Using Map Layers

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Recent OHRRPGCE releases introduce layered maps. You have up to 8 layers to work with, and the old Overhead wallmap bit isn't needed anymore (mixing it with layers would be confusing and unneeded, so you should avoid it). Tiles in the 2nd and higher layers can be transparent on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

Here is the order in which things on the map are drawn in-game:

Layer 0 (Bottom Layer)
Optionally, more map layers...
NPCs    *  Heroes are drawn before NPCs if NPCs over Heroes layering is set
Heroes  *
Optionally, more map layers...

(For more details about draw order, see Layers.)

Overhead layers (those above NPCs/heroes) are for graphics like tree tops and branches. Notice that you can have multiple layers below everything else: this is so that you can use layer 0 for the ground, and add a layer 1 for anything overlaying or on the ground. For instance, you might have grass, sand, dirt, and pavement on a map. You don't need to redraw a stone tile for each different ground type that it may be on. Instead, draw it once with the stone on a transparent background.

Now lets suppose we want a large tree on our map, which the player can walk behind and in front of.

Drawing Transparent Tiles

Colour 0 is the transparent colour for tiles on transparent layers (layer 1 and up). It will appear as black in the Maptiles Editor. Use a different black (there are several in the default Master Palette) if you want black on a tile intended for the transparent layers.

For our map, we might draw a simple grass tile, and the tree trunk and top on multiple tiles, surrounded by colour 0.

Editing Layers

Before editing layers, you must add and/or enable them. Press CTRL+L while in the Tilemap Editor to select layers to edit. In this menu, press F1 for more help.

A disabled layer can't be editted, and isn't drawn while editting the map, BUT it does appear ingame. An Invisible layer is NOT drawn ingame (or while editing). The visibility of a layer can be toggled with a script command.

To select a layer, press Page Up and Page Down. At the bottom of the screen is the current layer number.

Place tiles on layers as normal. If you can't see what you're doing, make other layers invisible, or make the current layer jiggle about with CTRL+J

Getting back to our tree, suppose that we have a footoffset on this map, to draw NPCs and heroes not strictly aligned with the tile grid, but seeming to stand in the middle of a tile. So we want the player sprite on top of the tree trunk when standing in front of it. So we create two new layers, one below NPCs/heroes (layer 1), and one above (layer 2). Place the tree trunk tile on layer 1, and the rest of the tree on layer 2.

Layers and the Wallmap

Maps still have only a single layer wallmap. The default passibility settings of tiles in all layers at a spot is combined to set the wallmap.

To be written...

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HOWTO Chapters

Keyboard Shortcuts | Getting Started | Making Maptiles | Making Walkabout Graphics | Importing BMP graphics | Moving on to Map Construction (Using Map Layers) | Making a Hero | Battles | How to use NPCs and Tags | Adding, Removing, Swapping, Heroes | Animating Maptiles | Vehicle Use | Stun, Regen, Poison, and Mute | Sound Effects | Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Text Boxes, But Were Afraid To Ask (Portrait Boxes) | Distributing a Game

Bosses | Making Complex Attacks | Combat Dialogues | Enemies that respond to a certain attack | Ways to refer to a hero in a script | Creating Dungeons | Permanent Stat-Boosters | Conditional Door Links | Creating Cutscenes | Using the Mouse in the Game