Level editor suggestions

[darkhog]

I've recently bought HIB#4 (mainly because Bit.Trip Runner and Cave Story +) and got this unexpected christmas gift (VVVVVV) . Anyway I have few suggestions for level editor.

First of all instead of developing own scripting language, maybe we could use one of existing languages like BASIC or Lua? This would give us more power (imagine spawning enemies or spikes in runtime, so you walking peacefully through corridor and then enemies jump out behind you) while being easier to learn if you already know language used (BASIC is my favorite since it's perfect for such things and IMO Lua, Python or other scripting language is an overkill here) or any programming languages in general. Of course there will be little pain with older levels, but we can ease that by leaving old interpreter intact and just adding another (then in level's XML file we could add ScriptEngine tag with number parameter. 0 will mean old one and 1 new one, if there will be no such tag game will assume it's old level and use old interpreter).

Also instead of few featured levels maybe we could make online repository like those in Voxatron available from within game with upload option from level editor? That will ease level sharing process.

And now feature for levels themselves - ability to choose whether map will be available in-game or not.
Also being able to shoot and jump (not flip). This though won't make into normal game, but it would be nice to add gun and jump upgrade bonuses (as collectibles) so player will be able to jump and shoot aside of just flipping.

[Damn It AL to Hell]

Okay, not to put a spoil on your ideas, it's pretty good, but I have to disagree with the gun and jump upgrade. These would render the game broken as well as decrease the entertainment value. Since flipping is VVVVVVV's thing that makes it unique, jumping will conform it to a lot of other games while shooting will decrease the game's difficulty significantly. But it's not my place to decide, so we'll leave it to Terry.

[darkhog]

That's why I said that it wouldn't make into main game. It's just another option for level designers - if they don't want it, they won't use it. Simple as that. Also I've thought of antibonus which would block flipping.

[Damn It AL to Hell]

Ahh, I gotcha.

[darkhog]

I've got quite interesting suggestions related to scripting.

- Remove hardcoded level goal (rescuing crewmembers) and add check functions for how many crewmembers were rescued (similar to ones for trinkets) and endlevel command which would end level.
- Add string and integer variables. Flags are often enough, but with integer and string variables for storing internal script data we would have much more freedom in designing scripts.
- Add return command which would return to previous script if would that script executed by if<something> command
- Add command for loading another level. This way we would have theoretically infinite dimensions.
- Do command reference. Even if not in tutorial form, "<commandname>(parameters) - it do this if parameters are that" form is enough for us. It don't even have to have screens!
- Add playsfx(x) command. It'll be similar to music command but it'll play one of VVVVVV sounds.
- Add quake(time) command which would quake screen for time amount of time.

[Damn It AL to Hell]

Okay, now these are something that I'd love to see! No offense.

[darkhog]

Additional suggestion:
- Add way to customize crewmate rescue/get trinket messages either via command or by editing level properties.

[Globix]

I got humble indie bundle 4 for Christmas too!    Anyways, your ideas are very good, I wish I actually knew how to program the terminals make dialogue and stuff, e.t.c, Then I would actually care about those ideas implemented in the game.

I also have an idea for some added features id like to see:

- There should be simpler coding in my opinion, it kind if takes part of the point of VVVVVV away for me. (Like I said, I have no experience with programming at all, but that's just my opinion). Maybe VVVVVV stuff could be programmed either way, whichever you choose, but I guess that would be confusing. Any thoughts?

[Officer Captain]

ability to choose whether map will be available in-game or not

why

[999999]

* Hotkey for instantly to toggle the speed game (100% | 80% | 60% | 40% ) while you use the level editor.
* Hotkey for instantly to toggle the speed game (100% | 80% | 60% | 40% ) while you use the level editor.
* Hotkey for instantly to toggle the speed game (100% | 80% | 60% | 40% ) while you use the level editor.

Thanks

[Terry]

If you have to slow your level down to test it, then you're probably making a stupidly hard level...

[999999]

If you have to slow your level down to test it, then you're probably making a stupidly hard level...

Oh, you make me sad, Terry  . No, wait, I could to have explained it a bit too. I dislike hard levels. Well, I suck in hard levels too. Anyway, in all the situations where I found me asking to the gods why I can't to have a slowdown key is for quickly (it sounds contradictory ) to discard hard paths inside my level... and to avoid that a player can to fail in trying repetitively that path instead of other one <harder to figure>/<easier to pass>. Or that I want to think, at last in theory. In the tables... sigh, It's hard 

[OJ]

I suggest a sort of autosave feature, for a multitude of reasons not worth sharing.

There would be an option to have autosave on or off, by default it is on. There would be a time selector for the time between each autosave. By default, it would be set at every 10 minutes, maybe 15. It would go 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes. It shouldn't go any higher, because that would defeat the purpose. By an hour spent editing, you'd HAVE to have saved at least once. You'd set it to off if you were experimenting with things, practicing scripting, messing around in the editor, and the like. If you save your level manually while autosave is off, it will switch to on, and the default time.
On the first autosave, if you hadn't saved already, would ask you what you would like to save your level as. You name it, for example, "My Level". With every autosave it will now save as "My Level" until you manually change the name. With each autosave made, a little notification would appear saying "level saved". If you make a mistake and it autosaves, there would also be an option below it saying "Delete autosave?", and "delete" and "keep" options. If you somehow missed that, and then for whatever reason your game closed or something, and you tried to load up your level again and it was totally ruined (e.g. you had put say and reply next to each other without noticing, and it autosaved), there would be a popup upon loading your level with the following options: "Start on last autosave", "Start 2 autosaves ago", "Start on last manual save". Etc, etc, you get my point.

tl;dr: The level editor needs an autosave feature.

[oposdeo]

I got humble indie bundle 4 for Christmas too!    Anyways, your ideas are very good, I wish I actually knew how to program the terminals make dialogue and stuff, e.t.c, Then I would actually care about those ideas implemented in the game.

I also have an idea for some added features id like to see:

- There should be simpler coding in my opinion, it kind if takes part of the point of VVVVVV away for me. (Like I said, I have no experience with programming at all, but that's just my opinion). Maybe VVVVVV stuff could be programmed either way, whichever you choose, but I guess that would be confusing. Any thoughts?

I'm not sure if you  read (what i believe is terrys post) on scripting bu it is really easy. like for the terminals you just type this

command(X)
BLAH
BLAH
BLAH
BLAH
space
next command

so basically you type either "say" or "reply" depending on if you want the terminal talking or veridian talking, then, in parenthasis, you just add how many lines of text you want it to say (maximum of 4 i think) then you write what it says in the BLAH's and if you want to add another one, you make an empty line, and then repeat. i personally think this is EASY, if all you have to do is say "say" or "reply" and put a number.

if you want the screen to flash when you walk through a script field, all you have to do is write "flash" in the scripting for that field.

if you want him to frown or smile when he walks through the field, you put "happy" or "sad" in its scripting. i could go on but im basically saying its pretty simple

[Insani]

If you have to slow your level down to test it, then you're probably making a stupidly hard level...

I suck at VVVVVV.

Whenever I make hard levels I usually place checkpoints half way to see if it's beatable by someone better than me.

But otherwise it's a fun game.