Difference between revisions of "Cave Creator"

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[[File:P2CC v1-1.png|500px|thumb|right|The main menu of Pikmin 2 Cave Creator v1.1.]]
+
[[File:_CaveCreatorV2-4-3.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The main menu of Cave Creator v2.4.3.]]
A tool with a graphical user interface designed in Visual Studio and written in Visual Basic, Cave Creator is a tool made by [https://www.youtube.com/jimble Jimble] for the sole purpose of creating caves with ease.
+
[[File:_CaveCreatorV2-4_Editor.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The main editor menu of Cave Creator v2.4.x.]]
 +
A tool with a graphical user interface designed in Visual Studio and written in Visual Basic; Cave Creator was made by [https://www.youtube.com/jimble Jimble] for the sole purpose of creating caves with ease.
  
 
== Download ==
 
== Download ==
* [https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1pMRSzt_tONbu_qGweKp_VaeMZo-OY5N- v1.1.3]
+
* [https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1NhlVj7WhwZSS8C9FokBMH25LvfEk88Dd v2.5.2]
 +
 
 +
== Compatibility ==
 +
Cave Creator has been designed for Windows, and thus will run as intended on Windows machines. However, macOS and Linux are different; Version 2 and onwards don't work with [https://wiki.winehq.org/Download Wine]. Alternatively, you can use Bootcamp on any Mac (it comes pre-installed on all Macs) to install Windows on a separate partition.
 +
 
 +
=== Future Plans ===
 +
A much more sophisticated user interface, compatible with [https://wiki.winehq.org/Download Wine]; meaning it will be able to run on macOS and Linux.
 +
 
 +
== Cave Net ==
 +
The ultimate way to play and share your caves with the world. This is a sub-menu of Cave Creator which makes it really easy to get right into custom caves. Cave Net was introduced in version 2.1.
 +
 
 +
[[File:CaveCreator_CaveNet_v2-4.png|350px]]
 +
 
 +
== Known Issues ==
 +
A list of known issues in the '''current''' (2.4.3) version of Cave Creator.
 +
* Example issue title: caused by example.
  
 
== Changelog ==
 
== Changelog ==
=== v1.2 - TBR ===
+
The list of changes made to each version of the tool to give you a reason to update.
 +
 
 +
'''v2.4.5'''
 +
 
 +
'''''June 19th, 2019'''''
 +
* Cave Net descriptions now support commas; this is done through replacing the non-English letter "Ø" (randomly chosen) with commas. Sorry if you had genuine use for this letter :s
 +
 
 +
'''v2.4.4'''
 +
 
 +
'''''June 16th, 2019'''''
 +
* The application (finally) forces the culture info to en-US - this makes sure that decimal numbers use periods instead of commas, regardless of the system culture (some countries use commas instead)
 +
 
 +
'''v2.4.3'''
 +
 
 +
'''''May 28th, 2019'''''
 +
* New "Provide Feedback" buttons on the main menu and cave-creating screen
 +
* List of supporters is back, you can view them in the About menu where it displays all the supporters - this is kept up to date
 +
* Several user interface adjustments - including a much more refined import/export menu
 +
* Buttons use the default cursor as opposed to the hand cursor now
 +
 
 +
'''v2.4.2'''
 +
 
 +
'''''May 26th, 2019'''''
 +
* Cave Net will now make sure you have the latest version of Cave Creator before letting you proceed (for the sake of avoiding potential crashes, bugs, etc.)
 +
* Some user interface adjustments
 +
 
 +
''' v2.4 '''
 +
 
 +
'''''April 27th, 2019'''''
 +
* Added a countdown for the new Weekly Caves
 +
* Several UI adjustments, improving Cave Net cave descriptions in particular
 +
 
 +
''' v2.3.3 '''
 +
 
 +
'''''March 1st, 2019'''''
 +
* Added comments and Flowers (equivalent to likes on YouTube for example) to Cave Net
 +
* Introduced Weekly Caves, where moderators choose cool caves that they recommend for other Cave Net users
 +
 
