Tile Map Layers

Suggestions, Wishes, Ideas
#1

Instead of them being a discrete project type, make tile maps a new layer type.
This could allow making multilayer tile maps with with different tile sizes per layer. eg. larger tile sizes for parallax backgrounds.
To be useful this would likely require per layer tile sets. Ideally with the option to share the one tile set over multiple tile map layers.
Would likely be most manageable if layers were independently sized and positioned. eg. for a mockup could have a smaller hud layer positioned over the top of a larger tile map layer.

#2

Having layers of physically different sizes will not match all the inner logics that are present there. Different sizes means different projects and today there is an option to connect projects sharing the same tile library (must) and you can display them using the layer effects settings. I’m sure that this handling can/must be improved but technically we must keep same sizes for frames/cells/layers within one project.

#3

I can see how this would pose a major technical challenge, but somehow being able to have layers with different tile sizes represented all together in one layer stack (and still be editable) would be amazing.
And this feature may go hand in hand with being able to tell Pro Motion to NOT use certain layers for tiles - the Tile Set panel would ignore them.

This would allow game artists to create their game art in context more naturally. They’d be able to see more accurately what their differently sized tiles will look like together in-game without needing to constantly repeat the monotony of exporting all the assets from Pro Motion, update game files, re-run the game, etc.

The Tile Set panel might only display tiles for the currently selected layer or maybe it lets you choose the tiles from which layers it displays, though you wouldn’t want to pick/place 16x16 tiles into a 24x24 tile grid and so forth.

Frame dimensions would probably need to be a multiple of the smallest tile grid. The far right tile column and bottom tile row of larger tile grids would either get cropped or not get drawn, since partial tiles doesn’t really make sense.

And if there is different tile grid sizes in the same file you would possibly want to be able to offset each layer’s tile grid manually rather than 0,0 always be the top left of the frame.

Then there’s the matter of the zoom grid changing per layer.

Very complicated for sure. Perhaps not worth the trouble.

(sup, surt)

#4

It is planned to create layer modes and/are areas where you are independent from the tile set. Maybe this comes with 7.3, but can’t promise.

#5

Just a quick Tile Set panel mockup displaying tiles per layer, if each layer could contain tiles with different dimensions.

1004×992

  1. Order of tile groups from top to bottom determined by order of layers in layer stack.

  2. Name of layer and tile dimensions labelled above tiles.

  3. Informative icons in layer label row to tell user important things quickly a glance, such as whether “Mark Duplicates” or “Mark empty Tiles” is turned on.
    These icons could be toggle buttons - click one to change the setting.

  4. If “Auto Activate Tile Placement” is on and you click an 8x8 tile while a 16x16 tile layer is the current layer I think it’s fine if the brush becomes an 8x8 brush. Would be up to the user to use the brush in the right layer.

  5. Tile Set panel grouping tiles per layer might even be a toggle if unwanted by user. But what would it look like if different sizes of tiles were mixed together in the same grouping?

Definitely not a high priority feature but just wanted to mock it up and see what it might look like.
There’s many more things to consider if the Tile Set panel was to do this.

#6

Thanks! Tile sets per layer are planned. So far I plan to add them as tabs in the tile set window, but not sure atm.

#7

Cool!

So, a tab per Tilemap layer or a tab per tile dimension?

And might the Tile Set panel automatically switch to the tab which contains the tiles of the current layer when you switch layers? Meaning - click a layer in the Layers panel and the Tile Set panel would automatically switch to that layer’s tab for you.
Would probably need to be a toggleable setting, in case not all users want the program to decide to do it for them. (For instance - I wish I could turn off how panning/zooming in the Preview panel moves my Magnify panel around but cannot.)

#8

Yes, the layer selection will affect the tile tab selection. Not sure if different tiles sizes will be supported but despite of my earlier comments I think this should work.

To switch of the preview window to follow magnify please see this option:
image

or if you don’t want the preview window to follow:
image

#9

Sounds good, Jan.

Oh! I somehow missed that Magnify panel option. Thanks!