Gathering Knowledge

I just wanted to add that you guys all rock.  I'm pretty sure I'll never make a custom level of my own, but I really appreciate all the work you're doing (and sharing) because it means some day I'll be playing even more Saira awesomeness.  I give you all virtual cookies...er, not the browser kind, the tasty crunchy filled with imaginary chocolate chip kind.  Keep it up and I'll even bake you a virtual cake.  It's like normal cake only made completely of virtual awesomeness.

Would be awesome if someone with a good ear would try to test these sprite parameters for type=player
Step Sound=
Land Sound=
Jump Sound=

See here: http://nifflas.lpchip.nl/index.php?topic=2304.msg26063#msg26063
for some notes...

I've muted the music/ambiance on Dragon Noir and played around with these settings, but didn't find out much more yet. So far it appears that changing either one by a small amount doesn't introduce any noticeable change, while changing them drastically mutes the sound altogether.

Perhaps these affect the variation in volume, which would be nigh impossible to detect in smaller changes. I'll try it again after work.

I've muted the music/ambiance on Dragon Noir and played around with these settings, but didn't find out much more yet. So far it appears that changing either one by a small amount doesn't introduce any noticeable change, while changing them drastically mutes the sound altogether.

Perhaps these affect the variation in volume, which would be nigh impossible to detect in smaller changes. I'll try it again after work.

Thanks  , I'll also take a look at them again when I finish the more physics related parameters.

HAH!
I finally found something you don't have!!
Not entirely useless!!

in the planet.ini

[Tileset 0]
Image=Tilesets\Toxic.png
Mask=Tilesets\Toxic Mask.png
Materials 0=X@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 1=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 2=@@@@@@@~~~@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 3=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 4=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 5=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 6=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 7=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

The different @s and ~s indicate what noise you make when you run on it.
If you look at the boromine tileset, you'll see that were each "block" is, there is a different symbol!
The ~~~ make the 3 tiles that are liquid make the water noise.
I will be looking into these different symbols and the noise they make!


~=water
@=?
X= no sound? (that is the delete block)

Or not 

HAH!
I finally found something you don't have!!
Not entirely useless!!

in the planet.ini

[Tileset 0]
Image=Tilesets\Toxic.png
Mask=Tilesets\Toxic Mask.png
Materials 0=X@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 1=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 2=@@@@@@@~~~@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 3=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 4=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 5=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 6=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Materials 7=@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

The different @s and ~s indicate what noise you make when you run on it.
If you look at the boromine tileset, you'll see that were each "block" is, there is a different symbol!
The ~~~ make the 3 tiles that are liquid make the water noise.
I will be looking into these different symbols and the noise they make!


~=water
@=?
X= no sound? (that is the delete block)

hmm.. I mentioned this in my work on sprites.
This ASCII mask is also used to define which textures activate generators when stepping on them. If that makes sense. See my note on sprites

         Step Sprite=    A parameter which targets a sprite of the type
                          "Generator" with each step Saira takes.
                          Default: *sprite generator*
                          
          Step Sprite Materials=
                          Defines the material which Saira has to step on
                          in order for the Generator, specified in the
                          "Step Sprite" parameter, to activate.
                          This parameter cross references with the ASCII
                          mask for the tileset of the planet, this ASCII
                          mask is found in the Planet.ini file in the same
                          folder as the Sprites.ini
                          Therefore this parameter takes an ASCII char as
                          value and checks against the mask to see if the
                          tile Saira steps on is the right material.
                          Default: *ASCII char*

                          NOTE: Can take two chars (maybe more) to address
                          two different materials in the tileset.

Did a visual representation of the planet positioning parameters



Will add it to my prior post on the topic.

Editor, screen settings


------------------------------
[general]
Header=Your ship enables you to travel between stars in search for items. To interact with your ship, stand next to it and press {Use}.
Header Is Instruction=1
------------------------------
Shows that at the top of the screen
Choose if its counted as an instruction, ie to show if the person has no instructions.
{use} means it shows the use button
{Jump} is show jump button
{Fly} is for the fly button
I am assuming that there is one for escape as well
------------------------------
[general]
Background=Backgrounds\Sky.png
------------------------------
select a background that is in the backgrounds folder
------------------------------
[general]
Ambiance 0=..\..\..\Data\Ambiance\Forest Wind.ogg
Ambiance 0 Volume=40
Ambiance 1=Music\Percussion.ogg
Ambiance 1 Volume=0
Ambiance 1 Volume +Intensity=60
Ambiance 1 Volume +Timer=62
------------------------------
load ambiance
Ambiance number and volume
(only the songs are loaded in planet.ini)
it seems like you can also load music as ambiance?
you can load it in the same as backgrounds
They will play at the same time
intensity = ?
Timer = ?
-----------------------------
[Emitter 0]
Angle +-Random=180
Count=30
Layer=5
Layer +Random=4
Object=Grass Particle
Scale=200
Scale +-Random=25
Margin Top=-25
------------------------------
[Emitter X]-change number