 +
''' v2.3 '''
 +
 
 +
'''''February 26th, 2019'''''
 +
* Major Cave Net update
 +
** Thumbnails
 +
** Descriptions
 +
** Bonus Challenges
 +
** Favourites (saved locally so you can go back to a cave you enjoyed)
 +
** New user interface
 +
 
 +
''' v2.2 '''
 +
 
 +
'''''December 10th, 2018'''''
 +
* Renamed ''Cave Creator+'' to simply become ''Cave Creator v2''
 +
* Several bug fixes
 +
* The main menu, options menu, and treasure/gate menus are smaller and more simplistic
 +
* Cave Net button text goes white in dark mode now
 +
 
 +
''' v2.1 '''
 +
 
 +
'''''October 2nd, 2018'''''
 +
* Several bug fixes
 +
* Cave Net! Play and share caves online easily
 +
* New options
 +
* Interface and stability improvements
 +
 
 +
=== v2.0 ===
 +
 
 +
''Several betas of this version were released from '''February 24th, 2018''' up to '''August 20th, 2018'''''
 +
* Introducing a completely new design, called ''Cave Creator+''
 +
* This update is very significant, as it allows you to edit any sublevel at any time, and also introduces importing (vanilla text files)
 +
 
 +
''' v1.2.4 '''
 +
* Adds the "Editable Code" feature for advanced users who want to fix a quick mistake in the text box on the right. This can be turned on under the Settings tab, and turns the text box to black with white text.
 +
* When adding a gate, you now get asked to input a weight value (1 - 9). Before it would just set the weight to 0 and thus the gate wouldn't spawn.
 +
* Entity count is no longer locked at 1 when they drop a treasure.
 +
* The internal names for Withering Blowhog, Buried Armored Cannon Beetle Larva, and Decorated Cannon Beetle have all been fixed (capitalisation errors).
 +
 
 +
''' v1.2.3 '''
 +
* Fixes an error from v1.2.2 strictly that would screw up the count values when attempting to delete a selected entity. This update is highly recommended.
 +
 
 +
''' v1.2.2 '''
 +
* Fixes an error from v1.2 and v1.2.1 that would cause the program to crash upon opening a project file.
 +
 
 +
''' v1.2.1 '''
 +
* Allows you to add as many of the same treasure as you want. Previously, I attempted to avoid allowing this, however I have now removed that completely because the game doesn't actually seem to have any problem with loading multiple of the same treasure. It won't crash or break anything at all.
 +
* You can now easily delete selected entities by just clicking and pressing the delete key. This works on both the main menu and the Add New Entity menu.
 +
* Adjustment to the menu bar at the top of the main menu - a new About Pikmin 2 Cave Creator window has been added to provide the details of that version of the tool, along with trademark and copyright (Nintendo).
 +
 
 +
''' v1.2 '''
 
* Introduces the Lighting Designer! Produce lighting files with easy-to-use RGB sliders.
 
* Introduces the Lighting Designer! Produce lighting files with easy-to-use RGB sliders.
 
* Introduces random generators for Enemies/Bosses and Decorations! Input a number and have random enemies, bosses, drop treasures and decorations added; saving heaps of time and allows experimentation.
 
* Introduces random generators for Enemies/Bosses and Decorations! Input a number and have random enemies, bosses, drop treasures and decorations added; saving heaps of time and allows experimentation.
Line 21: Line 124:
 
* More optimised and efficient (despite the file size increasing by around 8MB).
 
* More optimised and efficient (despite the file size increasing by around 8MB).
  
=== v1.1.3 ===
+
''' v1.1.3 '''
 
* Adds the pedestal version of the Gatling Groink.
 
* Adds the pedestal version of the Gatling Groink.
 
* Fixes music type not changing in code, despite clearly functioning within Sublevel Properties.
 
