Tilemap object questions & concerns

It doesn't matter if I put the 2nd tilemap on another layer or not. Or whether they touch each other --though the idea is one is superimposed over the other --like a "layer" in RPG maker which allows you to have a tilemap for the floor and another on top of it for the walls and objects...

No matter what, If I create a 2nd tilemap object, the tile editor refers to the 2nd one only. I can simply no longer edit the tiles of the first tilemap object. AND no matter what, I'm editing the 2nd tilemap object.

Either there is a way and I just haven't figured it out or

Construct is limited to only one tilemap object or

this needs to be fixed.

I would really like to be able to have a tilemap that just has shadows and lighting effects that I can paint on top of my first tilemap. Or if collision is involved, have a tilemap for the floor where colision is ignored, and have another for the walls and objects.

BTW I LOVE the tilemap plugin! Just would really like to be able to edit more than one.

I was testing the tilemap object with Font Awesome icons...

<img src="http://i44.tinypic.com/34pc8q0.png" border="0" />

...white icons were a bit tricky to place. <img src="smileys/smiley2.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

My understanding is that a tilemap is used as a layer. But yeah.. there definitivly a bug where the editor think he is using the tilemap2 if you add 2 tilemap objects.

— I had that exact same problem until I learned that you can choose the different tilemaps to edit from the z order bar.

Oooh! Ok I was wondering no matter what I did it just kept editing that first one... thanks!

Tokinsom -

"4) Will we be able to "copy" tiles that have already been placed (like right-clicking a tile in Tiled)? This is very useful for laying down certain patterns to place elsewhere, and keeps you from having to go all the way to the tileset to pick a tile."

"5) Will there be hotkeys for the tools? (At the very least right-click to erase tiles?) "

Ashley - "4-5) The current tilemap editor is very much a first iteration. We'll be improving it over time."

I think that this is still a good question? Has there been any updates on this front? I was messing around with the tilemap plugin and it seems like 4 still haven't been addressed. #4 isn't just a handy feature- I would call it necessary. Making maps in tiled kills workflow when a game "needs" levels that work with game mechanics. ...and lets face it... a copy tool within the plugin should be easy to make....

In the end, it's little features like this that make all the difference.

Ruskul YEP....I've brought up the copy/paste tiles feature a dozen times since. Ashley finally added it a few builds ago...for one single tile. I mentioned copy/pasting groups of tiles and he said he'd see what he can do. That was about 2 months ago. Meanwhile our game's levels remain largely unfinished and simplified.

Tokinsom - I must be missing something, how do you copy the tile then? I didn't see a relevant portion in the manual, but then I only glanced quickly at it. I wish just a little more work would go into the tilemap. In all honesty, I know how hard it can be as a single developer, but I feel designing levels in construct 2 should be as smooth and seamless as possible. Saying that construct 2 tilemap is to tiled as the construct 2 image editor is to photshop is a bad comparison. It's easy to switch between photoshop and construct. It's not so easy to always be switching from tiled to construct.

BTW, I have had some relative success editing other vanilla plugins to make them more robust (physics for one thing). Many changes can be simple to implement and won't break existing projects. Usually, I end up reading through them so I can argue with Ashley in a more informed manner about what needs to be done (I'm sure that's not annoying in the least). But anyway, if it becomes a productivity issue (as I think the no copy blocks or move existing tiles around will be) I may see If I can add the feature myself.

Ruskul I know man. We have 10+ very large 8x8-tile-based levels to build and it's incredibly tedious without being able to right-click + drag to copy/pickup numerous tiles. This one little feature will save us a whooooole lot of time and trouble.

Anyway, to pick up a single tile right now you hold shift then right click.

C2 has lots of "hidden" hotkeys like this. Not sure how many are in the manual though; I haven't had to read it in a long time.

— Not entirely sure what you're expecting, really ^^: They're just tiles after all. One interesting thing you can do is pin tilemap objects to solids for moving platforms and such. So that's kinda cool. There are tutorials on animated tiles too but I just use sprite objects for that. As for tips...you can select tilemaps from the z-order bar. I prefer to keep each type in its own layer though (graphical tiles, collision tiles, terrain type tiles, etc).

Just posted this on another thread but this one seems to be the "official" tilemap questions thread.

Just found all the Tilemap hotkeys which really makes it a lot faster to build maps without constantly going back to the Tilemap bar itself. But the issue is this:

"As my designer and I noticed while building a map, you can hold shift and right click to copy a tile ( or multiple tiles).

BUT it doesn't work with tiles that have been rotated / mirrored / flipped. Seems to only work with the original tiles in the Tilemap object."

So the question is: is it possible to make it so that you can directly copy those rotated tiles ? Or would this be too much hassle in the code ?

Ruskul I know man. We have 10+ very large 8x8-tile-based levels to build and it's incredibly tedious without being able to right-click + drag to copy/pickup numerous tiles. This one little feature will save us a whooooole lot of time and trouble.

Anyway, to pick up a single tile right now you hold shift then right click.

C2 has lots of "hidden" hotkeys like this. Not sure how many are in the manual though; I haven't had to read it in a long time.

Tokinsom

why you don't use tiled? it's a free software that can allow you to make a map very easly (copy a portion of map ...etc) and later you can import in contrusct2 with the map done...

Ribis Because it's a totally impractical workflow. You shouldn't have to do a bunch of exporting & importing with extra files and 3rd party software just to modify one single tilemap. On top of that, you lose all reference to your other objects and tilemaps in the layout when you bring one over to Tiled for editing.

Imagine if you had to do this with Photoshop. Say you're working on something with 4 different layers but Photoshop doesn't support scaling so you have to select the layer, export it to a new file, open up a 3rd party tool, import the file, scale up the image with no reference to the other layers, export that file, go back to photoshop to import the file, then repeat for each layer. That would be completely unacceptable...yet for some reason people think it's fine here.

Ribis Because it's a totally impractical workflow. You shouldn't have to do a bunch of exporting & importing with extra files and 3rd party software just to modify one single tilemap. On top of that, you lose all reference to your other objects and tilemaps in the layout when you bring one over to Tiled for editing.

Imagine if you had to do this with Photoshop. Say you're working on something with 4 different layers but Photoshop doesn't support scaling so you have to select the layer, export it to a new file, open up a 3rd party tool, import the file, scale up the image with no reference to the other layers, export that file, go back to photoshop to import the file, then repeat for each layer. That would be completely unacceptable...yet for some reason people think it's fine here.

when I was using tiled for making one level with 5 layers with 5 different tilemap, I was making all of the map with tiled, and when I finished the map, I just export and import inside construct2... the workflow was faster than use construct2 for making map... I don't like to make map inside construct2... in my opinion is better to use a specific software to do the works... when I have to make an animation I use different software than construct2 (you can use construct for making animation, there is any problem) but with another software is better... anyway it depends how the game is...

(anyway is just an import, you can setup everything in tiled and after that you can import the map with the tilemap inside construct2)