23: Survival of the Scared (Part 2)

Learning Target

• Use tiles or tilemaps to create a level map
• Use layers and tiles in a map editor

Resources

LDtk Map Editor

• Windows: LDtk 1.5.3 installer.exe
• Docs: LDtk: Interface Overview
• Video: YouTube: LDtk - Powerful 2D Level Editor

Game Resources

• Site: https://kenney.nl/
• Site: https://opengameart.org/
• Tilesets (CC0) - From the above sites

Roguelike (99kb)	Floor Tiles (4kb)	Wall Tiles (5kb)	Dungeon 1 (10kb)	Dungeon 2 (5kb)	Pastoral (18kb)	Dungeon Crawl (1.4MB)
This file contains all of the dungeon crawl --> tiles as individual images so you can --> create objects in GDevelop -->						Dungeon Crawl Tiles.zip (2.6MB)

LDTK Tutorials

• Complete: 📓 Using LDtk with GDevelop
• Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8r2m8XrsFU

Instructions

Step 1: 

Install the map editor:

• LDtk 2D Level Editor

Explore the interface of the editor you have installed for a few minutes before proceeding to the next step.

Step 2:

• Create a folder for your map project. This is not the same as your game folder!
• Create a new LDtk project and save it into the folder you created.

Step 3:

We'll need one or more tilesets to create our maps.

• Find a tileset that you would like to use to create your map using the sites in the resources above.
• Save the tileset image into the same folder as your LDtk project.

Step 4:

First, we need to load tilesets.

• Go to the Tilesets tab in LDtk
  
• Click the add button and choose the tileset image you want to use
• Give the tileset an identifier
• Set the tile layout size
  
• Save your project! (CTRL+S)

Step 5:

Now, lets create a map!

• Go the World View
  
• Set the size of your level. Be sure it is a multiple of your tile size.
• Set the background color or image of your level
• Save your project

Step 6:

In order to make our maps look good, we can use layers so that we can add details to the map without erasing existing tiles.

• Go to the Layers tab in LDtk
  
• Click the add button
• Create a new tile layer (or, you can watch the tutorial and learn some more advanced usage)
  
• I called my first layer "Ground"
• Add another layer
• I called my second layer "Buildings"
• Save your project

Create a new layer for each type of tile you will be using. Otherwise, you will delete the tiles already there (e.g. the ground). For example:

• Ground
• Ground Details
• Back Objects - for overlapping details behind others
• Middle Objects - most details would go in this layer
• Front Objects - for overlapping details in front of others

Step 7:

Now its time to start painting our maps.

• Choose your bottom layer
• Add the basic ground and terrain to your level
• Switch to the upper layer
• Add the buildings and other structures to your level

Hint: Sometimes, people will place things on the wrong layers accidentally. You can avoid this by turning on Single Layer Mode.

Step 8:

You can create as many map levels as you wish. LDTK helps you see how they line up with each other.

• Go to the World View
• Click the button to create a new level
• Create the next level by clicking on the correct location in the view
• Pick the desired spot for the new level
  

Step 9:

Be sure to save your map project. There are several ways to send this to GDevelop:

• As an image: 
• As a full tileset:
• As an LDTK project:

• Save your project. 

• Select File->Export As...  Be sure to save it in your H: drive with a recognizable name. 
  
  

• Select File->Export as Image... from the menu. Save it in a permanent location such as your H: drive.
  
  

You can choose the method you want to use in the next assignment.

Grading