Hey there, kiddies! Today we're gonna learn how to ExAnimate in Lunar Magic 1.8x. (You can follow the same steps in earlier versions, but the interfaces will be a bit different.)
Okay, now first we'll ExAnimate with vanilla graphics. Say you have a background that you want to put stars in...
Now, open up the 16x16 Map16 Editor (the question block button in the toolbar). Scroll down to page 40 with the arrow keys, and you'll find...
Ghost house tiles?! But that's not what we want! We want stars!
Okay, so here's how you get them. Open up the 8x8 tile editor (the quarter-question block button, next to the 16x16 editor). Press CTRL+SHFT+PgDown to unlock internal sprite viewing data...
This unlocks the animation tiles so you can see where they're stored in the ROM and edit them if you wish. Then scroll down to page 0x6, where the animation tiles we want are:
See those? Those are the tiles we want. Now, to actually animate them. Assuming we want to use these stars in more than one level, we'll use Global ExAnimation. Global means that it will be ROM-wide, and Level-Specific is only loaded for the level it's set up in. Now, click the button with the spinning turn block near the right end of the toolbar to open up the Global ExAnimation window, which should look something like this (in LM 1.8x):
Now let's learn this interface here.
1. ExAnimation slot
This is pretty straight-forward. It gives you a certain number of slots for things to animate.
2. Type
This is the way the ExAnimation is laid out. We'll cover this more in-depth later.
3. Trigger
What causes the ExAnimation to play. We'll also go over this later, but for now all you need to know is that to play it indefinitely, set it to None.
4. Frames
If you've never animated anything before, a frame is each 'slide' in an animation; that is, every picture that the animation is made of.
5. Number of Frames
How many frames the animation will play. If you don't set the correct number, the animation won't look right.
6. Destination
Where the animated tile will be placed in the 8x8 editor.
7. Alternate ExGFX
ExGFX files 60-63 are for ExAnimation. It's reccomended you only use these for Global ExAnimation, because there's a way to use other ExGFX files for level-specific ExAnimation which I'll explain later. If you're using one of these alternate ExGFX files, you'll have to check the box that says 'Use alternate ExGFX file for source.'
8. Frame window
This is where we'll be doing all the work. You enter the frame tile numbers here.
Okay, now that we know the basic workings of the ExAnimation window, let's get animatin'! Go back to the 8x8 editor, and mouse over the first tile of the first star. On the bottom bar, you should see 'Tile 0x648 (Address 0xC900).' The number after 'Tile 0x-' is the number we need. In the first frame of the ExAnimation window, type 648. Repeat this for the other two tiles.
PROTIP: To save time doing this, note that vertical tiles in a line are only F tiles apart. For instance, note that the second tile of the first star is 0x658, 15 (F) more than we had for the last tile. Horizontally, it's counted in ones, as you'd expect. (Don't forget that this is hex, so instead of 10, 11, etc. you get A through F.)
Now, after you have the three frames laid out, you'll want to go back to the middle tile to make it animate smoothly. After you've done that, set Frames to 4 and the Destination to tile 1C5 (one of the bush tiles). Then set the Type to '1 8x8,' because that's all we're animating. Lastly, leave the Trigger at 'None.' In the end, the window should look like this:
Now press OK and check in Tile 1C5. There should be a quarter of a star there. If so, you did it correctly! If not, then restart from step 1. Practice makes perfect!
Now then, if you'd like you can repeat these steps for the other 3 variations of stars.
SETTING IT UP:
This, obviously, will vary depending on what you're animating. For this particular purpose, the first and second kinds of stars use the same tile, X and Y flipped. So, go to the 16x16 editor and find an empty space. Click on the star tile in the 8x8 editor, then right click in the 8x8 space in the 16x16 editor. The star tile should replace the Map16 box. Now then, click on the next box and repeat. You should have a very screwed-up star. No problem. Select the ones that don't look right, and click Flip X and Flip Y in the 8x8 part of the editor until it looks right. As before, repeat for the other star.
For the two smaller stars, only place them in one of the spaces, then click 'Edit 16x16 Attributes' and set the other tiles to Tile F8. Also, make sure to change its palette. It works well with blue or yellow palettes - the default background for Level 105's Palette 0 works well. Then right click in any empty Map16 area past Page 41 [this is very important, otherwise it won't let you use them as BG tiles, but FG ones]. Remember to press F9 to save them! Place the tiles in the background and enjoy your newfound skill!
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-END PART 1-
Coming tomorrow: Using ExGFX to ExAnimate, plus Level ExAnimation!
