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Index

Tilesets
  Palette Swap Animations
Tileset Basics
  Compiling a tileset
Tilesets Masks
  Automask
  Masking in general
Tilesets Palettes
  16 bit to 8 bit
  Gradients
  Creating the Palette
  3D Tileset Objects
  Underwater Ambient Lighting
Jcs events
  Ambient sounds (Howto JCS)
  Mystery of the Pacman Ghost
  Destruct Scenery
  Warps
  Text
  Triggers
  Buttstomp Scenery
  MCE's - why and how
  Events moved by belts
  Event Theory
Jcs interface
  JCS Hotkeys
  Textured Backgrounds
Leveldesign theory
  Important phrases (Howto JCS)
  Bouncy things
Leveldesign tutorials
  Making a simple level (Howto JCS)
  Layers (Howto JCS)
  Background Music
  Cool layer tricks
  Trigger Scenery in background layers
  Tile Cache
  Motion Blur
  Remembering Triggers
Miscellaneous
  Links and Resources
  Welcome to JCSref
  Detached Starfields

 Viewing node Layers (Howto JCS)


Layers (Howto JCS)

The most important layers are 4 and 8. Layer 4 is the "sprite layer". That means that Jazz, Spaz and their enemies walk around on that layer. Which in turn means that all the walls and floors have to be on that layer too. Layer 4 is the standard layer, so when you start editing the current layer is already 4. Layer 8 is the deepest background layer. If you have nothing on this layer you get a very strange effect. If you want to know what I mean, "Save & Run" the level you made in the "simple level" tutorial...
See what I mean?
So, a level must always have tiles on layer 8.

1) If it isn't loaded yet, load the level you made in the "simple level" tutorial("File" and then "Open") or (if you skipped that tutorial) make a small level with the "Castle 1" tileset that has a start pos and an end pos(Area end of level event).

2) Go to layer 8 by clicking on 8 in the menu bar of the level-editing window.

3) Fill the layer with different tiles that seem usefull as background. This is what it can look like:



4) Now, your basic level is finished. "Save & Run" it.

Now you know enough about layers to make a level. But to make a good level you should take a look at the following:
Of course, there are eight layers...not just two. So here's how to use the rest.

1) Go to layer 6.

2) Put some tiles in there that would look good as middle background...for example like this:



3) And put something on layer 2... for example the candle:



4) Save & Run the level.

Pretty nice, huh? And you haven't even used the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th layer. Well, that's all about layers for now...

Added on: 2 June 2001 14:02. Made by Ninja Dodo.