The Dink Network

WinDinkedit

Description
DinkEdit on steroids; edit multiple screens at once and a bunch of other cool features.

*Best download of january 2001*

*Best Development file of 2001*
Released:May 21st, 2003
File Size:0.00 KB
Downloads:235
Release Notes:1.4 Beta 2
February 3rd, 2003
1.4 Beta 2
Score : 9.8 exceptional
fish.gif
Binirit
Peasant She/Her
 
Purpose: This is an editor which with you can create the map of a D-mod, and attach scripts to sprites and such.

Installation: Unzip the zip file and extract it into the dink directory.

Use: If you are used to the original editor, you really need to get used to this one. The main difference in usage is that this one is mainly mouse based, whereas the old one used the arrow keys.

Advantages over the old one: You can easily move the mouse in the minimap to the screen you want to edit.
You can set the screen gap, so you can choose for a very thin line between the screens or a very thick one – and everything in between.
You can set the undo option up to 999. Being able to undo an option is a big plus and a splendid option.
You can choose to show the sprite info when the mouse hovers above the sprite – you can also still use the I.
You can choose to show the hardness info on sprites when the mouse hovers above the sprite – although you can also still use spacebar.
By clicking the right mouse button, you can view several info screens, such as screen properties that will show you if the screen is inside or outside, if a midi is attached and what number the midi has, and if any script is attached. Another splendid and very handy option is to delete a screen. In the old editor that was impossible, so if you happened to open a screen where you did not want it, you were stuck with that screen.
Another outstanding and very useful option is that you can right click on an empty screen and choose to either copy a screen or make a new screen, and especially the last option is very handy since that will give you a nice green grass screen instead of the screen you were last working on: as is the only option in the old editor.
You can see a couple of screens at the same time, which is very useful since you can now see exactly where borders are, and if everyting is al right. Another very good thing about this option is that you finally have an overview of the landscape, and one that is a lot bigger then the general overview in the old one. By using the arrow keys you can easily scroll in every direction you want, and you can therefore place the same sprite on several screens without having to open and close every single screen.
Although I tried several times in the old editor, I never could get to copy a screen from another map, but with this editor that is real easy.
There is even a converter for .c scripts to .d scripts and an ffcreate available.
When in tile mode you can see four tile bitmaps at the same time.
There is a list on the left side of the screen that shows all the scripts; another thing that is real handy since now you can adjust a script while you are in the editor while in the old editor you had to switch everytime between the editor and Explorer.
I heard a lot about the splendid possibility of picking up a sprite that is behind another sprite. Doing this in the old editor can sometimes be annoying, especially when you are using different depth ques. But picking up a sprite behind another one is not that much easier in this editor. I used to use the [ and ] keys. In this editor you use the mouse to select a sprite, and although that works indeed easier then in the old editor when the sprites are standing next to each other, you have the same problems as in the old editor when the sprites are standing in front of each other or when there is a whole bunch of them real close together.
In the old editor you had no choice when you closed the progam: all changes were saved. This editor gives you the option to either save or not save the map.
When right cliking on a sprite, you can choose the property page, where you can set all the properties for each sprite. This screen is real handy since you can now set all properties by just filling in a screen, and check them as easily, whereas the old editor used a lot of keys for the same thing.

Disadvantages over the old one:
There is no information on what converter is used, nor what version ffcreate is used. I find that information on those should be given as the original ffcreate does not work – well, it does work, but it makes .ff files that are larger then the original .bmp’s. I asume the ffcreate used here is ffcreate2.
It is probably because I am so used to the old editor, that I find the differences somewhat difficult to overcome. For example, I am so used to use shift plus the arrow keys to define what part of a tile I want to stamp and how many boxes, that I find it difficult to use the mouse for the same job. One other thing about tile stamping that has nothing to do with me being used to use shift plus the arrow keys, is that in the old editor you could just choose what part you wanted to stamp and how many boxes, you pressed enter and then pressed S. And the part you choosed was stamped onto the screen. But in this editor, after you have selected the part of the tile you want to stamp, you have to select a certain amount of boxes on screen where you want the choosen (part of the) tile to be stamped and then press S. Hence, you have to remember how many boxes you want to stamp, which is quite annoying. And if you want to stamp the same tile again, you have to click and drag again untill you have got the right number of boxes, and again, and so on and so forth, since the part you selected does not automatically stay.
I actually expected that you could scroll through the screens instead of having to use the arrow keys, and altough the readme.txt says that that can be done by using the mouse, that did not work.
You can also create a new D-mod (Skeleton B is included) but I find this a little troublesome.

Remarks: The author states at one point in the readme.txt that you can create a new D-mod, but in the next chapter he states that you can not create a new D-mod with this program.
I also have the feeling that the readme.txt is not correct on some other points as the author states that you have to open a D-mod by opening the dink.dat file, whereas the program has an 'open file' option. And the readme.txt says that you have to manually save since the program will not give a prompt, but yet it does.

Not so good: I saved the huge map of the original Dink Smallwood as a test, since the author states that you should make back ups in case something goes wrong. When I saved that map and reopened it, it turned out that every single screen of the map was changed: all screens were on another place. So you indeed have to make back ups in case something like this happens.

Overall: This program has outstanding advantages over the old editor, and some flaws which mostly depend on whether you are used to the old editor and have worked with that one for a while or not, and one fault that might make a mess of the screen.

Fit for: If you do not mind making back ups just in case something goes wrong, this a very good editor with lots of possibilities. It is also a splendid and very useful editor to use besides the old editor.
TopicPostsPosterLast Post
Dink Editor Pixelating10duckhaterAugust 12th 2012, 05:15 PM
WinDinkEdit poll.23WCApril 26th 2011, 05:20 PM
invisible colors messed up.6merderJanuary 17th 2011, 05:58 AM
hardness tiles6didooleedooMay 3rd 2010, 08:35 AM
WinDinkEdit Crashing16IceSabreOctober 26th 2009, 06:56 AM
How to fix WindinkEdit And WindinkEdit+ if it crashes before you do anything4legendgMay 20th 2008, 03:27 AM
Two Problems7BeheadedDuckJanuary 23rd 2006, 12:35 AM
Sprite numbers12igloo15December 21st 2004, 06:52 PM
Where's the sprites?5VaultDwellerDecember 20th 2004, 03:36 PM
Hardness bugs2igloo15December 16th 2004, 10:51 AM
Hardness trouble5jedisecretDecember 3rd 2004, 11:41 AM
Crash problems9barnabydSeptember 14th 2004, 03:41 AM
WDE Update: Crash problems17WCJuly 5th 2004, 11:11 AM
Hardness tile selection screen3MadStalkerJuly 4th 2004, 06:41 PM
Windinkedit7barnabydMay 5th 2004, 06:52 PM
Windinkedit crash47sjoerdjeApril 30th 2004, 12:51 AM
How do you insert sprites into the library you see when you press E?12barnabydApril 7th 2004, 01:12 AM
stupid question3smooseFebruary 14th 2004, 09:32 PM
base screen scripts?3pdubJanuary 18th 2004, 01:13 PM
Copying3NunzillaJune 16th 2003, 02:26 PM
Windinkedit dosen't run2ASMarch 10th 2003, 03:03 PM
can't download! 4janeFebruary 15th 2003, 03:53 PM
Frame rate in WDE14RicFebruary 4th 2003, 09:57 PM
WDE help2RustedSorrowJanuary 9th 2003, 08:25 AM
WDE problems:4TullistiOctober 26th 2002, 03:58 PM