SMBX Help Thread

[S.N.N.]

Found some time tonight to open up SMBX again and try out what darkychao suggested, but I'm still having some .. unfortunately very trivial trouble.

-Where is the cockpit graphic/NPC actually located? I checked in the SMB3 section and saw a few airship graphics, but most of them were about 3-4 tiles long.
-Once I actually set it up, which layer am I actually attaching the cockpit to? The same layer as the object (in this case, a giant musical note) I'm planning on moving, right?

Thanks for any help on this.

[agargara]

Okay, I feel like this should be obvious and the answer is probably written clearly somewhere but I can't find it:

What is the purpose of the black and white 'm' graphics files? For example there will be background-6.gif and background-6m.gif that's a black and white copy.

[pholtos]

I'm no expert but I believe it's something to do with showing where a sprite ends, so all imported sprites don't look like rectangles with a lot of excess white around them.

[darkychao]

Found some time tonight to open up SMBX again and try out what darkychao suggested, but I'm still having some .. unfortunately very trivial trouble.

-Where is the cockpit graphic/NPC actually located? I checked in the SMB3 section and saw a few airship graphics, but most of them were about 3-4 tiles long.
-Once I actually set it up, which layer am I actually attaching the cockpit to? The same layer as the object (in this case, a giant musical note) I'm planning on moving, right?

Thanks for any help on this.

If you watch the video i posted earlier it'll show you

[KingTwelveSixteen]

-Where is the cockpit graphic/NPC actually located? I checked in the SMB3 section and saw a few airship graphics, but most of them were about 3-4 tiles long.

Tch, this is one of the dumbest things about this editor. To get to it, go into the NPC tab and choose any NPC that can be thrown by a lakitu then click the button that makes a lakitu that throws said thing. Next, click on any enemy-type tab thing (SMW, Misc, SMB2, whatever) that isn't the one you're already on, then place the lakitu in the level somewhere that it can launch stuff. Play-test the level until you reach the lakitu and you see him throwing lakitus, then exit out.

Congratulations, you have no reached the secret 'lakitu is throwing lakitus' NPC tab, a secret tab that as far as I know no part of the game ever tells you how to reach. The cockpit is in there.

[Octagon]

Can any of you think of an elegant way to block off Kood without restricting the others? His floating ability completely breaks a certain exit in my castle... but he's fine in the main part, so I don't want to completely banish him from the level.

[Mata Hari]

Can any of you think of an elegant way to block off Kood without restricting the others? His floating ability completely breaks a certain exit in my castle... but he's fine in the main part, so I don't want to completely banish him from the level.

Have an obstacle that can only be crossed with the help of solid Kood blocks?

Anyway, is it possible to set up an NPC generator such that a new NPC only appears if the old one dies/otherwise disappears?

[Duker]

Okay, I feel like this should be obvious and the answer is probably written clearly somewhere but I can't find it:

What is the purpose of the black and white 'm' graphics files? For example there will be background-6.gif and background-6m.gif that's a black and white copy.

m = mask, it defines what should and shouldn't be transparent. Usually a mask can also have grays for partial transparency but I don't think SMBX supports that. Also the hitbox is separate from the mask, so even if you make a diagonal block full it will still have the triangular hitbox.

[SAJewers]

Anyway, is it possible to set up an NPC generator such that a new NPC only appears if the old one dies/otherwise disappears?

Have the NPC generator on it's own layer, and set it so when it dies, that layer reappears for 1 second.

Okay, I feel like this should be obvious and the answer is probably written clearly somewhere but I can't find it:

What is the purpose of the black and white 'm' graphics files? For example there will be background-6.gif and background-6m.gif that's a black and white copy.

m = mask, it defines what should and shouldn't be transparent. Usually a mask can also have grays for partial transparency but I don't think SMBX supports that. Also the hitbox is separate from the mask, so even if you make a diagonal block full it will still have the triangular hitbox.

You can use gray/transparency.

[Mata Hari]

Have the NPC generator on it's own layer, and set it so when it dies, that layer reappears for 1 second.

Please can you give me step-by-step instructions? Because either I'm doing something wrong or it's acting glitchy.

[Mata Hari]

Yes, as far as I can tell there are two problems with your idea:

1. The generator 'remembers' spawn times even when it's on a vanished layer, meaning it will happily spit out two NPCs in one round of visibility
2. If the generator disappears WHILE it's generating an NPC it counts as an NPC death, so it freaks out!

[SAJewers]

In that case, I don't know.

[Mata Hari]

It's OK, I just used grass tufts instead. Doesn't really jibe with the stylings of the rest of the level, but whatever works !!

[Octagon]

Can any of you think of an elegant way to block off Kood without restricting the others? His floating ability completely breaks a certain exit in my castle... but he's fine in the main part, so I don't want to completely banish him from the level.

Have an obstacle that can only be crossed with the help of solid Kood blocks?

Thanks, that worked. I feel dumb now.

[Vergalon]

Question: is it possible to make an enemy such as a shy guy [not] turn around when it runs into another enemy, and if so, how?
ruling out making it friendly, because that also makes it not an obstacle.

[Septentrion Pleiades]

Question: is it possible to make an enemy such as a shy guy [not] turn around when it runs into another enemy, and if so, how?

These flags

Turn
npcblock=1

no turn
npcblock=0

[agargara]

m = mask, it defines what should and shouldn't be transparent. Usually a mask can also have grays for partial transparency but I don't think SMBX supports that. Also the hitbox is separate from the mask, so even if you make a diagonal block full it will still have the triangular hitbox.

You can use gray/transparency.

Cool, thanks! That's perfect since I was thinking about having a forest section with partially transparent leaves hiding some things.

[Heavy Sigh]

Is there a way to rotate the graphics in SMBX without going the custom route? Like, flipping a pipe entrance so it faces the opposite direction?

[Frozelar]

Is there a way to rotate the graphics in SMBX without going the custom route? Like, flipping a pipe entrance so it faces the opposite direction?

Not that I know of.

[raocow]

However they are made to 'fit' with any direction (try it!)

[arfman]

Hey im new here... and i played around with the editor a lot ...... so i made a level with an idea but something broke..... the question is how many layers + events do the engine allow ? .... i made a level with like 10 leyers each got 3 events ....... and suddenly some layers dont move anymore.

[Frozelar]

Hey im new here... and i played around with the editor a lot ...... so i made a level with an idea but something broke..... the question is how many layers + events do the engine allow ? .... i made a level with like 10 leyers each got 3 events ....... and suddenly some layers dont move anymore.

SMBX allows for a lot more layers and events than that. All I can say is remember to have the Auto Start box checked on any ones you want to start automatically, and make sure if you renamed one of the layers or events, it also got renamed elsewhere, like if an event triggered another event. Those things threw me off a couple times.

Other than that I have no idea why that would be happening. Some of the other people here would probably be more helpful than me, hah.

[BeatBoxingBoo]

Does anyone know how to fix this error?

"Run-time error '481': Invalid picture"

I checked and the thing I changed that made this occur is the right name, file type, size, and in the right place.

[darkychao]

Does anyone know how to fix this error?

"Run-time error '481': Invalid picture"

I checked and the thing I changed that made this occur is the right name, file type, size, and in the right place.

If you still have the old zip just combine the files in the zip and the ones on your computer.

[BeatBoxingBoo]

Okay new problem; the editor, for some reason, isn't using any but two of the custom files, none of which I have changed in any way besides moving them to a different folder and then back. The graphics are like, instead of just being the default ones.