egomassive's Knytt Stories Plus mod

The only reason I'm not sure if I want to use the map on my level yet is because I would add map spoofing instructions to huge sections of the level, I have entire areas that aren't supposed to look like they are near the rest of the level, and I'll only do that if I have the time. Also I have one area in particular that I'm not even sure if it is possible to make it look right on the map.

But I'm highly motivated to include the map feature on my level, because I'm trying to make it a reference for KS+ levels, using as many of its features as possible. I'll just have to work that out towards the end.

If it doesn't work exactly the way I want it to, I don't want it on my level, because it is going to feel like something is unfinished. I think it should be default on, with the option to turn it off.

What if I let designers disable it and have it off by default for original levels, but let players turn it on in the options menu if they want to? It could say, "Force map on," so they know their actions will change the intended experience. I'd have to hide the Map Power icon though because I'm meticulous too.

That's exactly what I'm going to do.

I tested it and this is what I found: Running through the walls one way or the other works fine. The only issue I found was when I stopped at the point where I overlapped both walls and went back. In this scenario the first wall can't change characters because I never stopped contacting it since it first activated. I'm open to suggestions for a better way to program it. I can't think of a way that wouldn't result in continuous changes if the player stopped at the point where they touch both shifts. Designing your level with a gap between walls may be the best solution.

I'd suggest something like the attached image. In these conditions set the "overlap" flag of the trigger. Fixed values comparison would make the game choose just one trigger that player overlaps. As I can see from signs behavior, it always chooses the object created last.

Thanks Widget; you put it a lot better than I could have . And I agree with Rai, too - seeing the workings of a level can damage the immersion for me. I've played a lot of 'classic' levels since downloading your mod and already I've developed an annoying habit of looking at the map screen and mentally examining the programming techniques instead of enjoying the level as it was meant to be enjoyed. Also, I keep walking into traps while looking at the map.

I'm trying to include the map in the KS+ level I'm working on now, because I do agree with you: having a working map would look cool. But it's proving more pain than it's worth. Having duplicate screens close to where they fit is just much easier for me when it comes to programming. Plus I've currently got three very complicated screens to move because the path has wandered too close to them.

On the other hand... If I do make a sequel to 'I Dreamed of the Sky' (which isn't unlikely) it will inevitably become a trilogy, and I spent a lot of time stressing about how to make my plan for the third part work - the map screen has solved a lot of potential troubles and it will definitely be used when I get there.


Tell you what: how about a command that allows you to hide certain screens from the map? Then I can tell the level to show I'm in the non-duplicate screen while the duplicate screen itself is invisible? To me, that seems a much better solution than trying to second-guess which direction the level is going to build in, or putting a screen thirty blocks left and thirty blocks down.
It won't help with 'Dragon Myth' or other pre-mod levels, but it'd at least make designing for the mod less... frustrating, and encourage me to use the map where it's not necessarily useful.

The 'force map on' option sounds good; pleases the design freaks and the cartography nerds.

Man, I talk too much.

Talps, you don't have to give out the Map Power, then it wont matter where the duplicate rooms are. You've sparked an idea in my mind. ... Oh, it's a very good idea too! I think I can do what you've requested without changing the map functions much. The solution was so stupidly simple. If you declare a MapX or MapY value for a screen it wont appear on the map even with the Map Power. So, now you can hide rooms from the map without placing them far away.

I've added the ability for designers to turn off the map, and let players force it back on. I do feel much better about one aspect; original levels won't have the Map Power icon showing. So, If someone plays The Machine for the first time with KS+ they will be able to collect all the items in the bar like they should.

Raicuparta, I wasn't aware that you could do that. That should come in handy.

Talps, you don't have to give out the Map Power, then it wont matter where the duplicate rooms are. You've sparked an idea in my mind. ... Oh, it's a very good idea too! I think I can do what you've requested without changing the map functions much. The solution was so stupidly simple. If you declare a MapX or MapY value for a screen it wont appear on the map even with the Map Power. So, now you can hide rooms from the map without placing them far away.

You can still view the map even without the map power; it writes itself as you explore.
However, your idea is such an obviously good one that I feel dumb for not working it out myself. Kudos!
Now I have a tileset to design and I need to stop procrastinating...

