[ti]Auto[/ti]How to create good auto versions of levels!
Mar 8, 2017 2:18:34 GMT -5
via mobile
jettjames likes this
Post by Supersebi3 on Mar 8, 2017 2:18:34 GMT -5
Hello.
I've been creating automatic versions of levels (autos) for a long time now, and I thought it's time to share my experience with others.
So, what are autos? Autos are copies of levels (usually hard ones) that are modified so they play themselves without any user input.
To get started, at first you need a copy of the level you want to automate. To get it:
1. See if the original level is copyable.
If yes:
1.1 Copy it.
If yes, but you don't have the pass:
1.2 Use some site where you can find pass of levels to get the pass. Use the pass you get to copy the level. (Note: do not abuse such pages though please, only use them for copying levels if you want to upload modified versions you don't expect to get rated (e. g. auto, shitty...) or if you want to practice the level).
If no or official level:
1.3 Search for "[level name] c" and find a good copyable uding the following criterias:
• It should be an actual copy of the level created using a copy hack or by the creator, not just a level by someone who tried to recreate the level (except meltdown or world levels, find a good replica for those).
• It shouldn't have a secret way unless it is very easy to remove.
• It should have coins or coin replacements.
So now you that have your copy, remove the secret way, replace coin replacements with coins and start automating!
...wait...
You don't know how, right? Let me explain.
Open a new level to gwt all the objects needed and save them as custom objects when done to easily put them in the level.
Cube:
There are many ways to automate a cube section. I will explain the one I use (the best imo)
At first, you have to find the exact jump height. To start, put two pink pads above each other. Playtest the level. After the pads, jump. Compare the highest points of the two jumps using the green line. The pad jump will be smaller than the actual one. Adjust the height of the upper pad, test again, and repeat this until both jumps have equal heights. You can put one of these single-colored background blocks into the same grid square the lower pad is in and mark it as group parent to be able to use it as custom object more efficiently.
Mini: try to find a good jump height here as well.
Trail:
This is something not many people know. Trail removal. To remove the trail for some time, place an orange mirror portal, then place a blue one inside the red one and move it one small (not tiny) step to the right. Use this for cube, ball and robot. I will tell you how exactly you should use it later.
Ship:
This is complicated.
There are three common ways for auto ships:
• Purple pads
• Slopes
• Many single outline thingies
I usually use the last one, combined with some slopes here and there.
How to do it:
Place an outline thing where the ship should land. Then, copy it, move it one small step up and some to the right. Copy it, move it up.... Try to create a kind of curve. You can also playtest the part before building and orientate yourself at the green line. To get down, just put nothing. If you have to go up very quickly, use slopes. For straight flying, don't just make a straight line. Move the things up and down a bit so it looks more realistic.
Ball:
This one is easy. Just put a blue pad everywhere you wanna change gravity.
UFO:
Just find an optimal jump height like for the cube. You can also use the bg block trick here.
Wave:
This is by far the easiest. Just put a blue pad everywhere you wanna change gravity. I usually place a start pos into the wave portal, playtest, look at the line, place a pad, playtest...
For straight waving, place a pad, copy it, mirror it so it's facing downwards, select both, copy them, move the copies a bit to the right, copy move to right... At the end, delete the last pads at the bottom is you should go down, or at the top for going up.
Robot:
Now here the varying jump heights are a problem. Yellow pads get you up about as high as a full robot jump, for lower ones, just use stacked pink ones.
Spider:
Place teleportal, move orange portal to where you end up, put yellow/blue pad into it.
Orbs:
• Yellow orb: put a pink pad in the same square the orb is in and one in the one above it.
• Pink orb: same as yellow, just without the upper pad.
• Red orb: I've never automated one, sorry.
• Blue orb: put a blue pad into or onto it.
• Green orb: for soft gravity transitions, use a gravoty portal a bit after the orb. For harder ones, use a pink pad + a gravity portal into the orb.
• Black orb: put a gravity portal and a gravity pad facing the other direction than the portal into the orb and copy the pad some times and move each copy one square to the right.
• Custom orb: just put a spawn/toggle trigger with the same values as the orb into the orb and make it touch triggered.
• Dash orbs: use the common gravity portal row thing.
Tips and tricks:
• Put all the auto stuff on a seperate layer.
• Give it all a free group and place an alpha trigger before the beggining of the level. Set it to the group id and set opacity and fade time to 0.
• Use trail removal, but be careful: if you notice anything where the trail of an orb or pad jump is removed, move the mirror portals a bit to the left until it looks good.
