Super Mario Bros.

X World/Level Editor
Help
Version 1.2

Index
1. About The Program
2. Basics of the Editor
2.a Menus
2.b Layers
2.c Events
3. World Edit Mode
3.a Features
3.b Tiles
3.c Scenery
3.d Levels
3.e Paths
3.f Music
3.g Settings
4. Level Edit Mode
4.a Features
4.b Blocks and Tiles
4.c Backgrounds
4.d NPCs
4.e Level Settings
4.f Warps and Doors
4.g Water
5. Tutorials
5.a Using Custom Graphics
5.b Moving Layers
5.c Warps and Doors
6. Changelog

1. About The Program

Program created by Andrew Spinks 'Redigit'
Email = [email protected]

SMBX Editor allows you to create your own Mario Bros. games and levels
utilizing items, enemies and graphics from many of your favorite Mario
games including, SMB, SMB2, SMB3 and SMW, and even music from SM64.

Please visit the Forums on www.SuperMarioBrothers.org if you have any

questions, comments, suggestions or to seek further help with the editor.

2. Basics of the Editor

2.A Menus - You will see the following menus listed at the top of the
editor window.
"File" Menu - Contains New, Save and Open Functions. These are self
Explanatory.

"Mode" Menu - Choose either to edit the World Map or Levels. When
switching between these two modes, you will be prompted to save our
current map. Each mode has its own set of functions, please see each modes
respective help sections in this Help File for further details.

"Test Level" Menu - Will only appear when editing levels. Contains
the following options.
"Test Level 1up" - (F5) Play the currently opened level to test its
playability and proper function as a single player. The player will start
where you have placed the Player 1 Start location.

"Test Level 2up" - (F6) Same as "Test Level 1up" but both players will
be present, each using their own start locations. If the players separate the
screen will seamlessly split and become a dual screen so both may
continue to explore.

"Test Settings" - Here you set the options that will be used while
testing the level.

Grab All - Allows Mario and Luigi to grab, carry and toss any enemy
regardless of whether or not it would normally be allowed.
God mode - Makes Mario and Luigi immortal.
Show FPS - Shows the Frames Per Second. Something around 60-70 is
where you will want it to run, if its higher, you may want
to remove a few NPCs from that area of the level as having too
many on the screen at once can reduce gameplay speeds.
Max FPS - Runs the game at the highest speed possible.
Fullscreen - Will run the test in Full-screen Mode.

Player 1 and Player 2 - Set what character and what power-ups each
will start the test with. You may also set the Yoshi they will
be riding at test start.

"Reset Game" - Removes any previous test run information from the
next play through. This includes Midway Points having been reached.
 THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN TESTING
* You may still edit the map while you are in test mode, however any
changes you make to the map while testing will not be saved when
the test ends. *The player controls used while testing the
level will be taken from the options you have chosen in
smbx.exe the last time you played it. So if you want to use
a joystick while testing, simply change the player controls in
smbx and then load up the editor again.
* Entering any warp that sends you to another level or another will
end the test. Hitting Escape will also end the Test.

"View" Menu - (Level Editor Only) This contains two very important
functions. Layers, and Events. And also the debugger which will show you
the levels current and maximum uses of Tiles and NPCs.

2.B Layers - (Level Editor Only) Layers are used to create moving
platforms, hidden blocks, and other interesting effects. When you select a
layer, the next Tile, Background, NPC, Warp and even Water effect will
be placed on that Layer, and will be effected by any, SHOW, HIDE, or
MOVE effect done on that layer. Clicking the Check box off next to a layer
will make it begin the level Hidden. When naming a layer, you must hit
ENTER after typing in the new name for it to save that name.
Default Layer - This is the basic layer.
Destroyed Blocks - Only useful during a test, If you wish to re-show all
the blocks that have been broken and destroyed. Clicking the check box
will recreate them.
Spawned NPCs - This is the layer that will contain any NPC's that
emerge from NPC Generators. Only useful during a test to remove all
spawned NPCs that have emerged so far.

ADD LAYER - When you create a new layer it will be added to the list
and need a new name or remain as New Layer X.

DELETE LAYER - When attempting to Delete a layer, a prompt will

show asking you if you if you are sure. CAUTION When deleting a layer all
objects created while that layer was selected will also be deleted.

2.C Events - (Level Editor Only) Events can be used to make many
different things happen in a level, ranging from a message being shown to
causing a layer to SHOW, HIDE, or MOVE. Events are called by a few
different means.
BUILT IN (May not be removed)
Level Start - This event is called when the level begins.
P Switch Start - This event starts when a player jumps on a P Switch.
 P Switch End - This event starts when the P Switch effect reaches its
end.
SET BY USER
New Event - Click ADD to create a new event. These events can start
automatically or be set to start only when they are called
by a NPC or Block/Tile Event or another Event having
finished. You may also have an event begin when a player hits
a certain key. When naming a new event, hit ENTER after you
are done typing to have that new name saved.
DUPE - Copies the currently selected event and all its settings and
creates a clone of itself in the list.

Event Features - Layers This is where you will select what layers will
be hidden, shown or toggled.

No Smoke - When a Layer is hidden it makes a poof of smoke on each

hidden tile or NPC, checking NO SMOKE will make this poof
effect not happen when this event is called.

