Entrances

Entrances are used to connect different parts within a level. They can function as Entrances or Exits. This can be configured from the Properties dialog for the entrance item.

Entering an entrance will transport the players to a connected exit. An initial entrance is required as a starting point, as well as a mechanism to finish the level (goal flagpole or chest, for example), see Level Exit Conditions.

Different Entrance/Exit types exist, for example normal, pipe entrance, door entrance, vine entrance etc... The Special Exit Controller (SEC) creates an invisible box that also functions as an entrance. It is resizable.

= Terminology = The meaning for entrance and exit is swapped, if we compare it to previous game editors. People new to Reggie often get it wrong.

In previous level editors: In previous level editors, an entrance would allow a player to enter a zone. An exit would mean he can exit a zone.

In Reggie Here, an entrance means the player can enter a door/pipe (causing the player to exit the zone). An exit means the player can exit a door/pipe (which means the player enters the zone).

As you can see, it is the exact opposite now in Reggie.

So please note: Entrances and exits are seen and named from Mario's point of view.

Entrances
 * Entrances can be entered by the player.
 * Entrances can only be one of the following types: any door entrance, any pipe entrance, and Special Exit Controller entrance (normal/vine). Entering any other entrance type makes no sense.
 * Entrances must be set to be Enterable.

Exits
 * Exits can be exited by the player.
 * Exits can be of any type. The initial entrance as well as the midway entrance are technically exits.
 * Exits don't need Enterable ticked.
 * Initial and midway entrances also don't need Enterable ticked. Yet, Nintendo usually sets the "Enterable" flag on on those exit types.

= Using Entrances = Entrances are required for all levels to work properly. In this chapter we'll learn how to use entrances to connect different parts of a level.

We'll also take a look at the most basic Entrance Types, and some more advanced variants. In a later chapter we'll look at all types more closely.

Overview
Switching to the Entrances palette tab allows us to add entrances to our level. Now we can right-click into the canvas and place a new entrance. The next freely available Entrance ID will be assigned to the entrance. For a new level, this will be Entrance ID 0.

Selecting this entrance opens a Properties window. Here we can see the properties available for each entrance/exit:


 * The different Entrance Types. There's a whole chapter about those later in this tutorial.
 * The Entrance ID of the selected entrance/exit.
 * The Destination ID. Please see Connecting Entrances within same Area.
 * The Destination Area, see Creating Entrances to another Area
 * The Layer, on which the player will spawn. This "feature" is extremely glitchy and should never be used. It is glitchy because the player actor is not programmed to properly interact with tiles and sprites on layer 0 or layer 2.
 * The Enterable checkbox. With it we can distinguish the item to be either an Entrance (by activating that box), or an Exit (by unchecking that box). Players can only enter, when this is checked. This checkbox is irrelevant for some "special" entrance types; they work whether or not this is checked. Those are the initial entrance (starting point), the midway flag entrance, and the Special Exit Controller (SEC).

General Entrance Rules

 * General
 * Entrances should not endanger the players directly. Likewise, enemies should not immediately attack players emerging from an entrance.
 * Entrance missing: The game will try to use a different entrance, typically ID 0. As a failsafe, the players will spawn in the top left corner of the zone. This is often outside the visible screen. All players die when this happens. Specific entrance missing rules exist for some entrance types.
 * Wrong Entrance ID: Sending the players to a non-existing entrance ID has the same effect as entrance missing.
 * Multiple Entrances with same ID: The game crashes. Please don't confuse this with having multiple entrances leading to the same destination ID; this is totally legit.
 * Wrong Entrance Type: Using the wrong entrance type gives mixed results. Doors and Pipes for example still work when using the wrong type, but only if the entrance item was placed according to rules. Also, the entrance feature will be non-functioning. Doors won't have the door opens/closes animation, pipes won't play the pipe sound etc...
 * Placement
 * Placement of entrances allowed according to Zone Specifications and Limitations rules. This means: Entrances can be placed 8 blocks above/below zone borders, 1 block left/right (has to touch zone border). The only exception to the left/right rule is any of the Boss Entrances used with a cutscene controller.
 * Special placement rules apply, if used as an initial entrance, midway entrance, boss entrance, Toad House entrance, Yoshi's House entrance, or other.
 * Follow entrance placement rules for specific entrance type.