* Fixes music type not changing in code, despite clearly functioning within Sublevel Properties.
Line 27: Line 130:
 
* Removes a debugging feature where clicking Add Enemy would work normally, except the Enemy/Boss list would move onto the next item every time.
 
* Removes a debugging feature where clicking Add Enemy would work normally, except the Enemy/Boss list would move onto the next item every time.
  
=== v1.1.2 ===
+
''' v1.1.2 '''
 
* Adds the Titan Dweevil to the entity list.
 
* Adds the Titan Dweevil to the entity list.
 
* Fixes the capitalisation of Dwarf Bulbears.
 
* Fixes the capitalisation of Dwarf Bulbears.
  
=== v1.1.1 ===
+
''' v1.1.1 '''
 
* Fixes a bug where opening project files wouldn't import music data properly.
 
* Fixes a bug where opening project files wouldn't import music data properly.
  
=== v1.1 ===
+
''' v1.1 '''
 
* Added the remaining treasures that were missing. Cave Creator now has all 201 treasures (that includes the thirteen exploration kit treasures).
 
* Added the remaining treasures that were missing. Cave Creator now has all 201 treasures (that includes the thirteen exploration kit treasures).
 
* Added a new "objects" combobox separating bomb-rocks, eggs, hazards and other stuff from the enemies/bosses combobox. This also introduces the chiyogami paper that was missing entirely, along with some other unused entities.
 
* Added a new "objects" combobox separating bomb-rocks, eggs, hazards and other stuff from the enemies/bosses combobox. This also introduces the chiyogami paper that was missing entirely, along with some other unused entities.
Line 46: Line 149:
 
* The first release.
 
* The first release.
  
== Frequently Asked Questions ==
+
== History ==
'''1. Did you export your music file?'''
+
All the minor and major versions of Pikmin 2 Cave Creator. Only revisions with main menu adjustments are included.
  
This is probably the most common cause of crashing. When the game loads a sublevel, it also reads the Totaka file for that specific cave and if there is no music assigned to this sublevel then it will crash.
+
=== v1.0 ===
To fix this, Cave Creator does infact create the music code for you! If you weren't aware, there is a music option in Sublevel Properties where you can select what song you want to play on that sublevel before clicking Add Sublevel. To get this code, go to File > Export Music (or Ctrl+M) and save the text file anywhere you like. Proceed by following the instructions provided next to the music options in Sublevel Properties.
+
The very first version including all the basic features, released on the 24th of February 2018.
  
 +
[[File:P2CC v1-0.png|350px]]
  
'''2. Did you add too many enetities?'''
+
''' v1.1 '''
 +
The second release on the 3rd of March 2018, containing the remaining treasures, objects and some bug fixes.
  
Sure, Cave Creator doesn't have a limit, but there isn't unlimited points for each room! This is something for the distant future where you can actually make changes to the coordinates of the points and the number of points.
+
[[File:P2CC v1-1.png|350px]]
If you really want all of your 80 enemies to spawn, try adding more rooms (in Sublevel Properties)! Just bare in mind that the more you add, the less the game will be able to handle you could perhaps get a crash. That said, I've done well over 80 Wollywogs in one sublevel (7 rooms).
 
  
 +
''' v1.2 '''
 +
The third release on the 14th of April 2018, the biggest update yet with a new lighting designer and a random enemy/boss feature for experimentation.
  
'''3. Are your entities in unavailable spawn locations?'''
+
[[File:P2CC v1-2.png|350px]]
  
I imagine /you/ can't answer that, but maybe I can. Did you select Enemy Group C? It's important to note that not every room has points for this. Only a few use it frequently and only actual boss rooms have a proper point for it.
+
''' v1.2.1 '''
It's recommended to just avoid using this location until every single room is tested and we can say for certain when you can/can't use it. This isn't a bug, nor a problem.
+
A revision of the third release; released on the 21st of April 2018, adding a delete shortcut key for selected entities and an adjusted menu bar featuring the new About window.
  