TOGGLE, HIDE, SHOW LAYERS - To add a layer to one of these lists,

click on it in whatever list it is currently in, and then click
the ADD button under the desired list. Clicking remove
while selected on a Layer while it is Hidden, toggled or shown
will add it back into the list of all unaffected layers.

Layer Movement This is where you set a Layers movement to create

moving platforms/blocks. If you plan on putting an NPC on a
moving platform it must be added to the same layer as that
platform or it may not collide correctly with that platform
and fall through it. Certain enemy projectiles (Shy Guys) will
hit the moving platform as soon as they fire, while the platform is moving
up, please make note of this when designing your levels as it will effect
difficulty.

First Select a Layer from the drop down box. This is the layer that will
be moving.

(Please note, Creating a moving layer horizontally can cause strange

things to happen when interacting with Mario, Luigi since you
can not place them in a specific layer. These strange things
include Mario and Luigi sliding ever so slightly as the platform is
moving.)

Layer Direction and Speed.

To set a layers direction and speed you will use the horizontal and
vertical speed fields. It is suggested that you only use
numbers ranging from 0 to 5, as anything faster is impossible
to see or interact with correctly. Decimals may also
be used.

Horizontal = A positive number will move the layer RIGHT, a negative

number will move the layer LEFT

Vertical = A positive number will move the layer UP, a negative

number will move the layer DOWN

Diagonal = Putting a number in both fields at the same time will cause
the layer to move at an angle.

(If an event attempts to move a layer already being moved by another

event, the newest events movement will override the old
movement.)

Auto-Scroll

To create a level which scrolls on its own and makes a player have to
move with the screen without going ahead or back, you would use this
function. This is used in conjuction with the POSITION section setting.

After creating the entire level set the boundary to the size of the
playable screen and select POSTION "Use Current". This will set the area
that the players must remain inside. Now you may resize the boundary
again back to the edges of the level itself.

Select which section will use this auto scroll feature to turn it on. The
speeds are set just like Layer movement speeds. Other events may be
used to change the direction or speed of the screen as its moving.

Message - When the event is called, this message will pop up onto the
screen. Play will pause until the message is cleared with a button press by
the player.

Section Settings - When calling the event you can change the music
that is playing and also change the background image to
another if you would like. You would simply change the playing
music in the editor to the desired new music and click "use
current" this will lock that song into the editor. Then you may
change the song back to what should play originally in the level when it
begins. Setting another event to have Default afterwards will
change the song or background back to the sections original
settings. This is good for a temporary change, for
example, while a P Switch is in effect.
 Position - Also listed under Section settings is the option to set
Position. This option will allow you to set the level
boundaries to a specific area and not allow the player to pass
beyond that set boundary until another event unlocks it with the
DEFAULT setting. To do this first select the "Level Settings" button
to have that window open. In that window, select "Level Boundary" and
shrink or expand the level to the area you wish the player to be
able to navigate in until you let them to explore more or
less. (Don't worry, if you shrink the level beyond what you've
already created, the tiles you have placed will remain
and not be deleted. And you can expand it back to normal
once you have clicked SET in the EVENT windows Position option.) Click
Set to capture the size of the level boundry you have just
set. You may now re- expand your boundary back to where
it would normally be. And there you have it a growing or
shrinking level when the event is called. Remember its
always best to make sure the player is within the new boundary before
the event is called otherwise they will be automatically moved to the
very edge of the new boundary, even if that edge is now
inside a wall. If the player happens to appear inside a wall,
he will move automatically to the nearest open space
(horizontally) from where he is now located. If there are no open
spaces, he will become unable to move and the level will become
impossible to complete.

Play Sound - This sound will play when the event is called.

End Game - The game will end in victory for the players when this is
set to Bowser Defeat.

Trigger Event - When another event is to follow the current action,

for example to reverse the effects of the trigger you are making,
you can set that trigger to be called after the current triggers
delay has completed. See Delay below.

Delay - Set this delay to have the event being called by the current
event to wait a certain amount of time before activating.
This delay only effects how long until the event chosen in
"Trigger Event" starts, and not how long the current event lasts.

Player Controls - By selecting one of the controls listed, you are

setting the control to be pressed automatically by the
computer for both players when this event is called. So if
you want both players to jump when an enemy appears, you
would use this. This effects both players at the same time.
3. World Editor Mode
3.A Features - The World Editor is what you use to create your
overworld, if you want your Mario game to have an overworld map that is.
However, for your game to work the folder for you game must
contain a map file, even if its completely empty, as the map file contains
important information. Which level is the first level of your game for
example.

Size - An important thing to remember about World Editor Mode, is

that you only have one overworld map to work with, but it is very
massive in size. The exact size of the max map size is so large it is
currently unknown, it is concievable, but not likely, that a map designer
could make a map 10000 tiles wide by 10000 tiles high.
If you wish to create multiple "areas" in your game, like Super Mario
Bros. 3 had Worlds 1-8, simply spread them apart on the map so they are far
enough apart you will never be able to see one from the other.

Getting Around - The following controls can be used to navigate and

edit the map.

Arrow Keys - While the mouse is over the map window, you can scroll
the map with the arrow keys.
Shift Keys - While Scrolling, holding shift scrolls the map much faster.

Types of Mouse Actions - At the bottom of the screen you will see
Selection and Eraser listed. These are two 'brushes' you will use often.

Selection - While you are using the Selection Brush the following
controls are in effect.
Left Click - Grabs an already placed tile and attaches it to the mouse to
be placed elsewhere. The window for that type of tile will appear
allowing you to change its options before you place it
again if you would like.

Left Click (While A Tile is Attached) - Places the attached tile in the
clicked location. Once the item is placed, a clone of that
tile will still remain attached to the mouse so you can place another
if you want. This can save a designer time when creating
multiple of the same tile. Dragging while placing Tiles will create a
constant flow of tile placement. This is only suggested if AUTO-ALIGN
is checked, otherwise too many tiles may be placed in a small area.
 Right Click (While A tile Is Attached) - Deletes the attached Tile From
the Mouse so you can grab another. Don't Worry, the information of
the last selected level will remain in the Level window, so
you don't have to worry about accidentally losing all your work if you
pick up a level and right click by mistake. Just make sure you place
that level back as soon as you can.

Eraser - This is what you use to clear tiles from the map. The follow
controls are in effect while the Eraser is selected.
Left Click - Erases the topmost tile. Tiles are layered in the following
way from topmost to bottom most, so when deleting a tile make
sure another tile isnt above it in the list.
Top - Music
Middle - Levels Or Paths
Lower Middle - Scenery
Very Bottom - Tiles

For example, if in one Square, you have Music, A Level and a Tile and
wanted to delete the tile, you would either have to move or
delete the Music and the Level to then be able to delete the Tile. So
take this into consideration before trying erase something.
Right Click - Deselects the Eraser and puts you into the Selection
Brush.

Other Brushes - The following are the remaining brushes.

Tiles - Allows placement of the ground tiles, such as Grass,
Water, Desert and Snow.
Scenery - Places sprites that are used to make the map have
more ambience and appeal. These include Trees, Signs, Hills.
The player does not interact with these in any way.
These may not be placed on Levels.
Levels - These are placed as placeholders for Level entrances.
These may not be placed on Scenery or Paths.
Paths - These dictate where the player may move. Paths
appear depending on if the level connecting to them
has been completed. Paths may not be placed on
Levels, but they may be placed over scenery, the
scenery will be pushed underneath.
Music - When a player passes over this Tile, the overworld
music will change to the selected Music. These may be
placed anywhere except onto other music

3.B Tiles - The Tiles Brush is quite straightforward. Currently there are
four Tile sets to choose from.
 Super Mario World A (Grass/Dirt/Bridge)
Super Mario World B (Cave/Lava)
Super Mario World C (Star Road/Snow/Clouds)
Super Mario Bros. 3

3.C Scenery - The Scenery Brush has no special settings, but most
scenery can be placed closer together than most other "auto-aligned" tiles
allowing for more decorative design. Some scenery is animated,
and you will see this animation once the scenery is attached to the mouse
and is hovered over the map.

3.D Levels - Levels are the powerhouse of World Edit Mode. This is what
you use to make your map come alive and have a purpose. When selecting
the Level Brush, the Levels window will open. Below is an overview of
the Levels Windows functions.
Level Graphic - Choose what the level will look like on the map. Some
levels are animated, hover them over the map to preview the
animation before placement.
Level File Name - Type in the File name of the Level you wish the
player to enter when hitting the select key on this Level. Do
not include the Extension ".lvl" when entering the file name.
(Example, for "1-1.lvl" I would type "1-1".
Level's Name - During playthrough, when the player moves onto this
Level marker on the overworld map, this Name will show at the top of
the screen near the players Lives and Coins. Choose a name
for the level that is appropriate. (Example : If the
level is full of pipes, call it Pipeworks, so the player has an idea
what to expect.)
Level Exits - This is called when the Level is completed by the
players. Any paths connected to the completed level in the
direction chosen will appear if the selected
completion NPC is touched. These are the different kinds
of level completions that can be placed in a level.

- SMB3 Standard Exit, When the level is completed by touching

the Star/Flower/Mushroom Exit NPC.
- SMB3 Boss Exit, When the level is completed by touching the ?
Ball Exit NPC.
- Walked Off Screen, If the "Off-screen Exit" option in a level is
selected and the player walks off the screen, the level will
be considered completed.
- Secret Exit, When the Player brings the SMW Key Exit NPC to
the Background Keyhole, the level will be considered
completed in this manner.
- SMB2 Boss Exit, When the player touches the Glass Orb Exit
NPC the map will end with this completion.
- Warp Exit, When a Pipe, Door or Instant Warp has the option
MAP EXIT set, the level will be considered completed.
- Star Exit, When the player touches the SMB3 Star Exit NPC, the
level will be considered completed in this manner.
- SMW Exit, When the player cuts the tape on the SMW goal line,
the level will be considered completed in this manner.
Location - This simply displays the current X,Y mouse pointer location
on the map for reference when placing Warp Exits.
Options - The following options may be set for the level.
- Big Background, This gives the path background that is
displayed under the level graphic a much larger size.
- Path Background, This will hide or show the path background
under the level sprite.
- Always Visible, This makes the level show up on the map even
if the level before it has not been completed yet.
- Game Start, This is where the player will begin the game on
the map when the game is begun. it is best you only
put this option on one level.
Map Warp Location - When the player "Enters" this Level, instead of
a level being loaded, the player will warp to the set
location on the map. If a level is set as well, after the level
is completed or dies, the player will warp to the set location when the
world map screen re-shows.
Entrance - This is where you set where the player will begin the level.
If the player is to start where you placed the Mario and Luigi Start
locations, choose Normal. If they player is to exit a warp pipe
or door and start the level that way, once the Warp EXIT is
placed in the level, the player will start the level there if that
warp is chosen on the slide bar.

