[Update] Hocus Pocus Level editor v1.2

[Hisymak]

[Update] New version (1.2) was released. Go to the new post about the update.

Hello Keeners! Do you remember Hocus Pocus, a classic platforming game made by Apogee/Moonlite Software in 1994? If yes, then I have awesome news for you: A fully functional level editor for this game is finally here!

I was looking for an editor for this game for a long time. I tried out Camoto Studio (which seems to be a promising tool for editing many classic DOS games), but it was incomplete and not capable of editing all features of the game. I also ran into an editor called Hocus Creation Station, but it was quite hard to use and I don't think it could edit everything too.
So finally I decided to make my own editor, which would be easy to use and complete in terms of level editing. And after almost two months of work the editor is finally here!
Of course I want to thank Modding Wiki and all its members for reverse-engineering the Hocus Pocus map format and publishing all the information I needed to make the editor.
And very special thanks go to ravage for making Hocus Pocus Doom, an amazing Total Conversion which makes the good old Hocus Pocus into 3D. I really liked this project, which showed me that Hocus Pocus is still a popular game with potential and gave me inspiration for making this editor.

Download:
Here

Installation:
Just unzip all files into your Hocus Pocus game folder.
You can set up paths (your game and Dosbox folder) and several other settings in HocusEditor.ini file - it will be created after opening and closing the program first time.
Please note that only Hocus Pocus v1.1 Full and 1.0 demo versions are supported. However it is possible to configure it for any other version, all what is needed is to provide offsets of level/graphics data inside HOCUS.DAT file.

Feature list:
- Open/save maps directly from/to HOCUS.DAT file or an external map file
- Advanced map editing possibilities, allowing you make maps more easily and fast:
- Three editing modes: Basic Tile mode, Pattern mode and Block mode
- Predefined Pattern and Block presets for each tileset, ability to add your own presets
- Undo&Redo feature
- Copy&Paste feature (works also between different maps)
- Fill area feature
- Auto-place window edges feature
- Shift map feature
- Full support for editing all special objects and events (teleports, monsters, switches, locks...)
- Support for editing animation and monster data
- Show/hide specific map layers, show grid feature
- Minimap feature (providing schematic overview of all map)
- Save map image feature
- Simple statistics (number of crystals, healing potions, points etc. in a map)
- Test map feature (map is saved, game is launched in Dosbox, tested level is "saved" on the first savegame slot)
- Many keyboard shortcuts, pattern/block presets can be quickly selected with keys (1,2,3,4,5,...,Q,W,E,R,T,...)

NOTE: The controls of the editor may seem to be a bit complicated - there are many different actions for different mouse buttons (left, right, middle) and their combinations with Shift and Ctrl keys. I strongly recommend reading the help section in the program and getting familiar with the controls, so that you will be able to use full potential of editing possibilities and make your maps easily and fast.

Missing stuff:
- There is no manual/guide available yet as I am quite lazy and suck in doing this. If you know well this game then after playing a bit around with the editor you will definitely figure it out. You can always ask me for help here or via PM/email if anything is not clear to you. Please do it, as this helps me to understand most unclear/confusing things about the editor and make it better. The editor was not tested by anyone except me.
- The editor cannot change the level time limit (time you must beat to get extra point bonus) because it is stored inside HOCUS.EXE. For now you can hex-edit it (the information is available here) and I will possibly add it in the new update of the editor.
- The way of distributing new levels/mods is not fully clear. The editor can export level into a separate file which can be then opened and saved into HOCUS.DAT with the editor, or some patch on HOCUS.DAT can be used.
- Configuration files for all available game versions

Screenshots:

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[lemm]

Neat.

Now Hocus Pocus can finally have some good levels made for it

[troublesomekeen]

Oh my gollygoshesgaloshes. Thanks for posting this here!
Imma try this out...

[Levellass]

*Slow clap*

This is impressive. I remember doing this (Well not exactly this of course) when getting annoyed at Modkeen. This is very impressive indeed. I applaud your achievement.

[Roobar]

People are still using windows XP? Wow...

Anyway, I'm definitely trying this. Good work on it and thanks for sharing!

[Violet CLM]

Oh boy oh boy!

I also ran into an editor called Hocus Creation Station, but it was quite hard to use and I don't think it could edit everything too.

That was mine! Or rather, I started (but didn't finish) two or three separate HP level editors*, and I know one of them was called that but I don't remember which one anymore. Oh well. Anyway I'm really excited to see that someone finally finished the job... that minimap in the screenshots looks really cool!

I have an unfinished HP level from like ten years ago... maybe this is the incentive I needed to get back to it? Gosh! This is so cool!



*I also made the terrible HP x-mas mod, and this abandoned fangame (only the second and fifth episodes are playable)... ah, good times


EDIT: Here's a question (haven't downloaded yet): Did you figure out elevators? I remember back in the day I thought I had all the files (other than the sprites) figured out but I could never find anything that seemed to specify which tiles functioned as elevators. Satisfy my decade-old curiosity?

[Hisymak]

Oh boy oh boy!

I also ran into an editor called Hocus Creation Station, but it was quite hard to use and I don't think it could edit everything too.

That was mine! Or rather, I started (but didn't finish) two or three separate HP level editors*, and I know one of them was called that but I don't remember which one anymore. Oh well. Anyway I'm really excited to see that someone finally finished the job... that minimap in the screenshots looks really cool!

