Chip's Challenge Creator

[chipster1059]

THE TILES

I like the way the tiles are sorted; even the "all tiles" section is easier to use than in the official editor. I also like how this editor makes it possible to put empty item blockers (much easier than resorting to a hex editor). And I discovered some tiles that I didn't even know I existed. Not just "unused" tiles, but also traps that start open, and directional blocks without any directions.

However, there are some unused tiles that the editor does not allow to place, and levels containing them do not display properly. These include the random tile, and the voodoo tiles from Enter the Void in TSAlpha.

DRAWING

While the official editor allows only one method for placing tiles, this one offers several. The "line" and "fill" features have been useful on a few occasions. The path maker is good in theory, and I used it often in CCEdit. However, there are a few bugs in its implementation here. When using force floors, I would expect crossings to turn into ice (like in CCEdit), but it doesn't happen. It is also problematic with train tracks. Example:



Left: drawn path

Middle: result

Right: expected result

(image by Jeffrey)

The path maker works fine with ice though.

At first, I was a bit confused by what appeared to be two wiring tools, until I figured out one was for CC1 button connections, and the other drew visible CC2 wires. I managed to wire a few levels using this tool, but I encountered an annoying bug: when I try to make a loop in wires, the editor hangs, and I am forced to kill the process. The editor also fails to open levels containing wire loops.

"VIEW" OPTIONS

I like how connections are shown; it makes it really easy to see which buttons link to which traps/clone machines/flame jets. The ability to see the scope of an area button/time bomb is also very useful. The ability to see creature paths is also very useful, like Alt+A in ChipEdit. And I absolutely love the ability to see the 10*10 viewing area in the game (it would be nice to have it enabled by default) this isn't really an issue now that settings are preserved

Seeing teleport order is also nice. My only complaint? When the level has a lot of green teleports, it's crazy...



(image by Tyler)

IMPORTING AND EXPORTING

At first, I was a bit confused by the export/import/save features, but once I figured it out, it all became simple. The editor saves in its native CCS format. Then, the CCS can be exported into a C2M, C2G or DAT file.

I didn't get any opportunities to use the "import" feature. When I did, it eseentially behaved like "open". I assume its main uses would be to import CCX data into a DAT levelset, and add extra levels to a CC2 levelset?

I used the "export" feature for two things: creating a playable CC2 level, and converting CC1 levels to CC2. I had no issues exporting from CCS to C2M.

Converting CC1 to CC2 was much easier than using DAT2C2G: just open the CC1 set, choose the level, and export. It worked very well in most situations and, unlike DAT2C2G, converted PGChip ice blocks properly. The lines indicating button wirings was also easier to process than the DAT2C2G warnings file. I was also pleasantly surprised that a level with a time limit larger than 1000 converted properly (although the CC2 game displays 999 while these extra seconds drain away, like with chips).

However, the export feature has a few bugs. When I tried converting a CC1 level that contains a lot of chips under locks, the C2M file contained simple locks. When I used shift+click to put custom floors under monsters, the resulting C2M file had the monsters on regular floor. Also, when I converted an entire levelset, the paths in the C2G file started at the root directory of the filesystem, instead of using relative paths I tested it again in the 0.2 release and it has been fixed

OTHER THINGS

The changelog for the 0.2 release mentions changes to the “replace” option. I'm a bit confused as to what this option is?

I really like how settings are now preserved after closing and re-opening the editor. Now, I don't have to navigate to the directory containing my CC2 set every time; it is right there from the moment I open the editor.

I was really excited by the clipboard feature, which would hopefully make it possible to copy some tiles from one level to another. Unfortunately, the editor often failed to cut or copy the selected tiles, simply outputting some weird code on the command line. This generally happens when there are monsters in the area being copied, but I have not been able to reliably reproduce this bug, unfortunately

CONCLUSION

The editor isn't perfect, but it is an improvement over the official editor. The “view” options, the simple conversion of CC1 to CC2, and the various drawing tools make this much more fun to use than the official editor. Thank you for coding this