Tutorial:Basic Overworld Editing
To edit the overworld, open Lunar Magic and your ROM (for help on how to do this please see Level Editing). Click on the button that looks like the top of a castle. The overworld editor should open up. (Note that the overworld editor can edit the actual overworld and other worlds too.) You should see all of the main overworld, some of Yoshi's Island, and some of the Valley of Bowser. One thing to note is that you cannot create a new world, and you cannot move from one map to another by simply running one path from one map to another.
Layer 2
Layer 2 is how the overworld looks. It is the terrain, the dark green paths, the light brown paths, the hills, the trees, but it is not the levels, the castles, or the paths that Mario follows. Those are all Layer 1. If you don't see any changes when you play the game, it is because changes only take effect when a NEW game is started. Not a game that says 0 exits have been found, one that says EMPTY. Layer 2 8x8 Editor Mode
This is the default mode the editor initiates upon first opening the ROM. This mode edits the terrain, not the events - here is where you'll design your overworld. To paste a Terrain Tile
To choose a tile simply left-click on one (in the Tile Picker) and right-click somewhere on the overworld (please take note that you can't add another world, so don't design on the blue-colored x's that take up most of this editor in the editor window. How you use this area will be explained later in this tutorial). In order to paste a different tile, after you selected it in the Tile Picker, you will have to press the delete-key after you paste the next tile. The reason for this is that it still has the previous tile selected on the overworld and it deselects it upon its deletion.
Tip: You can also paste a tile by selecting it on the overworld and (Control) right-clicking at the desired location.
Flipping a Tile
To flip a tile that you selected, depending on the tile you selected you ether left-click on "Flip X", or "Flip Y", or both. Also, you have the choice of flipping all tiles by left clicking on, "Apply Flip to all Tiles". Changing Tile Palette
Changing the palette of a tile is very easy. All you have to do is press Page-Up or Page-Down, or go to the palette pull-down menu that is located just above the "Apply Flip to all Tiles" checkbox (keep in mind that once you left-click on a different tile that has another palette you will lose that palette, so use your clicks wisely or waste time reselecting the color of your choice). Changing Tile Priority
The tile priority flag can be used to make Layer 1 tiles appear above Mario (8x8 editing mode). Layer 2 Event Editor Mode
This mode allows you to change green paths into white paths (or vise versa), land/hills to appear or disappear, etc. There are three ways to select this mode:
Click on the button that has a hill and star on it, then on the picture of the white path. Press ` twice Go to the 'Edit' pull-down menu and select, “Layer 2 Event Editor Mode”.
A bad path reveal A bad path reveal. Making Events
When you pressed the white path, a window opened. This contains the possible events you can add. There are 7 pages of large 6x6 events, and 47 pages of smaller 2x2 tiles (assuming you haven't modified how big/small the 6x6 and 8x8 areas are). Press up or down to change the page. To paste an event, make sure you are in Layer 2 Event Editor Mode, paste (right-click) it over the dark-green path (please note you may have to deselect the path you have selected in order to paste a new path). Here are some things to keep in mind: A good path reveal A good path reveal.
Lay the "path" (6x6 or 8x8) down in the order that you want it to appear - if you disregard this rule, you might be surprised that (for example) the path reveals itself out of (logical) sequence [To the left is an example of what disregarding this rule does].
Pasting a White Path
The example to the right shows the good way of pasting a path (assuming you're trying to achieve your typical transformation of a green to white path). Each line is a representation of a path, starting from left to right. Another thing to keep in mind is if you want to delete paths that you placed (for example) on event 4 and you already went to another event, you’ll have to go to event 5 to delete the paths on event 4 and then you can recreate that event from scratch.
Note: This methodology is used for the 6x6 Events as well.
8x8 Tiles Some custom 8x8 event tiles in the overworld editor. Editing Events
To change what an event looks like, or to add new tiles instead of the x's that are filling up the empty spaces, re-enter the Layer 2 8x8 Editor Mode. Go over to where the events are (over on the right side) and edit away. Be careful not to move and delete a tile being used in an event, as it will cause the event to glitch up.
8x8 Tiles Some custom 6x6 event tiles in the overworld editor. Changing the Size of the 6x6 Tile Size
Sometimes, you may want to make the size of the 6x6 area bigger, so you can have more large events. Note that this does not change the size of the 6x6 size to something else like 4x4 or 12x12. This also does not garble the existing events. Finally, do not make the area too big or you may completely wipe out the 2x2 tiles. 8x8 Tiles Showing where the 4x4 (paths) go when you expand the 6x6 area to 36. Also note that you can backup parts of your overworld to the right of the 6x6/4x4 area.
