should be rather easy.
Hail to the K1n9, baby!
http://k1n9duk3.shikadi.net
User avatar
Fleexy
Tool Smith
Posts: 1432
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:21
Location: Abiathar C&C

Re: [v2.8.8] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by Fleexy »

Yes, this seems doable. Abiathar can successfully load the TED-ified resources in that package with the MAPTEMP/MAPHEAD level format using the graphics settings from the GFXINFOE and MAPTHEAD. The only roadbump is that RotT levels have to be 128x128 and Abiathar makes a lot of assumptions that levels can be resized. I could just have the save fail if there are any mis-sized levels, or silently truncate/pad them, but those both seem like a weird user experience. I might be able to figure something out though.

I notice that the TED2RTL utility takes either a -r or -s switch for registered or shareware, respectively. Is there any different in level format between these?
User avatar
K1n9_Duk3
Vorticon Elite
Posts: 781
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 9:30
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: [v2.8.8] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by K1n9_Duk3 »

I haven't looked into this, but I would assume it's just a flag in the file header that causes the shareware version to show an error message when trying to play levels made for the registered version. I think it was meant to avoid crashes with the shareware version (for example, when the level uses objects that are not available in the shareware version) as well as to make people order the registered version.

About the map size issue: I would just make it so that the editor/converter thows an error message when trying to export a non 128x128 map into the RotT format, so the size restriction doesn't affect the other games.

On the other hand, Wolf3D (and games based on its engine) also have a hard-coded map size (64x64 in this case) and the Commander Keen and BioMenace games have a fixed maximum map height, so it might make sense to add a feature that checks if the current map size fits these restrictions. If I was to program something like that, I would add minimum and maximum values for map width and height to the project settings. For RotT and Wolf3D, you could just set minimum and maximum to the same values, so the maps can't be resized.
Hail to the K1n9, baby!
http://k1n9duk3.shikadi.net
User avatar
K1n9_Duk3
Vorticon Elite
Posts: 781
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 9:30
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: [v2.8.8] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by K1n9_Duk3 »

I compared the results of using the -r and -s switch today. The only thing that changes is the RLEW tag. And from what I've read in the RotT source code, only the shareware version tests the RLEW tag and throws an error when attempting to load a level that does not have the shareware RLEW tag. So unless you want to add support for modding the shareware version, you can just use the default 0xABCD tag (or any other tag, really) for the RLEW compression.
Hail to the K1n9, baby!
http://k1n9duk3.shikadi.net
User avatar
Levellass
S-Triazine
Posts: 5265
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 6:40

Re: [v2.8.8] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by Levellass »

Interesting, Keengraph can get the 16x16 tiles out fine, but not the other graphics. Do you know how many there are of each?
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
User avatar
K1n9_Duk3
Vorticon Elite
Posts: 781
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 9:30
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: [v2.8.8] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by K1n9_Duk3 »

First of all, the GFXINFOE file stores the amount of chunks for each type. I thought this was common knowledge. While this file was included in some game releases (BioMenace), it is only used by TED, not the game itself. The game has these values declared in C header files (and assembly EQU files) that are auto-generated by IGRAB (see Keen Dreams source).

There are no other graphics in the TED graphics files for RotT. The 16x16 tiles (unmasked and masked tiles) are the only thing required for editing maps with TED and RotT does not use these graphics in the game anyway. The graphics were created for the sole purpose of editing maps with TED.

In case you don't know, IGRAB is the tool that was used to convert and combine all the graphics into the xGAGRAPH.* file format. IGRAB and its source code were also released in some RotT goodies pack, so you could modify the icons and create a new xGAGRAPH file for use with TED. The source images are in LBM format, which I think was the native file format used by EA's Deluxe Paint.

Here's IGRAB, along with the grabbing script and source images for the RotT EGAGRAPH files: tedtiles.zip I included PNG versions of the LBM images for conveniance. And don't forget to check out the IGRAB source code. XMS.C contains a message from John (Romero?) to Microsoft. :mort
Hail to the K1n9, baby!
http://k1n9duk3.shikadi.net
User avatar
Fleexy
Tool Smith
Posts: 1432
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:21
Location: Abiathar C&C

Re: [v2.9] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by Fleexy »

UPDATE
v2.9: extensible map handling

First, a few little things. The Tile Property Modifier's inspection mode (press I) now notices when an automatically animating tile animates to a non-auto-animating tile. This should help prevent and debug freezes. The Flood Filler no longer crashes when filling a large area (thanks to K1n9_Duk3 for noticing this bug). The Level Inspector's level size warning thresholds have been adjusted thanks to input from Levellass. The New Project Wizard now handles the Back button correctly when using a template but showing advanced settings. It also now allows for tile EGA chunks to start at chunk zero, instead of crashing when loading a GFXINFOE that specifies such a configuration.