What about in the case of dead ends? Well, there is actually some RNG involved with dead end spawns so there is actually a possibility you'll catch your sublevel 1/5 times without the dead end spawn. This is completely normal (but honestly quite annoying). More than one room typically deals with this, though.
+
[[File:P2CC v1-2-1.png|350px]]
  
 +
=== v2.0 ===
 +
A completely new program with a new interface and many new features, including an auto-updater.
  
'''4. Why are the values for {f000} and {f001} wrong in the display view?'''
+
[[File:CaveCreatorV2-0.jpg|350px]]
  
Do not worry about this, if you actually take a look at the full cave view, you'll notice this is fixed and that they all add up properly. The selected sublevel view is just restricted because listbox items cannot actually be 'edited', only removed and then added back which adds a whole lot more work for me. It's not something necessary to worry about so just ignore these values if you prefer the selected sublevel view.
+
''' v2.1 '''
 +
New look with many bug fixes and an introduction to Cave Net.
  
 +
[[File:CaveCreatorV2-1.jpg|350px]]
  
'''5. Why doesn't the sublevel's enemies or properties change after I've added them?'''
+
''' v2.2 '''
 +
Smaller design with more simplistic styles.
  
It's important to note that my tool is quite literally and only a cave /creator/. There is no way to edit sublevels as of right now (hence how there's no import cave file option).
+
[[File:CaveCreatorV2-2.jpg|350px]]
So what does this mean? It means that clicking Add Sublevel means you're happy with that sublevel and are ready to move on to the next (or save). That said, there is a workaround. If you add your sublevel and DON'T have 'Clear All Widgets Upon Adding a Sublevel' checked (it's unchecked by default, don't freak out), then you can just go ahead and click Remove Sublevel [count], make your changes and then add it back.
 
 
 
== History ==
 
All the versions of Pikmin 2 Cave Creator.
 
  
=== v1.0 ===
+
''' v2.3 ''' and ''' v2.4 '''
The very first version including all the basic features, released on the 24th of February 2018.
+
Back to a medium sized design with a more modern, simple approach.
  
[[File:P2CC v1-0.png|350px]]
+
[[File:CaveCreatorV2-4.png|350px]]
  
=== v1.1 ===
+
'''v2.4.3'''
The second release on the 3rd of March 2018, containing the remaining treasures, objects and some bug fixes.
+
Added the "Provide Feedback" button, along with adjusting the position of the menu buttons and stretching out the Cave Net button.
  
[[File:P2CC v1-1.png|350px]]
+
[[File:CaveCreatorV2-4-3.jpg|350px]]
  
 
[[Category:Pikmin 2]]
 
[[Category:Pikmin 2]]
 
[[Category:Tools]]
 
[[Category:Tools]]

Revision as of 03:39, 17 August 2019

The main menu of Cave Creator v2.4.3.
The main editor menu of Cave Creator v2.4.x.

A tool with a graphical user interface designed in Visual Studio and written in Visual Basic; Cave Creator was made by Jimble for the sole purpose of creating caves with ease.

Download

Compatibility

Cave Creator has been designed for Windows, and thus will run as intended on Windows machines. However, macOS and Linux are different; Version 2 and onwards don't work with Wine. Alternatively, you can use Bootcamp on any Mac (it comes pre-installed on all Macs) to install Windows on a separate partition.

Future Plans

A much more sophisticated user interface, compatible with Wine; meaning it will be able to run on macOS and Linux.

Cave Net

The ultimate way to play and share your caves with the world. This is a sub-menu of Cave Creator which makes it really easy to get right into custom caves. Cave Net was introduced in version 2.1.

CaveCreator CaveNet v2-4.png

Known Issues

A list of known issues in the current (2.4.3) version of Cave Creator.

  • Example issue title: caused by example.