Warning: 36 is the max number that you would (normally) want to increase the 6x6 area (assuming you didn’t add any paths below the paths already given). Also remember that if you should go over 36 you shall delete the 4x4 (path) tiles and if you should decrease too much you shall delete the 6x6 tiles.
Layer 1
Layer 1 is slightly more complex than Layer 2. It is the paths Mario takes, the levels, the castles, the ghost houses, etc. Layer 1 16x16 Editor Mode
There are three ways to select this mode:
Click on the ghost house at the top of the screen, then on the blue switch at the top of the screen. Press ` twice Go to the 'Edit' pull-down menu and select, “Layer 1 Event Editor Mode”.
Upon entering this mode nothing will appear to have (visually) changed, unless you had clicked on the green path button or pressed 9 (Mario's Paths). At the top of the editor you'll notice some green (some are striped), blue, and red tiles. Below state their function:
Green Tiles: These cause Mario to walk on land. Striped Tiles: These cause Mario to climb up/down. Blue Tiles: These cause Mario to swim. Red Tiles: These cause Mario to exit, to change between submaps.
Now that you have a basic grasp of how this mode works, you can chose to select (by left-clicking (after you select the tile you can copy it to another place by right-clicking somewhere else)) an already used tile to manipulate the existing levels or you can use the 16x16 Overworld Tile Selector. To use this selector you must go to the Editors tab and select, "16x16 Overworld Tile Selector". Tile Behavior
When applying these tiles you MUST NOT allow any breaks ("sudden stops") in the paths, else Mario will move erratically about the screen (ex: leaving the map, getting stuck, etc). Be careful to note which direction Mario is sent upon the completion of a level, if Mario is sent in a direction at all - for instance, Mario completes a palace level and is sent no where due to it being a "dead end". To note which direction Mario will traverse to, go to the level settings - here you can modify which event to activate (dependent on exits), what level the tile represents, and where Mario will proceed to (dependent on exits). To select get to the required window:
Select your level on the overworld, next click on the picture of the level at the top of the screen. Alt + right-click (after you select the level). Go to the pull-down menu (after you select the level) called "Overworld" and click on the "Modify Level Tile Settings" tab.
Look below for an in depth description of this window. Modify Level Tile Settings (in hex)
This window will change what the level will do, act, and what Mario will do when the level is passed. Standard Settings
This window will change the individual level settings. The first drop down menu decides which level the current level selected should be. You should not let Mario enter level 0, as this is the bonus level used when Mario collects 100 bonus stars, and if you use it, Mario will get trapped in the level, as there is no exit. The second menu changes the event the level activates. The secret exit activates the normal exit's event + 1. The next two menus change which direction Mario will be able to go when the level's exit has been passed. However, Mario will not move if the level's event has already been passed. The next menu chooses which event will make this tile visible (if it is invisible).
Tip: You may only use levels 0-24 and 101-13B (hex numerical order) - all other levels ("the test levels") are only accessible via the levels themselves. Level 0 is a bonus game level that will trap Mario and shouldn't be used, so you have a maximum of 94 levels. Note that Level 24 has special properties that you must be cautious with.
Initial Settings Flags
The first 4 check-boxes will change which directions Mario can go immediately, without any events having to be passed. The "Level Has Been Passed" just decides if Mario can use START+SELECT to exit a level, having no effect on the events themselves. "Midway Point Has Been Obtained" decides if Mario will start at the Midway point. The next one should be pretty self-explanatory - it doesn't let you into the level if you have already passed it; you can use this in combination with the "Level Has Been Passed" flag to make a level that Mario cannot enter at all, which is useful if you need to have Mario make a very sharp turn that normal path tiles will not allow. The last flag will allow a save prompt to come up after the level has been passed.
Tip: These settings will only take effect when you start a new game (like Layer 2).
Bad Path Layout
This is an extreme scenario, but definitely shows one of the worst (if not the worst) path layout possible. In case you have doubt, Mario would not be able to traverse this world due to so many breaks.
Good Path Layout
This is definitely the better choice of the two. This shows the proper way to layout paths.
Mario's Paths
Here is a more in depth description of the paths and how to manipulate them.
