[WIP] FPLE 2

[MGC]

FPLE : First Person Labyrinth Explorer
Version: 2.0

Introduction
This version is still a WIP. Some graphics bugs exist, and the 360° movements is just for testing purpose for now, since it doesn’t trigger events or battle correctly.
As the engine support 360° movements and a lot of new stuff about the tiles like heightmaps, the rendering is less accurate than with the version 1. So if you don’t need specific FPLE2 features, go on with FPLE1.

Demo / Script / Utils
FPLE 2

Instructions

RMXP editor
FPLE2 scripts must be pasted above main, below other scripts.
FPLE2 tilesets must contain « FPLE » in their names.
FPLE2 maps must contain « [FPLE2] » in their names.

RMXP Project
You must have three new folders in ./Graphics/ :

• FPLE2_Textures/
  
• FPLE2_Heightmaps/
  
• FPLE2_Colormaps/
  

All the pictures must have the same dimensions, 512 * 512 px (autoheightmaps and autocolormaps are the exception).
Wall textures must be rotated at 90°.
Heightmaps are grayscale pictures used to generate heights (see H-Mode7). The more white is a part of the picture, the more it will be elevated.
Colormaps are Red/Green/Blue/Black pictures used to indicate the orientation of the wall texture that has to be applied to vertical parts of elevated elements (see H-Mode7). In the FPLE engine, they are also used to determine the shape of wall tiles.

FPLE2 tilesets editor


Open the RMXP project that you want to edit -> the tilesets list shows FPLE2 tilesets in this project.
Select a tileset name, then select the tile that you want to edit in this tileset.
If you already made modifications on this tile, the data are loaded so they can be modified.
To save your modifications, use the “Export” button : a file “FPLE2_data.rxdata” should appear in your ./Data/ folder.

Basic data for a tile :



Type : Floor/Ceiling (for layers 1 and 3)

Example with a black heightmap (no height variation) :

Use this tile on the first layer to generate ground


You can also use this tile on the third layer to generate ceiling


Using a heightmap :
When parts are elevated, vertical elements are drawn using a default colormap, “Cmap_base”, that MUST be in your project.
In the future, you will be able to use custom colormaps for heightmaps.

Example :

In game :


You can use the “Intensity” control to increase the deformation.
Example : intensity = 20


If the “negative” flag is checked, parts of the tile are lowered instead of being elevated.


This doesn’t work for ceiling tiles for the moment.

You can also use a autoheightmap, that use the default autocolormap “Auto_Cmap_base”.
Autoheightmaps are 1536 *2048 px pictures (3 * 512 by 4 * 512), using the same pattern as RMVX autotiles.

Example :



Type : Wall (for layer 2, also usable for layers 1 and 3)

Example with a basic colormap :


This tile can be used on any layer


The colormap is used to define the shape : transparent areas era not drawn
Example 1



Example 2



You can also use a autocolormap. Autocolormaps are 1536 *2048 px pictures (3 * 512 by 4 * 512), using the same pattern as RMVX autotiles.

Example :



Tile animations
Any texture, heightmap, colormap, can be animated independently. Just use the checkbox “Animation”, add some pictures, and set the frequency (in frames).
Optionnally, you can use the checkbox “loop” to have looping animation.
You can also specify a switch identifier : the animation will be executed only when and while the switch is on.
You must use only the same type of picture for animations : simple or auto.

Example : water


RMXP editor : Events
Events characters are displayed vertically (like walls), centered and always facing the player by default.
Using the "Comment..." event command, you can modify how they are displayed on the screen (see H-Mode7) :
"Wall" : the event doesn’t always face the player any more.
"Angle XX" : for a wall event, specify the angle of orientation in degree. "Angle 0" means that then event is horizontal in the RMXP editor, and "Angle 90" vertical.
"Pos X Y" : to specify new coordinates for the middle of the character. X and Y are respectively the horizontal and vertical positions in pixels (between 0 and 31 -default values are X=16 andY=16-)
By default, events graphics change depending on their orientations and the position of the player. Check the "Direction Fix" flag to prevent this.
Events opacity end blend type are supported.
Events take place of one complete square wall when their dimensions are 128 * 128 px.

Others:

Surfaces are rendered within a fixed distance, arbitrarily defaulted to 6 squares.
You can adjust the default value in the Game_System class (fple2_view_distance) or use the event command :
$scene.set_view(value)
Use lower values to increase performances.

This fading distance is arbitrarily defaulted to 6 squares. You can adjust the default value in the Game_System class (fple2_light_distance) or use the event command :
$ scene.set_light(value)
You can also use the two commands to control the lighting distance (+1/-1) :
$ scene.increase_light
$ scene.decrease_light

You can use any graphics for your FPLE2 tilesets. Once a tileset is configured, you should modify its graphics so that you could easily remember this configuration in the RMXP Editor.

You have to set manually Passages for each tile in the RMXP editor. However they are ignored for the third layer.

[PK8]

*finishes reading post*

Okay, I'll be right back. I just need to finish picking my jaw up off the floor.

Edit: This. Is. Amazing. Won't be able to test play this right now, but I'm going to start test playing this baby later today.

[Lupinos]

Nuh bin ich aber baff. O_O

This looks so awesome and will give me so much designing possibility I´m more than impressed! Now I have something new to spend hours with. ^_^ Great work. *thumbsup*

WOOOOOOW! The Differences are emense! I love it! I really love it! Finally animated water and so on!

Merci beaucoup! *hugs*

BTW: Couldn´t find the tileset editor. o_o' (Found it. Blind one am.) ^^

[MGC]

If you encounter any bugs with the engine or the editor, I would be pleased if you could report them. I'm aware of some problems but I haven't tested the engine extensively.

[Taylor]

This is quite neat. The external program + tileset setup looks like it'll take some experimenting with if I intend on using this...

Can the distance fog colour be changed?

[MGC]

For the moment, it can't be modified --> it's going progressively to the black.

[Lupinos]

Found something weird. The screenshot shows the side of a prism shaped ground tile. The sides textures are printed like the triangle shaped face of the prism. In the scetch I marked the side which is shown in the ingame screen.



Greetz Lupi

[MGC]

Thank you for your report. I'm aware of that problem, that's because of the use of the default colormap "Cmap_base".

[Taylor]

Huh, in experimenting around a bit it seems that in the original system the surfaces fade to transparency. As a result, using a fog panorama works as a different view distance effect. Here though, it's distinctly decreasing the colour tone, if the visual effect is any indication.

The original seems so much simpler to use, but this does have the ability to make tall things, which I may need if I intend on using this. Bump maps I'm not sure about. Varied distance effects though I guess I'm waiting on.

Keep up the good work.

[com_ander]

This engine is absolutely great! I played a little bit around and created these scenes for a Silent Hill-game, I'll create if you complete your engine.
When you are ready with fixing the event-bugs and the fog /panorama it would be great, if you add the option to place a character-sprite on the ground, so I can add grids or other transparent things.
Maybe you could add a 3rd-person-option? Then it would be absolutely perfect!





Two more things:
For dark areas it would be better, if the light would look like this

and the graphic is warped. Maybe you could correct that.