Level editing

Edit the .lvl files

Each level consists of a .lvl file (look at level1.lvl, level2.lvl... for examples).

The structure of .lvl files is :

  • a JSON header that contains some settings for the level :

    • origin : player starting point
    • next_level : name of the level to load when this level is won
    • pointlights : list of coordinates for the lights

  • a line containing -LEVEL- that begins the level “model”

  • many “slices” of ASCII chars separated by lines containing -Z-

The “slices” are ASCII representations of each Z level of the level world. For example, this is a floot with a hole in its center:

#####
#####
## ##
#####
#####

Here are the ASCII chars availables :

  • Normal cubes with different textures

    • D : a “orange” texture with black curves on it
    • # : a stone texture
    • = : a wood texture

  • Cubes that cannot receive portals

    • M : a metallic rusty texture

  • Deadly cubes

    • L : lava

  • Friendly cubes

    • X : exit

Use the ingame editor

If you don’t want to edit .lvl files by hand, I’m working on an inline editor. To launch it, just start the game with the -e flag before the name of the level:

ppython main.py -e mylevel

When in editor mode, here are the available keys (AZERTY keyboard by default, change this in Gate/constants.py if needed):

  • A : fly up
  • W : fly down
  • Z, Q, S, D : strafe
  • R : reset position
  • P : print position
  • B : enter pdb
  • L : add a light at the current position
  • U : undo last edit
  • F11 : save the level

Here is what you can do in editor mode :

  • Copy an existing cube : clic on a cube and a copy of it will appear on the face you were looking at
  • Make multiple copies of a cube : look at a cube without clicking it and use the number keys from 1 to 9 to create (1 to 9) copies of the cube. It’s the same as clicking on a cube, then on its copy, then on the copy of its copy and so on
  • Delete an existing cube : right-clic a cube
  • Make a rectangle : look at a cube and use the X key to create a rectangle from this cube to where you are (the camera)
  • Make a room : look at a cube and use the Shift-X key to create a room (non-filled parallelepiped) from this cube to where you are (the camera)

Loading an existing level

You can edit an existing level by launching the editor on it:

ppython main.py -e level1

Notes

When saving the level, the camera position in the editor is saved as the origin position in the .lvl file so it will be the player’s original position.