Paintball Party Level Builder (c) 2005 NewCreature Design
---------------------------------------------------------

This program is freeware. Enjoy.


Disclaimer
----------

NewCreature Design makes no gaurantees regarding the Paintball Party Level
Builder software. We take no responsibility for any damages the software may
cause to you or your equipment, though it has not been known to cause any
problems. Please contact us if you have any trouble with the software and we'll
see if we can resolve the problem.


Getting Started
---------------

When Level Builder is started, you can either load an existing level or create
a new one from scratch. For your first time, we recommend loading the included
template level "template.ppl" and fiddle a little to get to know the program.


Things You Might Want to Know
-----------------------------

Levels are made up of a tileset, tilemap, and object map. All of these parts
are combined into one file format ("*.ppl"). You can also save the individual
parts using the export commands on the "File" menu.

The tileset contains 256 tiles, each of which is an animation. You can also do
tile animations that change one tile to another after a certain amount of time.
The tile properties dialog allows you to specify which side of each tile is
solid. You can also make a tile translucent. If you'd like to draw tiles in a
separate program, remember that all tiles are 16x16 and they must adhere to the
Paintball Party palette (they will automatically be converted if they don't).

The tilemap contains 5 layers, each with it's own scrolling speed. One layer,
which you specify from map properties, is the ILayer with which all the game
objects interact. You can also set the viewable map area using the XMin, XMax,
YMin, and YMax settings.

The object map is where you place all the player starting points, ammo, etc. Be
aware the a level needs, at the very least, starting points for the number of
players you want your level to support. If you try to play a level and you get
the message "Mode not supported!" your map lacks some object(s).


Global Controls
---------------

Here are the shortcut keys to do some of the common tasks:

F2         - Save current level
F3         - Load a level
F4         - Create a new level
Tab        - Change editor mode

To bring up the menu, move the mouse to the upper left corner of the screen.


Object Map Controls
-------------------

These are the extra controls available in Object Map editor mode:

Cursor keys  - Scroll the map (hold Left Shift to scroll faster)
Delete       - Delete currently selected object
>            - Select the next object
<            - Select the previous object
Left Control - Hold to snap object to grid when dragging (8x8)
T            - Change the type of the currently selected object
Delete       - Delete the currently selected object

You can select objects already on the map and drag them using the left mouse
button. Click the right mouse button to create a new object of the selected
type. The object type is selected using the Object Palette at the right side of
the screen.


Tilemap Controls
----------------

These are the extra controls available in Tilemap editor mode:

Cursor keys  - Scroll the map (hold Left Shift to scroll faster)
A            - Shift current layer left one tile
D            - Shift current layer right one tile
W            - Shift current layer up one tile
S            - Shift current layer down one tile
F9           - Access the tilemap properties dialog

Click the left mouse button over the layer or map view to draw the current tile
onto the map (hold shift to floodfill). Use the right mouse button to select a
tile from the map. Select a tile from the tile palette at the right side of the
screen using the left mouse button.


Tileset Controls
----------------

These are the extra controls available in Tileset editor mode:

Up/Down      - Previous/Next frame of the tile animation
A            - Shift tile frame left
D            - Shift tile frame right
W            - Shift tile frame up
S            - Shift tile frame down
Shift+A      - Shift tile animation left
Shift+D      - Shift tile animation right
Shift+W      - Shift tile animation up
Shift+S      - Shift tile animation down
Shift+Del    - Cut currently selected area from frame to clipboard
Ctrl+C       - Copy currently selected area from frame to clipboard
Ctrl+V       - Paste clipboard to current frame
R            - Rotate currently selected area
H            - Flip currently selected area horizontally
V            - Flip currently selected area vertically
F9           - Access the tile properties

Click the left mouse button over the enlarged tile image to draw the current
color onto the image (hold shift to floodfill). Use the right mouse button to
grab a color from the tile.


Adding Custom Music
-------------------

Paintball Party supports the following music formats:

IT, XM, S3M, MOD, MP3, OGG

The music file should have the same name as the level except with the proper
file extension for the format of the music. If the game doesn't find custom
music (or if the player has the Random Music option enabled), Paintball Party
will select a random song from within the game directory.


===============================================================================


Contacting Us
-------------

If you have general questions about our programs or anything else you can
contact us via e-mail. Please report any bugs you find in our software as well.
Comments are also appreciated. Visit our web site for the latest updates and
releases.

We will review any submitted levels for addition to the Paintball Party levels
repository on our web site.  Please submit files in ZIP format. The ZIP file
should have the level file (".ppl"), music file if your level has custom music,
and an optional text file containing information about your level (author
credits, etc.).

E-mail     - todd@ncdgames.com

Snail Mail - 1409 Diuguid Drive
             Murray, KY 42071
             Apt. A5

Web Site   - http://www.ncdgames.com