3.E Paths - Paths are how you guide the player from one level to another,
and also limit the movement of the player. The player is only able
to cross over the path and Level tiles on the world map. Path
tiles will appear when the level preceding the path is completed,
otherwise they will not be seen. When placing path tiles, be sure to take
note that any adjacent path tile will allow the player to cross that area,
even it the paths sprite image isnt a "connecting" image. The following
image shows an example of this. The two paths may not appear to
connect, but the player could walk from the left tile to the right tile if he so
chose.
3.F Music - This brush will allow you to place Music change tiles onto the
map. When the player touches these tiles, the music will change to the
selected music file. To set this, first select the music you want to
change to and then click where you want it on the map.

3.G Settings- This is where you set some of the games basic settings.
World Name - This is simply the name of the world. It has no
purpose besides allowing you to name the file for your
save/load reference.
Auto Start Level - To have the game begin in a level instead of
having the player start on the map, set a level here. Type in
the levels name, without the ".lvl" extension.
No World Map - Fancy a game like SMB1 or SMB2 where the play
is continuous from one level to another. Choose this option to
make that possible and the world map will never be used. It
must still be saved and placed in the same folder as the levels
you create however for the game to recognize the levels as a
collection.
Restart last level on Death - If you are using the no world map
feature, this setting will cause the player to be sent back to the
beginning of the level when they die.
Number of Stars, This is the total number of stars in the game.
This number is simply used to calculate the percent of the
game completed by the player when displaying the save game
to load.
Credits - List those who worked on this World and Level set here.

4. Level Edit Mode

4.A Features - Level Edit Mode is where you create the levels the
player will have to complete to proceed in the game. It has many more
features than World Edit Mode, including the ability to set triggered events
that change the level dynamically as its played. Below are the basic features
in Level Edit Mode.

Getting Around - The following controls can be used to navigate and

edit the level.

Arrow Keys - While the mouse is over the level window, you can
scroll the level with the arrow keys.
Shift Keys - While Scrolling, holding shift scrolls the level much
faster.
 Types of Mouse Actions - At the bottom of the screen you will see
Selection and Eraser listed. These are two 'brushes' you will use often in
the level editor.

Selection - While you are using the Selection Brush the

following controls are in effect.
Left Click - Grabs an already placed tile, background, NPC, warp
or water tile and attaches it to the mouse to be placed
elsewhere. The window for that type of tile will appear allowing
you to change its options before you place it again if you would
like.

Left Click (While A Tile is Attached) - Places the attached tile,

background, NPC warp or water tile in the clicked location.
Once the item is placed, a clone of that tile will still remain
attached to the mouse so you can place another if you want.
This can save a designer time when creating multiple of the same
tile. Dragging while placing Tiles will create a constant flow of
tile placement.
Right Click (While A tile Is Attached) - Deletes the attached Tile
From the Mouse so you can grab another. Don't Worry, the
information of the last selected tile will remain in that tile
types window, so you don't have to worry about accidentally
losing all your work if you pick up a npc with settings and right
click by mistake. Just make sure you place that tile/npc back as soon as
you can.

Eraser - This is what you use to clear tiles and objects from the
level. The follow controls are in effect while the Eraser is
selected.
Left Click - Erases the topmost tile or object. Tiles are layered in
the following way from topmost to bottom most, so when
deleting a tile make sure another tile isn't above it in the list.
Top - NPC or Tiles
Middle - Music
Lower Middle - Background
Very Bottom - Water

For example, if in one Square, you have Music, An NPC and a

Water and wanted to delete the water, you would either have
to move or delete the Music and the NPC to then be able to
delete the water. So take this into consideration before
trying erase something.
Right Click - Deselects the Eraser and puts you into the Selection
Brush.
 Other Brushes - The following are the remaining brushes.
Blocks and Tiles - Allows placement of the solid tiles for
the player to walk on, hit from below and be
blocked by.
Backgrounds - Places images that are used to make the
level have more ambience and appeal and 90% of the
time are not interactable. Yet, some background
tiles have actual effects built into them, Such as the
SMW Keyhole. Backgrounds also include plants, the water
image (not the effect), doors, clouds, and other overlays that either
display behind or in front of the player.
NPCs - These are Enemies, Items and even Allies that you
can speak to. Also includes Exits for levels and certain
moving platforms.
Warps and Doors - This brush allows you to set Pipes,
and doors to move the player from one location to
another. Without this, the pipes and doors would
not do anything.
Water - Allows you to designate areas where a water
effect should be in effect allowing the player to swim and
water enemies float correctly.
4.B Blocks and Tiles - Every level needs a ground so the player
can walk without dying. And you can always add a ? blocks to give a player
an item. This is what you would use to do just these things. Blocks and Tiles
have many more features than World Edit Tiles do, and allow you to set
events when certain things occur with that block or tile. Below are the
advanced features of the Tiles and Blocks brush.
Game Selection - This lets you choose the game the enemies
and items will be listed for. Currently SMB1, SMB2, SMB3
and SMW are available, as well as some random enemies
and items from other Nintendo games.
Block Contents - Using the slider or quick buttons, you may set
what emerges from a block or tile when it is hit from below.
Scrolling to the left allows you to set a number of coins in the
block from 1-99. Scrolling right will list all other NPCs available to
you.
Invisible - This will cause the tile or block to not appear or be
interactable with until a HIT action is found, either hitting the
block from below, or hitting it from the side with a shell.
Events - This button will open a small window that contains
three options that will call the event selected when those actions are
taken against the tile or block. These are as follows.
Death - If the tile is a breakable block, and it is destroyed, the
event selected will be called.
Hit - If this block is hit from below the selected event will be
called.
No More Objects in Layer - If the block or tile is set to a layer
besides default and no other block or npc remains in
that layer, this event will call.
Tile Set - Depending on what game you chose, you will see a
different selection of game tiles you can place separated in
category buttons. Here are brief descriptions of what
certain special tile categories are used for.
Hurts - Any of these tiles will hurt or sometimes even kill the
player when they are touched.
SMW Switch - Placing the ? block version in a level, and then
hitting it will cause the dotted line version to appear as !
point versions of that same color.
Sizable - These blocks use the Block Size arrow buttons. The
right and down arrows will grow the block, and the left and
up will shrink the block.
Special - This contains all of the item and interactive blocks.
Misc - This contains some special use blocks and other
unclassified blocks. The SMB3 block that is all grey is
used for making a completely invisible block that you can walk
on.
4.C Backgrounds - These are general tiles used to appear behind the
player or in front of the player for ambience and flare. However
some Background objects have a use. Some important
Backgrounds with actual functions are listed below.
SMW Keyhole Exit
SMW Check Point Exit
Doors
SMW Platform