• If you find a bug, immediately fix it!
I think that's all for now, let me know if you have any questions.
I've been creating automatic versions of levels (autos) for a long time now, and I thought it's time to share my experience with others.
So, what are autos? Autos are copies of levels (usually hard ones) that are modified so they play themselves without any user input.
To get started, at first you need a copy of the level you want to automate. To get it:
1. See if the original level is copyable.
If yes:
1.1 Copy it.
If yes, but you don't have the pass:
1.2 Use some site where you can find pass of levels to get the pass. Use the pass you get to copy the level. (Note: do not abuse such pages though please, only use them for copying levels if you want to upload modified versions you don't expect to get rated (e. g. auto, shitty...) or if you want to practice the level).
If no or official level:
1.3 Search for "[level name] c" and find a good copyable uding the following criterias:
• It should be an actual copy of the level created using a copy hack or by the creator, not just a level by someone who tried to recreate the level (except meltdown or world levels, find a good replica for those).
• It shouldn't have a secret way unless it is very easy to remove.
• It should have coins or coin replacements.
So now you that have your copy, remove the secret way, replace coin replacements with coins and start automating!
...wait...
You don't know how, right? Let me explain.
Open a new level to gwt all the objects needed and save them as custom objects when done to easily put them in the level.
Cube:
There are many ways to automate a cube section. I will explain the one I use (the best imo)
At first, you have to find the exact jump height. To start, put two pink pads above each other. Playtest the level. After the pads, jump. Compare the highest points of the two jumps using the green line. The pad jump will be smaller than the actual one. Adjust the height of the upper pad, test again, and repeat this until both jumps have equal heights. You can put one of these single-colored background blocks into the same grid square the lower pad is in and mark it as group parent to be able to use it as custom object more efficiently.
Mini: try to find a good jump height here as well.
Trail:
This is something not many people know. Trail removal. To remove the trail for some time, place an orange mirror portal, then place a blue one inside the red one and move it one small (not tiny) step to the right. Use this for cube, ball and robot. I will tell you how exactly you should use it later.
Ship:
This is complicated.
There are three common ways for auto ships:
• Purple pads
• Slopes
• Many single outline thingies
I usually use the last one, combined with some slopes here and there.
How to do it:
Place an outline thing where the ship should land. Then, copy it, move it one small step up and some to the right. Copy it, move it up.... Try to create a kind of curve. You can also playtest the part before building and orientate yourself at the green line. To get down, just put nothing. If you have to go up very quickly, use slopes. For straight flying, don't just make a straight line. Move the things up and down a bit so it looks more realistic.
Ball:
This one is easy. Just put a blue pad everywhere you wanna change gravity.
UFO:
Just find an optimal jump height like for the cube. You can also use the bg block trick here.
Wave:
This is by far the easiest. Just put a blue pad everywhere you wanna change gravity. I usually place a start pos into the wave portal, playtest, look at the line, place a pad, playtest...
For straight waving, place a pad, copy it, mirror it so it's facing downwards, select both, copy them, move the copies a bit to the right, copy move to right... At the end, delete the last pads at the bottom is you should go down, or at the top for going up.
Robot:
Now here the varying jump heights are a problem. Yellow pads get you up about as high as a full robot jump, for lower ones, just use stacked pink ones.
Spider:
Place teleportal, move orange portal to where you end up, put yellow/blue pad into it.
Orbs:
• Yellow orb: put a pink pad in the same square the orb is in and one in the one above it.
• Pink orb: same as yellow, just without the upper pad.
• Red orb: I've never automated one, sorry.
• Blue orb: put a blue pad into or onto it.
• Green orb: for soft gravity transitions, use a gravoty portal a bit after the orb. For harder ones, use a pink pad + a gravity portal into the orb.
• Black orb: put a gravity portal and a gravity pad facing the other direction than the portal into the orb and copy the pad some times and move each copy one square to the right.
• Custom orb: just put a spawn/toggle trigger with the same values as the orb into the orb and make it touch triggered.
• Dash orbs: use the common gravity portal row thing.
Tips and tricks:
• Put all the auto stuff on a seperate layer.
• Give it all a free group and place an alpha trigger before the beggining of the level. Set it to the group id and set opacity and fade time to 0.
• Use trail removal, but be careful: if you notice anything where the trail of an orb or pad jump is removed, move the mirror portals a bit to the left until it looks good.
• If you find a bug, immediately fix it!
I think that's all for now, let me know if you have any questions.
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