Block Designer
Release type: Retail (Game-Maker suite)
Release date: 1991 (original release)
Author: G. Andrew Stone
Related tools: Palette Designer, Character Maker, Monster Maker, Map Maker, Integrator, Xferplay
Produces and edits .BBL, .CBL, and .MBL format files. Programmed by Gregory Stone.
Contents
Version history
1991 - Version 3.00
Tips
Interface notes
UNDO Workaround
There is no UNDO feature, so be careful to save your block set regularly -- and possibly under several file names. If need be, you can import blocks from a file -- including the one currently being edited -- which can be used to emulate a sort of UNDO, at least to the point of last save.
Secret Third Color
Unlisted feature: if you have a middle mouse button, you can use it to hold a third color on your brush. Try it out!
Technical notes
Timer is Absolute
The timer used to animate blocks is absolute, ***not*** relative to the individual block. The moment a level begins, the clock begins to tick. If a block is set to permanently change to another after 10 ticks, then ***all instances*** of that block change 10 ticks after the level begins, regardless of whether a given instance was visible at the time.
Time Conversion
There are 18 ticks in one second, and 1092 ticks in one minute.
Negative Repetition Counters
Be aware that unlike special counters, repetition counters can be reduced past zero -- often to undesirable results.
Bouncy Monsters
Although monster blocks can be solid, in practice their collision is... iffy. Unless you know what you're doing, it's usually best to avoid solidity -- unless you want your character to bounce off them as if they were made of Jell-O, of for the monsters to push the character through a solid wall. You can do some interesting things with these physics, but they are erratic and weird.
Workarounds
Stable, Pixel-Perfect Environmental Hazards
For hazards (spikes, water, lava) without the pop-in that you get from raw monster sprites:
- Create a harmless background block of your desired element, with no solid edges
- Layer a monster sprite on top, identical except with clear pixels where you don't want any collision
- Unless you want the element to be destructible, make the monster invincible
Links
- The Making and Unmaking of a Game-Maker Maker (Gamasutra)
- Bonus Time with Andrew Stone (Gamasutra)