KS+ 0.6.5 is available in the opening post. This version includes a fix for character changing issues and an updated map spoofing system.

Now when you declare a MapX and/or MapY in the script for a room, the actual location of that room will not show on the map even when possessing the Map power. In most cases that is all you will need to make a beautiful map for the player. However, there 2 new instructions to assist with complex mapping issues:

MapVisible=True
A map location containing spoof data is removed from the map. But, the location should be shown when a second room spoofs to it. Put "MapVisible=True" in the location's scripts to keep it from being removed.

MapVisible=False
You may want to create areas that are not spoofed but also not shown on the map. A secret tunnel for instance. "MapVisible=False" will hide a room before, while, and after it's been visited.

I'm having a problem with custom characters. If a shift changes the character to a blank image (so that the character is invisible), it remains invisible and won't change back with other shifts. I'm not sure what version introduced this bug but it worked fine before.

@ Raicuparts: I've run some tests and I can't reproduce your problem. I've even performed a Shift hide while using a blank character image, and I can still change back. Check you Image declarations.
;example declarations
[Custom Character]
Image1=Knytt.png
Image2=Template.png
Image3=Blank.png
If you switch to an image that isn't declared, then it will load no image and the character will be invisible. If that isn't the problem make sure your shift instructions match the declarations. If these aren't your problem I'll need to see your script.

I think there's nothing wrong with the instructions, I just tested the exact same level on version 0.6.2 and it works fine there. (just to be clear, the problem is in 0.6.5)
I've been trying to find what the problem is specifically with no luck.

I made a new empty level, created two screens, one with a shift that changes to a blank character, and one that changes back to Juni. You can download it here. Maybe I did something wrong on that one, but the bug doesn't seem to be exactly the same. It seems that if I use the top shift first, she will get stuck on invisible mode, but if I use the bottom shift first, she gets stuck on Juni mode.

Oh, it happens when you change characters and the screen! I must have broke this when I fixed the hide with screen change issue you found before. Now, that I know what I'm looking for it shouldn't be difficult to fix. *gives star for bug report*

I've found a serious bug with shifting; absolute target shifting will only send me to screen 0,0. Turning off absolute target seems to fix the bug, though that's not helping me very much. The buggy shift also does one or two other things; my coding looks like this:

[x990y984]
Overlay=true
ShiftVisible(A)=False
ShiftAbsoluteTarget(A)=True
ShiftSave(A)=True
ShiftQuantize(A)=False
ShiftEffect(A)=False
ShiftTouch(A)=True
ShiftType(A)=3
ShiftXMap(A)=-1
ShiftXPos(A)=19
ShiftYPos(A)=6
ShiftSound(A)=None
ShiftFlagOn(A)=0

(It's not my most complex screen :p)
There will eventually be a cutscene in there, too, but I haven't made it yet.
As I say, it keeps sending me to screen 0,0 instead of my intended target (989,984).
I'm still using 0.6.4 I think.

This looks like a bug with my editor. It's showing the right information but it's entering the non-absolute data. The code you have written above points to (-1, 0). It should look like this:
[x990y984]
Overlay=true
ShiftVisible(A)=False
ShiftAbsoluteTarget(A)=True
ShiftSave(A)=True
ShiftQuantize(A)=False
ShiftEffect(A)=False
ShiftTouch(A)=True
ShiftType(A)=3
ShiftXMap(A)=989
ShiftYMap(A)=984
ShiftXPos(A)=19
ShiftYPos(A)=6
ShiftSound(A)=None
ShiftFlagOn(A)=0

I'll give you a star later, it hasn't been 8 hours since my last gift.

Dude, the new invisible solid objects are like, totally visible. Actually you can just barely see them, and they're red.
I suppose you had it this way while testing and forgot to make it invisible.

Fun fact: the invisible objects in the original Knytt Stories are also just barely visible. And custom objects flash a single annoying red pixel the moment they appear! It's maddening stuff.

Man, I've been reading every update to this thread even though I'm not currently working on any knytt projects and I am so anxious to find the time and the passion to get going on my projects again.  I suppose I need to post my tileset up somewhere and ask for some help because I lost my original and I can't figure out how I did it.  Anyhoo... Thank you  ego for continuing to rock the knytting world.  I'm so amazed at how versatile you are making this engine.  *Yet another star*