File formats
From SuperTux
These documents serve the simple purpose of a reference for the files specific to SuperTux (levels, worldmaps, ...). Some of these files can be modified using an editor such as Flexlay. For the rest, you can use a plain text editor of your choice.
For a description of the syntax used in most of SuperTux' data files, see the article on
You can find in-depth discussions of the following files' formats at their respective articles:
The remainder of this article will give a general overview and describe miscellaneous file formats.
Contents |
Brackets, brackets, brackets (About the Language)
As you might have already noticed, the SuperTux definition files (just about for everything) are full of brackets ('(' and ')'). This might freak out a few BASIC or Python programmers who have pretty much developed a natural aversion against them.
"The Crazy File Format" used by SuperTux is S-expr. This syntax is mostly used by programming languages (such as Lisp or Scheme), but the devs simply thought why not to implement it as a data storage language. And so, the SuperTux data language was born.
Basic Syntax
So now you expect me to teach you S-expr. "You'd like that, wouldn't ya?" Okay, okay, let me teach you a bit.
Language syntax is (nearly) always best consumable when demonstrated on an example, like so:
(supertux-lisp-example
; This is a comment. It is initiated by a semi-colon. (Yes, you un-believer.)
(some-integer 120) ; Integer values are simple to input and to understand.
(floaty-float 58.5) ; Floating-point numbers should be self-explanatory too.
(string-thong "omg") ; Strings are simple and C-like.
(intl-string (_ "wtf")) ; Internationalised strings are implemented not unlike in C with gettext.
(boo-bool #t) ; That's a "true"...
(second-bool #f) ; ... and that's a "false". (Well duh.)
(integer-list 10 20 30) ; A list of integers, much like an array.
) ; Don't forget the closing bracket!!!
Scrolling texts
Scrolling texts are used for the credits and were used for the intro and extro in Milestone 1. The format is simple:
(supertux-text (background "extro.jpg") ; Background image (see data/images/background) (speed 1.5) ;; Default speed of text ;; Here we demonstrate the formatting characters (text (_ " -This is a heading <tab>This is a normal line. This is a line in a small font. #This is a left-aligned line. *This should be printed in a blue font. !Filename of the picture to be embedded into the scrolling text (relative to scrolltext file path) ") ) )
Worldmaps
Worldmaps are basically level files with a few nuances. To explain the syntax, let's just picture somebody with the idea to write a level set that takes place in London (represented by a lonely island):
(supertux-worldmap
(properties ;; Global worldmap properties.
(name (_ "London")) ;; Name of the worldmap
(music "bigben.ogg") ;; Music to be played while on worldmap
)
(spawnpoint ;; At the moment, defining multiple spawnpoints on a worldmap is useless.
(name "main") ;; Call your spawn point "main".
(x 3) ;; Note that the coordinates are, unlike in a level, bound to the tilemap.
(y 3)
)
(tilemap
(width 5) ;; Number of tiles in a row. Four is just for demonstrational purposes.
(height 5)
(layer "interactive") ;; This has to be "interactive".
(solid #t) ;; This has to be true.
(speed 1.000000) ;; This has to be 1.0.
(tiles
0 0 0 0 0 ;; The tiles as defined in data/images/worldmap.strf.
0 11 16 12 0
0 15 60 17 0
0 14 18 13 0
0 0 0 0 0
)
)
(level ;; Add this block for each level. Continuing from a level tile is only possible when the level is completed.
(x 3) ;; Coordinates of the level entry point.
(y 3)
(name "heathrow.stl") ;; Filename of the level, relative to the location of the worldmap file.
(extro-script "
// A Squirrel script to execute once this level is completed. Optional.
")
)
(special-tile ;; This is a sample message tile.
(x 4)
(y 3)
(map-message (_ "Hello.")) ;; Display the following text when Tux steps on this tile.
(passive-message #t) ;; Set to #f to draw a message sprite on the worldmap and to stop Tux when he steps on this tile.
(apply-to-direction "north-west") ;; The message is displayed only when Tux comes from one of the specified directions
;; (north, south, west, east, concatenate with a hyphen).
)
(special-tile ;; This is a sample portal tile.
(x 2)
(y 3)
(map-message (_ "Warp to the Tower"))
(teleport-to-x 1) ;; Worldmap coordinates to which Tux is teleported.
(teleport-to-y 1)
)
)
Level subsets
Whilst creating a worldmap is optional, you'll need to write a level subset file to make your level package to appear in the contribs menu (or, ironically, inhibiting this behaviour). A file containing a level subset is called info and lies in data/levels/<subset_name>.
(supertux-level-subset (title (_ "Domain of the Hosek siblings")) ;; Give your levelset a nice name... (description (_ "Levels by Ondra and Klara, the Hosek siblings")) ;; ... and a short description. (hide-from-contribs #f) ;; Set to true to hide the levelset from the "Contrib Levels" menu. )
