Pikmin 2 Routes Editor & Gen Editor

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Revision as of 18:14, 6 July 2022 by UnclePaul894 (talk | contribs) (Yoshi2' Gen Editor has been very useful for me, so I thought it deserved a spot in the tools section.)
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The GUI for placing points on a graph in order to setup the Pikmin carrying routes in Pikmin 2 is Yoshi2's Routes Editor. It can import the route text files, both vanilla and custom, along with import an OBJ or GRID (Pikmin 2 collision) file so you have a bird's-eye view of your level. When placing a point (by right-clicking), the tool automatically determines the exact Y coordinate (where Y is up) making it easy. Piktools also comes included with the Pikmin 2 Gen Editor, which has a GUI very similar to the Route Editor.

Download

How to use

The tool is a simple Windows executable - it has been tested with Wine on macOS by Jimble and works perfectly.

  • To open a route file; click 'File' in the menu bar at the top left of the window and then select 'Load'. From here, you'll be greeted by a friendly file menu where you can locate and select your route.txt file. The application will then attempt to load all the points on the graph.
  • To display a bird's-eye view of your model; click 'Collision' in the menu bar at the top left of the window and then select either 'Load .OBJ' or 'Load GRID.BIN'. Which one you choose will depend on whether you want to load a 3D model that you've just exported/downloaded as an OBJ file or if you want to load an already-converted/vanilla Pikmin 2 collision file. From here, you'll be greeted by a friendly file menu where you can locate and select either your model.obj file or your grid.bin file. The application will then attempt to load your model as a heightmap on the graph.
  • To add a point; left-click the 'Add Waypoint' button on the right side of the application. You'll notice it becomes enclosed in square brackets - this means you're in the adding mode. Now, when you right-click on the graph, a point will be added wherever your cursor is.
  • To remove a point; hold down left-click and drag over the point(s) you want to remove, once the point(s) is(are) highlighted - indicated by going red - you can release the left mouse button and then click 'Delete Waypoint(s)' on the right side of the application. The selected point(s) will now be removed.
  • To make a point's Y coordinate (where Y is up) exact to its location on the model; select the point(s) and then left-click the 'Ground Waypoint(s)' button on the right side of the application. The selected waypoints will now be grounded. This is necessary if you decide to move your points around as they are not automatically grounded every time.
  • To move points around after they've been placed; left-click the 'Move Waypoint(s)' button on the right side of the application. Again, you'll notice it becomes enclosed in square brackets - this means you're in the moving mode. Now, when you select a point and then right-click, the selected point(s) will move to where your cursor is on the graph. Remember to ground the moved points afterwards.
  • To connect one point to another (necessary for telling Pikmin where to go); enable connect mode by left-clicking the 'Connect Waypoint' button on the right side of the application. You'll notice it becomes enclosed in square brackets when it's enabled. Now, select your first point - this is the starting point. The next point you select will create the connection FROM the first point you selected TO the second point you select. It's important to note that these connections are ONE-WAY, meaning that when Pikmin are carrying something and they reach that first point, they will travel to the second point, but not vice versa. This is indicated by an arrow in the line from the first point to the second point. You can then proceed to select the second point (if it's already selected, you need to click it again), and then the first. This will make it both ways as there will be two connections; one going one way and the other going the other way.
  • To remove connections between points; simply repeat the original connection method in the same order you made the point. If I have point A and point B, and this is my connection: B -->-- A then I would enable connect mode and select B first, then select A.
  • To change a point's radius; once a point is created, select it by left-clicking it and then four text boxes will become visible on the right side of the application. The bottom text box is by default 50.0. This is the radius. You can increase/decrease this value to your liking and then press enter to see the changes. The radius is represented by the circle around the square point.

Controls

  • Left mouse button - selecting
  • Right mouse button - placing points (when adding mode is enabled)
  • Middle mouse button - drag to move the view around
  • Scroll up/down - up zooms in, down zooms out (by default)