Tools > 8BP LEVEL MAKER TUTORIAL
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This cart presents some information about how to make levels. It presents the information through sign messages in the game (in the first level). The second level illustrates how water works. The second level doesn't have any signs because you can only use 13 signs in the game, and i had run out of signs in level one.
This tutorial only makes sense if, after playing levels one and two, you look at the map editor, sprite editor, and code. You need to see what the signs in the game are referring to.
In the map editor, look at levels one and two. Compare how things look in the map editor to how they look in the game. In the sprite editor, look for the tile numbers that are mentioned in the signs. In the code, search for the things that are mentioned in the signs.
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Some things about making 8 Bit Panda levels that did not fit in the tutorial:
1) Tiles in the sprite editor are as follows:
-- 0: empty
-- 1-79: static solid blocks
-- 80-127: decorative
-- 128-239: entities
-- 240-255: special markers
2) Special markers are invisible in gameplay.
3) You cannot use the top 8 map pages (the top row, pages 0-7) for levels. When a level loads, it "unpacks" to the top 8 pages, and then "packs" again after it's finished. Therefore, the top 8 map pages must be left empty.
4) Levels can span multiple map pages, but the entire level must be in the same map row.
5) Map page 61 (near bottom right of map editor) has the roads and levels of the world map.
6) Yellow letter A (tile 254) is player starting point at the beggining of the game (player appears one tile above the letter in the map).
7) Yellow letter B (tile 255) is player starting point after saves (one B for each isle (except isle one)).
8) Red numbers (tiles 240-252) adjacent to the B are isle numbers.
9) White numbers (tiles 61,62,63) are level numbers.
10) Red numbers adjacent to the white numbers are isle numbers. (White number 3 with adjacent red number 2 is level 2-3).
11) Levels in the game appear in the order that they are in in the LVL table in the code. For example: the first level in the LVL table will correspond to the level in the map editor that has the white number one with the adjacent red number one.
12) In this tutorial cart, the sprites in tiles 38, 39, 40, 108, 109, 117, 118, 119 and 120 have been copy pasted there for demonstration. In the original game, those tiles are grey (color 7). When put in the map editor, those tiles behave in the game the same way that any other tiles would based on their number in the sprite editor:
The bush, slime, and leaf (in tiles 38, 39, 40) behave like solid tiles. The slime, leaf, red three, red four, yellow A, and yellow B (in tiles 107, 108, 117, 118, 119, 120) behave like visible, non solid tiles.
For those sprites to work as a collectible leaf, an invisible special marker, or an enemy, they would have to 1) be in the right locations in the sprite editor, and 2) have code associated with them.
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To learn more about 8 Bit Panda, read the original cart's comments and code.
The comments and code on this cart are the same as in the original 8 Bit Panda cart. The only differences are:
1) the sign messages in the SIGN_MSGS table.
2) one comment i added at the top of the code about how to access the debug menu (i didn't create the debug menu; it's in the original game).
3) some indentations were deleted to make space in the code (to be able to add the sign messages and the comment).
4) In TitleTic function:
-changed the colors of the title screen
-changed the name and centered the name
-removed the text at the bottom of the screen
5) In the LVL table:
-the background colors and palettes of levels 1 and 2
-the length of levels 1, 2, and 3
-the starting points of levels 2 and 3
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To see the original game, made by Bruno Oliveira (btco), go here:
https://tic80.com/play?cart=188
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Another good thing to read is an article Oliveira wrote, which can be accessed through a link on the 8 Bit Panda github page: https://github.com/btco/panda
Comments
 Skeptim
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I just had a quick look but that's cool! Making a level of an existing game could be a good way to start with TIC-80, especially for children. I think you should put it on the wiki Tutorials page https://github.com/nesbox/TIC-80/wiki/tutorials with other tutorials you made.
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