The Dungeon Builder application is an editor that makes creating Catacombs dungeons simple and straightforward.
When you first start Dungeon Builder you begin with an empty dungeon. At the top of the main window are two rows of icons. These icons represent the objects which make up the dungeon levels. Each level is made up of an area of 100x100 objects.
Before placing an object you must move the pointer to its icon and click on it. It then becomes the selected object. To place the selected object in the level you simply press the space bar. The object will be placed in the center of the dungeon view part of the window.
To move to a different level in the dungeon you are editing, go to the "Levels" menu. When you create a new dungeon you automatically begin at level one. The Dungeon Builder application allows up to 25 levels per dungeon.
It's also possible to put a time limit on a level. To do this just go to the "Time" menu. The player will automatically be advanced to the next level after the allotted time has been used. The default time is unlimited.
When editing your dungeon file with Dungeon Builder the orientation will always be the same. For example, up will always be up, however, when actually playing your dungeon in the Catacombs game, this may not be the case. To add a bit of difficulty to the game, each level is given a random orientation when it's loaded into memory. This means that the actual floorplan of your dungeon will not change, but it may be flipped horizontally, vertically, or rotated in 90 degree increments.
Caution: You should never edit a dungeon that is simultaneously being used by the Catacombs game. This will cause program errors and possibly even crashes.
DUNGEON OBJECTS:
The objects that make up a dungeon are divided into three different categories. These categories include: Elements, Monsters, and Items.
ELEMENTS:
Player: This object marks the starting location for each level. This icon must be placed in every level.
Exit: This object marks the ending location for each level. When the player moves into the exit he/she will be advanced to the next level. There should be at least one exit in each level.
Floor: This is the default object. The player and monsters in the dungeon can move freely over this object.
Wall: This object makes up a wall segment. The player and monsters cannot move over this object.
Movable Wall: This is a unique type of wall segment. This object is like a normal wall, except it can be pushed around by the player. However, only one at a time can be pushed.
Shootable Wall: This is a unique type of wall segment. This object is like a normal wall, except it can be destroyed by the player's shots.
Door: This object will block the monsters' and player's path throughout the dungeon. The only way a player can move through a door is if he/she has a key.
Water: This object will block the monsters' and player's path throughout the dungeon. However, it is possible to fire shots over water.
Teleporter: When the player moves over this object he/she will be randomly transported to another teleporter located somewhere on the same level.
Trap: When the player steps on a trap, it will cause all of the shootable wall segments on the screen to disappear. In the editor this object has the word "trap" in the center of it, but traps are invisible to the player while actually playing the game.
Fountain: This object serves no particular purpose in the game other than for the player or monster to hide behind.
Fire: This object serves no particular purpose in the game other than for the player or monster to hide behind.
MONSTERS: These objects make up the dungeon's monsters.
Ghost: Ghosts do 25 points of damage when they attack the player. They will disappear after attacking.
Demon: Demons attack the player by shooting fireballs. Fireballs do 20 points of damage to the player. Demons will also bite when close to the player. Their bites do 15 points of damage to the player.
Troll: Trolls attack the player with their clubs. They do 5 points of damage to the player.
Slime Puddle: Slime puddles drain the health from the player. Their attacks do 10 points of damage to the player.
Scorpion: Scorpion stings do 20 points of damage to the player.
Death: Death cannot be destroyed with arrows. They can only be destroyed with potions. Death will drain the player of 200 health points and then disappear.
Generator: Generators will produce more monsters. The only way to destroy the generators is to shoot them or by using a potion.
Note: Each level has a maximum total of 350 monsters and generators. (In Catacombs version 1.0.1 and higher the maximum is 525 monsters and generators.)
ITEMS: These objects include items that the player can pick up.
Cider: Picking up a bottle of cider will add 200 points to the players health. Cider bottles are destroyed when shot.
Plate: Picking up a plate of food will add 200 points to the players health. Plates of food can not be destroyed.
Poison Food: Picking up a bottle of poison will decrease the players health by 200 points. Poison bottles are destroyed when shot.
Treasure: Picking up treasure chests will add 60 points to the player's score. Treasure chests can not be destroyed.
Potion: Potions are added to the player's inventory when picked up. When potions are shot, they will have a limited magical effect. All monsters on the screen will be destroyed, but not the generators.
Key: Keys are added to the player's inventory when picked up. Keys cannot be destroyed, but they also will not block shots.
Shield Power Scroll: Picking up the Shield Scroll will make the player invulnerable to the next 10 monster hits. Shield Scrolls are destroyed when shot.
Reflective Shots Power Scroll: Picking up the Reflective Shots Scroll will make the player's next 25 shots reflect off of the dungeon walls. Each shot will reflect 5 times
Super Shots Power Scroll: Picking up the Super Shots Scroll will make the player's next 25 shots more powerful.
Invisibility Power Scroll: Picking up the Invisibility Scroll will make the player temporarily invisible. Monsters can't see the player when invisible, but the player can still be injured by random monster hits. Invisibility Scrolls are destroyed when shot.
Repulse Power Scroll: Picking up the Repulse Scroll will make the player temporarily repulsive. Monsters will run away from the player when he/she is repulsive. Repulse Scrolls are destroyed when shot.
