How to: Knytt Stories Editor

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Friday
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How to: Knytt Stories Editor

Postby Friday » Tue Jul 21, 2015 10:59 pm

Hey, since I've been asked a lot about how to use the editor in IRC recently by complete newbies to nifflas' really bad UI: the bad, the really bad, and the ugly

Here goes.

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Q: What are these numbers 0-7?
A: Those are the layers. Think of them as literally layers of stuff. 0-3 is for the tilesets, 4-7 is for active elements from the Banks, at the upper right.

Q: Ok so what does that mean
A: 3 is the solid layer. Anything you put from the tilesets while on 3 will be solid to both Juni and enemies. 0, 1, and 2 are all background layers. There's no functional difference between them, except 1 covers 0, and 2 covers 1.

Q: Alright what about the active elements?
A: They work the same way. 7 covers 6, 6 covers 5, and 5 covers 4. Otherwise no difference.

Q: How do I test my level?
A: Click "test level", then enable/disable any powerups you want, then click on the map itself for where you want Juni to spawn in. It'll go to the gameplay from there.

Q: then what's "set start pos"?
A: That's for where Juni begins the game when it's played properly. You don't have to worry about that, because Newbie will be setting that bit.

Q: What's "BG" and tilesets A/B?
A: Those are the background and tilesets used for that screen. You can have two tilesets per screen, and one background image. Think of the background image as "Layer -1" in that it's behind even layer 0.

Q: How do music and atmosphere work?
A: Music will play the selected track one time without looping when the screen is entered. Atmosphere will play whatever on loop. If you want to make a custom background bgm for your area, make it an atmosphere so it loops.

Q: Where are the enemies?
A: They're in the banks. The banks are all named. Click below them in "obj" to scroll through them.

Q: is there any way to do this faster than clicking one at a time?
A: shift-click does 10 at a time. Right clicking gets you negative, shift-right click for -10.

Q: Can I drag over tilesets to place entire trees at once/etc?
A: Nope! Nifflas! You can, however, use WASD to move the cursor in the tileset area without clicking/moving the mouse, which is a good way to quickly put down trees and whatnot.

Q: How do signs and shifts work?
A: In the system bank, you'll see Sign A, B, C, and Sign Area A, B, and C. Once you set a sign, go to the top and click 3rd party tools, then screen settings. You'll see another screen where you can customize shifts and write down signs.

Q: What's the difference between Sign and Sign Area?
A: Sign is where the sign will display. Sign area is where Juni needs to be standing for the sign to display. You can make sign area into large swaths if you want the sign to display for more than just one tile. You can also skip using Sign Area entirely if you want the sign to just appear on top of Juni. Don't do this if you're making a swath, though, because it'll make the sign flicker as Juni moves.

Q: Can you go into detail what shifts can do?
A: AAAAAAAAAAA ok. Shifts are complicated and can do a lot. Usually they're used for teleporting Juni. You can make them invisible or not, make them a circle, a square, make them trigger on touch or have to press down, and a bunch of other shit. It's all there in the screen settings screen.

Q: This is really time consuming!
A: Yep. Use copy/paste A LOT. It'll save you tons of time.

Q: Is there an undo? I keep misclicking and having to go back and select empty.
A: No, but you can "grab" stuff on the map by right clicking it if you're on the right layer. This can be used to quickly erase misclicks and mistakes, and build areas.

Q: oops! I made an entire screen of stuff but wasn't on layer 3 so everything isn't solid!
A: Yep. I have done this 4572903673029 times. Enjoy remaking your room, with layer 3 selected this time!

Q: What enemies are good to use?
A: Most of the Robots Bank is "fair" (though can be used unfairly) and the bouncers are also good. Generally, try out enemies and decide for yourself which ones are good. Use enemies that are non-random as much as possible.

Q: How do I make puzzles?
A: oh god uh you're gonna have to be more specific

Q: I want to make this cool thing where a timer counts down and --
A: ok let me stop you right there. If this is your first time, you probably shouldn't be trying to break the system. Just make basic stuff.

Q: NO I WANT TO MAKE AN ESCAPE SEQUENCE WITH A COUNTDOWN TIMER
A: ok but I don't know how you could do that. Good luck!

Q: oh god all this weird shit in objects and areas bank what does it mean what are these symbols friday pls help
A: try stuff out! a lot of the buttons are used to get rid of specific blocks. The red ones.

Q: I want a block the enemies can move through but juni can't
A: objects and areas, afformentioned red ones.

Q: I want a block Juni can move through but enemies can't
A: yeah, me too. NIFFLASSSSS

Q: Invisible bank?
A: yep. the red ones are invisible kill zones.

Q: why is one invisible white block clear and another filled?
A: enemies pass through/don't pass through, respectively.

Q: Friday this is so much
A: experience bij

Q: how did you learn
A: tons of trial and error

Q: will you touch your nipple
A: way ahead of ya

Q: what are you wearing
A: it's fucking hot, and my room gets really hot during the day and the AC is broken and won't cool my room so use your fucking imagination

Q: I don't know who to vote for
A: Guild
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Mothra
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Re: How to: Knytt Stories Editor

Postby Mothra » Tue Jul 21, 2015 11:06 pm

When you select a meanie, how do you add it? I can't seem to get off of the environment tile and onto the meanie tile.

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Re: How to: Knytt Stories Editor

Postby Friday » Tue Jul 21, 2015 11:08 pm

yeah, you gotta select layer 4-7. it won't let you place them in 0-3, that's for tilesets.
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Re: How to: Knytt Stories Editor

Postby Newbie » Wed Jul 22, 2015 12:18 am

The only point of distinction I'd draw is that layers 4 and 5 appear behind Juni, while layers 6 and 7 appear in front of Juni. 99% of the time this won't matter, unless you really want to make Juni disappear into the crowd, in which case put all the knytts and fluff in layers 6 and 7.

ALSO: As a general rule, make sure the tiles along the extreme outer rim of your room match up EXACTLY with the rooms on every side. (Assume placeholder rooms are completely solid along that edge.) This is important because if there's a mismatch, Frocto will switch rooms at exactly that point, swim through the landscape, and promptly break out of your level altogether and disappear into the Galaxy of Terror several stages and powerups too early.
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Esperath
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Re: How to: Knytt Stories Editor

Postby Esperath » Wed Jul 22, 2015 1:41 am

Image

Juni pathing with various powerups.
pisa katto

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pisa katto

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Mothra
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Re: How to: Knytt Stories Editor

Postby Mothra » Sat Jul 25, 2015 4:06 pm

What were those small white projectiles a bunch of people had on their maps, that would originate from a single point?

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Re: How to: Knytt Stories Editor

Postby Newbie » Sat Jul 25, 2015 4:57 pm

If you're describing what I THINK you're describing, that's an explosion in one of the effects categories. It's mixed in with fluorescent light bulbs and spinning things and fires, but unlike the other explosions it has a white box.
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Healy
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Re: How to: Knytt Stories Editor

Postby Healy » Sat Jul 25, 2015 7:45 pm

Yeah, it's in Decorations, bank 8, object 17.
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Mothra
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Re: How to: Knytt Stories Editor

Postby Mothra » Sun Jul 26, 2015 2:20 am

Alright so, I'm on the final screen, which is a boss fight, so this is the last thing I need to get working. I found the "Explosions" icon and added it, but all it does is make explosions happen forever.

I'm trying to do what happened in the boss rush screens during the last playthrough, where fire projectiles would aim at Juni and fire repeatedly.

Does this take some kind of coding wizardry?

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Re: How to: Knytt Stories Editor

Postby Healy » Sun Jul 26, 2015 3:08 am

Oh, you'll want the evil fire object, then. It's bank 6, object 6.
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