The green paths are the paths that Mario uses to get from level to level. How to delete these, you'll first have to view them by pressing 5 or going to the Edit tab and clicking on "Layer 1 Mario Paths" (to make the paths translucent, press 6 or go to the Edit tab and click on "Make All Mario Paths Translucent"). To delete them select them with the left-mouse click and then press the delete key on the keyboard. To paste a new green path you must go to the 16x16 Overworld Tile Selector. You should notice more of a selection to pick from (where the empty spaces were), which are the green paths and etcetera. Next click on the one you wish to paste and then right click where you want Mario to start (the green paths are for the ground and the blue paths are for the water).
An exit tile (red path) is used by the game to allow the player to walk from sub-world to sub-world, overworld to overworld, and overworld to sub-world. Each tile is (or should be) linked to another, and there can only be as many links as there are in the link table, which is already full. Even if you move them the overworld editor can automatically track the exit tiles and make the necessary changes to the position tables when you move them. Just don't put them right beside one another, as the sprite coordinates the game uses makes it pretty much impossible for the program to track them properly once you move them again after doing that. But if for some silly reason you did exactly that, or deleted one or more of the tiles, you can use the Exit tile dialog to re-link the exit tiles to one another.
Rather than get into a long explanation of the coordinates and how the dialog links the two tiles, just carefully follow this procedure to re-link any two exit tiles: (Just make sure to sort out which two exit indexes you're going to use ahead of time.)
Select the first exit tile, and enter the dialog. For the Exit index to use, select the first index you're going to use. Set the Destination exit index to "No Setting". Change the Direction to enter from setting to the desired direction. Hit ok. Select the second exit tile, and enter the dialog. For the Exit index to use, select the second index you're going to use (must be different than the one you used for the first exit tile). Set the Destination exit index to the first index you're using (the same one you set for the first exit tile). Change the Direction to enter from setting to the opposite direction you used for the first exit tile. Hit ok. Select the first exit tile again, and enter the dialog. You can now set the Destination exit index to the second index you're using. Hit ok.
And that's it. The two exit tiles should now be re-linked to one another. Layer 1 Event Editor Mode
Here you will learn how to unlock a door and make a castle/palace/fortress destroyed. There are three ways to select this mode: Click on the button that has a Ghost House with a Star on it. Press ` twice Go to the 'Edit' pull-down menu and select, “Layer 1 Event Editor Mode”. Unlocking a Door
To unlock a door we’ll assume that you went into Layer 1 16x16 Editor Mode and added the open door (select the open door that isn’t transparent). Then go to the Modify Level Tile Settings window and now go to the part where it shows events 0-77. Select the event you want it to reveal it to. After that go back to the Layer 1 Event Editor Mode and select the door that is transparent. Destroyed Castle/Palace/Fortress
After you have placed a castle (top and bottom half), select the top half (Layer 1 16x16 Editor Mode) and go to the Overworld tab and select, “Destroy Level Tile Settings”. Go to the pull-down menu that’s the uppermost one and select the first event down on the list (you can select any if you wish). Go to the text box below the menu and type in the event that the castle will be destroyed on (keep in mind that you must select an event 10 or above, since 9 and below are taken). If you were going to destroy just a palace or fortress this would be enough (you’d just select their tile, since they don’t have a top half), but since this is a castle this is a little more complicated.
(Note only do this if you want to have two castles to be destroyed at the same time, example: the castle on sub-world 1 is destroyed and you have it displayed on the overworld and want it destroyed as well) Now select switch to Layer 1 16x16 Editor Mode and open up the 16x16 Overworld Tile Selector. Next paste the already destroyed castle and paste it (make sure you do this on the event that your going to unravel it…for example if you had the top half destroyed on event 13 then you must paste this tile on event 13). After you paste the destroyed castle paste a blank tile over where the top half is. Sprites
This is a bit more complex than Layer 1 and 2. To enter this mode, click on the Lakitu, then on the fish at the top of the screen. A window will open up. In this window, there are slots with sprites. You can change the sprites, but Bowser and Bowser's sign will only show in the Valley of Bowser. Slot 4 must be left as nothing. The ghosts must be put in the last 3 slots. The Lakitu follows Mario around on the overworld, and not on submaps. The Blue Bird will fly back and forth over Mario on any map. The fish will pop up when Mario passes over a layer 1 tile with a picture of a fish on it. The Pirhana Plant is just a decoration. Moving clouds and generated automatically on the overworld, so there is no need to place it manually. The Koopa Kid pops up when Mario passes over a certain layer 1 tile, tile 49, 4A and 4B by default. The smoke should only be used in one slot, and is used for Yoshi's House. Note that because the sprite function is limited, right clicking to copy is not available. Also, no sprites affect Mario. Overworld Transfer
First open your ROM that has the desired overworld and open up the overworld editor. Without closing Lunar Magic, open up the targeted ROM and save the overworld from within the overworld editor. If everything went smoothly, everything should have transfered (including events and paths). Miscellaneous
Here you shall fine the little tidbits that wouldn’t fit anywhere else. Star & Pipe Exit Locations
Note: You can only have up to 13 stars & pipes.
