0.7.0

0.7.0 -- Getting serious

App changes

This update features many important changes to make LDtk production ready and future proof. These changes will allow better support for large projects, better API creation and maintenance, and smoother user adoption.

We are getting really close to 1.0!

Changes

• New home layout: the app home screen has been re-organized to focus on what's really important.

• Separate level files: when enabled, LDtk will save separately the project JSON and one file per level. A much needed feature to reduce JSON size and optimize parsing times! The option is in Project settings (press F1): "Separate level files".

  When enabled, all the project settings and definitions will still be stored in the *.ldtk file, and all level data will now be saved to separate files (one per level) in a sub-folder, in *.ldtkl files (notice the extra l letter at the end of the extension).

  Important notes: this new feature might not be supported in all current existing APIs and loaders. Also, this option isn't enabled by default, but this might change on 1.0.

• Save layers as PNG: if you really don't want to bother with the LDtk JSON, you can check this new option in your project settings to export all your layers as PNG images (note: only supported layers will be exported, that is those with tiles).

• Backups: automatically keep extra copies of your project in a sub-folder every time you save (enable backups in your project settings). Important: LDtk only keeps up to 10 backup files per project.

• Crash backups: if, for some reasons, LDtk crashes, it will try to backup your unsaved work automatically. Obviously, this works even if the backup setting isn't enabled.

• Level background image: each level can now have a custom background image (PNG, GIF or JPEG) that can be resized and aligned in various ways.

• New font: replaced the often hard-to-read pixel font with a sleeker "Roboto" font (this change affects entity fields and floating level informations).

• New APIs: LDtk JSON files can now be easily parsed in many languages, including C#, Python, Rust, C++, Javascript, using QuickType.io generator. These parsers are based on latest JSON schema file (see below) and are super easy to keep updated. You can check existing APIs on the LDtk website.

• JSON Schema: a schema file is now directly generated from source code (ie. a JSON that describes the LDtk project file format). It's available on LDtk.io/json and contains a schema following Draft 7 standard from Json-schema.org. This file describes all fields from LDtk json files (value types and descriptions). The great thing about JSON schema is that it allows JSON "parser" generation using QuickType. That's right: you can now generate Rust, C#, JS or Python parsers easily, right from the file format.

• HaxeFlixel support: the HaxeFlixel game framework has been added to the official LDtk Haxe API. You can now easily load and display a LDtk project in your game.

• Moving your mouse cursor over a Rule group in an auto-layer will now reveal all layer cells affected by the rules in this group.

• If the auto-layer rule panel is open, moving your mouse over the level will now also highlight rules affecting the current coordinate.

• The JSON documentation now shows clearly what parts are useful for game devs and what parts aren't (trying to make your dev life even easier!).

• The app home now shows a list of recently opened folders along with recently opened project files.

• Optimized the rule pattern editor to update less UI stuff when being edited.

• Tiled TMX files are now exported in a sub folder (along with other optional external files, like levels or layer PNGs)

• Better organized world panel (shortcut W)

• Better level name display in Linear world layouts.

• Fixed reloading of tileset images.

• Fixed Electron related security policy.

• Fixed "Lost external enum file" dialog when loading a project.

• Many UI tweaks

• Bug fixes

0.6.2

0.6.2

App changes

• Added an optional Regular Expression that can be tested against a String field in an Entity. Any unmatched character in a string value will just be discarded. This allows the creation of custom field type (that needs to follow some specific pattern), while still having a safety net (the editor cleans up invalid parts).
• Fixed missing "world grid size" inputs in Grid Vania layouts. They should now appear in the World panel.
• Fixed level creation in "Linear" world layouts that only contain 1 level
• Fixed loading of null multiline fields
• Fixed a crash on layer removal
• Added "internal" (ie. "only for editor use") indicator for undocumented fields in Json
• Fixed Json doc typo
• Fixed Travis unit tests
• Fixed new level creation in "Linear" layouts that only contained 1 level
• Minor changes & fixes on Home and Support pages

0.6.1

0.6.1

App changes

• New website URL: LDtk.io
• New Json schema URL: LDtk.io/json
• Updated in-app URLs
• Fixed a crash when editing Entity points and switching layer
• Fixed a crash in Tiled TMX exporter caused by tilesets without image
• Fixed macOS build (didn't start properly).
• Fixed long auto-update error message on Linux and macOS versions.
• Fixed entities being destroyed when dragged near level limits
• Fixed samples folder location on macOS
• Updated buttons on app home page
• Minor update to app logo

0.6.0

0.6.0 -- Take over the world!

App changes

💬 Discord

We now have an official Discord! Come join us, we have cookies 🤗 Feel free to share the invite URL: https://deepnight.net/go/ldtk-discord

🌍 World map

Levels in your project can now be organized in various ways:

• freely on a vast 2D map,
• in a large grid system (aka "grid-vania"),
• horizontally,
• vertically.

