Id like to create book to help beginners about solarus editor

[Zefk]

You can open up issues, labels, and milestones on the Github. That way people will know how to help the guide.
https://github.com/20degree/solarusguide/issues

For the ReadMe.md formatting. The format is called markdown.

Images:

EX:

Bold:
You put a double Asterisk** around the text.

EX:
**License:**

Large Title Header text:
You put the Octothorp(#) or more commonly know as a hashtag(#) before the text.

EX:
#Outside/Exterior

You can have different sized headers too. Just got to add more hashtags.

EX:
###Outside/Exterior

Table of Contents:

You can make a table of contents with headers.

[Text for the header](#header lowercased)

EX:

When you go to a header. A link will appear. You want the hashtag part.

https://github.com/Zefk/Solarus-ARPG-Game-Development-Book_2/blob/master/Solarus%20ARPG%20Game%20Development%20Book.md#chapter-9-key-press-mouse-press-image-fade-and-playing-audio

[Chapter 9: Key press, Mouse press, Image fade, and playing audio](#chapter-9-key-press-mouse-press-image-fade-and-playing-audio)

Embed Links:

[Go to Google](https://www.google.com)

Bullets:

Dash + space

-[space here][text]

EX:
- This is a bullet

Table & Nextline:

You can make a table with the "|" character. It is located by the brackets. Press shift when pressing the slash key.

1.The first part of making a table it to set a title or category.

|Category|

2. The second part is the spacing. This requires some colons and minus signs / dashes.

Centered
|:---:|

Left
|:---|

Right
|---:|

3. The last set is to add a section.

|Section|

4. Everyone needs a next line in a table. It can make a messy situation look nice. Use <br> for a next line.

Line_1: <br> Line_2: <br> Line_3:

EX:

|Category_1|Category_2|
|:---:|:---|
|Section| Line_1: <br> Line_2: <br> Line_3:

Task List:

Note: No spaces for the "x."

- [ ] Mercury
- [ x ] Venus
- [ x ] Earth
- [ x ] Mars
- [ ] Jupiter
- [ ] Saturn
- [ ] Uranus
- [ ] Neptune

[20degree]

I have made an Issue and Millestone. I dont know if i have made it correctly on Github??

I have programmed, design some 3d models, of a pinball playable table game called "Faxanadu Pinball" with the software Futurepinball in the past. So i understand this great feeling to have made some game and share it. I always dreamed to create for fun not for money my own Super Nintendo Zelda Quest. I believe that the free software Solarus Quest Maker can make it possible. But as i say i'll need a lot of help to understand the software, this will help me a lot to help others with some none official Solarus Quest Maker free guide.

As always it is important for my self to give many thank's to the peoples.

A+

[Zefk]

I will add some issues too and "might" contribute a little when I get some time.

[20degree]

Thank's Zefk for all your help i do appreciate, i wonder if it's ok with you that i put your nick name in the book? I ask by respect of your self. There is so many things to teach with Solarus. For now what i'd like is tell how to create a new quest, how to replace the ALTTP in the directory of your quest, how work the map tiles of ALTTP, what are the different layers for your map, how to indicate on what map at what position the player start, how to go from one map to an other like the old Zelda 1 from Nintendo, how to lift some bush, how to chop some bush, how to lift some breakable item as a vase to have some item as a heart, how to make Link simply jump, how to make Link fall from some floor to a lower one on the same map as in the Zelda a Link to the Past in the first castle of SNES.

Brief make peoples use the tiles of ALTTP and indicate things. So the user can create there own little even tiny map and simply understand things they can do in the same map.

Also i agree Zefk making some chapters is important. Here is an example of the first free pdf book ive created about the software Futurepinball: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B60m6W-FuLPHZXAyZGxRRmRXNm8/view?usp=sharing, on the page number 5 i have put some chapters that linked to the subject. If you look totally my first guide about Futurepinball software, you will see and understand that ive done some printscreens and that ive explained many basics things.

Solarus will need more then one pdf guide, i'm sure that you know that to make peoples interrested in Solarus; the beginners and mostly none programmer need to see some printscreens. So they see, they do exactly what is said, they program and each little exercises is explained in detail.

