Mastering the tile editor, How to Copy and Manipulate Auto-Tiles

[BigEd781]

Some help with uncooperative autotiles and a bit more

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Mapping in VX takes some patience and practice, but it is possible to make very nice scenery using only the RTP. One of the most powerful but relatively unknown features of

RPG Maker is the ability to make exact copies of tiles already on the map by using the shift button. This may not sound spectacular at first, but it allows you to use tiles in ways that

are impossible otherwise.

I am not trying to say that I am the best mapper around, but I have become fairly efficient over the years and I learned a few tricks that I think can help.

This tutorial is really about how to make complicated structures that just cannot be made without using the shift button, but the method that we will use can be applied everywhere.

Here is the quick guide to using shift for those who do not wish to read all of this:

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1. Lay down two sections of autotiles (different sizes and shapes for emphasis) on a map.

2. Select the pen or rectangle tool.

3. Now, holding the SHIFT button the entire time, right-click and drag to copy one section of autotiles. Do not let go of shift until they are all copied.

4. Hold SHIFT again. Place the copied section of autotiles on top of the other section, holding SHIFT the entire time you are drawing.

See how the autotiles were copied exactly as they appeared originally? There is no other way to do this, use your imagination and you can do some cool stuff.

OK, the real guide.

We will use a simple tower as an example here. Begin by drawing the base of the tower.

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Now, if we just start using the same wall and ceiling tiles to build the tower, the autotiles will do their thing and it will not look right. To remedy this, we will draw the second portion separately first.

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Now, using the pen or rectangle tool, just hold down SHIFT and right-click/drag to select the entire thing.

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Now continue to hold SHIFT and place the copied tiles on top of the base (you can actually let go of SHIFT in between copying and pasting, but you must be holding SHIFT while doing either).

If you are using the rectangle tool, you will need to press down the left mouse button to begin drawing and then drag the mouse to form the copied shape. Simply clicking will not work.

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The tiles are laid down exactly as they were in the source and they do not act as autotiles.

This is also useful for shaping small details. For instance, if you wanted to place a door on the second story:

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It does not look quite right, does it? Compare the left edge of the upper door to the left edge of the lower door and you will notice that the lower door looks more rounded and natural.

To get this effect, you need and example of what it should look like so that you can copy it.

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I just drew enough wall to represent what I am trying to copy, and then copied it while holding SHIFT. Now place that to the left of the door, still holding SHIFT.

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Notice that I drew four tiles, but only copied one (the highlighted tile in the image before last). This is because you must account for what is to the left and right of the destination tile.

If you only drew one and then copied it, it would look like this:

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You have to accurately represent the place that you are copying to when drawing your sample.

Another small example, but remember, the details are everything:

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See that bridge? Here is what it would look like had I not used shift to polish it:

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This is not the most extreme example, but I just don't like how it looks.

The main idea here is that sometimes it is necessary to draw things on another background before placing them in their final destination.

Using this you can make very complex structures that you may have thought would be impossible using the RTP. Hope this helped.

 

[Shaz]

Nice - this is the tutorial I was pointed to a week or so ago when I was trying to figure out how to copy/paste map sections. I learned a whole lot more in the process!

 

[Nemau]

A tutorial about a simple but very usefull trick, thanks!

 

[Rapu]

Thanks for sharing this BigEd. I don't have much experience on mapping, but I have to admit that this tutorial is a godsend. Thanks again.

 

[AstoXx]

Ahhhh, shift-mapping. You are truly a tool of the gods. Great tut, Ed. Hope to maybe see more from you!

 

[Espon]

I was wondering what happened to the copy and paste function. Was afraid it was missing up until I read this. So annoying trying to manipulate auto-tiles without abusing that feature.

 

[BigEd781]

You are truly a tool of the gods.

Hmmm.... not sure how to take that...

 

[Mihel]

Ahah you're a tool BigEd

Thanks for the tutorial, I read it some years ago and it helped a lot.

 

[ei8htbit]

I forgot about the power this method wields, very useful and effective. The process is a lot like parallax mapping in a sense (without having to go through all the trouble and using a separate image editor of course).

 

[Loron]

all example pictures are down

 

[Hakuna]

Thank you so much. This really solved my problem