[Note: This is my first tutorial. If a pro hacker notices a big mistake I made, feel free to point it out so I can fix it. Thanks!]
Okay, now first we'll ExAnimate with vanilla graphics. Say you have a background that you want to put stars in...
Now, open up the 16x16 Map16 Editor (the question block button in the toolbar). Scroll down to page 40 with the arrow keys, and you'll find...
Ghost house tiles?! But that's not what we want! We want stars!
Okay, so here's how you get them. Open up the 8x8 tile editor (the quarter-question block button, next to the 16x16 editor). Press CTRL+SHFT+PgDown to unlock internal sprite viewing data...
This unlocks the animation tiles so you can see where they're stored in the ROM and edit them if you wish. Then scroll down to page 0x6, where the animation tiles we want are:
See those? Those are the tiles we want. Now, to actually animate them. Assuming we want to use these stars in more than one level, we'll use Global ExAnimation. Global means that it will be ROM-wide, and Level-Specific is only loaded for the level it's set up in. Now, click the button with the spinning turn block near the right end of the toolbar to open up the Global ExAnimation window, which should look something like this (in LM 1.8x):
Now let's learn this interface here.
1. ExAnimation slot
This is pretty straight-forward. It gives you a certain number of slots for things to animate.
2. Type
This is the way the ExAnimation is laid out. We'll cover this more in-depth later.
3. Trigger
What causes the ExAnimation to play. We'll also go over this later, but for now all you need to know is that to play it indefinitely, set it to None.
4. Frames
If you've never animated anything before, a frame is each 'slide' in an animation; that is, every picture that the animation is made of.
5. Number of Frames
How many frames the animation will play. If you don't set the correct number, the animation won't look right.
6. Destination
Where the animated tile will be placed in the 8x8 editor.
7. Alternate ExGFX
ExGFX files 60-63 are for ExAnimation. It's reccomended you only use these for Global ExAnimation, because there's a way to use other ExGFX files for level-specific ExAnimation which I'll explain later. If you're using one of these alternate ExGFX files, you'll have to check the box that says 'Use alternate ExGFX file for source.'
8. Frame window
This is where we'll be doing all the work. You enter the frame tile numbers here.
Okay, now that we know the basic workings of the ExAnimation window, let's get animatin'! Go back to the 8x8 editor, and mouse over the first tile of the first star. On the bottom bar, you should see 'Tile 0x648 (Address 0xC900).' The number after 'Tile 0x-' is the number we need. In the first frame of the ExAnimation window, type 648. Repeat this for the other two tiles.
PROTIP: To save time doing this, note that vertical tiles in a line are only F tiles apart. For instance, note that the second tile of the first star is 0x658, 15 (F) more than we had for the last tile. Horizontally, it's counted in ones, as you'd expect. (Don't forget that this is hex, so instead of 10, 11, etc. you get A through F.)
Now, after you have the three frames laid out, you'll want to go back to the middle tile to make it animate smoothly. After you've done that, set Frames to 4 and the Destination to tile 1C5 (one of the bush tiles). Then set the Type to '1 8x8,' because that's all we're animating. Lastly, leave the Trigger at 'None.' In the end, the window should look like this:
Now press OK and check in Tile 1C5. There should be a quarter of a star there. If so, you did it correctly! If not, then restart from step 1. Practice makes perfect!
Now then, if you'd like you can repeat these steps for the other 3 variations of stars.
SETTING IT UP:
This, obviously, will vary depending on what you're animating. For this particular purpose, the first and second kinds of stars use the same tile, X and Y flipped. So, go to the 16x16 editor and find an empty space. Click on the star tile in the 8x8 editor, then right click in the 8x8 space in the 16x16 editor. The star tile should replace the Map16 box. Now then, click on the next box and repeat. You should have a very screwed-up star. No problem. Select the ones that don't look right, and click Flip X and Flip Y in the 8x8 part of the editor until it looks right. As before, repeat for the other star.
For the two smaller stars, only place them in one of the spaces, then click 'Edit 16x16 Attributes' and set the other tiles to Tile F8. Also, make sure to change its palette. It works well with blue or yellow palettes - the default background for Level 105's Palette 0 works well. Then right click in any empty Map16 area past Page 41 [this is very important, otherwise it won't let you use them as BG tiles, but FG ones]. Remember to press F9 to save them! Place the tiles in the background and enjoy your newfound skill!
-END PART 1-
Coming tomorrow: Using ExGFX to ExAnimate, plus Level ExAnimation!
[Note: This is my first tutorial. If a pro hacker notices a big mistake I made, feel free to point it out so I can fix it. Thanks!]