dqm_format_spec.md

DQM map file format specification

general info

Maps are a top-down, ascii view on the world, where different characters correspond to different tiles - this means anyone can edit maps with just a simple text editor. .dqm file extension is used for the map files, even though the underlying data in that file is just plain text. Maps can also be split into two floors, using specific tiles.

Maps are stored inside the maps/ directory of the build folder.

NOTE: Text editors don't really use fonts with sqare aspect ratio characters, so the resulting level might end up looking a little stretched in-game. In some text editors, you can change text spacing to circumvent the issue.

simple 8x8 example level

finish is on a elevated platform made with walls (w), where you can't get without the elevator (e)

########
#      #
# s    #
#      #
#      #
#wwweww#
#wwwwwF#
########

tiles

NOTE: some blocks have different lowercase/uppercase versions.
for instance: you can use uppercase S instead of lowercase s if you want the start position to be on the 2nd floor.
In that case, only the lowercase version is shown in the table, and the tile has the uppercase value as ✓

NOTE: some tiles have lowercase/uppercase versions which do not change which floor the tile is on, but change something else.

tile character	tile name	uppercase	note
-	none	✕	this tile is completely empty
	empty	✕	this tile has floor and ceiling, that's all
#	full	✕	one very tall tile
w	wall-mid	✕	wall up to the 2nd floor
c	ceiling	✕	lower ceiling
s	start	✓	place where the player spawns when the game starts
f	finish	✓	place where the end portal is spawned
p	small platform	✕	like empty, but also has a single tile between the 1st and 2nd floor
P	large platform	✕	platform, but 3 tiles tall
e	elevator	✕	elevator that takes you from the 1st to 2nd floor. Also adds jump boost
o	obstacle	✕	like empty, but floor is 1 tile taller
O	obstacle	✕	obstacle, but 2 blocks tall
h	health pickup	✓	adds 1/4 of health to player
t	thorns	✕	pillar with thorns/spikes, that can hurt the player when too close
d	shotgun pickup	✓	refills shotgun ammo. d stands for default, since it's the default weapon
m	machinegun pickup	✓	refills machinegun ammo
l	laser rifle pickup	✓	refills laser rifle ammo
g	grunt spawn	✓	place where a grunt enemy spawns
k	knight spawn	✓	place where a knight enemy spawns

Some tiles get translated into a different tile when loading the level. It's mostly pickups, enemies, etc.

the translation table is in tiles.odin inside translate procedure

map attributes

Each map can have some attributes which change how it looks or behaves.

All attributes are alwats defined between a pair of curly braces { }, and each attribute is followed by a colon : character.
Text attribute value has to be between two quotation marks " like this: "foo". Multiple values, like numbers, are always separated by a space (or tab, multiple spaces, ...)
example attribute declarations:

{
	skyColor: 1.0 0.5 1
}

attribute name	value	note
nextMapName	text	next map to load after this one is finished. Needs to include the .dqm extension. Subfolders are ok.
startPlayerDir	xy decimal	which direction should the player be looking when the game starts
skyColor	rgb decimal	color of the sky and fog
fogStrength	decimal	strength/attenuation of fog

more complex example level

{
	nextMapName: "some_map.dqm"
	startPlayerDir: 0.0 -1.0
	skyColor: 1.0 0.2 0.0
	fogStrength: 1.2
}

#######-------#######
#  s  #-------#ewFwe#
c     c-------c     c
#     #-------# k   #
c     c-------c   k c
#h  h #-------#     #
##wew##-------#Oo oO#
-#www#--------#wwwww#
##wpw##########wwwGw#
#Gwppppp--w---pwwwwww
#wwwKww########wwGww#
##w#w###------##w#w##

map directory info

Maps with underscore _ as a first character are hidden in the map selection menu.

You can use _quickload.dqm map file to instantly load a level, and bypass all the menu's.
Subdirectories are supported in the map selection menu, but their name isn't relative to this folder, it's just the last folder in path.