tilesets

The list of tiles used in a map is called a tileset.

To view/modify the tileset used by a map, edit the map xml file, and look for the "tileset" attribute.

<Level tileset="mithalas" .../>

The tileset file is stored in the tilesets directory as a txt file. It contains the list of the graphics that are available for the maps using this tileset.

Tileset example :

0 black
1 veil-tilerock-0001 128 128
2 veil-tilerock-0002 128 128
3 veil-tilerock-0003 128 128 
4 veil-tilerock-0004 128 128
5 collectibles/mithala-doll
6 growth-medium
7 growth-heavy
8 bg-light-0001
9 bg-light-0002
10 bg-light-0003
11 healthplant-bush

The tiles 1-4 are used to generate the borders when pressing F12 in the editor. Which tile is used is randomly chosen. The two numbers after tiles 1-2 are the size of the tile graphic in pixels, so that the editor knows the spacing when placing borders automatically (Refer to Map templates for the details).

Tile 0 is not used.

To add a new tile, add a new entry in this list with the name of the graphic you want to add.

For example, you could append the following lines at the end:

12 my-new-graphic
13 coral-0007
20 plants/my-seaweed

Aquaria will first search for the graphic name in your mod (under graphics/...), then in Aquaria (gfx/...). Always use file names without extension (leave the .png away)!

You can use your own numbering. More precisely, there can be holes in your numbering. This is useful if you want to categorize tiles for faster access in the editor. You could for example use 10-50 for rock tiles, 50-100 for plants, 100-150 for other decoration; and fill those slots over time while you add new tiles. You'll get a feel for this when you repeatedly cycle through tiles in the editor.

Tileset rules:

• IDs don't need to be sorted, but it's recommended since it avoids turning the tileset into a mess.
• Don't use the same ID more than once.
• IDs don't need to be contiguous. Holes are fine.
• Don't change IDs for no reason. Tiles on the map reference tiles in the tileset by ID.
  • If you do this, tiles on the map will change textures because the IDs desync.
  • However, this makes it very easy to change a tile texture map-wide if you need to. Keep the ID, change the texture, done.
• Tilesets can use up to ID 1023. IDs >= 1024 are reserved for Aquarian letter tiles.

Compatibility Notes:

• Pre-OSE versions always load all tiles from the tileset into memory upon loading a map. This increases loading time and wastes RAM if your tileset contains a lot of tiles but your map doesn't use all of them.
• Newer versions only load new tiles when the tileset changes, and only the tiles that are actually needed.