Just hit the W or F2 key to switch to world view, and start re-arranging your creations as you wish! While in world mode, you can right click to reveal a context menu.

📑 Other changes

• New splash screen: to reduce screen flickering and dirty window flashes on startup, a new splash screen was added, among other minor changes. The app window should now feel a little more "stable".
• Smooth zooming/panning: automatic zooming and panning (eg. when pressing F key) are now animated and smoother.
• New rule editor window: this UI component really needed some love, so it now features a more streamlined interface and a much better integrated help.
• User settings are now stored in AppData OS folder to prevent from losing them on each future update. Unfortunately, this will only apply starting from this version, so settings will be reset one last time :) Sorry!
• End of beta: LDtk is no longer considered Beta as it's now stable & mature enough to be used in production.
• "File path" field: this new field type allow you to refer to an external file directly from an Entity instance (many thanks to Yanrishatum!)
• Many under-the-hood optimizations to support the new World map feature.
• Removed the "double" Fit mode when pressing F. Now pressing this key just fits the whole level in the viewport.
• Unified R & Shift-R shortcuts: just press R to toggle all auto-layers rendering.
• Fixed loading of files with spaces in name, when using file association on Windows
• Better "invalid value" error display in entity fields (previously, you only had <error>).
• Application samples will now display a warning if you try to save them (not recommended as they will be overwritten by future app updates).
• Better Entity panel layout
• Better default entity Field naming when creating a new one
• Fixed a bug in Entity panel that went crazy when containing too many entities.
• Sample maps are no longer added to "recent projects" list
• Updated the Enum panel icon.
• Better display of samples in recent files list on app Home.
• Added a "Close" button to Project panel
• Removed "Loaded" useless notification
• You can now right-click external URL links in LDtk to copy them.
• Fixed middle clicks on URL links.
• Fixed many many issues with rules that didn't update properly after some specific changes (eg. perlin, checker mode, modulos etc.)
• Added a "locate project" button to Project panel
• Fixed an infinite loop when resizing a level
• Fixed a bug with files stored in a path containing some special characters (eg. ~ or %)
• Updated the LDtk website
• Updated all sample maps

0.5.2-beta

0.5.2-beta

App changes

• Fixed a crash when loading a project with a "lost" tileset image (ie. path not found).
• Fixed crash window that looped forever
• Better crash report window

0.5.1-beta

0.5.1-beta

App changes

• Added "top-down" sample map
• Fixed "File not found" message at startup
• Fixed a potential crash at startup
• Fixed auto-reloading of modified tileset images
• Minor bug fixes
• Updated external libs used by LDtk (Electron, NodeJS etc.)

0.5.0-beta

0.5.0-beta -- LDtk: it's about tile!

App changes

Level Designer Toolkit (LDtk) is now the new app name :) I hope you'll like it! The logo was updated, as well as source code, GitHub repo and various other things.

Because of the renaming, users of the Haxe API will have to run the following commands:

haxelib remove led-haxe-api
haxelib install ldtk-haxe-api

You might also need to manually uninstall any previous installation of LEd.

• Tiles flipping: in Tile Layers, you can mirror tiles before painting them by pressing X or Y (or Z). This also works from group of tiles.
• Tiles stacking: you can now optionaly stack multiple tiles in a single cell of a Tile layer, reducing the need for multiple layers. For example, you could paint a brick wall, then enable stack mode (T), and add details like cracks or vines over the same wall. Be careful though: erasing of stacked elements can be tricky, so you should use a mix of multiple layers and stacking to get the best results.
• New editing options bar: Grid locking, Single layer mode and Empty space selection moved to a new more streamlined button bar.
• File association: project files now use the extension *.ldtk instead of *.json. Therefore, on Windows, double-clicking such files will open the app accordingly. If you prefer the .json extension, you can force it in each project settings (but will lose benefit of the file association).
• Auto-layer rule preview: when you move your mouse over a rule, you will now see which cells in the current layer are affected, making their testing MUCH easier.
• Tiled (TMX) export: this optional export now generates proper standard tile layers. However, to support LDtk stacked tiles feature (see above), multiple Tiled layers might be generated per single LDtk layer. Also, IntGrid layers are now properly exported to Tiled (as standard tile layers, with an auto-generated tileset image).
• New color picker: it supports copy/paste, manual hex value editing and a much better UI (thanks to simple-color-picker).
• Flood-fill fixes: if you hold SHIFT while clicking in a Tile layer, it will flood-fill the area using currently selected tiles (randomly, or by stamping group of tiles, depending on the current mode).
• Flood-fill erasing: just use SHIFT+Right click to erase a whole contiguous area.
• The layer Rule editor now overlaps left panel and allows level editing while being open (makes rule testing much easier). Press Escape to close it.
• In Tile layers, you can press L to load a saved tileset selection (using S key)
• Renamed the Level panel to World (for the 0.6.x future update).
• It's now possible to change the tileset or even the source layer of an Auto-Layer without loosing your rules.
• Auto-layer baking: turn a complex Auto-Layer into a standard Tile layer (think of it as the flatten feature in Photoshop). Be careful, it's a one-way operation.
• Unified "Show/hide grid" and "Grid locking" options. You can now just press G to toggle grid (which also implies "grid locking" in supported layer types).
• All options (such as "Grid on/off", or "Compact panel mode") are now saved to a JSON file in your app folder, in userSettings/.
• Help window is now a side panel.
• Opaque tiles are detected in tilesets for use in various optimizations (mostly related to the new tile stacking feature).
• Fixed a crash when deleting IntGrid layer while an AutoLayer uses it as source.
• Added some colors to UI buttons
• New exit button icon.

