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Neobeo

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Joined: Sep 2002

Posts: 409

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Aug 19, 2006, 10:40 PM
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I actually find the idea of a new JCS quite intriguing. And many of the ideas actually seem quite creative too, and would be really useful for a new JJ2 level editor. Needless to say, much of the ideas stated are already possible since the J2L format has been mostly figured out, and all that's left in an interface. So, really, what I would like to see is an enhanced GUI over the original JCS, which might include:

General Interface
  • Tabs for different levels (a'la Firefox)
  • Skins
  • Proper scrollbars
  • Change everything about the "Level Properties" form
  • A hex editor mode if you really want low-level access to editing your levels (i.e. editing the binary of the level)

Level Editor Interface
  • MSPaint-style tools (Line, rectangle, flood fill)
  • Standard edit functions (Copy&paste, Undo&redo)
  • Ability to view more than one layer at once
  • Goto function and bookmarks, to jump from one position to another (or even between layers)
  • Fullscreen level view - probably also the ability to dump as BMP/other

Additional Functions
  • Tileset extractor/editor
  • A more advanced tileset compiler (think TilesetPal)
  • A file manager *
  • (Refer to JCSref article on tile cache) Ability to manually set tile caches such that foreground layers will use the same tile cache as layer 4 etc.
  • Save as version 1.23 or version TSF.

Miscellaneous
  • A help file which incorporates everything in JCSref
  • Appendices for the MCE list and ambient sounds and other lists

* The file manager is a concept I've been working on. It basically goes through a folder, and gives details for each level and tileset. Basic details such as name, tileset for the level, next level. Maybe also some subtle details like whether its missing a start position or certain warp targets.

That's about all I can think of for now. I'm sure I had more before I started writing, but oh well.
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<TABLE border=1><TR><TD>Facts:
Jazz Sprite Dynamite (JSD)
Tileset Extractor
Neobeo's Firetruck

</TD><TD>Myths:
Jazz Creation Station Plus (JCS+) - 10%
Coming soon - a dedicated server! - 25%
Jazz Sprite Dynamite v2 (JSDv2) - 2%
Another generic single-player level - 0%
</TD></TR></TABLE>