ADVANCED DUNGEON EDITING WITH RESEDIT
Using the Apple program Resedit, it's possible to further customize your Catacombs Dungeon files.
WARNING: You should only attempt this if you are familiar with Resedit, and you should NEVER change the resources in the Catacombs application, only in your Catacombs dungeon files. Changing the resource of an application may cause the application to crash.
Adding custom sounds:
Every dungeon can have its own custom sound effects. When you add sounds to your dungeon file, anyone who plays your dungeon will hear your sound effects. You can add digitized speech, music, or sound effects. The Catacombs application searches for sounds by their names. Copying sounds into your dungeon file with the following names will cause your sounds to be played at the specified times during the game. You don't have to include all of these sounds in your dungeon file. You can pick and choose which sounds you want to customize. When about to play a sound, the Catacombs application will first look for the sound in your dungeon file, if it doesn't find the sound there, it will then use the default sound.
"Start" - played at the beginning of the game.
"Level" - played at the beginning of each new level.
"Shoot Arrow" - whenever the player shoots.
"Open Door" - when the player opens a door.
"Exit" - when the player exits a level.
"Reflect" - when an arrow reflects off of a wall.
"Pop Potion" - when the player uses a potion.
"Die" - when the player dies.
"Trap" - when the player steps on a trap.
"Teleport" - when the player steps on a teleporter.
"Arrow Hit" - when the player's arrow hits a monster.
"Shot Food" - when the player shoots a bottle of cider.
"Shot Poison" - when the player shoots a bottle of poison.
"Shot Shield" - when the player shoots a potion.
"Shot Reflective shots" - when the player shoots a Reflective Shots Scroll.
"Shot Super Shots" - when the player shoots a Super Shots Scroll.
"Shot Repulsive" - when the player shoots a Repulse Scroll.
"Shot Invisibility" - when the player shoots an Invisibility Scroll.
"Shot Wall" - when the player shoots a shootable wall.
"Get Key" - when the player picks up a key.
"Get Potion" - when the player picks up a potion.
"Get Treasure" - when the player picks up a treasure chest.
"Get Cider" - when the player picks up a bottle of cider.
"Get Plate" - when the player picks up a plate of food.
"Get Poison" - when the player picks up a bottle of poison.
"Lose Super Shots" - when the player loses Super Shots.
"Lose Reflect" - when the player loses Reflective Shots.
"Lose Invisibility" - when the player loses Invisibility.
"Lose Shield" - when the player loses Shield protection.
"Lose Repulse" - when the player loses Repulsiveness.
"Troll Hit" - when a troll hits the player.
"Scorpion Hit" - when a scorpion hits the player.
"Ghost Hit" - when a ghost hits the player.
"Demon Hit" - when a demon hits the player.
"Fireball Hit" - when a demon's fireball hits the player.
"Slime Hit" - when a slime puddle hits the player.
"Death Hit" - when death attacks the player.
"High Score" - when the player gets a high score.
"Dying" - when the player's health drops below 200.
Note: Not all of the above sounds are built into the Catacombs application. This means it is possible for your dungeon to actually have more sounds effects than the default dungeon.
Adding custom backgrounds:
The Catacombs application has a built in set of background patterns which it randomly picks from at the start of each level. You can also add your own patterns to your dungeon file. Your patterns will be added to the list of built in patterns. When playing the game, patterns will be randomly picked from the combination of built in patterns and the patterns in your dungeon file.
The backgrounds are stored in the resource type "ppat". The IDs of your patterns must be in the range of 150-171. Also, your patterns must be 32x32 pixels. Using patterns that are larger or smaller may distort the graphics.
Adding additional levels:
The Dungeon Builder application allows you to edit up to 25 levels per dungeon. However, the Catacombs game itself has no limit to how many levels a dungeon file can have. Each level of your dungeon is stored in a resource of type "dung". Levels are stored at their level number plus 999. For example, level 1 is stored in the "dung" resource with an ID of 1000. Level 2 is stored in the "dung" resource with an ID of 1001. By opening two dungeon files with Resedit it is possible to copy the levels from one and paste them in the other file. Doing this will allow you to create dungeons with more than 25 levels.
Adding messages to the levels:
It's also possible to add a short message to the beginning of each level. Between levels the dungeon view goes black and the level number the player is about to enter will appear on the screen. For example, after the player exits from level one, the dungeon view will go black and the words "Level 2" will be shown. By adding a resource of type "STR " it's possible to also add your own message below the level number. To link a message with a level just add a "STR " resource with an ID of 1000 plus the level number. For example, if you add a "STR " resource with an ID of 1002 that contains the string "You'll Never Get Out Alive", then when the player exits level one, the dungeon view will go black and the words "Level 2" will be shown with the message "You'll Never Get Out Alive" shown below it.
Customizing the "About this Dungeon ..." menu option:
In the Apple menu of the Catacombs application, the player can choose to get information about the dungeon that he/she is playing. The default message is just a generic about box that says "Created with Dungeon Builder." If you would like to add your own message and/or graphics then paste a "PICT" resource with an ID of 1000 in your dungeon file. Whenever the player chooses "About this Dungeon ..." from the Apple menu, a dialog box containing your PICT will appear.
Additional Help:
Questions can be sent to any of the following addresses:
