Not sure what'll come from this, but I've spent the last weeks on a game editor.
More of a game creation tool, actually, since trying to load Note of the outskirts (or To Hell With Guns) would simply make it crash. The engine of To Hell With Guns is obsolete, while in Note of the outskirts plenty of unique puzzle mechanics and other things are not acknowledged by the editor.
Among the main limitations, feats and Status changes are hardcoded. This won't change any soon.
Also you can't change the combat system and related formulae, although' in the future I'll likely add some flexibility regarding formulae. Currently the game can only take place in a single tower (a couple of maps on top of each other), because it requires extra features (like a way to go from one dungeon to another) and also extra testing.
Here's the content I started with. A bunch of images you can replace at will, as well as the font file that you can replace too :
I did not change the current behaviour of the game when creating the editor, and one annoying thing which will require some tweak is that currently descriptions about evertyhing (attributes, weapons, attacks ...) can't be accessed directly via the editor because they are directly linked with a key whose name is derivative of the name of the thing, you need to access the translation files inside the game file and add an entry with the THING_DESC key. That's quite convoluted.
So let's begin, here is an overlook of the current features of the editor.
Settings
You can change the font and background colors.
Some simulationist elements (armor durability, food mechanics) can be disabled.
You can set the party size.
You can choose if the game uses feats or not, and whether it uses spells, although' spells are currently disabled because they require extra testing.
Some variables of formulae about levelling up can be changed, although' it's straightfoward and will likely need more flexibility.
Finally the possibility to recruit all monsters you encounter is currently disabled because it needs some extra testing but in the future it will be possible to select that option.
Attributes
You can create the main attributes, which are basically just a name (and a description).
Then you can create skills and potentially link those with a list of attributes.
Finally, so that they've any usage, you link the direct mechanics of the game with the chosen attribute or skill. Note that in the doubt you should probably rather fill all the boxes, even if not filling some specific boxes can be a way to disable a mechanics. Some boxes are disabled because they correspond to mechanics which are not implemented or need more testing.
Archetypes
If you've played Note of the outskirts or To Hell With Guns you know the game is currently basically classless, with a single "Archetype" choice at creation which would correspond to a Race rather than a class in D&D.
Currently you can put bonuses to stats. On top of attributes and skills that also includes various direct stats like HP regeneration and maximum inventory weight. Also very soon you will be able to add properties.
Resistances and Types of damage
You can choose the names of the resistances used in the game.
Some status changes, especially, as well as falling down, bash and such mechanics require a resistance, so you need to link already implemented mechanics with a particular resistance.
For the rest you create the damage types and link those to a resistance. You can directly add a list of status changes to a damage type. There will be a risk to get those each time damage of the such type will be taken. For status changes other than broken members which are automatically serious you can add the status change either to regular critical hits or only to serious critical hits. Of course it'll be also possible to link status changes only to particular attacks, which will be detailed later.
You're also asked which type of damage the basic bare-fist attacks use.
Ammo type
You will decide of the types of ammo used by the game.
Items
Items and enemies require a lot of infos so you choose to create a
New item, or select an item to
Delete or
Open and the screen for this item is opened. There's a
Save as button so you can use a previous item to create a new one.
Different items may require different info. Common info includes weight and value (= selling base price, the lowest price which can appear). For an equippable item you need to choose the slot, select if it will require any surgery (I just noticed the Frenglish) to attach/detach and determines the intimidation score which is hidden in the game but used for intimidation checks, you also set the extra properties gained by the character when the character is equipped with the item.
Non combat mechanics implemented in the game (Cut Trees, Jump over next tile, Freeze water ...) can be attached to the item. Note that healing and such you will declare in combat skills but they will also be available outside combat.
Combat actions (used by items and spells as well as directly by enemies) require specific info such as the name and texts displayed in character's line and log.
The type of action is quite limited at this point, overall add/remove status changes and damage, no hp healing for example and many combinations are not available, one reason was that there can be only one target, for example one ally or a group of enemy, because it can become convoluted when you need to choose multiple targets, but even with this limitation it could be better, I'll need to rework that part quite a bit. You choose the speed which is used to compute initiative order.
