Things that can be done by editing a level's code directly

Started by Bruce Michez, February 09, 2015, 12:39:42 AM

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Bruce Michez

My second big level includes two such things:

  • The colour-changing lab background, achieved by manually setting the room's properties to tilecol="6"
  • A weird box-shaped checkpoint, achieved by setting an entity to t="10" p="5", as seen in crazyal02's "Dimension SIMPLE" (http://distractionware.com/forum/index.php?topic=1875.0).  This one's complicated: it turns out that the direction in which it spawns :viridian: is determined by the previous normal checkpoint the player touched.  Therefore, starting at a box checkpoint, when using the editor, crashes the game, as does saving and reloading at one.  Use with caution.
I'm aware of at least three other exploits:

  • The grey warp zone tileset, with a grey warp background, as seen in the original game's Polar Dimension.  Again, this is done by changing the room's properties to tilecol="6".  Interestingly, if you put a warp background in the colour-changing lab room described above, it will be grey.
  • An invalid tilecol in a lab room does something interesting.  If the player hasn't previously visited a lab room, this creates a plain white background.  Otherwise, the background will be the same colour as the last lab room the player was in.
  • Changing the speed of moving platforms, set by platv="x" in the room's properties.
How many other fancy things can be done with a VVVVVV level and a text editor?  I shall try to keep this first post up-to-date.

Bruce Michez


allison

Quote from: Weird Shadow Machine on February 09, 2015, 12:39:42 AM

  • A weird box-shaped checkpoint, achieved by setting an entity to t="10" p="5", as seen in crazyal02's "Dimension SIMPLE" (http://distractionware.com/forum/index.php?topic=1875.0).  This one's complicated: it turns out that the direction in which it spawns :viridian: is determined by the previous normal checkpoint the player touched.  Therefore, starting at a box checkpoint, when using the editor, crashes the game.
I wouldn't recommend using this, since reloading a save while with one of these checkpoints active will make the game bug out (which is why I replaced them with normal checkpoints in an update to SIMPLE).

Setting the tilecol of a Lab room to something invalid (like 42) will create a background with strange colors. Note that this only works if the room is the first Lab room loaded in that session.

Info Teddy

Quote from: Weird Shadow Machine on February 09, 2015, 12:39:42 AM
  • A weird box-shaped checkpoint, achieved by setting an entity to t="10" p="5", as seen in crazyal02's "Dimension SIMPLE" (http://distractionware.com/forum/index.php?topic=1875.0).  This one's complicated: it turns out that the direction in which it spawns :viridian: is determined by the previous normal checkpoint the player touched.  Therefore, starting at a box checkpoint, when using the editor, crashes the game, as does saving and reloading at one.  Use with caution.
can you elaborate on this? this level's gimmick is having to die to advance the level. at two points there's a box-shaped checkpoint where you have to die to spawn way underneath it, but you can just saveload there instead and it doesn't crash the game.

sv6z2

Quote from: Info Teddy on May 04, 2018, 11:21:14 PM
Quote from: Weird Shadow Machine on February 09, 2015, 12:39:42 AM
  • A weird box-shaped checkpoint, achieved by setting an entity to t="10" p="5", as seen in crazyal02's "Dimension SIMPLE" (http://distractionware.com/forum/index.php?topic=1875.0).  This one's complicated: it turns out that the direction in which it spawns :viridian: is determined by the previous normal checkpoint the player touched.  Therefore, starting at a box checkpoint, when using the editor, crashes the game, as does saving and reloading at one.  Use with caution.
can you elaborate on this? this level's gimmick is having to die to advance the level. at two points there's a box-shaped checkpoint where you have to die to spawn way underneath it, but you can just saveload there instead and it doesn't crash the game.

nice 3 year bump

also its probably because 2.2 but i cant elaborate on that

Bruce Michez

Quote from: Info Teddy on May 04, 2018, 11:21:14 PM
Quote from: Weird Shadow Machine on February 09, 2015, 12:39:42 AM
  • A weird box-shaped checkpoint, achieved by setting an entity to t="10" p="5", as seen in crazyal02's "Dimension SIMPLE" (http://distractionware.com/forum/index.php?topic=1875.0).  This one's complicated: it turns out that the direction in which it spawns :viridian: is determined by the previous normal checkpoint the player touched.  Therefore, starting at a box checkpoint, when using the editor, crashes the game, as does saving and reloading at one.  Use with caution.
can you elaborate on this? this level's gimmick is having to die to advance the level. at two points there's a box-shaped checkpoint where you have to die to spawn way underneath it, but you can just saveload there instead and it doesn't crash the game.
Well, it seems that, contrary to what Alek said, this glitch only occurs when starting at a box checkpoint in the editor.  (If you're curious, this causes :viridian: to fall up with the wrong sprite, and he won't be able to flip even when touching a solid... ceiling?)

allison

Quote from: Weird Shadow Machine on May 05, 2018, 11:53:42 AM
Well, it seems that, contrary to what Alek said, this glitch only occurs when starting at a box checkpoint in the editor.  (If you're curious, this causes :viridian: to fall up with the wrong sprite, and he won't be able to flip even when touching a solid... ceiling?)
really? oops. must've just assumed back then. this should lend these checkpoints a lot more versatility then