jLevelBuilder 1.88 (june, 9th 2021)

[WillLem]

Thanks for the update LJLPM!

One thing I've been wondering is whether you might be happy to collaborate with me on an editor for SuperLemmini, based on the jLevelBuilder's code.

What I have in mind is essentially a massively stripped down, simplified and streamlined version of the editor as it is now. Or, even if it still has all of the same functionality, a much more simplified UI would be a great move.

Here's a quick mockup which simplifies the layout slightly; I'd probably want to go a lot further and get something which has even less buttons and stuff, so that just the essential/most-used stuff is out on the surface.

Things to note:

- The "Skills" header and "Random Skills" button is now in the same column as the skill selection dialogs - this saves vertical space in the first column and makes more sense
- The "Entity Type" selector is now above the tile selector; better flow
- The tiles list has been removed; whilst this part of the interface is useful, I'd consider it "advanced" - maybe the UI could have different modes?
- The buttons on the right are the same as previously, but edited slightly for a better fit
- The menu bar is condensed to just a few items to reduce clutter; this may or may not be possible depending on functionality of the removed items

Again, this is just a very quick mockup. I'd be happy to spend a considerable amount of time coming up with an ideal layout based on aesthetics, workflow and most-used functions.



I'm currently studying UX design, so a project like this would be awesome to work on if you're up for it. Thoughts?

[LJLPM]

Hi LanaAndCo and WillLem,

Thank you for your kind words
I don't have much free time, but your ideas about jLevelBuilder sound interesting, therefore, yes, I'll try make the compact version a real thing (maybe at the end of the month... It will be difficult for me to give it a try sooner...)

[WillLem]

I don't have much free time, but your ideas about jLevelBuilder sound interesting, therefore, yes, I'll try make the compact version a real thing (maybe at the end of the month... It will be difficult for me to give it a try sooner...)

OK, brilliant. Well, to help out I'll put together a proper mockup layout and see if you like it.

[LanaAndCo]

Hello, I have two questions I would like to ask.

Since I got some time and creativity to dive back into level making, I noticed that, while jLevelBuilder can still open .ini files, it can't save them anymore. At first I though I corrupted something and I redownloaded it, but the option is still greyed out. Does anyone else has this problem and if so, is this a bug or are (Super)Lemmini based levels not supported anymore?
Also, sorry to ask you this, as I don't know if you previously said something about it but, if you're still able to update your level editor, is it possible to add support for custom tilesets? NeoLemmix Editor 1.43nc is too obsolete and frustrating to use nowadays, plus your editor has really nice features that make level-making easier.

Thank you in advance.

[LJLPM]

Hi,

Sorry for the bug when handling ".ini" files : I've fixed it.
Could you re-download the latest version of jLevelBuilder, please ? (http://www.lesjeuxlesplusmieux.com/jlevelbuilder.html)
Saving ".ini" levels should work again now

About handling custom tilesets, you can already use/import any custom tileset you want : just create a specific folder for each new tileset + create a valid configuration file (".ini" file) within the custom tileset's folder (for examples, you could take a look at your ".ini" config files which are located in "jLevelBuilder_beta_1.88b\resources\tilesets\Lemmings\brick, dirt, marble, etc..." folders).

With jLevelBuilder, you'll be able to create ".ini" levels for (Super)Lemmini that only rely on classic Lemmings' features (because SuperLemmini's and NeoLemmix's exclusive features don't exist in jLB).

About jLB's (new) features, just move your mouse over the buttons for few seconds to make a "help" text appear above the buttons.

[LanaAndCo]

I didn't know you could already use custom tilesets, thank you very much!

[WillLem]

Sorry for the bug when handling ".ini" files : I've fixed it.

Thanks LJLPM!

I didn't know you could already use custom tilesets, thank you very much!

It is mentioned here. We need a purpose-built editor really. I think that would turn a lot of people back on to SuperLemmini in general.

