Part of the main focus of Project Spark is giving users the ability to create their own worlds. This would not be possible without a world editing system that allows both simplicity and complexity depending on the user. The Editing Tools in Project Spark allow the player to quickly create an eye catching world, or spend large amounts of time getting down specific details, and then quickly hop into testing mode to see if it meets their expectations.
Play: The Play Button will test your level, and can be accessed from the pause menu or directly in the editor window.
Biome: A "clever" brush that uses both Paint and Prop tools together, identifiying the respective texture or prop according the terrain (flat, slope, vertical, cave, water) and size of brush (which scales the props accordingly). Biome brushes are:
Nature The Nature Biome brush will paint texture, trees, rocks, and even a few squirrels and birds to allow you to quickly create a believable world.
River The River Brush will sculpt down to the water level while also painting a riverbed texture and adding things such as underwater rocks and fish.
Town (not revealed) Speculation suggests the Town Brush allows the user to quickly create buildings and npc's to generate a simple town simply by brushing over a surface.
Enemy (not revealed) This brush has not been revealed yet.
Friend (not revealed) This brush has not been revealed yet.
Erase The Erase Biome brush allows one to erase objects and texture all together in order to return the world back to its' clean slate texture.
Paint: The paint tool will allow you to paint a texture over your landscape. Unlike many paint tools in other programs, the Paint Tool in Project spark has three different surfaces it will generate. For each texture you select, there is a ground texture, a cliff/side texture, and also an underhang texture. This allows users to get a large amount of variety and depth with only a single brush.
Sculpt: The Sculpting Tools allow you to shape the world to your liking. They can add to, subtract from, or edit the terrain. The Sculpt Tools Include
Erode : The Erode Tool allows one to eat away at the Terrain, for creating rivers or tunnels.
Subtract The Subtract Tool will erase any terrain within the brush area.
Roughen The "Roughen brush" will, as its' name implies, roughen the terrain so as to make it grittier and sharper.
Tunnel: The tunnel tool allows the user to diger through terrain while keeping a level ground, which works wonders for creating caves and even land bridges.
DeCubify The opposite of the Cubify Brush, the DeCubify Brush takes terrain that has been cubified and returns it to a more normal state.
Expand : The Expand Tool will allow the user to add on to the terrain by slowly expanding it, and works very well for creating hills and mountains.
Add The Add Tool will add terrain in the shape of the brush one is using, and will completely fill that space. Very useful for creating unnatural shapes in the world.
Smooth: The Smooth Brush works oppositely of the "Roughen brush" and smooths the terrain to give it a soft feel. Very handy when trying to make your hills look "hilly-er".
Plateau: The Plateau Tool is probably the most unique, as it allows the user to extend the terrain while keeping a level surface for a character to walk on. Very handy for creating platformer games and RPG's.
Cubify The Cubify Tool allows the user to make terrain very blocky, similar to Minecraft (only with higher res textures). Useful for creating games with a very retro feel.
Prop: Props are objects that can be placed in the world seperate from the terrain.
this includes characters, weapons, buildings, rocks, etc. Props can be attached to one another to make compound objects, and have many different properties that can be adjusted and each prop has the potential to contiain logic which can be used to define gameplay.
Add & Edit Props This tool allows the user to add props to the world as well as edit the properties of existing props.
Power This tool creates power links from a prop to another, so that when a prop is turned ON, it automatically turns ON all props connected with this tool (and vice versa). This is useful for adding a door and a lever, then using this tool to connect the lever to the door (and removing the brain from the door so it doesn't open otherwise). That will make the door only open when the lever is interacted.
Attach The Attach Tool allows the user to attach props to each other. When a prop is attached to another object, the brain of the object being attached can still function. Using the Attach Tool allows for even more unique creations by combining the props in the prop gallery to make newer creations.
Multi-Edit The Multi-Edit tool allows you to edit many props at the same time. You can delete, save, or glue multiple props with this tool.
Undo Slider: The Undo Slider allows the user to undo as much as they desire, unless they use the test option to test their level. Then the slider will be reset.
When working with brushes you have three different settings you can adjust: Scale, Shape, and Intensity.
Scale changes the size of the area the brush will affect
Shape changes the shape of the brush, which can be a sphere, cylinder, or cube.
Intensity changes the amount of impact the brush will make when being used. Low intensity will result in less change over time while the brush is being used, while high intensity will result in rapid change over time while the brush is being used
Project spark also features the ability to create terrain in open space on a single axis. This allows the user to set up a grid in an open space, and that grid will serve a purpose almost identical to the main surface.