4.D NPCs - These are your enemies, allies and items. Each has its own
way of interacting with the world and with the player. NPCs have
many special settings you may set for them. Each is explained
below.
Direction - Choose which way the NPC or Item will originally be
facing and/or moving or exiting a pipe (pirana
plants). For certain NPC's the Direction Selector will
be replaced with a "Active On/Off" Option to set if the
initial state of that NPC is on or off.
Game Selection - This will show you the enemies and Items
from a specific mario (or misc) game when you
choose that games button.
Message - Set a message that will appear if the NPC is set to
"Friend"
and the player presses the up key while standing in front of it.
Advanced - This opens a small window with specific settings
for two types of enemies. Koopa Para-Troopers,
which can have their flight type changed. And the
cheep-cheep setting which can change their swim type.
The last option listed is "Legacy Boss" This is to be set on
the games final boss for use in an event to call the end of the game.
Generator - This is used to create spawn points for NPCs.
These spawn points will generate a new npc every
so often depending on the settings you choose. There
are two types of generators. Warp and Projectile.
The warp generator, will give the impression of the npc
exiting a warp pipe. Once the NPC has exited the warp it will move in
a random direction based on the type of npc being
spawned and the direction it was spawned. Projectile
Generators will spawn the NPC at a high speed and it wont
stop moving until it hits a solid object. A Bullet Bill
launcher sound will play on each projectile launch.
Direction - Set which direction the NPC will spawn
towards. If you choose left, the NPC will appear as
if emerging from the right and move left as it
exits.
Delay - How long between spawns until the generator
spawns another NPC of the same type.
Events - This button will show a small window containing four
options to call an event when a specific action is
done to the NPC.
Death - When this enemy dies, call the event. All
collectable items are considered dead when they
are collected by the player.
Talk - When the player presses up on this "Friend" the
event will be called.
Activate - If the NPC can be activated, and is, the event
will be called. P Switches are an example.
No more Objects in Layer - When every single object in
a layer including the object this event is listed on is
destroyed, this event will be called.
Egg - This will place the Item or Npc inside an egg, once the egg
is tossed by the player, the object inside will emerge.
Don't Move - This makes the NPC not move from the location
it was placed. Enemies will still jump up and down and
face the player to shoot/throw weapons.
Buried - The placed item will be hidden in the ground with a
Leafy sprout above it for the player to press Run/Grab
and press up on it to pull it out of the ground.
Friendly - This will make the NPC not harm-able, and not harm
mario or luigi on touch. If a message is set on the Friendly
NPC an ! will appear over its head indicating it may
be spoken with by the player by them pressing up while
standing in front of them. Setting an item to Friend and
not setting a message will simply make the item not
collectable. This is a good way to make trick items.
4.E Level Settings - This window allows you to do many interesting
things with your level. It is where you choose the music, background, and
even size of the level you are currently working on. Below are the different
options and features offered in the level settings window.
Game Selection - These buttons will change what Music and
Backgrounds are available for choosing.
Level Boundary - A very important feature to learn how to use.
These four buttons will allow you to grab and drag
the boundary in question to increase or decrease the
explore-able size of the level. If you shrink a boundary over
already created tiles, those tiles will remain undeleted, even
if you save and close the level and open it again. Suffice to say,
the boundary is only a setting that controls the ability fo the
player to explore that area, it does not actually limit
the size of the level itself.
Use - To use this feature, click Right, scroll the displayed
level with your arrow keys to right until you see a
grey border. With "Right" still selected, click and drag
the grey boarder to the right increasing the size
of your level. This can be done with all four
directions. Holding Shift while dragging and hitting an
arrow key will let you drag the boundary much faster.

