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Snakin’ Level Editor

Copyright © 1998, Vikram Madan, All rights reserved.

The Snakin’ Level Editor can be used to create new Snakin’ levels which you can then load and play inside the registered version of Snakin’.

Creating a New Snakin’ Level

TroubleShooting

Distributing your newly created Snakin’ Level


Creating a New Snakin’ Level

Creating Snakin' Levels with the Snakin' Level Editor is a simple process. The Snakin' Level Editor is a WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) editor. While you are working on a level, the level will be displayed in the bottom half of the screen exactly as you will see it in the game.

To create a New Level perform the following steps:

•	From the FILE menu, select the NEW LEVEL option.

•	The first field on the screen is labeled LEVEL NAME. In this field enter a name for the Level (This name can be anything you like - e.g. "Joe's Level" or "Field of Stones" etc. - as long as it contains less than 256 characters). The name of the level will be displayed on-screen when you play this level in Snakin’.

•	The next field is labeled CREATED BY. Enter your own name in this field. (If you ever distribute your created levels to your friends etc., this field will identify you as the creator of this level. Again, any name you type in should contain less than 256 characters). The creator’s name is displayed on screen whenever you play a level loaded from a file.

•	The combo box labeled TARGET SCREEN RESOLUTION, allows you to select the size of the level you want to create. Levels designed for a resolution of 800x600 are larger in size than those designed for 640x480. (Most computers today can easily handle 800x600 screens - hence unless you are running Snakin' on an older machine that is limited to a 640x480 pixel display, you should design your levels for a 800x600 resolution).

•	In the group box labeled ADD ITEM, you will see several option items labeled BACKGROUND, BORDER, PLANTS, STONES, BRICKS, and EDIBLE ITEMS. These are the building blocks for your new Snakin’ Level. When you click on any of the above options, you will be presented with a series of images corresponding to that type of item. To select a particular type of image within the series, simply click on the image. (A red line under the selected image shows you that the image has been selected).

•	When you select the BACKGROUND option, you will see this series of 17 different background images - to select a particular type of background, just click on that background. The displayed level in the bottom half of the screen is redrawn with the newly selected background pattern. You can change your choice of the background texture at any point of time while you are creating your level. To change the background texture, just click on the BACKGROUND option and then click on any background pattern.

•	To select a border for the level, click on the option marked BORDER. You will see an image containing 13 different types of border patterns. Click on any particular border pattern you like. The displayed level is redrawn with the new border pattern. To change the border pattern, just click on any other pattern in the Border image.

Edible Items:

Plants:

Stones:

Bricks:

•	PLANTS, STONES, BRICKS, and EDIBLE ITEMS can be placed anywhere within the level. To place one of these items, first select the corresponding option button by clicking on it. When the series of images are presented, select one image by clicking on it. Again, a red line under an object indicates that the object is selected.

⇒	To place a selected object inside a level, just click an empty square in the displayed level image. The selected object is placed on the square. (When placing objects in a level, bear in mind that while the Snakin’ snakes can freely pass over PLANTS, they cannot pass through BRICKS and STONES).

⇒	To remove an object placed in a level, click on the existing object and the object will be automatically removed.

⇒	To place a row of objects of the same type, click on a starting square, keep the mouse button pressed, and drag the mouse cursor over the squares. An object will be placed in each square the mouse cursor passes over.

⇒	You can modify any part of the level at any time in the process. (You do not necessarily have to proceed in the above sequence of steps).

⇒	If you create a mess and want to start all over again, you can clear all the objects in the level by going to the EDIT menu and selecting the CLEAR ALL OBJECTS option.

•	When you are finished creating your level, you should save it to a level file. From the FILE menu, select the option to SAVE LEVEL TO FILE. A dialog box will show up that will enable you to pick a directory to save the file in. Enter a name for your level file and then press the OK button. (The name should be limited to 8 characters and should have a .SNK extension - e.g. "Joe1.snk" or "MyLevel.snk" etc.).

•	To edit this level at a later time, start the Snakin' Level editor and from the FILE menu, select the option labeled LOAD LEVEL FROM FILE. When the File dialog comes up, navigate to the directory where your file-levels are stored, select the desired file and press the OK button.

(ps. If the images in this help file look terrible, you are probably working with a display setting of 256 colors)

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Troubleshooting

In very rare cases, you may get the following message (or something similar) when you try to run the Snakin’ Level Editor:

The Snakin’ Level Editor uses a shared file called VBRUN300.DLL. Most people already have this file on their machines but there is always a possibility that some people won’t have this file. This file is commonly available on the Internet and can be downloaded from any popular shareware site. If you go on the Internet and just search for VBRUN300.DLL, you will get a list of links from where you can download this file. Once you have downloaded the file, just put it in your Windows System directory (Commonly C:\Windows\System or C:\Win95\System) and the Snakin’ Level Editor will happily work.

If you are facing some other problem, please feel free to send me an e-mail at one of the following addresses:

vikram@eskimo.com

v_madan@msn.com

vmadan@bigfoot.com

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Distributing your newly created Snakin’ Level

When you create a level with the Snakin’ Level Editor and save it to a file, you may distribute the saved level file royalty-free to anyone as long as you do not charge money for the level or for distributing the level.

You may only distribute the new level file. Anyone who has registered Snakin’ and obtained a valid registration code from the game author will be able to play your newly created file level.

You may not distribute the Snakin’ registration code with your level and you may not distribute any other files with your level that would allow an unregistered copy of Snakin’ to access your file level.

To download levels created by other people using the Snakin Level Editor, visit the Snakin’ Level Exchange web-site at this URL on the Internet:

http://www.eskimo.com/~vikram/software/snakin/default.htm

If you would like me to place your level on the Snakin’ Level Exchange web site, so that other people may download it freely, e-mail a copy of your newly created level to one of the following e-mail addresses:

vikram@eskimo.com

v_madan@msn.com

vmadan@bigfoot.com

Please put the words “Snakin Level File” in the subject of the message so that I can filter it correctly.

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