[LJLPM]

We need a purpose-built editor really.

Actually, I've already worked on it, and it can generate ".ini" config files for custom tilesets (once again, it only handles Lemmings1-compliant tile properties).
It will be included in the next version of jLevelBuilder.

...just to know, what features would you expect for editing Lemmings1/Lemmini's custom tiles ?

[WillLem]

Actually, I've already worked on it, and it can generate ".ini" config files for custom tilesets (once again, it only handles Lemmings1-compliant tile properties).
It will be included in the next version of jLevelBuilder.

Great to know! Looking forward to it.

...just to know, what features would you expect for editing Lemmings1/Lemmini's custom tiles ?

jLevelBuilder already has a lot of the features I'd suggest for an editor, but if you're looking for a wishlist I'd probably add the following:

Support for switching between editing and playing (maybe you can hook jLB up to SL so that when you hit "play", it opens the level in SL for testing)

Customisable hotkeys

Simplified interface (it's best to just have the most-used features as buttons, and hide the less-used stuff in menus. jLB's interface is very busy. If you want help with this, let me know. I think I offered a while ago to suggest some layout ideas, I'm still very happy to do this if you're currently working on it)

Resizable window (absolutely essential for jLB due to the size of the interface)

Support for tileset mixing (this probably also needs to be implemented in SL itself)

[LJLPM]

Support for switching between editing and playing (maybe you can hook jLB up to SL so that when you hit "play", it opens the level in SL for testing)

I'll see if I can do something with SL, but I really don't know what's possible about that atm... That's a good idea btw.

Customisable hotkeys

It's already here Go to "Options > Key Configuration"

Simplified interface (it's best to just have the most-used features as buttons, and hide the less-used stuff in menus.
Resizable window (absolutely essential for jLB due to the size of the interface)

Unfortunately, I don't have much free time for coding Lemmings-related stuff, so spending time on re-working the interface isn't a priority. But it's a good idea that I keep in mind, for sure.

Support for tileset mixing (this probably also needs to be implemented in SL itself)

This feature is unlikely to happen because of how tilesets are handled. Sorry

and about custom-tile editing/handling, what features would you like to see in jLB ? (classic Lemmings 1's tile support, only)

[WillLem]

It's already here Go to "Options > Key Configuration"

When I choose this, nothing happens

spending time on re-working the interface isn't a priority. But it's a good idea that I keep in mind, for sure.

Not a re-working as such, more of a simplifying. jLB is a very powerful editor with a lot of potential to be a go-to for SuperLemmini users. It's absolutely worth taking the time to clean it up a bit, and I'm more than happy to help with this wherever I can.

Here's my own idea for an imaginary UI, note that only the very basic features are out on the panel:

WillLem's Imaginary Level Editor

And here's how I imagine jLB could look if it had a UI closer to the one I've designed. Note that all I've really done is remove the lesser-needed parts of the interface to tidy it up a bit and leave only most-used features. This has the effect of removing the need for scrollers whilst streamlining the UI to aid workflow. The other features could happily live as menu items or hotkeys rather than dashboard buttons:

WillLem's Imaginary jLB Interface

and about custom-tile editing/handling, what features would you like to see in jLB ? (classic Lemmings 1's tile support, only)

Tile grouping would be good

[LJLPM]

Tile grouping would be good

You can already perform 'tile grouping'.
In jLB, grouped tiles are called 'Favorites' : select some tiles you want to link, and then click on the "Make Favorite" button.
In the "Entity Type" list, you'll be able to find all your Favorites, and, since Favorites are saved in your tileset directory, you'll also be able to re-use them accross different levels.

And about

It is mentioned here. We need a purpose-built editor really. I think that would turn a lot of people back on to SuperLemmini in general.