Start Locations - These Mario and Luigi placement holders are

what you place to set a levels "Normal Entrance" which
is called in World Edit Mode by Level tiles. The players
will begin at the locations set for them. Only one start
location per player, per level may be set. trying to
place another will simply move the placement to that new location
and remove the old one.
Section - Each level may have up to 21 different sections.
These sections are all considered the same level
and will not "end a level" if you warp between them like it
would if you warped from one level to another. To work on each
setting simply click the numbered button for each. It
will change the Level shown in the Edit screen to the new
section. Its just as easy to swap back to the other section. Each section
may have its own music, background and even settings.
Level Wrap - Setting this will allow the player, NPCs and even
projectiles to move off one side of the screen
and appear on the other side as if the sides were
connected. This wrap does not effect layers, which will
not wrap. Also, an NPC will wrap when its center tile
(on multi tile npcs like the tank treads) hits the wrap location. If
another tile is riding on the tank treads when it wraps and is not
placed directly on the center tile of that tread when
it does, it will not travel correctly with it. This can take some
trial and error.
Off-screen Exit - This will cause the level to end if the player
walks off the right or left ends of the screen. This will call the
World Edit Mode Level exit path event "Off-screen Exit"
to be called and that path will appear.
No Turn Back - This will create a SMB1 map effect, where once
the screen moves to the right due to the player
moving, it will no longer move left even if the player
moves left.
Underwater - This makes the player and npcs able to swim
throughout the entire section without having to place multiple
water tiles.
Backgrounds - Set the background image for this section.
Music - Set the desired music for this section.

4.F Warps and Doors - This is how you create transitions the player may
use to travel from one spot in a section to another area in the same section,
or from one section to another inside a level. There are three kidns of Warps
you can use. Pipe, Door, and Instant.
Warps - The most important thing to know about placing a
warp is that when you place it, you are either
placing an entrance or an exit denoted with a small
number on either the top left of the warp tile or the
bottom right. A number on the top left is an entrance, and a
number on the bottom right is an exit. As you place warps this
number will increase automatically. Each warp will have a exit
and an entrance so it is impossible to skip a number.
Warp Placement - Use these buttons to select which part of
the warp you will be placing. The Exit and Entrance option will
remain the same for each warp number set.
Entrance Direction - What direction must the player be
moving for the warp to become active. (This is not an option
for doors.) For pipes, it will detect what direction the
player is pushing up against the desired pipe or wall where
the warp will be located. Doors will always be entered by the
player pressing up while standing in front of the door.
Exit Direction - What direction will the player exit the "Target"
warp in. Even if the exit is on another section, this option
must be set on the Entrance Tile when it is placed.
Warp Effect - Choose between, Pipe, Door and Instant Effects.
Level Exit - If you want a warp entrance to end the level as
"completed". Select the "level Exit Check Box and put the
X , Y coordinates you wish the player to emerge from. If no X ,
Y is set the player will emerge at the same location it entered
the level from the map.
Warp To Level - If you have no world map, or want the player
to be able to exit a different world map level than they
entered, set the desired level here. Warping to another level
is different than warping to another section in a few ways. A
player entering another level, will pull the other player with
them no matter where in the level they were located. Also, leaving a
level in this manner leaves the other level "incomplete"
and the level paths will not update on the map. Check the
"Level Entrance" check box to only place an exit for a warp
which will be used by a Level Tile in World Edit mode to be
entered from the world map, or another level. This exit will not have a
matching entrance on this level.
No Yoshi - Yoshi will not be able to be ridden and still enter this
warp.
Allow NPC - This will allow Mario to be carrying an object with
him through the warp. (Shell, P Switch)
Locked - This will place a lock on Door Warps, and will require
the player be carrying a SMW Key and press up on the
door to unlock it and pass through.
Stars Needed - This will require the players to have gathered a
certain number of stars to enter the warp.

4.G Water - Placing water background tiles in your level is all well and
good. But these would do no good if the water 'effect' was not present and
the player and enemies could not swim in said water tiles. So using the
WATER brush you may place the water effect wherever you would like.
Use - To successfully place water, simply use the arrows to
expand the size of the water bounds box which is green. When you have the
desired size click to place the water effect over the water tiles. The player will
now be able to swim in the water. Be careful when placing the water effect,
as the player will be able to "swim" in the air if the water effect is placed on a
location the player can walk without any water graphics being placed first.

5. Tutorials
5.a Using Custom Graphics - Tutorial
While smbx comes with many of the tiles from our favorite Mario
games, some tiles are still in the process of being added in future updates,
or may not be added at all. But with the programs ability to use custom
graphic files PER LEVEL, you can simulate many of the blocks you will
need to make your Mario episode unique and colorful on your own.

The process is quite simple, but for those of you who don't know how,
here is an in depth look at using custom graphics.

For this first example, We want to add the star block from Super Mario
World. First we need to find the graphic we would like to use or create it
ourselves.

Now that we have our graphic, we should look through smbx's

available blocks for a good block to replace with this new graphic. We
need to find a block that we WONT be using in the level itself, since that
block will no longer be shown when editing the level. When choosing a
block to replace, keep in mind these following factors.

*Is the Block an Animated Sprite? (and is the Block we are replacing
animated)
*The size and shape of the block. (Does it match the size and shape of
the block we are replacing? Will we have to change the mask as well?)
*Is it a Sizable block? (If we replace a Sizable block, will it tile
correctly?)
*What effect the block will have. (The new graphic will only overwrite
what the block looks like, not what it does. For example, When hitting it
for an item, do we want a SMB3 USED Block to appear or a SMW USED
Block to appear. See Below

SMB3 -> or SMW ->

So if I wanted to have the SMW USED block appear, I would have to

replace the

with the

As you can see, the new graphic and the replaced blocks themselves
are the same size, and have the same effect of being able to hit the
block from below. So this means we will have the desired effect, and we wont
have to add a custom mask as ell.

