Updating the tool for my games levels

I found some time to update the program that I will use to design my game levels. I fixed a few small bugs and added some new features. The status bar now shows the currently selected shape name and the total number of shapes used. I have also added a print option that will print a giant map of all the levels defined in a text file. I have expanded the raw data comment so that the grid can be resized and redrawn if I need to edit a previous design. Once all the levels have been added to a text file, it is loaded and the levels spread out in a user defined grid pattern. This is then saved as a bitmap. As far as I can tell, this application now does everything I need it to do. I’ll start designing some easy levels to start with and then some more difficult ones. Here is an image of the latest application.

Tooling for my new Spectrum game

My Spectrum game is coming along nicely but I have got to a point where I need to start adding levels. I needed a tool to help me create the standing data so I spent a few hours with Visual Studio writing an application in c#. Nothing over the top, just a couple of grid views and minimal code. It actually works rather well allowing me to build up a level and then creating the data statements ready to past straight into the TommyGun IDE. Here is a picture of the latest version of the tool. Having used it a bit I realised I need to add a couple of other features. I am also working on a separate class for the tool that will take all the level data and create one huge bitmap image of all the levels. I can now create some test levels and concentrate on writing the next chunk of Z80.