Entrance ID
The entrance ID is a number, ranging from  to , and starting again from   in each new area. An entrance ID will automatically be assigned to each entrance. More precisely, the lowest available ID will be chosen. All entrances that are placed into the level will be saved with their IDs and properties into the level .arc file.

It's possible to modify the ID of an entrance. This can be done by selecting the entrance in the canvas, and editing the ID in the Entrance Properties window. Please note: Giving multiple entrance items the same Entrance ID (within the same area) will most likely crash the game!

Info: Some entrance IDs are preferred by Nintendo, others even hardcoded.

Initial Entrance & Midway Flag
Every level needs an initial entrance as a starting point. Most regular levels also have a Midway Flag that functions as a checkpoint. In this chapter we'll learn how to place those entrances correctly.

Initial Entrance
The initial entrance to the level is always in area 1. It uses entrance ID 0, unless this value is changed in Area Options. It doesn't matter in which zone this entrance is, as long as it is in area 1.

We can use any entrance type for the initial entrance. Most commonly used is type 0 (Normal), which spawns the players at the position of the entrance. No further sprites or tiles are needed. Nintendo also uses Jumping Facing Left/Right for Airships, and other entrance types.

The initial entrance should be placed a few blocks away from the left zone border. The distance translates pretty exactly to 50% screen height. In Reggie (Preferences) we can activate a red line that indicates the leftmost x-position, where the initial entrance can be placed safely.

The following table shows the recommended distance for the starting point from the left zone border, in relation to screen height (in blocks/tiles).

The reason to place the entrance beyond the red line is the initial loading procedure: Mario spawns on screen, and the camera is zoomed-in. The screen height is 14 blocks. The camera will then start to zoom out until reaching the intended screen size. This initial loading procedure should not be interrupted and it is therefore recommended, to place the starting point to the right of that vertical red line.

Information: Entrances only need to be placed past the vertical red line in the very first zone of a level. In all other zones, the camera is already zoomed out!



Please note: It is recommended to place the initial entrance as low as possible into the level. This way the screen can only grow upwards. It touches the bottom zone border and cannot grow in that direction. That's the reason why Nintendo usually places the entrance 2-3 blocks above the bottom zone border.

Midway Flag
The Midway Flag (188) allows to place a checkpoint into the level. Progress will be saved as soon as the flag is activated by a player. The midway flag is complemented by a regular entrance item.

Everyone will respawn in close proximity to the midway flag (assuming all players died and the level was restarted from the world map). The entrance item can be freely placed by the level creator, but it should not be placed too far away from the midway flag. More on that below.

There can only be one midway flag per level!

Please note: There are no restrictions where to place the flag and the entrance item. The camera won't zoom out. Instead, the game will restart with the selected zoom level.

Setup
Checking has no effect on the midway entrance. Nintendo activates it but it's not needed. Destination ID and Destination Area have no effect as well and should be kept untouched.
 * 1) To correctly setup a midway point, place the Midway Flag (188) into the level, then place an entrance as well.
 * 2) Select the flag in Reggie, then in the Sprite Properties window, set the   to the same ID as the entrance you just placed.
 * 3) In the same Properties window you can optionally change the spawn direction (Facing left/Facing right), and the flag type (Newer only).
 * 4) Select the entrance and make sure that type 0/1 (Normal/Normal?) is selected.

General Usage and Flag Position within Level
The position of the midway flag within a level should be well thought out.
 * Place a midway flag only in levels that are long enough to justify its usage! A zone/level should be roughly 6000-9000px long. Difficult levels can also be shorter and have a midway flag.
 * The midway flag should be placed around the 40-50% mark of the level. Nintendo usually places the flag a little before the middle of the level.
 * There are no vertical restrictions positioning the flag.

Entrance Type and Entrance Position
The midway entrance always uses entrance types Normal or Normal?. The players simply respawn at the position of the entrance item. Other entrance types would look very odd!


 * Entrance type for midway flag is always Normal/Normal?.
 * The entrance item is usually placed in a radius of max 10 blocks around the midway flag.
 * Sometimes, the midway flag is placed at the end of a zone, and the entrance item at the beginning of the next zone, or vice versa.
 * The entrance item can be placed in such a way, that it is inaccessible by players that haven't touched the flag yet. This allows to trigger events affecting only players who respawn.

Connecting Entrances within same Area
In this chapter we'll learn how to connect different entrances within the same area. This can be within the same zone, or a connection from one zone to another. To connect an entrance to another area, see the next chapter. We'll look at one-way connections, as well as dual-way connections.

Setup One-Way
Steps to connect entrance A (start) to entrance B (destination):
 * 1) Place two entrances into the same area that you want to connect. For consistency reasons it is highly adviced to use the same entrance type for both entrances. For example, connect pipes to pipes and doors to doors, etc.
 * 2) Select entrance A and put the   from entrance B into the field.
 * 3) Keep the field   at  ! This is highly recommended. Explanation Why Destination Area should be kept at 0.
 * 4) Set the entrance to be.
 * 5) Set the   accordingly. Each Entrance Type has different rules.

Entrance B (destination) does not need to be configured. Make sure Enterable is not checked.

Setup Dual-Way
Sometimes we want to connect two entrances together, so that the player can go back and forth. Here's how that is done.

Steps to connect entrance A to entrance B, entrance B to entrance A:
 * 1) Place two entrances into the same area that you want to connect. For consistency reasons it is highly adviced to use the same entrance type for both entrances.
 * 2) Select entrance A and put the   from entrance B into the field.
 * 3) Keep the field   untouched!
 * 4) Set the entrance to be.
 * 5) Select entrance B and put the   from entrance A into the field.
 * 6) Keep the field   untouched!
 * 7) Set the entrance to be.
 * 8) Set the   accordingly. Each Entrance Type has different rules.



Why Destination Area should be kept at 0
Setting  to value   means, that the connection takes place in the currently active area.

Let's assume we are in area 1 and we want to connect two entrances there. We could set  to   and it would work. But what happens when we import a new area 1 into our level? Our area would then become area 2. This would cause all connections within area 2 to stop working, as they are still configured to transport the player to area 1.

Keeping the value at  allows us to move the area around freely, without breaking the connections within the area.

Creating Entrances to another Area
Connecting entrances to another area is very similar to what we learned in the previous chapter. The main difference is the field, which is required for connections between areas.

Setup One-Way
Steps to connect entrance A (start in area 1) to entrance B (destination in area 2):
 * 1) Place one entrances into area 1 and one into area 2. For consistency reasons it is highly adviced to use the same entrance type for both entrances. For example, connect pipes to pipes and doors to doors, etc.
 * 2) Select entrance A and put the   from entrance B into the field.
 * 3) Go to the field   and put in the area number of the destination entrance, in our example.
 * 4) Set the entrance to be.
 * 5) Set the   accordingly. Each Entrance Type has different rules.

Entrance B (destination in area 2) does not need to be configured. Make sure Enterable is not checked. Both Destination ID and Destination Area should be kept untouched.

Setup Dual-Way
Now we'll connect two entrances together, so that the player can go back and forth between areas. Here's how it's done.

Steps to connect entrance A to entrance B, entrance B to entrance A:
 * 1) Place one entrances into area 1 and one into area 2. For consistency reasons it is highly adviced to use the same entrance type for both entrances.
 * 2) Select entrance A and put the   from entrance B into the field.
 * 3) Go to the field   and put in the area number of the destination entrance, in our example.
 * 4) Set the entrance to be.
 * 5) Go to area 2 and select entrance B. Put the   from entrance A into the field.
 * 6) Go to the field   and put in the area number of the start entrance, in our example it should lead back to area 1, so put in.
 * 7) Set the entrance to be.
 * 8) Set the   accordingly. Each Entrance Type has different rules.

= Entrance Types = Selecting an entrance allows us to specify an Entrance Type for it. There's bunch of different entrance types that we can use for each entrance item. In this chapter we'll look at all types more closely.

General Entrance Rules apply for all entrance types.

Players riding Yoshi can enter a zone via any entrance type. Some problems arise, though:
 * General Yoshi Rules


 * The player riding Yoshi wil fall down, if entering a zone via a Vine Entrance.
 * The same is true for Jumping (Facing Right) and Jumping (Facing Left).