Hello Violet CLM! It's really exciting to meet people who have attempted to make their Hocus Pocus editor. I must say making the editor was really fun for me, so I wonder why nobody have fully completed one in so many years. I think your Hocus Creation Station was the most-complete one among those I tried.
And yeah minimap. I see it's not much common in platformer game editors, but it is definitely a must-have thing!

I have an unfinished HP level from like ten years ago... maybe this is the incentive I needed to get back to it? Gosh! This is so cool!

Well I saw a screenshot from your custom map which was posted in some forum. That's probably the only existing custom Hocus Pocus map in the world, as I haven't made any real map with my editor because I suck at mapping.
But that your map looks really awesome!!! I would really like to have and play it even if it is unfinished! I'm so much looking forward to see some custom levels for Hocus Pocus, since the originals are quite boring and have childish difficulty.
I will also try how the editor can handle maps with a custom tileset, but I guess there will be a problem because the offsets and sizes of files inside HOCUS.DAT are stored in editor's configuration (it does not read HOCUS.EXE for this), so I will most likely need to add it.

EDIT: Here's a question (haven't downloaded yet): Did you figure out elevators? I remember back in the day I thought I had all the files (other than the sprites) figured out but I could never find anything that seemed to specify which tiles functioned as elevators. Satisfy my decade-old curiosity?

Nope, I haven't figured out elevators, sorry...

[Violet CLM]

I must say making the editor was really fun for me, so I wonder why nobody have fully completed one in so many years. I think your Hocus Creation Station was the most-complete one among those I tried.

Honestly, from what I recall I just got stuck figuring out UIs for some of the specialty files, particularly switch combos and animated tiles. I vividly remember staring at the ceiling at a party a long time ago trying to figure something out, and then I never did.

I will also try how the editor can handle maps with a custom tileset, but I guess there will be a problem because the offsets and sizes of files inside HOCUS.DAT are stored in editor's configuration (it does not read HOCUS.EXE for this), so I will most likely need to add it.

Actually, every time I edited a tileset I made sure to make its filesize exactly the same as the original version's, so that won't be an issue. Looking through my Hocus folder suggests I actually assembled two other sets besides the one in that screenshot... gosh. But I should probably finish my Hocus Pocus La-Mulana mod first if anything.

EDIT AGAIN: Did I ever post this here? Tool to replace Hocus's music files

[Hisymak]

I tried your abandoned fangame, it's actually a reimplementation of Hocus Pocus, looks awesome and interesting. However it's easy to die by getting out of the map. And I like how you used the unused Hocus items, what does umbrella exactly do?
Again I'd like to ask whether it is possible to send me that your new level/mod for Hocus Pocus or just anything you made for Hocus Pocus? Or you want to finish your mod first?
And any experience with HocusEditor so far?

[K1n9_Duk3]

Did you figure out elevators? I remember back in the day I thought I had all the files (other than the sprites) figured out but I could never find anything that seemed to specify which tiles functioned as elevators. Satisfy my decade-old curiosity?

The elevators are stored as tile number (left tile an right tile) in the executable. Each level has its own entry in that table (i.e. the elevator tiles are stored per level, not per tileset, much like the tile attribute files). Levels that don't have any elevators have both values (left and right) set to -1.

How do I know all of this? Because I have seen source code for Hocus Pocus somewhere.

[Levellass]

Well I'll be darned! That solves a mystery.

[Roobar]

Even if I have set the path to Dosbox and the game in HocusEditor.ini, when I try to test it, it still says that it cannot find Dosbox.

[Violet CLM]

And I like how you used the unused Hocus items, what does umbrella exactly do?

Nothing IIRC. It was supposed to be a shield, but none of the enemies got enough code to attack you with, so there was nothing for it to do.

Anyway, it occurred to me that I actually had an entire custom level layout sitting around from 2003, just waiting to be converted into data that Hocus Pocus can actually read. So that seemed like a good way of testing this new editor! All told, this took somewhere around four hours to recreate:

Download here (replaces E1L1). The par time is unchanged due to data location issues, but I'd suggest maybe pretending it's 450, or 375 if you're serious.

[Hisymak]

Even if I have set the path to Dosbox and the game in HocusEditor.ini, when I try to test it, it still says that it cannot find Dosbox.

Hmmm. This is what I have in my HocusEditor.ini, it works pretty well:
DosboxPath=D:\DOSBox-0.72\DOSBox\dosbox.exe
Probably you don't have the dosbox.exe filename included. If it still won't work then I'll need to investigate.

Anyway, it occurred to me that I actually had an entire custom level layout sitting around from 2003, just waiting to be converted into data that Hocus Pocus can actually read. So that seemed like a good way of testing this new editor! All told, this took somewhere around four hours to recreate:
Download here (replaces E1L1). The par time is unchanged due to data location issues, but I'd suggest maybe pretending it's 450, or 375 if you're serious.

Oh my... Thank you! Finally some decent custom level to play.
It was quite challenging and secrets were not so easy-to-get, I beat it on first try on normal, took me 1322 seconds.
The only thing that was a little annoying was that some treasure (goblets) were hard to get (you always jump over them) and I often fell to lava.

[Lunick]

How do I know all of this? Because I have seen source code for Hocus Pocus somewhere.

That's funny, I don't recall the source code for Hocus Pocus ever releasing, where did you see it "somewhere"?