BUT you may have noticed that we are trying to replace a graphic that
in our graphics folder looks like this.

with one that looks like this.

As you can see, this will not do. If we try to replace it this way, the
block will not display correctly in the game itself. So we have to alter
the new graphic to match, or find another block the replace that isnt
animated.

If you want to still replace the animated block simply create the
following graphic.
 Making the new graphic like this will solve the issue. You could
also animate the star block in whatever way you want as well.

So now that we have our new graphic, and have chosen which graphic
to replace in our level, what do we do with it?
The next step is to create a Graphics folder in our 'worlds' folder. So
open that folder.
Now that we are in the worlds folder, open your episode folder. My
Episode is called Mario Stars, so I would open that.

Now that Im in that folder, I should see all of my levels and world file.
Like Below.

I would like to add the new graphic to my level "leafy_hillside"

Right click anywhere in the folder, and select NEW FOLDER and then
name it the SAME EXACT name as the level I will be adding the graphic to.
Like this;

Now we will place our graphic in this new folder and RENAME it to she
same name that the original block we are replacing is named in the smbx
graphics folder.
So for example we would rename our block to "block-169" (This is the
SMW grey ? Block). And now when we load our level in the map editor, and
then select the block we replaced in the tile selector, when we try and
place it, it should place the new graphic!

When placing ANY custom sprite in our levels new graphic folder we
would put them all in the same folder, there is no need to separate them
(background, tile, etc) as long as they are named correctly matching the
block they will be replacing.

5.b Moving Layers - Tutorial

So you feel your level is too bland, and you want to add some motion
to it, perhaps add an airship that floats up and then down again? This
tutorial is for you, even if you dont want an airship, if you follow the steps,
you will see how it is done!

Firstly, create your level up to the location of where you would like the
airship to appear.
Now, select LAYERS from the top of the screen.

Create a new layer, and name it AIRSHIP (or whatever you want it to
be)
Once you have completed that, select the AIRSHIP layer, and place all
the tiles for the airship and all of the other objects that should be moving
along with the airship itself, (This includes all NPCS who will be riding the
airship, Doors, and even WARP events. If you dont add them to the
same layer, the npcs will fall through the airship and the doors and warps
will not line up correctly.) To do this, simply make sure you are selected on
the proper layer the entire time you are placing all of these objects and
tiles. You will know youa re doing this correctly when you see the word
AIRSHIP clinging to your mouse while placing the tiles.

Now that you have your airship. Its time to make it move.

Open your events window.

Create TWO new events, one called "Airship Up", and one called
"Airship Down"

In the "Airship Down" event, set the Layer Movement dropdown on the
far right of the window to AIRSHIP. And set the vertical speed to 1. This will
make the layer move down at a basic speed.
Under Trigger event dropdown, select "Airship Up" and set the delay to
be 2 seconds.

Now In the "Airship Up" event, set the Layer Movement dropdown on
the far right of the window to AIRSHIP as well. And set the vertical speed
to -1. This will make the layer move up at a basic speed. (Make sure it is the
same speed number as the down event, just make it negative, or you
will have to do a lot of testing to see what delay to use so your airship
doesnt fly higher and higher each time it cycles.)
Under Trigger event dropdown, select "Airship Down" and set the delay
to be 2 seconds.

Now select the "Level - Start" event and under Trigger event select
"Airship Down" with an INSTANT delay. This will cause the airship to start
moving. This is very important or nothing will happen.

Now your aiship should float upwards for 2 seconds, then reverse
direction and return to where it was, then repeat.

Play around with the vertical speeds and Trigger event delays to have
faster moving or further moving platforms. But this should give you an
idea how to create platforms that move.

5.c Creating a Warp Pipe - Tutorial

For this example, look at the below situation. We want to make Mario
be able to enter the side pipe and emerge from the top one.

First Select Warp and Doors, then Click these options,

Entrance Direction = Right
Exit Direction = Up
Warp Placement = Entrance
Warp Effect = Pipe
Leave "Stars Needed", "Level Exit", "Warp to Level" alone for
now.

Now click and place the entrance to the left of the pipe itself.
you always want to place a warp in this manner. Not on the
pipe itself but where the player will be standing when he
initiates the warp.

Follow this example of placement.

This map already has 22 other warps being used so warp

ENTRANCE 23 has been placed. Now to place the exit.
 Click Warp and Doors again unless the window is already open,
which it still should be.
Leave all the options the same as before except change Warp
Placement from "Entrance" to "Exit".

Now place the Exit at the top of the pipe like so.

Now that the entrance and exit has been placed, you may test
the level, and Mario should be able to enter the pipe and
be warped up to the top.

but now, how would you make the pipe returnable?

Click Warps and Doors again, then make a new warp with the
following settings.

Entrance Direction = Down

Exit Direction = Left
Warp Placement = Entrance
Warp Effect = Pipe
Leave "Stars Needed", "Level Exit", "Warp to Level" alone for
now.
Place that Entrance right on top of Exit 23. It will add an
entrance number to it.
Now change the "Warp Placement" to "Exit" and place the Exit
on the same location as Entrance 23. You finished product
should look like this.

