Super Mario Bros. X World/Level Editor Help
Version 1.3

Index
1. About The Program
1.a Folders
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. NPC Customization
5.a Step By Step
5.b List of NPC Flags
6. Tutorials
6.a Using Custom Graphics
6.b Moving Layers
6.c Warps and Doors
7. Troubleshooting
7.a Errors

1. About The Program

Program created by Andrew Spinks 'Redigit'
Email = [e-mail]

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.

1.A Folders - The following folders are included with SMBx, these are descriptions of what they are used for.

Battle - Contains all folders that relate to the Battle Mode of SMBx. You can find all levels for battle mode in here, as well as the custom graphics for those levels.
Graphics - Contains all the Graphics used by default by the game and editor. Inside it is seperated by type of graphic. (When creating custom graphics, they do not need to be seperated in the same way when placed in your level folder.) Each graphic has its own type and number, and these must be referenced when using custom graphics as the name of the custom graphic file must match exactly the name of the file to be over-ridden in the level.
Music - Contains all the Music used by default by the game and editor. (SMBX uses mp3 file formats.)
Sound - Contains all the Sounds used by the game and editor.
Worlds - This is where you would place any created, or downloaded episodes.
Episode Folder - Each episode has its own folder, and contains the following.
.lvl File These are your levels. To use custom graphics in your level and overwrite the default graphics used by SMBx you will create a new folder inside the episode folder with the SAME EXACT name as the .lvl file that the graphics are being used in (minus the .lvl extension) and then place the graphics inside that folder. They do not need to be seperated by type in the fashion that they are in the default graphics folder.
.sav File When you save, these are created, To delete a save file, you must delete this file from the folder.
.wld File This is the World Map file. Every Episode MUST have this file to be playable even if there is no world map since it uses the world maps SETTINGS information to set certain things about the game.

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 Level Battle Game" - (F7) Same as "Test Level 2up" but both players will be able to harm eachother with every type of attack. The point of this mode is to cause the other player to lose all of thier lives by whatever means you can.

"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. It also contains the debugger which will show you the levels current and maximum uses of Tiles and NPCs, The X/Y location of the mouse, the current FPS (frames per second), and how many of certain NPCs you have placed so far.

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. 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.
Block Characters, This will prevent a certain character from being selected to enter this level.
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.
Slippery - Sets a tile to be slippery as if it is made/covered in ice.
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.
Player Blocks - For levels that allow more than just Mario and Luigi, these blocks are placed to allow the player to hit the block and become the designated character. The blocks with the ! are only passable by the character who is designated by that color.
Red = Mario
Green = Luigi
Pink = Peach
Blue = Toad
Yellow = Link

FILL - On the far right you will see a fill button. When this is activated, can paste a tile to fill any open area quickly.
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 and Goal Exit
Doors
SMW Platform
SMW Fences

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. Clicking TEST will show the message in the editor window so you can see what it will look like during the game.
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.
Warp To Section - Used with the Red Potion/Red Door NPC to set its destination when used. This is to be used in conjunction with the CLONE section command, so the warped to section is exactly the same as the warp from section, so the player does not get stuck as the player will warp to the new section at the SAME EXACT X,Y coords as
where they entered in the first section.
Firebar Position - Used when placing firebars. position 0 is the center of the fire bar, and 1 is the spot below it, and 2 is below that. Always create firebars from the middle down, for if you place any above the middle it will spin awkwardly.
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. Can be 0.1 second to 60 seconds.
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.
Attach To Layer - This will make a layer follow an NPCs movement. It is suggested that you only attach one NPC to a Layer in this way, attaching more will automatically detect the first you attached in such a way and that NPC will be the only one to effect the layer.
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.
Bubble - This will make the selected NPC (that must be a small npc) or Item, start by floating in a bubble that will pop when the player colides with it, or if the bubble colides with a solid block. If the bubble is popped the contained item will fall to the ground.
Lakitu - This will create a SMW type Cloud Riding Lakitu that will toss the selected NPC/Item down at the players continuously.
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.

Advanced - Contains the options for cloning a section so if you want to have a level that have RED POTION warps, you can. Simply select the Section you want to clone in the Source Box, and select what section you want to create with Target Box. You now may allow the player to warp to this hidden parallell world that mimics the first. This is neccesary as the RED POTION WARPS will teleport the player to the same X,Y coordinates as the entering door, just on the new 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.

Quicksand - Makes the placed water area utilize a quicksand effect that pulls the player downwards. The player must jump continuously to fight the pull.

5. Customizing NPCs

5.a Step By Step

While the feature is implimented in SMBx. It is not part of the actual programs user interface. All custom NPCs are set just like custom graphics and are done manualy by the user creating a file in the game folders. In the folder for the level you wish to use a custom NPC in you will create a file with notepad (a program that comes with your computer) that is named the same exact as the graphic file of the NPC you wish to alter. For example. If you wish to make a goomba not able to be stomped, you would do the following.
Create a new .txt file in the desired levels folder.
Name the .txt file npc-1
Open that file and then place the following text in it.
playerblock=1
jumphurt=0
and then save the file.
Now in the level in question, the goomba will no longer be able to be stomped.

5.b List of NPC Flags

The following flags can be placed in the .txt file to effect the npc.
If you want to set a flag to yes, put =1 and for no =0

NPC Player/World Interactions Flags
grabtop= Can Mario pick it up and carry it?
grabside= Can Mario grab this from the side and carry it?
jumphurt= Will Mario get bounce if he jumps on the top of this NPC?
playerblock= Will the player treat this NPC like a block?
playerblocktop= Can the player stand on this NPC?
npcblock= Will other NPCs treat this NPC as a block?
npcblocktop= Will other NPCs walk on this NPC's head?
noblockcollision= Passes through blocks.
cliffturn= Will it turn around when it comes to an edge, rather than falling off?
nohurt= Will not hurt the player if set to 1.
noyoshi= If yoshi can't eat it, set this to 1.
nofireball= Setting to 1 prevents fire from harming this NPC.
noiceball= Setting to 1 prevents ice from freezing this NPC.
nogravity= Is uneffected by gravity if set to 1.
speed= How fast it moves. (Percentage) 0=0% 1=100% 2=200%
score= How many points the NPC should give you upon its death/collection. Score can be set to any number from 0-13. Each gives a different amount of points listed below.
0 give 0 points
1 gives 10 points
2 gives 100 points
3 gives 200 points
4 gives 400 points
5 gives 800 points
6 gives 1000 points
7 gives 2000 points
8 gives 4000 points
9 gives 8000 points
10 gives a 1up
11 gives a 2up
12 gives a 3up
13 gives a 5up (anything higher than 13 will produce a 5up as well.)

NPC Appearance Flags
foreground= This will be drawn in front of other sprites if set to 1.
frames= How many frames the sprites animation uses for a single direction.
framespeed= How fast the frames of the sprites animation change. 8 is Normal.
framestyle= 0=No Directional Sprites, 1=Left and Right movement,
2=Left and Right movement and inverted (upsidedown) if Held.
gfxoffsetx= Moves the graphic in a specific direction (X) -1 is up, 1 is down.
gfxoffsety= Moves the graphic in a specific direction (Y) -1 is left, 1 is right.
width= The NPCs hitbox width (in pixels)
height= The NPCs hitbox height (in pixels)
gfxheight= Only set if sprite height is different than Hit box height.
gfxwidth= Only set if sprite width is different than Hit box width.

6. Tutorials

6.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.

6.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.

6.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.

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