The star and pipe tiles are used by the game to allow the player to warp from sub-world to sub-world, overworld to overworld, and overworld to sub-world. Each tile is (or should be) linked to another, and there can only be as many links as there are in the Star/Pipe link table, which is already full. However, if you're careful you should never have to use this dialog, since the overworld editor can automatically track the pipe and star tiles and make the necessary changes to the position tables when you move them. But if for some silly reason you deleted one or more of the tiles, you can use this dialog to re-link the tiles to one another.
Rather than get into a long explanation of the coordinates and how the dialog links the two tiles, just carefully follow this procedure to re-link any two star and/or pipe tiles: (Just make sure to sort out which two indexes you're going to use ahead of time.)
Select the first tile, and enter this dialog. For the Exit index to use, select the first index you're going to use. Set the Destination exit index to "No Setting". Hit ok. Select the second tile, and enter this dialog. For the Exit index to use, select the second index you're going to use (must be different than the one you used for the first tile). Set the Destination exit index to the first index you’re using (the same one you set for the first tile). Hit ok. Select the first tile again, and enter this dialog. You can now set the Destination exit index to the second index you're using. Hit ok.
And that's it. The two tiles should now be re-linked to one another. Changing Level Names and Message Box Text
To change a Level's name, click the button that looks like a red level at the top of the screen. In the window, find the level's number, then type in the name, clicking on any symbols on the left you need. When you are done, click OK. To change Message Box Text, go to the picture of the Message Box at the top of the screen. The same rules apply for the level names, with some differences. First, levels can only have two level texts, even if Mario enters a pipe, door, or anything. The text will not change until you enter the overworld and enter another level. Also, level 104 has two messages: the first if Mario has not rescued yoshi, and the other if Mario has. Level "000" is used for the message Mario gets when the game starts. The second is for when Yoshi is rescued for the first time (if Mario is on the Yoshi's Island submap). Editing Boss Sequence Text
To edit the text after Mario defeats a boss go to the Overworld tab and select, “Edit Boss Sequence Text”. All you have to do now is left-click on the text you want to edit (they are labeled 1-7). Change Special Levels Messages
This area lets you set what level it should give out the green/red/blue/yellow blocks. Yoshi's House level has two text messages. The one that shows up depends on whether or not Yoshi is being ridden. Here you can change the level number that this special message check is done for. Might be useful if you want to change the level number for Yoshi's house. Change Special World Levels
To change what level changes the overworld palette (take note that the overworld won’t change color unless you refresh it…aka going from overworld to sub-world), koopa palettes, and sprite graphics go to the Overworld tab and select, “Change Special World Levels”. Here just take one of the pull-down menus and select a level to your liking. Changing Music for Overworld/Sub-world
Changing the music for the overworld and sub-worlds is very easy. Just go to the Overworld tab and select, “Change Submap Music Selection”. Then in the left list select the overworld or sub-world that you want to the change the music to then go to the right list and select what music you want it to be. Extra Options
To allow/take-away the ability to enter an already destroyed level tile, or allow/take-away the ability to have a save prompt after beating a castle/fortress/palace/haunted house, or allow/take-away the ability for the player to exit a level if already beaten go to the Overworld tab and select, “Extra Options” (I think it’s self-explanatory). Terminology
Layer 1: Paths, level tiles, some objects. Layer 2: The land and graphics. Event: How a path unravels, how the terrain moves, how the levels sparkle, how a castle or palace gets destroyed, etc. 8x8 Tile: A tile 8 pixels by 8 pixels used on layer 2. 8x8 Event Tile: 4 8x8 tiles in a square shape, used to make events. 6x6 Event Tile: 36 8x8 tiles in a square shape, used to make larger events. Exit Tile: The red paths that allow Mario to change submaps. Warp Tiles: The pipes and star roads that allow Mario to change submaps.