Field Item Editor

Game Structure

To understand how the game works, think of the map as a coordinate grid, with each cell (X,Y) being a single tile. Each tile can have a different model & collision/interact-ability rules.

The game stores the tiles in a Top->Down, Left->Right order, as opposed to storing them per-acre in a Left->Right, Top->Bottom order.

The game stores multiple things:

• Terrain Tiles
• Item Layer 1 (ground layer)
• Item Layer 2 (stacked item layer)
• Item Layer 1 Activation Flags (not editable in NHSE)
• Item Layer 2 Activation Flags (not editable in NHSE)

Coordinates/Acres:

• Ocean acres are not included in the terrain map. The ocean acres cannot be traversed, hence not having data.
• Beach acres are included in the terrain map. Do note that not all tiles can be changed in game, depending on the acre.
  • Only the grassy tiles can be changed. Sand, rocks, river mouths, docks, and ocean-side beach tiles cannot be changed.
  • You may still place items with the Field Item Editor on the beach, but be wary of invisible walls for the wavefront.

Summary

NHSE provides a combination terrain-field item editor, allowing you to modify the map terrain without the restrictions imposed by the game terraforming rules, and place/move items as you wish.

It is recommended to back up your map and item layers prior to making any edits.

• Terrain Tiles are laid out in a grid matching the game's map.
• You can move the viewport to view a different area of the map by clicking on the Map image, or changing the viewed acre combobox / arrow buttons.
• The editor has two modes:
  • Terrain mode (view/set/delete terrain tiles)
  • Item mode (view/set/delete item tiles)
• Right click a tile to see the available actions:
  • View: Loads the tile's data to the tile editor.
  • Set: Writes the tile editor data to the requested tile.
  • Delete: Resets the tile (terrain = flat base without elevation, item = none).
• Alternatively, the Ctrl, Shift, and Alt key + Mouse click to do the respective actions (above) without right clicking.

Terrain Tiles

Tiles have the following properties:

• UnitModel type, which tells the game which terrain model to load for the tile when generating the map.
• Elevation, which tells the game how high the tile is off of the ground level (0).
• Rotation ???
• Edging style ???

Terrain Tile Bulk Manipulation

The program allows you to do modifications to all tiles on the map. Bulk manipulations are provided for convenience, if you are wanting to overhaul your map.

• Zero out all elevation (does not remove cliffs).
• Set the current tile (in the Tile Editor at the top right) everywhere.

Field Items

Similar to the Terrain Editor, NHSE provides a field item editor to indicate what items are dropped, and the ability to modify what is placed. Compared to a single Terrain tile, a Field Item tile is 1/4th the size (it is 2x2 to fit into a Terrain tile). This allows half-coordinates for placing items, although the game might not allow you to do so naturally.

Extension Tiles

Each placed item has a root tile, which then has "extension" tiles that point back to the root node. If an item is 3x3, it will have a root node in the top left corner, followed by 8 extension tiles to occupy the rest of the item's space. The program will indicate these extension items with crude directional lines (which point back to the root tile).

If the tile is an extension (indicated by Item ID = 0xFFFD), then it will be displayed as such. The data for the item is interpreted differently from the root node, as it needs to instead include the extension dimensions and the type of item the root node is, rather than the default item structure.

Normally, you don't have to worry about extension tiles as the program provides checkboxes to handle things automatically for you. If you want to manually manage extension tiles, turn off the associated checkboxes in the editor.

Field Item Bulk Removal

NHSE provides multiple options to remove items from the map. By default, they are only removed from the currently viewed grid spaces. To have the removal apply to all tiles on the map, hold SHIFT when selecting the removal option.

• Remove Objects: Removes all non-held items, such as Stone, Tree, Weed, Fence, etc.
• Remove Held Items: Removes all held items that were manually placed by your player character; not things that are morphed into terrain objects like Trees, Flowers, or Fences.

Export/Import

• Export/Import all tiles to share your map terrain and items (separately).
• Export/Import an acre to back up a single acre.
  • The program will automatically grab/place the correct tiles.
  • Ensure the correct acre is selected before exporting/importing. Double check the suggested file name!
• Export/Import your building list and be sure to take note of the Plaza coordinates.