Stick Soldiers
by Whitespace Unlimited

Level Editor Tutorial

Reference:
	Left Mouse			Place platform/powerup/spawn point
	Right Mouse			Delete platform/powerup/spawn point
	Arrow Keys			Scroll map
	F12				Toggle Editor

Tutorial:
	To start editing a new map, go to the main menu, and press the tilde (~) key.  This will bring down the console.  Type in EDIT 800 600.  (800 is the width of the map (in pixels) and 600 is the height).  This will create a blank map.  At the bottom of the screen, you will see the "Edit Bar".  It has several icons on it, each representing a specific powerup or player spawn point.  The icon on the right (concentric circles) is a player spawn point.  You can place as many of these as you like, and when a game is in progress, soldiers will appear out of them.  The other icons are powerups that you may have noticed while playing the game.  Placing these will not actually place a powerup - it will just identify a spawn point where powerups of that type will appear at regular intervals.
	Clicking on one of the icons will select it, and you can then place it by clicking on the map with the left mouse button.  Clicking with the right mouse button will delete anything that is at the position.  To place a platform, click on the blank area on the right of the edit bar, and then draw a rectangle on the map - much as you would if you were in painting program.  Holding down Control while placing the platform will constrain the platform to a 16x16 grid - useful for creating neat, symmetrical maps.  A good map makes the most of the platforms it uses.
	Generally, when you are creating a map, you should place the platforms first, then powerups, and then player spawn points.  This will help you to decide where powerups and spawn points should be.  In order to make your map fun, you need enemies, and besides placing spawn points, you should set the maximum number of players that will be allowed in the game at any one time.  Bring down the console (~) and type SET MAXCLIENTS 5 (5 can be any number that you like, but it is generally a good idea to keep it below 10).
	When you have finished creating your map, you will probably want to save your work.  Bring down the console (~) and type SAVE "MY MAP.MAP"  (You can replace MY MAP with a name of your choice, but remember to add the .MAP to the end.  Also, remember to use the quotation marks.)  This will save your map in the Data\Maps folder.  When you next start the program, your map will appear in the map list.
	Finally, it is not recommended to toggle the editor when you are creating a map!  This may result in odd behaviour by the AI and the physics system.  In order to play a map that you have made, you should save it, exit the game, restart the game, and then select your map from the map list.

If you think that your map is good enough, you can submit it to StickSoldiers@hotmail.com  If it is decided that the map is of good enough quality, it will be uploaded to sticksoldiers.port5.com and Stick Soldiers players from all over the world will be able to play it :-)