Hi, I have questions.

[Maria]

I don't know what is XML? I should of asked that long time ago. 

XML is just a text-based format for organizing data.  In Aquaria mods, it's used to store all the information about maps, animations, and a few other minor things.  You can edit an XML file in any text editor.  You don't need to actually know much of anything about it to do basic map-editing, as the editor will automatically make the XML files when you save your map.  All you really need to do is make sure that an XML file exists in the maps folder of your mod for each map you have.

You can get a basic map XML file in one of two ways:
1) Duplicate the existing template.xml file from the aquariatemplate mod, and rename it to whatever you want your map name to be.  This is the easiest method,
2) Create one from scratch, following the instructions on this page (also contains useful information if you want to change things in a map like the music, background color, etc.).

My personal recommendation for figuring out how things work for modding is to just make a backup copy of an existing mod, then start opening up files, changing them, and reloading the mod to see what changed.  Occasionally this will cause the mod to not load, or crash the game- when that happens, just copy over whatever file you changed from your backup, and try something different.

- Edwards

OH! MY! GOODNESS!
I GOT IT!!!!

Thank you!!!
This is so AWESOME!

[Chibi]

Haha! Good luck Marian. 

[Maria]

I have another question, how do you make the water level down?

[Danger Mouse]

in the top line for the maps xml file you will find the line to edit for the water level.

[Maria]

in the top line for the maps xml file you will find the line to edit for the water level.

I'm sorry, I don't understand.
In the game?

[Edwards]

I'm sorry, I don't understand.
In the game?

To make the water level change in-game, you'll need to make a script that changes it.  I'd suggest creating a new text file named "node_movewater.lua" (do NOT allow your text editor to add a .txt to the end!), and putting in the following code:

dofile("scripts/entities/EntityInclude.lua")

function init(me)
   node_setCursorActivation(me, true)
end

-- The following code runs when you right-click on this node:
function activate(me)
   level = getWaterLevel() -- Get the current water level
   
   -- Check whether the water level is above or below the 5000 line along the vertical axis.
   if level < 5000 then
      -- If the level is less than 5000 (which means that on-screen it is higher
      -- than the map's centerline, at least for a 512x512 map), lower the water level.
      setWaterLevel(6000) --
   else
      -- Otherwise, raise the water level.
      setWaterLevel(level - 100)
   end
end

You will then need to place a node in the level, named "movewater" (without the quotes), save the level, and reload it.  You should then be able to click on that node and have the water level change.  Play around with this code, and see what happens if you change various values.

Also, you may need to set the water level in the map XML file to some level other than "0", as if the water level is "0", there won't be a surface for the script to move.  To do this, open up the map XML file in a text editor, an somewhere on the first line, there should be a bit that says: waterLevel="0"
Change this to any positive number; 7000 may be reasonable.  Try a few different numbers to see where they put the water level.

- Edwards

[Hiro]

Haha, I think Marian wanted to know where DangerMouse was suggesting, not how to do it in game specifically. xD But thats a pretty nice code there anyway.
I'll have a go at simplifying:

Marian, you know the XML file that you had to create to make your map? If you open it in notepad (or any other text editor) then you should find at the top line that looks like this:

<Level tileset="energytemple" waterLevel="0" gradTop="0.6 0.1 0.1" gradBtm="0.1 0 0" gradient="1" parallax="0.5 0.55 0.6" music="miniboss" sceneColor="1 0.7 0.8" />

The bit in red is the part we want to look at, it should be the second parameter from the left. The teal number there, '0', is the number you want to change if you want to have a water level. If it is a number other than 0 you will have a water line. The higher the number, the lower the water level will be.
If you experiment a little you can see where each number makes the water level go, and find the number you want to use.

Say for example you wanted it to be at 4000, you would make the line look something like this:

<Level tileset="energytemple" waterLevel="4000" gradTop="0.6 0.1 0.1" gradBtm="0.1 0 0" gradient="1" parallax="0.5 0.55 0.6" music="miniboss" sceneColor="1 0.7 0.8" />

And then save the XML file. Next time you load your map in the editor it should have a water level somewhere.

[Maria]

I actually want to scream.
I feel like I am going some where!

Thank you so much guys!
And I mean every one, thank you so much!

I have to make notes of this.
So I don't forget, hehe.

Anyways, I will ask more questions when they come.
I am going to practice on the things that I know right now.

Again, thank you so much!
I will be back.

[Danger Mouse]

Hey, Hiro, thanks so much for expanding on it, I was at work and don't have Aquaria on the computer there to be able to dig the exact information while I was writing a response to help out. Anyways, Maria, sorry that I was confusing and couldn't convey enough information for you. I'm glad that you got it solved now though! And Edwards, that is bad*ss. We need a threads section just for your scripts! Kudos!

[Maria]

It's okay, Danger Mouse. I appreciate that you were trying to help me.

And yes I came for more questions.

I noticed a while ago (though I didn't wanted to ask yet till I knew how to warp to another map, water level, and making maps) an Animation Editing. How do you put/make them? because when it's on naija, there is a bright light in the middle.

And when I click to move something, it only moves her arm.
But the bright light doesn't let me see if I put her arm correctly back to her body.

[Particlese]

The bright spot on the middle of Naija is part of one of her forms, and it only shows up then.

Pressing up or down on the keyboard selects different body parts, and then you can move them around with the mouse.  The left mouse button moves parts, and the right one rotates them.

Pressing left/right on the keyboard selects the previous/next "key" (or "key frame") in the animation.  A key is something that tells Aquaria, "Put Naija in this pose by this time."  You can use the mouse to move around the arrows at the bottom of the screen, each of which represents a key.

Derek posted a pretty good tutorial here if you're interested in making your own creatures.  It will require some more XML, though.

Hope that helps!

[Titch]

Thats odd Particlese, I've been having the white blob show up on my normal form. I haven't been worrying about it because I haven't had to do any animation yet...

[Particlese]

I should have specified that the white blob is usually absent in-game.  It's definitely visible in the animation editor.

[Maria]

The bright spot on the middle of Naija is part of one of her forms, and it only shows up then.

Pressing up or down on the keyboard selects different body parts, and then you can move them around with the mouse.  The left mouse button moves parts, and the right one rotates them.

Pressing left/right on the keyboard selects the previous/next "key" (or "key frame") in the animation.  A key is something that tells Aquaria, "Put Naija in this pose by this time."  You can use the mouse to move around the arrows at the bottom of the screen, each of which represents a key.

Derek posted a pretty good tutorial here if you're interested in making your own creatures.  It will require some more XML, though.

Hope that helps!

Thank you, Edwards showed me that page.
It is really good help, but sometimes I don't understand on somethings.
That's why I come here to understand it more.

Again, thank you.

[Maria]

Hello, me again.

I was looking at the page, and I wanted to add a fish picture. I did everything it said, but every time I try to add it, I only get a white square.
I have tried again and again, but failed. I don't get what I am doing wrong. 

Any one know?