And now for the reason behind the minor version bump. Extensions are now able to define level formats, which show up on the Level Format tab of the New Project Wizard. This allows Abiathar to support various kinds of maps without muddying the main code base. If anyone would like to develop such extensions, just let me know and I'll send some API documentation your way.

I wrote a Rise of the Triad extension, for example. For ease of use, also install this template with File | Templates so you don't have to enter all the EGA chunks.

To get the update, use the auto-updater, or download ZIP.

Also, the removal of a certain internal helper class broke the ImfPreview extension, so here is an updated version of that, also with a fix for the multiple-player-windows bug.
User avatar
Fleexy
Tool Smith
Posts: 1432
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:21
Location: Abiathar C&C

Re: [v2.9.1] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by Fleexy »

UPDATE
v2.9.1: more small improvements

Lone Editing mode has been finagled in a couple of ways. When it's active, unhiding hidden planes just turns them visible instead of active so that you don't wind up with multiple active planes. The paste preview no longer loses track of which planes are being pasted when a plane is unhidden when Lone Editing is on. The check state of the plane control menu items is now updated correctly when tilesets are switched in LE mode.

The Tile Property Modifier's inspection mode now displays tile IDs in compliance with user settings (as opposed to always in decimal). This should make it easier to hunt down which tile it's talking about when it mentions multiple in one error.

The foreground highlight (advanced mode F) of the tile properties overlay is now updated correctly when tiles are changed.

When drag translation is enabled ("use drag motions to define areas"), clicks are now simulated appropriately when the level moves out from under the cursor while a mouse button is pressed. For example, you can now use the Essential Manipulator to tessellate-paste a row/column just by holding your left mouse button down while scrolling the level with the arrow keys. This is especially useful for filling the level borders with the 2x2 "BLOCK" structures.

The background color of the level viewer and tileset can now be configured with Colors | Background in editor.aconf. For example, the KeenGraph light green used to mean transparency is -3342388.

There is now error logging for the Save command. The information therein probably isn't actionable for users, but it would be helpful for me if anyone ever encounters problems with saving.

This update is available through the auto-updater, or you can download a ZIP.
User avatar
Nisaba
Janitress
Posts: 1597
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2016 23:34
Location: The Outpost
Contact:

Re: [v2.9.2] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by Nisaba »

...and the wiki is up to date.
http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Abiathar

Edit: just tested some of the new feature: Excellent! it's a pleasure to know that this tool evolves frequently, as new features and functionality are added. good work, Fleex!

Edit: v2.9.2 has been uploaded to the wiki.
Last edited by Nisaba on Sat Jul 29, 2017 22:07, edited 1 time in total.
out now (link) : Image
User avatar
Fleexy
Tool Smith
Posts: 1432
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:21
Location: Abiathar C&C

Re: [v2.9.2] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by Fleexy »

Thank you!

I just noticed a crash bug in the New Project Wizard's advanced mode that was introduced in v2.9 (whoops), so I pushed out v2.9.2, which fixes that. Here's the ZIP.
User avatar
Fleexy
Tool Smith
Posts: 1432
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:21
Location: Abiathar C&C

Re: [v2.10] Abiathar: The superior Keen Galaxy editor

Post by Fleexy »

UPDATE
v2.10: far more friendly to new users

The first Abiathar update of 2018! :birthday

The out-of-box experience was previously a dialog with sixteen checkboxes and a bunch of text. Needless to say, that could afford some improvement as a new user's first impression. That's been replaced with a much nicer-looking landing page that offers a tour! The tour guides the user through the basics of editing with Abiathar. If you've already launched Abiathar but want to try the tour, you can start it with Help | Tour.

The old OOBE dialog doubled as the settings window, but it's gone now. In its place is the Configuration dialog, which offers a convenient way to finagle most of the Abiathar settings in editor.aconf. (I preserved the little Easter egg, though. :disguised) Most notably, there's a Colors tab, so you can change the colors of things without needing to work with ARGB values that are serialized as signed decimal numbers.

Mini-palettes (that can be called with Alt+Up or Alt+Down for storing or recalling, respectively) are now persisted in project files.

The update is pushed to the automatic update system, or you can download a ZIP. Happy modding!
Post Reply