- Joined
- Apr 19, 2016
- Messages
- 1,704
- Reaction score
- 2,208
- First Language
- English
- Primarily Uses
- RMMV
Description of the Feature
Right-clicking an auto-tile in the tile box opens up an additional tile select box that gives you most/all of the possible static tiles that can be generated from said auto-tile. These individual pieces of the auto-tile can be more easily accessed than having to draw them out in a map in a way that generates the piece(s) you want, copy it and then hold shift and draw it where you need it. The current method seems like a power user feature that's missing the friendly UI way of performing the same action. Here is a mock-up of what I mean. It doesn't have all of the possible static tiles that can be generated but it gets the point across. If you select one of these tiles, the editor just treats it like a static tile and draws it as if you're holding the shift key.
Why is this feature good?
A lot of developers, particularly newer ones, have no idea that you can work around the auto-tiling behavior. It's just something that you have to know exists. This improvement would give it more visibility and make it easier to explain to even the most novice user.
It saves the developer a lot of time switching back and forth between test maps and drawing out all of the corners and edges they need to get the right pieces. Shift-click mapping absolutely should still be an option but this would be a much more intuitive approach for those who aren't as familiar with the product and still extremely helpful for those who are. It often takes time just to figure out how to draw out an auto-tile in a way that gives you the piece you need. There really should be an easy way to get to the tiles within the auto-tiles that you need without having to build them yourself and then copy them.
Also, let's face it. Shift-click mapping is an integral part of RPG Maker MV. Most of the pre-loaded, default maps heavily utilize it. Then, as a new developer, you go in and try to create maps like this with more than one elevation or whatever and think, "Wait, what the heck is going on here? How on Earth did they make these maps?". There's nothing in the software that prompts you that this extra option is available and I personally only found out about it when it was passively mentioned somewhere. A feature this important should have a visible place in the editor, in my opinion.
Better looking maps from less experienced developers is always a good thing. It not only makes them look better, it makes your product look better too.
Possible issues with this feature?
Deciding on exactly how to implement this feature. My suggested solution might not work with the existing RPG Maker MV code base. It might need to pop up a new small window, slide in an extra pane between the tile box and the map names or generate a new S tab in the tile box. Perhaps it could be a button and/or keyboard shortcut that allows us to change an already placed auto-tile to a different one from the same set.
There's a lot of different ways you could potentially go about it. The important thing is to have the editor give you the option to gain access to the exact tiles you want in a more straightforward and easy to understand manner instead of having you make them yourself. This might not be something that the hard core fan base will care much about but the new customers that you want to attract to your product will appreciate it greatly. And I would too. Even though I've gotten pretty decent at shift-click mapping, there's certain pieces that are almost never there when I need them.
Thanks for hearing me out! Take care.
Right-clicking an auto-tile in the tile box opens up an additional tile select box that gives you most/all of the possible static tiles that can be generated from said auto-tile. These individual pieces of the auto-tile can be more easily accessed than having to draw them out in a map in a way that generates the piece(s) you want, copy it and then hold shift and draw it where you need it. The current method seems like a power user feature that's missing the friendly UI way of performing the same action. Here is a mock-up of what I mean. It doesn't have all of the possible static tiles that can be generated but it gets the point across. If you select one of these tiles, the editor just treats it like a static tile and draws it as if you're holding the shift key.
Why is this feature good?
A lot of developers, particularly newer ones, have no idea that you can work around the auto-tiling behavior. It's just something that you have to know exists. This improvement would give it more visibility and make it easier to explain to even the most novice user.
It saves the developer a lot of time switching back and forth between test maps and drawing out all of the corners and edges they need to get the right pieces. Shift-click mapping absolutely should still be an option but this would be a much more intuitive approach for those who aren't as familiar with the product and still extremely helpful for those who are. It often takes time just to figure out how to draw out an auto-tile in a way that gives you the piece you need. There really should be an easy way to get to the tiles within the auto-tiles that you need without having to build them yourself and then copy them.
Also, let's face it. Shift-click mapping is an integral part of RPG Maker MV. Most of the pre-loaded, default maps heavily utilize it. Then, as a new developer, you go in and try to create maps like this with more than one elevation or whatever and think, "Wait, what the heck is going on here? How on Earth did they make these maps?". There's nothing in the software that prompts you that this extra option is available and I personally only found out about it when it was passively mentioned somewhere. A feature this important should have a visible place in the editor, in my opinion.
Better looking maps from less experienced developers is always a good thing. It not only makes them look better, it makes your product look better too.
Possible issues with this feature?
Deciding on exactly how to implement this feature. My suggested solution might not work with the existing RPG Maker MV code base. It might need to pop up a new small window, slide in an extra pane between the tile box and the map names or generate a new S tab in the tile box. Perhaps it could be a button and/or keyboard shortcut that allows us to change an already placed auto-tile to a different one from the same set.
There's a lot of different ways you could potentially go about it. The important thing is to have the editor give you the option to gain access to the exact tiles you want in a more straightforward and easy to understand manner instead of having you make them yourself. This might not be something that the hard core fan base will care much about but the new customers that you want to attract to your product will appreciate it greatly. And I would too. Even though I've gotten pretty decent at shift-click mapping, there's certain pieces that are almost never there when I need them.
Thanks for hearing me out! Take care.
