eme version 0.2a - seme version 0.2

  1. Introduction
  2. Tutorial: How to draw a map ?
  3. Tutorial: How to create a map format in SEME ?
  4. Tutorial: How to write a plugin ?
  5. Tutorial: How to create a new type of property ?
  6. The user interface
  7. seme
  8. ieme
  9. The API
  10. FAQ
  11. Portability
  12. Known bugs
  13. Reference: Application Program Interface
  14. Reference: emetool
  15. Index

User Interface



  1. The command line options
  2. The GUI
    1. Shortcuts
    2. Layers
    3. Draw point and Fill
    4. Selection
    5. Copy/Cut/Paste
    6. Adding/Removing rows and columns
    7. Undoing/Redoing
  3. The config file


1 - The command line options


You can give a filename, which will be loaded automatically.


$ eme forest.map

Alternatively, you can specify a file with the --file= option, which can be useful if the filename begins with '-':


$ eme --file=forest.map

--help: prints an help message.


$ eme --help

--width: sets the screen or window width (in pixels). Default 640. Can be set in allegro.cfg.


$ eme --width=320 --height=200

--height: sets the screen or window height (in pixels). Default 480. Can be set in allegro.cfg.


$ eme --width=320 --height=200

--cdepth: sets the color depth. Default 16. Can be set in allegro.cfg.


$ eme --cdepth=32

--undo: sets the maximum number of undo levels. Default 32.


$ eme --undo=40

--save: don't use the GUI, just save the loaded map. You must specify a file to load. Be careful: the map is erased, even if there was an error during the load.


$ eme forest.map --save

2 - The GUI


The GUI is divided in seven parts:

If you prefer an image instead of ASCII art, look at doc/img/gui.png or use a browser that correctly support the <OBJECT> tag.

   +-Menu(1)------------------------------+
   |+--------------------++------++------+|
   || Map(2)             ||      ||      ||
   ||                    ||      ||Layers||
   ||                    || Tile ||(4)*  ||
   ||                    || Prop-|+------+|
   ||                    || erty || Map(5)|
   ||                    || (3)* || Prop-||
   ||                    ||      || erty*||
   ||                    |+------++------+|
   ||                    ||   Tools(6)*  ||
   ||                    ||              ||
   |+--------------------++--------------+|
   +-Infos(7)-----------------------------+

  1. Menu
  2. Map
  3. Tile property *
  4. Layers *
  5. Map property *
  6. Tools *
  7. Infos

You can right-click on the parts noted * to access a help box.


2.1 - Shortcuts


2.2 - Layers

The active layer name is written in reverse video, visible ones are grayed.

Adding/removing rows and columns commands and paste brush are executed on all layers. Copy brush is executed on all visible layers. All other commands are executed only on the active layer.

To change the active layer with the keyboard, type < or >. With the mouse, click to select a layer and deselect all others, -click to show the layer, ctrl-click to hide it.


2.3 - Draw point and Fill

When drawing a point, if some tiles are selected, you can draw only on these tiles, if no tile is selected, you can draw anywhere. Remember that Ctrl-N deselect all tiles.

You can fill the selected tiles by choosing the fill command and clicking on the map. The little slider called 'density' let you choose the probability for a tile to be modified. Left is 0 and right is 100%.


2.4 - Selection

First select a selection tool (Select Point, Select Rect, Select Circle or Select By Property). To select a rectangle, click on one of the corners, keep the mouse button pressed and move the mouse until the opposite corner, then release the button (don't be afraid, you won't see anything until the button is released). To select a circle, click on the center and drag until the border (again, you will see nothing before the mouse button is released). To select all the tiles with a given property value, choose the Select By Property tool and click on a tile.

You can add to a selection if you keep Shift pressed during the selection and you can remove with Ctrl pressed.


2.5 - Copy/Cut/Paste

To copy a selection use Ctrl-C, to cut it, use Ctrl-X. To paste, select the Paste tool (or type Ctrl-V) and click on the map, the clipboard will be pasted when releasing the mouse button.


2.5 - Copy/Paste brush

In contrast to the "normal" clipboard, a brush can contain several layers. To copy a brush, use Ctrl-B, all the selected layers will be copied. To paste a brush, use Ctrl-P.


2.6 - Adding/Removing rows and columns

To append a row or a column, just use the menu Map->Append Row or Map->Append Column. To insert or delete a row or a column, select a tile in the row (the column) and use the menu Map->Insert Row, etc.


2.7 - Undoing/Redoing

By default, there are 10 undo levels. You can undo by Ctrl-Z and redo by Ctrl-R. You can change the maximum number of undo with the menu Options->Undo Levels. Note that when changing this number you will no more be able to undo the previous commands.


3 - The config file


The config file is called eme.cfg, it must be in the same directory than the executable. Two of the entries (screen_depth and screen_type) cannot be changed with the gui, the others can be changed by the menu "Options", and saved with "Options->Save Config".

Screen specifications. By default these values are autodetected.

Other options (these can be set via the GUI):


Last modified on 21/5/2003