How to use Spectre World Editor

     In order to edit a copy of the Spectre game, use the Open menu item on the File menu.  First, you select which copy of Spectre to open via the standard open file dialog window.  The program won’t let you open anything but the Spectre game.  After confirming that you want to permanently modify the selected copy of Spectre, you get to choose whether you want to edit a game grid or the colors.  If you choose to edit a game grid, you need to select which game grid you want (0 to 8).  See the Notes for an explanation of how the game grids and colors are used by Spectre.

Editing a Game Grid

     When you open a game grid, the program will display it as it would be seen in Spectre from the bird’s eye view above the game grid.  The objects on the game grid are called obstacles.
     There are three editing modes:  Select, Place, and Remove.  Select allows you to select obstacles and move them around.  Place allows you to select, move, and place new obstacles.  Remove allows you to remove existing obstacles.

     To move an obstacle around, just click and drag.
     To place a new obstacle, select a type from the Obstacle menu and then click where you want to place it in the game grid.  You will be asked to set the obstacle’s rotation and position after you place an obstacle.  You can usually ignore the position, but you may want to change the rotation.
     To delete an obstacle, select the Remove menu item from the Actions menu and then click on the obstacle to be removed.  Be sure you select the Select menu item on the Actions menu after you are done removing objects.

     The alignment menu items on the Action menu will align all the selected obstacles with the selected obstacle that is closest to the top, left corner of the game grid.

     If the “Place only one” menu item on the Obstacle menu is checked, the editing mode will automatically revert to Select after you place a new obstacle.

Editing Colors

     When you open either the obstacle or horizon colors, the program will display the colors used by Spectre for each game level.  To change a color, click on it.  You will be presented with the color picker dialog window.  Select the new color and click on the OK button.  The color list will be redrawn to reflect the change.

Copying the Setup

     The “Copy setup...” on the File menu allows you to copy all 9 game grids plus all the colors from one copy of Spectre to another.  This is useful if you are playing against other people over the net and you want everybody to see the same game grid.
     You can also have different people playing with different game grids.  It gets quite interesting because your opponent will drive right through your obstacles and visa versa.