Update: Nearly 10% of the game's overworld was mapped tonight, by the end of the night I'm going to guess nearly 15% of the game's overworld will be mapped. At this rate the overworld will be done fully mapped in about 18 more hours worth of tedious hand-work.
Update:
I've finally had time to review my options, methodologies etc.
I'm beginning to understand that what I want to do has alot more steps than I wanted it to.
However... those steps can be broken down into their even simpler counterparts.
Here are a few interesting things to note.
if I create methods that involve copying from the array, to other parts of the array then i can easily and quickly load and unload, only sections of the map or level.
This means for special rooms that change down the road or even for a special function in any game, I can (sometimes safely)
cut a room's data entirely from an array, and inject a different room's data into it.
Then call a function or method which I will refer to for now as 'set-room'.
This would then set the room up on the bg layer for viewing, then it's just a matter of setting the player up inside and moving the camera to that location on the bg layer.
Interestingly enough, the make overworld method is so fast I'm betting I could even copy rooms or full map chunks from one array to another (ie load special room data from a file into an array, copy it, and paste it elsewhere).
This isn't necessarily a case I want to use a large amount of times.
so here is my to do list:
Add these features to the editor on pc:
-Option to save current map as image.
-Ability to place entities onto map.
-Npc text editor. (Npc events)
=Note this stuff here will be saved in it's own DAT file along with some other features therefore it will still be possible to use this tool for other things=
-Add a types of maps:
Overworld, dungeon, house.
-Uses placeTile method or makeoverworld method (checkmark)
-Ability to set collision data for a tile (solid/not solid)
-Ability to edit entry/exit data between more than one map/level.
-Ability to have more than one map/level loaded at a time.
-Add ability to scroll quickly through level/map on pc.
-Ability to place doodads (as sprites).
-Ability to include sprite table. (and allow for multiple sized sprites).
There is more to come. I will be working on these features in the editor, because unfortunately without this type of editor it will be too hard to complete a project of this scale.
The overworld map isn't complete yet but I want to jump in and actually work on other game features, It feels like if I stay in mapping projects I will not finish the bulk of what is needed aka the heart of the project.
I hope that displays.
In a few more days /weeks I may have re created most of the overworld in a static manner.
What does this mean?
It doesn't mean the game is complete by any means it just means I have the basis for creating an interactive game environment. With a complete overworld I can start adding things like items that effect tiles, and test tile-based events better such as collision and the like.
My game engine supports a dynamic camera, and the entirety of the overworld can be loaded in memory at once (though processing it is another story)
So it may be possible to have a very nice dynamically and smoothly running zelda style game.
Once this project is closer to completion I will post more but do bare in mind it will be a long process and involves a large amount of tedious handi-work. Just because I have a map editor tool at my disposal, and access to homebrew to transfer map files doesn't make it simple.
Mind you, If I can brag.. I already have a large amount of the kinks in the main engine worked out previously. Save of displaying sprites and handling their load/dispose.
I hope to have a fancy tech demo out in a few weeks that demonstrates the game's feasibility on SB.
Wish me luck, and look foreward to more. I have working versions of the game engine already but the gameplay is... non existant. It is more of a display engine.