Changelog

The list of changes made to each version of the tool to give you a reason to update.

v2.4.5

June 19th, 2019

  • Cave Net descriptions now support commas; this is done through replacing the non-English letter "Ø" (randomly chosen) with commas. Sorry if you had genuine use for this letter :s

v2.4.4

June 16th, 2019

  • The application (finally) forces the culture info to en-US - this makes sure that decimal numbers use periods instead of commas, regardless of the system culture (some countries use commas instead)

v2.4.3

May 28th, 2019

  • New "Provide Feedback" buttons on the main menu and cave-creating screen
  • List of supporters is back, you can view them in the About menu where it displays all the supporters - this is kept up to date
  • Several user interface adjustments - including a much more refined import/export menu
  • Buttons use the default cursor as opposed to the hand cursor now

v2.4.2

May 26th, 2019

  • Cave Net will now make sure you have the latest version of Cave Creator before letting you proceed (for the sake of avoiding potential crashes, bugs, etc.)
  • Some user interface adjustments

v2.4

April 27th, 2019

  • Added a countdown for the new Weekly Caves
  • Several UI adjustments, improving Cave Net cave descriptions in particular

v2.3.3

March 1st, 2019

  • Added comments and Flowers (equivalent to likes on YouTube for example) to Cave Net
  • Introduced Weekly Caves, where moderators choose cool caves that they recommend for other Cave Net users

v2.3

February 26th, 2019

  • Major Cave Net update
    • Thumbnails
    • Descriptions
    • Bonus Challenges
    • Favourites (saved locally so you can go back to a cave you enjoyed)
    • New user interface

v2.2

December 10th, 2018

  • Renamed Cave Creator+ to simply become Cave Creator v2
  • Several bug fixes
  • The main menu, options menu, and treasure/gate menus are smaller and more simplistic
  • Cave Net button text goes white in dark mode now

v2.1

October 2nd, 2018

  • Several bug fixes
  • Cave Net! Play and share caves online easily
  • New options
  • Interface and stability improvements

v2.0

Several betas of this version were released from February 24th, 2018 up to August 20th, 2018

  • Introducing a completely new design, called Cave Creator+
  • This update is very significant, as it allows you to edit any sublevel at any time, and also introduces importing (vanilla text files)

v1.2.4

  • Adds the "Editable Code" feature for advanced users who want to fix a quick mistake in the text box on the right. This can be turned on under the Settings tab, and turns the text box to black with white text.
  • When adding a gate, you now get asked to input a weight value (1 - 9). Before it would just set the weight to 0 and thus the gate wouldn't spawn.
  • Entity count is no longer locked at 1 when they drop a treasure.
  • The internal names for Withering Blowhog, Buried Armored Cannon Beetle Larva, and Decorated Cannon Beetle have all been fixed (capitalisation errors).

v1.2.3

  • Fixes an error from v1.2.2 strictly that would screw up the count values when attempting to delete a selected entity. This update is highly recommended.

v1.2.2

  • Fixes an error from v1.2 and v1.2.1 that would cause the program to crash upon opening a project file.

v1.2.1

  • Allows you to add as many of the same treasure as you want. Previously, I attempted to avoid allowing this, however I have now removed that completely because the game doesn't actually seem to have any problem with loading multiple of the same treasure. It won't crash or break anything at all.
  • You can now easily delete selected entities by just clicking and pressing the delete key. This works on both the main menu and the Add New Entity menu.
  • Adjustment to the menu bar at the top of the main menu - a new About Pikmin 2 Cave Creator window has been added to provide the details of that version of the tool, along with trademark and copyright (Nintendo).