Now mario may travel both ways in this pipe.

6. Change Log For This Version
Engine Updates
-Sloped tiles have been fully implemented, including the ability to slide down slopes.
-New "projectile" spawn point that allows NPCs to be shot out of pipes.
-Updated the graphics engine, allowing for custom graphics.
-Spikes only hurt when hit from the correct angle
-Keys can be used to unlock doors.
-Swimmable water has been implemented.

Players
-Added the Tanooki Suit.
-Added the Hammer Suit.
-Added Fire Shoe Power-up that turns stomped enemies into fireballs and allows the
wearer to walk on lava.
-Added Blue Shoe Power-up that allows the wearer infinite flight.
-There is a longer delay between eating enemies with Yoshi.
-You can no longer spit and eat a shell in midair to fly indefinitely.
-The player now needs to run longer before he can fly.

Tiles/Backgrounds
-Added cave tiles and two backgrounds (SMB3)
-Added Mystic Cave Zone background (Sonic 2).
-Added the underwater block (SMB1).
-Added sloped grass (SMW, SMB3, SMB2) and cave (SMW, SMB3 & SMB1) tiles.
-Added castle tiles and background (SMB1).
-Added several tiles (SMB1) (SMB2).
-Added coral block (SMB1).
-Added fence and tree backgrounds (SMB1).
-Added several castle tiles and backgrounds (SMW).
-Added various blocks (SMW).
-Added multiple lava tiles (SMW).
-Added Ghost House background (SMW).
-Added Wart's Throne Room tileset (SMB2).
-Added several new Super Metroid tilesets.
-Added 2 Super Metroid backgrounds.
-Added clouds background (SMB2).
-Added several new blocks. (Multiple)
-Added six backgrounds. (SMB1 & SMB2)
-Add table and chair background objects. (SMA4)
-Added underwater backgrounds. (SMB3, SMW)
-Added water dirt blocks (SMB3)
-Added giant wood blocks (SMB3)
-Added giant coral (SMB3)
-Added water backgrounds objects (SMB1, SMB3)

NPCs
-Added Goomba and Paragoomba (SMW).
-Added Rex (SMW).
-Added Mega Mole (SMW).
-Added Poison Mushroom (SMB).
-Added rings that act like coins (Sonic the Hedgehog)
-Added Mushroom Blocks (SMB2).
-Added Digable Dirt (SMB2).
-Added flying Airship part (SMB3).
-Added Mister Saturn (Earthbound).
-Changed the Cheep Cheep (SMB1) to die when jumped on.
-Blue Beach Koopas (SMW) can now kick Ice Blocks (SMB3).
-Added Bullies (SM64). Sprites by LuigiFan.
-Thwomp and the Boos can now be killed.
-Added both normal Koopas and Parakoopas (SMB1)
-Added Axe, which dies on contact with the player, that can be used to start events.
(SMB1)
-Added Thwomp (SMW)
-Added Grinder (SMW)
-Added Dry Bones. (SMW)
-Added Mushroom, Fire Flower, 1-Up, and 3-Up Moon (SMW) (SMB1).
-Added skull ride. (SMW)
-Added the Rainbow shell, which when hit by a tail becomes a powerful item and allows
Mario to ride it. (SMW)
-Added Princess Peach. (SMB3)
-Added collectible stars that don't end the level. (SMW)
-Add the King Koopa. (SMB1)
-Added Wart (SMB2)
-Added Spark (SMB2).
-Added 3 Super Metroid monsters.
-Added Spike Top (SMW).
-Added Mother Brain
-Added Green Cheep Cheeps (SMB1, SMB3)
-Added Red Cheep Cheeps that jump out of the water at the player (SMB3)
-Added Bloopers (SMB1, SMB3)
-Added some misc. Sushi from SMW
-SMB2 enemies are now immune to fireballs
-Podoboos are immune to fire and no longer kill enemy NPCs
-Yoshi now run away faster when the player is hit.

World Map
-Added several tiles and scenery objects (SMW).
-Ability to choose start point.
-Added level path background options.
-Added several level icons. (SMBA4) (SMB3) (SMW
-Instant warp zones.
-Player faces the direction he is walking.

Music
-Added Meta Knight's Revenge (SSBB).
-Added Castle music (SMW).
-Added Castle music (SMB1).
-Added Wart battle music (SMB2).
-Added Item Room music (Super Metroid).
-Added Underwater music (SMB1, SMB3, SMW, SM64)

Bug Fixes
-The player now correctly changes sections when he enters a door while standing on a
NPC.
-Fixed a bug that would cause the map to scroll to a location other then 0, 0 when
changing modes to the world editor.
-Added an auto-align toggle to the world editor.
-Fixed several bugs with the conveyor belts.
-Exits no longer de-spawn when they go off-screen.
-World editor now plays sounds when the user saves and erases the map.
-Player stops ducking when leaving a vertical pipe warp.
-Spin Jump has been toned down.
-Platform now properly pass through cross sections.
-Fixed a bug that prevented music from playing in the 'intro.lvl"

All rights to Nintendo Characters and themes are held by Nintendo, please show you support of
nintendo by purchasing Nintendo Games and Game systems.

Help File Written and updated for each version by www.supermariobrothers.org member "Blue" (Jeremy Guerrette)