For on attack you choose if it targets one enemy, one group of enemies or all enemies, a range, if it uses ammo and if it's a weapon throwing, the stat linked with chances to hit (which can be an attribute such as Agility just like a skill such as Swords), if it uses multiple hits per round when available (by default it does for one target and does not for multiple targets, and I need to double check if your choice does matter). Then you choose a list of "damage" all including various status changes and damage dices. Note that if the damage dices are D0 then a possible status change will be more easily applied.
Enemies
The current behaviour is that the image depends on the name (it is displayed so you should see whenever there's a problem).
You define rewards when defeating the enemy, whether it is possible to use the different speech skills before combat with such an enemy, two hidden stats : a more courageous enemy will be less likely to flee when it's damaged and/or its friends are dead, while hostility is used to determine if a group of enemies will be more likely to be hostile (it's rolled, not deterministic), which makes speech checks harder and if enemies are not hostile you can leave without requiring a fleeing check. Hostility is also relevant because very hostile enemies can't appear with very friendly ones (for example in Note of the outskirts if I remember right guards can appear with robots and animals, bandits can appear with robots and animals but bandits can't appear with guards).
You determine the enemy's stats, the properties and some "types" which can be relevant for certain properties for example (extra damage against flying enemies and such), also equippable parts will be important for recruited enemies.
You can also give them some equipment, inventory (typically extra ammo), and also extra treasure left when defeated (junk ...).
You choose the attacks they will use (other than from their equipment), and especially you choose the chance to use each attack (it's a ratio, if one has a chance of 2 and another a chance of 3 then the enemy will have 2 chances over 5 to use the first one and 3 chances over five to use the second one).
Regarding weapons you don't choose the chance for each attack, only the chance to use the weapon instead of something else. You can also add a chance to call for help or use a spell from the learnt ones.
Default party
You can define a default party of characters, defining their stats, feats, and starting equipment.
Tiles
Before talking about maps creation let's briefly talk about tiles. It's really not the most handy part, it's where you choose what image the game will use for most type of tiles (there's a specificity for closed doors, which I need to handle because it's not clear at all, to say the least, and anyway there's no way to directly know the effects of what you're changing).
You choose a couple of square zones which will use the current images. It's a bit convoluted but as long as you only use one type per floor I think it's usable (except for the closed door exception).
You also choose a background which can be different during night and day.
Maps
There's currently something dumb related to maps, you just load independent files, and you can make maps of any size, but then you eventually want maps of the same size, maybe I should handle this, it's not clear if you've not idea.
The map editor is helped by a small window where you choose the types of tile to place on the map.
You also set the enemies which will be likely to appear in random encounters on this map (here our lonely juggler).
Extra info is asked if the tile requires it, such as the enemies of a fixed encounter,
the content of a treasure,
the target of a teleporter (that you need to choose by typing coordinates because it does not have to be on this map)
and the content of a shop, including the the encounter triggered by attacking the shop (here the message is the translation key of the default message).
For one way doors you choose the material which will determine the difficulty to bash and break with explosives, and for doors closed with a key you will also choose the type of lock, which determines the key and also the difficulty to pick.
From events using the generic "E" type are currently available inns,
messages to decipher,
and riddles which will open a door which can be anywhere else on the same level, and answering the riddle will also remove encounters adjacent to the door.
Note that for events, treasures, shops, you can choose to display a specific image which must be put in the event folder (which contains enemy image files).
Also checking this text I realize there's no interface to add monsters'
Hints. I need to add that.
Dungeon
You place your maps on a 3d grid, although' at the moment it's just a tower.
Note that you can really do mistakes when creating a dungeon (while one of the two main purposes of the editor is that you can't, unlike with directly working on the xml files, the second purpose being that you're aware of available stuff) but some mistakes can be checked (in this case the top map has upstairs and downstairs while on top and while the below map has no upstairs).
You can define the beginning point of the game, which is very unhandy, but when you save the dungeon you can choose for the editor simply to find the first guild it can find and put it there.
That's it.
(not because the command is still there), a friend even told me he likes that it is thrown at his face that he has no ammo when opening the inventory by seeing the (x0) instead of nothing, I'll change anyway.
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