Extended Version v1.5.9 - mod for KS & Level Editor

I installed newest version today (I overwrote previous one) and when I wanted to make new level, I get this: "Error: could not open pack." It could load old levels normally. What should I do ?

You can get that error if Template.bin is missing from the data folder. It's probably not included with KS Extended, so you'll have to reinstall KS to get it back.

Thank you. It works now.

Version 1.5.4

Game:

• Support for animations with Delay value below 1.
• Bug fixed: Custom objects were leaking resources, causing bugs after a period of playing.

Editor:

• Automatic template Objects (Bank 254) creation from current view of the screen (with or without background gradient). This lets you layer a picture made of tiles on top of Juni for example. Choose an unused Template object and you'll see a camera button to the right of Object selector.
• Simple 1-frame custom objects (Bank 255) are displayed in objects list.
• My bug fixed: With big World.ini saving was slowed down.

If you used foreground tiles layer in egomassive's mod, you'll love this update. Perhaps even more important is that it solves the standard problem of having only 2 tilesets per screen. To capture a specific layer as an object, just right-click other layers to make them invisible.

BTW, what features from KS+ should I add to KS Ex?

Now that we know big World.ini files cause slow loading, I was recently wishing I'd used the map system from KS Ex in KS+.

I'd suggest the additional solid shapes from the Invisible bank. Having these would make it easier for designers to upgrade a KS+ project to KS Ex. Being able to write "invisibly" to the collision mask is a bonus to designers anyway.

Now that we know big World.ini files cause slow loading, I was recently wishing I'd used the map system from KS Ex in KS+.

Why?

Quote from: egomassive on October 19, 2013, 17:35:29

Now that we know big World.ini files cause slow loading, I was recently wishing I'd used the map system from KS Ex in KS+.

Why?

Because it's easy to inflate the size of the file by adding false locations and user defined colors for most of the rooms in a level. It'll only be an issue for large levels, but that's what I'm interested in making. The way KS Ex can define areas seems much more economical. My original goal was a designer friendly map system. I didn't realize large ini files could be such a burden.

If I were to design KS from the ground up, like a true KS 2.0, I'd add a z-depth to handle duplicate locations. I'd add a bank for map icons, and I'd reserve bytes in the Map.bin for map color and icon. [/offtopic]

I didn't know KS+ allows custom map colors. Maybe I'll add this too. I got interested in collectables (coins, artifacts, new keys) so I've started working on them for KS Ex. Though, expanding KS Ex is not at all a priority. If I gain interest for WoG or KU editor, I'll abandon the work on collectables

Looks like it's ready. Kinda feels like I've ripped off your work.

I stole ideas from you too. I only added color to the map because you did. User defined colors was a request by SecretGlitch anyway, iIrc. Creating our mods at the same time has strengthened both products.

You can rip the Collectibles code right out of my source if that's possible. It was a ton of painstaking work. You'll have to erase all the OCO instructions. And, you can use the graphics too. I'm rather proud of the coin and artifact animations.

Now everything's ready, collectables and locks for them. I wonder if I should add new keys. It would be easy, but there aren't many colors left - surely green, maybe white, maybe even orange or azure, but that's it.

If you were to add new keys, I think four would be the perfect number, so it's good that's what you were able to come up with. Pink and grey are other colours I could see working.

Yes, pink and gray can work. Actually artifacts can replace keys very well, so it's more a thing of aesthetics.

Version 1.5.5

Game:

• Support for collectable items with quantity.
• New Lua events: CanShift(shift_id), CanShiftA, CanShiftB, CanShiftC - called when shift is triggered and can set CanShift variable to "false" to prevent the shift.
• New forms of Lua events: "x1000y1000warp" and "NewTemplate1", here "1" is template number and x1000y1000 are screen coordinates.

The actual collectable objects are in template objects thread. They are coin, artifacts, 2 new keys and locks for all of these items.

Version 1.5.6

Game:

• Support for golden creatures (new gold dust child object and various fixes).

Editor:

• Adding template objects easily with the "+" button near template index field. (this is where a camera was drawn in previous versions)
• Template object icons for objects 201 to 255 removed, because they shouldn't be used.

Now adding template objects to a level is as easy as it can be! More info, golden creatures and their locks are in template objects thread.