I'm working on such a built-in editor which will allow to set - and dynamically view as a red rectangle - Objects' trigger area (see red arrows on the screenshot below / note: some Objects' properties are only relevant to my Android game that I'm slowwwwly working on from time to time...)
This feature will be available in the next release (v1.89)

[WillLem]

You can already perform 'tile grouping'.
In jLB, grouped tiles are called 'Favorites' : select some tiles you want to link, and then click on the "Make Favorite" button.
In the "Entity Type" list, you'll be able to find all your Favorites, and, since Favorites are saved in your tileset directory, you'll also be able to re-use them accross different levels.

This is a great feature! One of the many reasons a more simplified interface might benefit jLB; features like this could be easier to spot if the UI is a bit less cluttered (the MakeFav. button is very easy to miss). Nonetheless, knowing about this made me think I ought to take a much closer look at the editor and its various existing features.

EDIT 1: It seems there is a "Group" function as well (Entity Type: Group). Does this also group items? I've now seen that this feature is only available in "Advanced" mode and not "Lemmings" mode. Could the feature be made available in "Lemmings" mode as well?

EDIT 2: I've just taken another quick look at it and I'm fast beginning to see the potential for jLB to be the editor for SuperLemmini levels. I'll get an overview together at some point and begin to direct players towards it more often. Standout features are the minimap display for quick jumping to different areas of the map, and the piece selector list which allows selection of pieces without having to actually locate it amongst a cluster of pieces: this is revolutionary. I'm not sure how your editor has gone under the radar for so long, to be honest.

A few bugs I noticed, though:

* Zooming in removes the minimap; keeping it available would make it much easier to quickly find an area when very closely zoomed in

* Meanwhile, the Zoom>Open 'Zoom' Window doesn't work as expected, i.e. clicking within it doesn't relocate the zoomed area

* Ctrl & Mousewheel Scroll zooms in, but not to the selected item (which is expected). It seems to zoom in to an arbitrary area of the screen, which isn't particularly helpful. Is this something that can be configured?

* User configurations aren't saved upon exiting the program (for example, I have to keep turning the reference lines off)

A way to set the default "load" folder would also be great for general convenience

I'm working on such a built-in editor which will allow to set - and dynamically view as a red rectangle - Objects' trigger area

Brilliant stuff, well worth adding this. Trigger areas can be a pain to get right in SL levels, this will massively help

[LJLPM]

Thank you for your kind words ; I'll try to fix the issues you've noticed.

About

* Meanwhile, the Zoom>Open 'Zoom' Window doesn't work as expected, i.e. clicking within it doesn't relocate the zoomed area

I'm not sure to understand the issue.
Actually, this option simply opens a new "zoom-in" window that you could use side-by-side to the main UI, in order to fine-tune your work (while keeping the main screen at standard 1:1 scale factor)
The "zoom-in" window does not monitor the main screen's position: therefore if we scroll the level/the display in the main screen, then the "zoom-in" window won't follow (because it can't).

[WillLem]

Actually, this option simply opens a new "zoom-in" window that you could use side-by-side to the main UI, in order to fine-tune your work (while keeping the main screen at standard 1:1 scale factor)

I see, fair enough.

I'm not sure how useful this is though, in all honesty. During workflow, it's far more intuitive to simply zoom into what you're working on, make changes, and then zoom out. Seeing the same thing in two different screens (and only being able to select items from the non-zoomed screen) is somewhat confusing.

Having said that, I suppose it's better to have a feature you never use and might need for something at some point than not have the feature at all, so I'm by no means suggesting that it be removed!

What I would suggest, though, is more intuitive zoom control, such as still being able to access parts of the level via the minimap, and the zoom itself always following either the mouse cursor or the currently selected item. This would greatly improve interactivity with the program and make it feel more ergonomic and responsive.

Thank you for your kind words ; I'll try to fix the issues you've noticed.

You're very welcome! I hope some of my feedback doesn't come across to harsh: your editor is excellent, and well worth a bit of tweaking to take it to the next level. If I can help in any way, I'll be glad to do so.