If christopho think when he have shown a little video telling how to put some vase, lift it, trow it to destroy and give a heart. I'm sure he have seen the numbers of youtube hits by the day of little examples that the user can do and understand. Peoples need to do little experimentings, after medium experimenting, after more advance experimenting. A simple explications i would say is: A baby need first to know how to crawl, then need to be able to be on his two feet and not fall, then the baby start to walk.

Not giving the chance of peoples to crawl, before walking; can make peoples be afraid to try Solarus. That's something that can be poisining for some peoples. That something that i know by experience, because the free pdf guides ive writen about the pinball software, peoples needed to have already some programming skill at that time i did not know nothing about programming with this pinball soft. But there where some peoples that teached me and ive done some little experimenting at first to understand.

As told peoples must learn Solarus by doing easy things, this is how the interest to do more come. If they dont do little steps at first, and peoples say you must already know things. What happen then is that there is less peoples interrested in Solarus, because there is some portion that are beginners and none programmer. Making them also interrested by doing little exercises make the interest percentage of peoples raise in Solarus Quest Maker.

Also what i know is that each book must have less then 5mb of size, this because some peoples might want to share it trough e-mail by sending to others. Some e-mail account dont permit sending file higher then 5mb.

A+

[20degree]

I have not done much, ive made some little 5 pages pdf file that is on Github at: https://github.com/20degree/solarusguide. Ive got to go to sleep, when i'll have time i'll put more. Thank's for your help! A+

[Zefk]

Great work! I will keep adding/thinking of issues that can be added to the book.

[20degree]

It's nothing much Zefk. The first part of the book should be about explaining the environment of Solarus. Like the tiles, the layers, the tool icons (jump, go to stairs, go to map, etc.). It's important to explain at first the Solarus Quest Maker environment, doing this will make the readers get more comfortable with using Solarus; this will strength the confidence of it and strategically raise the numbers of peoples to use Solarus.

If you look at many guides most of them indicate how to use the environment of the software "X" at first. You may ask your self why i have not put some link "chapter section" that go to some page? It's because the content of the book must be done before putting the internal links. I have heard "rumors", i dont know if they are true or false; saying that some pdf software reader (the internal link's goes more to a page number). So with this rumor in head if there is some internal text link cliquable that point on some page, by adding more pages even making subjects much wider; then it's possible that the "How to do this/that" internal link goes to the wrong page. You must also know that on the web there is also a vast of file converter as (pdf to word or excel or etc). This bring again the idea to put before all the content in the pages, then after put the internal links that go to the corresponding page.

One thing for sure i know that many free pdf guides have raised the peoples interrest in some software. I have the same feeling that i can do for Solarus Quest Maker. It's truly a good thing that i dont know LUA, but believe that i can learn. Beside ive always wanted to create my own Zelda Super Nes style for fun and none profit. Yup i'm sure that i can help, ive helped peoples know the Software Futurepinball. The administrators of http://www.gopinball.com and http://www.pinsimdb.org that are named: "LvR" and "TheNalex" knows who i am and about my free pdf guides. So Christopho can ask them, even you about it. Also if you look at: http://www.gopinball.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=55, there is a section called: "Beginner Tutorial by 20degree", the author that have made this post is "TheNalex" and you will notice that the (color) of it's nick name is in "red". The only peoples that can have there nickname this color is the administrators of there website. So by this they know!

I appreciate very much your help Zefk and Diarandor and others. It's important for me to give my thank's. Many peoples dont appreciate there surrounding and i find it sad they do. Well ive got to go, ive got things to do.

A+

[Zefk]

It's nothing much Zefk.

Every bit of progress deserves praise. 

[20degree]

I have added one page to the PDF file, it is just some example that can help peoples identify the tile properties. http://www.github.com/20degree/solarusguide. I think it is a good thing if some user that put the ALTTP asset, know if the tile the user put on the map; what type of ground it is. It's nothing much i'm a beginner also with Solarus and i try to explain things that i try to figure; so that anyones can understand.

It's not an easy task for a beginner with Solarus Quest Editor to understand how solarus work. I try to make it simple for peoples to understand, but as i say without you guys i wont be able to do much.