Angle +-Random=180-
the controllers (see exp hp's brilliant post!)

Count=30-How many
Layer=5-what layer
Layer +Random=4-random layers?
Scale=200-how big the objects are
Scale +-Random=25-random sizing

margin top must mean how far from the top the objects come out, so -25 would be -25 pixels from the top (offscreen)

Object=Grass Particle-choose the image (loaded in objects.ini)
------------------------------
[Hazards]
Poison=46
-----------------------------
Set the poison rate (?) or poison amount.

More to come!
edit: added hazards
Edit2: added more ambiance

[general]
Background=Backgrounds\Sky.png
------------------------------
select a background that has been loaded in objects.ini

I'm pretty confident that this has nothing to do with the objects.ini file.

[Emitter 0]
Angle +-Random=180
Count=30
Layer=5
Layer +Random=4
Object=Grass Particle
Scale +-Random=25
------------------------------
[Emitter X]-change number

Angle +-Random=180
Count=30
Layer=5
Layer +Random=4
Scale +-Random=25- the controllers (see exp hp's brilliant post!)

Object=Grass Particle-choose the image (loaded in objects.ini)

What is this exactly? Can you explain what happens when you change the parameters?
What happens if you remove the part entirely?

qoute from objects.ini:
.....   
oops........ 

ill edit it, it looks like it just....loads it

I've been messing with Saira's player sprite sheet.
I've been able to figure out what sprites are played by what player actions.
Anyway, here are the sprites and actions, in case you plan on making a player sprite sheet manually.

I've listed the actions in the order they appear on the sprite sheet.
Format: <# of sprites for an action> - <action description>

• 18 - Run warm up. If you start running from a standing position, this animation plays before you reach full speed.  It takes Saira about 2 steps.
• 24 - Run cycle. This is the repeating running animation.  It plays as long as you run at full speed.  It takes Saira about 2 steps.
• 24 - Slowing down your run to a stop.  The first sprite always plays when you release the run button on the ground, even if you have not reached the full speed run animation.  How many frames are played depend on how fast you were running?
•   1 - not used?.
•   1 - Jumping up. This is the first sprite that plays when you jump. This sprite will be held much longer if you use the fly power to fly straight up in the air.
•   6 - Slowing ascent.  As your jump loses momentum, these sprites play.
•   9 - Start to fall.  As you start to fall from you jump, these sprites will play. If you run straight off a ledge and start falling without jumping, these sprites play.
•   1 - Terminal velocity falling.  This sprite is held once you fall fast enough.
• 24 - Climb cycle. This is the repeating climbing animation. It will repeat a couple times if you hit a wall with a lot of speed from the fly power.
• 11 - Climb slows. Plays as your climb loses momentum, slows down, and you start to slide down.
•   1 - Slide down. This frame is held the whole time you slide down.
•   1 - not used?
• 10 - Grabbing ledge. Plays when you start grabbing a ledge.
•   1 - Hold ledge. Holds this frame once you have settled on the ledge.
• 54 - Fly Power.  I am pretty sure that this does not cycle/repeat.  (So I am guessing that the fly power cannot be extended to last longer?)
• 487 - Idle animation.
•   2 - blanks at the end (obviously not used?)

Note that 2 of those animations will cycle/repeat:  The run and climb animations.

Some more notes:
Normally if you change directions, the game plays the normal "slow down run" and "warm up run" animations.
But *sometimes* if you are running into a wall and you change directions, you can stay in the "full speed" run animation cycle.
I do not think this phenomenon gives you a speed/acceleration boost.  It’s just a weird animation effect.


Also,
If you use the fly power to fly straight up and slightly sideways into a climbable wall, you can climb about 1/2 a screen higher with the momentum.


Anyway, thanks for the game.