Making Tilsets

NOTICE! We are not responsible for ANY damage to your system, procceed through these instructions cautiously, and make a backup of your whole HDD first! =)
You might want to also ask your parents about that too =)


 















How long have we waited for a relatively understandable tile-set tutorial? A long, long time. Wait no more! Here it is.. a *relatively* understandable tileset tutorial. This tutorial is for Photoshop 4+ only!
 
 
 
 
First, run Photoshop =] You might want to close everything else off, I've had extreme memory usages from PS (that's what we'll call it =P) at times. Even though I usually edit html, browse the web in multiple windows, play MP3's, run a Jazz2 server in window mode maxed out, and use Photoshop at the same time, that is not advisable... (look at my computer's problems, and you'll see =)

Now open Onag's 1000 tile template (hey, why go for anything less?). It should be named something like 
"1000tiles.PSD" (if you don't have it, hurry up and download it silly!)

HAHAH! No image here! (why waste space on something this simple.. you OUGHT to be able to open a file)
Ok, now, if you had trouble opening that file, don't even THINK about emailing me (#$(&%, don't even think about it anyway =) 

Now zoom in w/ photoshop, until at a comfortable pixel editing level. (fig.1)


(fig.1)
(fig.2)
Ok, now we'll make a simple block that should allow you to understand the basics of making a tileset block.. a slanted block at about 45 degrees or so. So that pitiful thick skulls like yours can understand, we'll use the color green for "what we'll see when we play." See fig.2.

Alright, now you obviously made the tile. What about masks? (transparency, what you'll stand on, etc.). Well, that's easy. NOT.

In reality, we'll try our best to make this as un-confusing as possible, but since that is impossible, you'll have to bear with us, and -not- email us =).
 

(fig.3)
First, click on the swatches thingy, which should be next to "color" and "brushes" in a little window (unless you changed it; in that case, find it yourself). 

Now there should be an arrow to the right (see fig.3). Click on the arrow, then click on "replace swatches" (fig.3)

Alright, now load the "jazzpalette.act" file. If you don't have it, download it.
Now, for transparency, click on the FIRST or SECOND color (#0, #1 colors respectively). See fig.4
(fig.4)
Since you'll be wanting the other half of your green slant block to be "see through" you'll want to go to the "transparency" layer, in the layers window. (fig.5)
(fig.5)
Now, click (in the swatches window) on one of the transparency colors (0 or 1), and draw some so-called black around. (no figs; this oughta be easy to do).

Now, for a mask (what jazz can walk on, and what he can't), go to the "tile masks" layer (c'mon, you CAN do that, can't you?).

For the mask, WHITE is solid/walk-on, and BLACK is transparent/walkthrough.

So, draw some white over the green half, and black over.. well, the other half.
 

(fig.6)
Now, save your image as a .PSD file.. I don't care what you call it.. call it "ihatemakingthis.psd" for all I care :-)

Alright.. now, turn off the "grid" layer, by clicking on the ugly eyeball to the left of it. (fig.6)

While you're at it, turn off the "tile masks" layer also.

In the upper.. uhm, left I guess, there is a menu called "Image." You can also press alt-i.

From that menu, go to "Mode," and then click on "Indexed Color..."

It should say something like "Flatten visible layers and discard hidden layers? Ok/Cancel." Click on OK.

Now (getting repetitive aren't I?) click on the little pulldown thingy called "Palette" and change it to "Custom..."

Under Options, Dither, change it to "None"

See fig.7.


(fig.7)
Okay, now that you've passed this much (smart as you are, I'm still amazed =), click on "Load..."

Now load the "jazzpalette.act" file.

Then click on the obviously-sticking-out-in-your-face button called "OK."

SubNote: If you used a 255 solid-color green, it will change to a darker color, since the default Jazz Palette doesn't support that.. (although you can add it in if you want).

Now click on the menu called "File" (alt-f), and click on "Save A Copy..."

Make sure to save your copy as a .BMP file! .PCXs and some other formats kinda work, but BMP is the best in this case.

You should save this copy in the jazz2/tiles/ directory.
 


Alright, now take a deep-breath, ponder the mysteries of the universe, and get back to work. Load up your previously-saved .PSD file. Go to the old layers thingy again, and hide the layer named "tiles" and the layer named "grid."

Now convert to indexed-mode again, following the same steps as previously stated, and save a copy as a different .BMP file.. maybe mask.BMP.

As before, save this in the jazz2/tiles directory. 

If you have any problems at this point, or earlier, or later, or outside the space-time continuum, remember, DO NOT EMAIL us. =)

Alright, now you should have the photoshop part done, unless I forgot something.. before you go on to part two however, please memorize the following rule:

ATTENTION! The first tile in a tileset is AUTOMATICLY changed to a blank transparent tile in JCS.. if you're making a tileset, DO NOT USE THE FIRST TILE. If you do, your work will be discarded. Thank you.. and did we say DO NOT EMAIL us? =)
 

Now you -should- (should, because if you're so thick that you couldn't follow the first part, then you porbably won't be able to get past opening a file in JCS :-)... SHOULD be ready for---

Part 2.