A+

[Zefk]

I finished a volume_control script with loading directory help from Diarandor. I am going to type up a document and add images explaining the process step by step tomorrow for the book. It should cover most of the basics for menu creation, images, sound, script loading directories, basic scripting knowledge, etc.
http://forum.solarus-games.org/index.php/topic,737.msg3880.html?PHPSESSID=iq28ofb9pri7oun31qsvroopr2#msg3880

This will solve this issue on GitHub and a few more.
https://github.com/20degree/solarusguide/issues/23

[20degree]

Thank's Zefk i really do appreciate all your help! I have not done much since of my ways of life, the document on my pc have now 7 pages. Ive explained how to simply create a new map by simply clicking with the mouse on the icon "map" and right click mouse to show menu and choose "new map". I'm gonna explain a bit also the different part when you see the map. Like layer 0 is some level that the player can walk over, layer 1 is tiles that are at the same level of the player, layer 2 is tiles that can be above the player. Size: is the size of the map. Music: is the music that plays when the player is on this map. Well at leass you know where i want to go and in what direction things is going.

I dont know Zefk the option layers that have the possibility to put some "number" (not the icon at top)? Dont know "Set a floor", dont know "Set a world", dont know "Location in its world"?

Also i believe that it can be good that the reader create a simple map and the player put some entities on it like: "Add destination", "Add teletransporter", "Add pickable" etc. etc. Like also create some map with stairs that link "move-turn" going up and down in the same map. Just little exercises to make the reader comfortable. For each little exercises the player could create a new map, doing so the player if he/she forgot about how to do things; can take a look of the things that have been done in the past to remember. Also as a beginners with Solarus it would be things that i would like also to know.

A+

[Diarandor]

Like layer 0 is some level that the player can walk over, layer 1 is tiles that are at the same level of the player, layer 2 is tiles that can be above the player.

This is not true. The hero can be in a layer different than 1 and he can change its layer (stairs, teleporters,...).
Note that you can add more layers in the Editor, positive and negative layers, and as many as you want (believe me, I have set the max layer to be 2000 in the Editor and a giant context menu with 2000 labels has tried to kill me ).

[20degree]

So if i've correctly understand Diarandor? The layers is like some floor levels that you can put some tiles that can be passable and none passable. I wonder when you choose some tile and right click to see some menu as "One layer Up", "One layer Down"? I wonder also the option "Bring to front" and "Bring to back"?

I think i dont understand too much, possibly because i have tryed in the past Rpg Maker 2003 and try to compare it with Solarus to do some good explications. But when i think Solarus is more advanced because each individual tiles can be indicated what is the type and the corresponding with the player. Rpg Maker 2003 if i remember each tiles was on the same level and simply indicate if the player can go over or not. Solarus is more advanced i believe.

I wonder if you would have some experimentations (simple) that i and the reader can do, to more understand the layers; so like that i can think about ways to explain it in simple ways? It's a part that i find important that the reader would need to know, because the quest maker need to understand it also; since the game is based on creating map and understanding layers.

What could i know about the subject?

A+

[Zefk]

Rough draft:
I made a small rough draft without images explaining most programming I did for the volume control script. I attached it. I will go through it tomorrow and clean it up.

Index:
You can index key words in open office. I did not notice it in the guide you started. Just want to let you know it is possible. I have an index in the rough draft. I click default > heading 3

Solarus is more advanced because each individual tiles can be indicated what is the type and the corresponding with the player.

Solarus is indeed more advanced than Rpg Maker engines in many ways. The coding is about 10 times easier and basically have total control over layers.

RPG Maker community has so many free scripts though and a lot of people are too lazy to type even though eventing can cause repetition strains due to so much clicking. (RPG Maker Ace ARPG enemy and Ally AI experience) I can pretty much do everything in Ace, but I like Solarus more.

So if i've correctly understand Diarandor? The layers is like some floor levels that you can put some tiles that can be passable and none passable. I wonder when you choose some tile and right click to see some menu as "One layer Up", "One layer Down"? I wonder also the option "Bring to front" and "Bring to back"?

Christopho's video tutorials pretty much cover those answers.

[Zefk]

Here is the volume_control script project. This should cover a lot of the basics. Everything is included, so modify it the way you want.

Link

Preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxiYEWe6nlU&feature=youtu.be