Can't get enough of those annoying blockheads? Well, here's your chance to design your very own levels. Blockheads designer lets you create sets of 50 levels and, best of all, the Blockheads program (either the original or II) will automatically recognize these level sets and make them available for play. Just think of the boundless opportunity to irritate your friends.
Designer's Files
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Designer stores levels that you're working on in files with names like BHWRK.<your filename>. Once you've completed the construction process, you 'publish' the results in a file called BHLEV.<your filename>, where the <your filename> part doesn't change. These BHLEV files are recognized by Blockheads and listed as available to play as long as they're on the same disk.
When you start Designer, it will search the disk for any BHWRK files and give you a list of all that it finds. You can select any of those, or start a new work file by entering a name for it (DON'T include the BHWRK. part - that will be automatically added for you). Once you've selected a file, it will be loaded and the main screen will appear.
As with any creative process, I can't overemphasize the importance of saving your work periodically. It can take hours to design and test 50 levels, and you'd hate to lose all that work, wouldn't you? Press Y to save your BHWRK file any time you aren't in the middle of playing a level. IMPORTANT! - You must have at least 140 free blocks on the disk to save a work file!
Basic Commands
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> Move to next level
< Move to previous level
^ Jump to any level
Y Save BHWRK file
Z Quit the program
Creating a Level Set:
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The basic steps to the process are:
1. Place elements on the playing field
2. Adjust level parameters
3. Test the level
4. Sequence the levels when all 50 are finished
5. Publish the final results
Place Elements on the playing field
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Designer is entirely keyboard driven (though a joystick is supported when testing levels). To place elements on the playing field, press A-N to select an element, use the cursor keys to position the flashing block, then press SPACE to 'Mark' (put the selected element in that location). Repeat for all desired elements. You can place blockheads, squareblocks, diamonds, steel, bricks, glass, bonus$, and kudzu on the board. To remove an element, select the eraser (O), move the cursor over the item to be erased, and press SPACE.
Glass, by the way, is visible when editing a level but invisible while testing it.
You'll notice that you can't place anything in the two center locations of the top row. That's where falling blocks appear when playing the game.
I try to create levels that are either visually appealing or that present a puzzle to the player. You, of course, have the freedom to do whatever you want. If you're really stuck, there's a randomize feature (press 0 <zero>) that can be used to generate a starting pattern. Be careful, though: randomize overwrites anything already on the board and can generate unsolvable puzzles that you'll have to edit to make playable. See the tips section at the end.
Adjust Level Parameters
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Keys P thru X allow you to adjust the playing parameters for this level. The first 6 control how many Bombs, Nukes, Acids, Bricks, Steel, and Diamonds will appear in the falling blocks. Just press the appropriate key to cycle between NONE, SOME, and LOTS.
V toggles the background between visible and invisible.
W controls whether NONE, SOME, or ALL of the falling blocks are sticky.
X selects the speed of the falling blocks: SLOW, MEDIUM, or FAST.
Test The Level
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Press ! to test the current level. Testing a level is just like playing it in the Blockheads program and you can use either the keyboard or a joystick in port 2. The goal of testing, of course, is not to *solve* the level, but to make sure that it is solvable and presents the desired level of difficulty. Once the level ends, you'll be back at the screen editor and can add or remove elements or adjust parameters as necessary.
Note: the 'test level' portion of this program is similar to the Blockheads code, but predates it and may lack some refinements. None of the differences are significant enough to affect your ability to test a level.
Sequence The Levels
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Creating 50 enjoyable levels is tough. Trying to build them in the same order you'd want players to play them is nigh impossible, so some method of resequencing the levels after you've built and tested them all is necessary. I chose the method that required the least programming.
Each level has a 'level number' (1-50) that identifies it's position within the work file. There's also a Tag number, again 1-50, that will specify the sequence in which the levels will be played once published to Blockheads.
Initially, Designer sets the tag and level numbers equal. To adjust them, press 1 then enter a new tag number for the level. It's up to you to ensure that each level is given a unique tag. When you publish the level set, the tags will be checked and any duplicate or missing numbers will be flagged. You'll have to correct any problems before you can finish publishing the set.
Publish the File
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Publishing is the process of converting a BHWRK file into a BHLEV file that Blockheads can recognize and use. Only the prefix of the filename is changed. BHWRK.SET2 becomes BHLEV.SET2, for example.
The published file is compressed to about 1/4 the size of the BHWRK file. It's important to note that Designer can create BHLEV files, but it cannot use them, so you should be certain that you also save your work in the BHWRK format (with the Y command) so you can edit it later.
If you copy the published file to a disk with the Blockheads game on it, the file will be automatically recognized and either loaded (if it's the only one) or presented as an option for loading (if more than one BHLEV file exists on the disk).
Some Tips on Level Creation
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There are 302 squares on a board, 15 possible elements on each square, and over 13,000 different combinations of level parameters. Add that to the fact that the falling blocks appear in somewhat random combinations, and there are literally millions of potential variations. Kate & I have thought up 150 of those - the rest are up to you. Not all possibilities are good ones, however, so here are some tips.
1. Don't put any blockheads in Row 0 (the top row). There's no way to eliminate them so you'd have an unsolvable level. If you use the randomizer, make sure you erase all blockheads from row 0.
2. Blockheads in rows 1-3 can only be removed with Acid, so don't put any there unless you also provide some Acid. Of course, it's always possible to get acid via a bonus stack, but this trick will become tedious if overused. Again, watch out for the randomizer.
3. If a level is too difficult without the look-ahead feature (which must be earned each time), provide one or more nearly complete bonus stacks that can be gotten to easily. Remember the first completed bonus stack in each level turns look-ahead on.
4. Mix up the speeds and other level parameters to keep players off balance.
5. Try different combinations of elements and see what works. For example, glass and sticky blocks are an evil combination worthy of Knees Calhoon. Did that block stop falling because it was stuck to its partner? Or did it land on glass? And kudzu. Man, I hate that stuff. Use wisely.
Finally, I'd love to see some levels created by other people. If you've got some good ones, send them to me. Enjoy!