Json format changes

• The pixel coordinates of AutoLayer tiles no longer include the layer pxOffsetX/Y values. They should be added manually on display.
• In auto-layers, all tiles that are hidden (ie. behind an opaque tile) are discarded from the autoLayerTiles array.

0.4.1-beta

0.4.1-beta

App changes

• Fixed a jQuery related crash
• Smarter extern Enum file update (ie. silent if changes don't break anything).
• Better logging in case of crash
• Open/save dialogs are now modal to the application
• Fixed distorted left panel in new projects

0.4.0-beta

0.4.0-beta

App changes

• Experimental Ubuntu and MacOS versions (thanks to the community!)

• Selections: you can now select any element in a level by using ALT + left click. You can move it around by holding left click. To select a rectangle area, use ALT + SHIFT + left click.

• Duplicate: you can duplicate any element in the level by drag it with CTRL+ALT keys.

  NOTE: For now, "undoing" a selection move or duplication will require multiple undos (one per affected layer). Undo/Redo features need a major rework, but this will only happen in a future update (see #151). Sorry for the inconvenience until this update!

• Duplicate definitions: you can duplicate any Definition (layers, enums, entities etc.) by using the new context menu (right click or use "3-dots" buttons) in all panels.

• Duplicate rules or rule groups: another much needed addition.

• Multi-lines texts added to Entity custom field types.

• Type conversions: Entity fields can now be converted to different types (like turning an Integer value to a Float, or into an Array). Some conversions might not be lossless.

• Renamed the old Enhance active layer option to Single layer mode

• Alt+left click now picks elements in all layers. If you have the Single layer mode activated (A key), it will pick in current layer only.

• Added an option to allow selection of empty spaces

• Better mouse coordinates display in editor footer

• Added rectangle selection size to editor footer

• Use DELETE key to delete selected elements

• Use CTRL+A shortcut to select everything (limited to current layer in Single Layer Mode).

• Optimized the JSON format to reduce its size (should be approximately 40-50% smaller).

• Added the up-to-date JSON format doc to the app Home page.

• Added fullscreen button to view Home changelogs

• Pressing ENTER on the Home screen now opens last edited map.

• Side bar is now more compact

• Better "Enum sync" window

• Fixed "Enum value in use" detection

• Removed duplicate sample map file

• Fixed mouse wheel zoom limits

• Fixed "color" field size in Entity instance editor when the value wasn't default.

• Updated help window

• Pressing Escape key now leaves focused inputs first instead of closing panels.

• Many bug fixes & minor enhancements

Json format changes

The JSON format was optimized to reduce its size (should be approximately 40-50% smaller). See changes below, or check the JSON_DOC.md.

Auto-layer tiles

• Removed layerInstance.autoTiles
• Added layerInstance.autoLayerTiles which is a more compact version of the tiles data generated by Auto-layer rules. It contains the following fields:
  • px: [x,y]: an array of 2 values representing the level [x,y] pixel coordinates of the tile.
  • src: [x,y]: an array of 2 values representing the tileset [x,y] pixel coordinates of the tile.
  • f: a 2-bits integer to represent the mirror transformations of the tile: Bit 0 = X flip, Bit 1 = Y flip
  • d: this field contains internal data used by the Editor.

Entity instances

• Removed entityInstance.x/y
• Removed entityInstance.__cx/__cy
• Added entityInstance.px: an array of 2 values representing [x,y] pixel coordinates of the entity.
• Added entityInstance.__grid: an array of 2 values representing [cx,cy] grid-based coordinates of the entity.

Tile layers

• The format of tile-layer tiles was unified with auto-layer tiles.
• layerInstance.gridTiles is now an array of:
  • px: [x,y]: an array of 2 values representing the level [x,y] pixel coordinates of the tile.
  • src: [x,y]: an array of 2 values representing the tileset [x,y] pixel coordinates of the tile.
  • f: a 2-bits integer to represent the mirror transformations of the tile: Bit 0 = X flip, Bit 1 = Y flip
  • d: this field contains internal data used by the Editor.

0.3.2-beta

0.3.2-beta

App changes

• Fixed a crash when resizing level with an Entity having a null Point value
• Added button icons in Help window