v1.2

  • Introduces the Lighting Designer! Produce lighting files with easy-to-use RGB sliders.
  • Introduces random generators for Enemies/Bosses and Decorations! Input a number and have random enemies, bosses, drop treasures and decorations added; saving heaps of time and allows experimentation.
  • Clear All and Remove Selected are finally on the Add Entity page so you no longer need to go back to the main menu to remove entities.
  • Added a "Add Filename To List" button for both units and lights in Sublevel Properties. This is in the case that you have a custom unit/light file. This can be done automatically if you use the new Lighting Designer.
  • Adjusted the layout of Add New Entity and Sublevel Properties to fit the new features.
  • Background image has been removed from Sublevel Properties; allowing it to load instantly when clicking the Sublevel Properties button.
  • Adding a Greater Jellyfloat has been fixed - before it would do nothing upon clicking Add Entity.
  • Vanilla lighting names are now just titled by their internal name - before it was a silly list of "Very Dark Surroundings", "Very Very Dark Surroundings", etc..
  • New link next to the light selection that leads to a list of screenshots consisting of all the vanilla lights.
  • Fixed a bug where selecting Rest in the Music section of Sublevel Properties would actually result in "None until Boss", and vice versa.
  • Maximum Room Count and Room:Corridor ratio no longer have a limit, however a label will be displayed stating when there is a high chance of crashing due to RAM limitations.
  • General design improvements.
  • More optimised and efficient (despite the file size increasing by around 8MB).

v1.1.3

  • Adds the pedestal version of the Gatling Groink.
  • Fixes music type not changing in code, despite clearly functioning within Sublevel Properties.
  • Removes Ivory Candypop Bud from the Enemy/Boss list (it's in the Objects list).
  • Removes a debugging feature where clicking Add Enemy would work normally, except the Enemy/Boss list would move onto the next item every time.

v1.1.2

  • Adds the Titan Dweevil to the entity list.
  • Fixes the capitalisation of Dwarf Bulbears.

v1.1.1

  • Fixes a bug where opening project files wouldn't import music data properly.

v1.1

  • Added the remaining treasures that were missing. Cave Creator now has all 201 treasures (that includes the thirteen exploration kit treasures).
  • Added a new "objects" combobox separating bomb-rocks, eggs, hazards and other stuff from the enemies/bosses combobox. This also introduces the chiyogami paper that was missing entirely, along with some other unused entities.
  • Introduces "Check for Updates" where the tool is able to determine whether a new version is available and give the user the option to download it or not. This is under the Help menu.
  • Improved treasure system - if you re-add a treasure you will be noted that you've already added that treasure in the current sublevel and thus it will not be added again.
  • Fixed a bug where if you typed letters into the Add Gate input box you would be stuck in an infinite loop telling you to use numerical characters - this was only solvable by force quitting the application and could have resulted in the user losing lots of work.
  • Updated the save project file to fix a bug where you wouldn't be able to remove selected entities after opening a project file (if you saved a project with entities still in the lists). Project files saved in v1.0 will still work but you will be told that the entities lists will be cleared. This shouldn't be considered a loss, but nonetheless v1.1 solves this and project files made in v1.1 will open perfectly fine in itself and later versions.
  • More consistency/design adjustments.

v1.0

  • The first release.

History

All the minor and major versions of Pikmin 2 Cave Creator. Only revisions with main menu adjustments are included.

v1.0

The very first version including all the basic features, released on the 24th of February 2018.

P2CC v1-0.png

v1.1 The second release on the 3rd of March 2018, containing the remaining treasures, objects and some bug fixes.

P2CC v1-1.png

v1.2 The third release on the 14th of April 2018, the biggest update yet with a new lighting designer and a random enemy/boss feature for experimentation.

P2CC v1-2.png

v1.2.1 A revision of the third release; released on the 21st of April 2018, adding a delete shortcut key for selected entities and an adjusted menu bar featuring the new About window.

P2CC v1-2-1.png

v2.0

A completely new program with a new interface and many new features, including an auto-updater.

CaveCreatorV2-0.jpg

v2.1 New look with many bug fixes and an introduction to Cave Net.

CaveCreatorV2-1.jpg

v2.2 Smaller design with more simplistic styles.

CaveCreatorV2-2.jpg

v2.3 and v2.4 Back to a medium sized design with a more modern, simple approach.

CaveCreatorV2-4.png

v2.4.3 Added the "Provide Feedback" button, along with adjusting the position of the menu buttons and stretching out the Cave Net button.

CaveCreatorV2-4-3.jpg