Players riding Yoshi can only exit zones via Pipes and Special Exit Controller (SEC) entrances. They cannot enter doors!

Entrances without Sprites/Tiles
Some entrance types do not need any complementary tiles to be placed. They function on their own.

The Enterable checkbox will be ignored; activating it has no effect. There is no way for a player to enter an entrance that functions without tiles or sprites.

Normal & Normal?


This is the most basic entrance type. It's used in various situations. With a width of approx. 5 tiles it can spawn all players comfortably. Keep enough room around the entrance.

Players will spawn exactly at the location of the entrance. Placing the entrance in the air will cause the players to fall down. The entrance can be placed on sloped terrain. If the entrance is placed inside terrain, then the game will try to spawn the players above or below the entrance item, but this only works to some extend. Therefore, do not place entrances inside level terrain.

The difference between Normal and Normal? is currently unknown. Normal? is often used as midway entrances, and entrances placed outside/above zones.

Usage
 * As an initial entrance (starting point).
 * As a midway entrance.
 * Accompanying a Special Exit Controller.
 * As a normal, regular zone entrance. This looks strange in most cases.
 * Other.
 * As a failsafe entrance.
 * As a Hint Movie entrance.

Multiplayer Players will spawn in a random order.

Falling (Fast)


Players fall with their highest momentum. They fall from the placement of the entrance. It is therefore suggested to place this entrance type above zones, else it would look strange. Put it at least one block above the zone border.

Most actors from the game that are affected by gravity fall with the same speed as players spawning via this entrance!

Usage
 * As an initial entrance (starting point). Players fall from the sky and the level starts.
 * Can be used when returning from a bonus area where players have to jump into a pit (involves Special Exit Controller (SEC)).
 * Other reasons why players should spawn above the screen and fall from the sky.

Multiplayer If there are multiple players they will all spawn as close together as possible. The spawn order is random.

Ground-Pound


Similar to  (Falling). The players ground-pound when using this entrance type. They start the ground-pound from the placement of the entrance. It is therefore suggested to place this entrance type above zones, else it would look strange. Put it at least one block above the zone border!

Usage
 * As an initial entrance (starting point). Players do a ground-pound and arrive in the level.
 * Can be used when returning from a bonus area where players have to jump into a pit (involves Special Exit Controller (SEC)). It's better to use types 7 or 0, though.
 * Other reasons why players should spawn above the screen and do a ground-pound.

The entrance feature should be used. For example, place a few brick blocks that can be ground-pounded.

Multiplayer If there are multiple players they will all spawn as close together as possible. The spawn order is random.

Sliding


The players slide down a slope using this entrance type. If they fall directly onto the ground they will stand up instantly.

Players slide down a slope from the placement of the entrance. It is therefore suggested to place this entrance type outside zones, else it would look strange. Put it at least one block above the zone border.

Usage
 * As an initial entrance (starting point). Players slide into the level.
 * Other reasons why players should slide into a level.

The entrance feature must be used. Place a few slopes where the players can slide down.

Multiplayer If there are multiple players they will all spawn as close together as possible. The spawn order is random.

Swimming


The players start in a swimming animation when using this entrance. The water splash effect will always appear no matter at which Y position the entrance is placed inside water. Without water, the players will just be in their swimming animation for a few frames before turning to their normal, outside of water animation.

Players start swimming from the placement of the entrance. It is therefore suggested to place this entrance type outside zones, else it would look strange. In most cases, place it type at least one block above the zone border. Spawning from the side also works ok for this type.

Usage
 * As an initial entrance (starting point). Players swim into the level from the side or from above.
 * Other reasons why players should swim into a level.

The entrance feature must be used. Make sure the zone is filled with water.

Multiplayer If there are multiple players they will all spawn as close together as possible. The spawn order is random.

Jumping Facing Left/Right


The players will jump a specific amount of blocks up (12 blocks), and a few blocks to the left/right (2 blocks at apex, 4 blocks at origin). Players will not interact with anything until they pass the apex (highest point of their jump). Then they will be able to interact with tiles and sprites.

Players jump up from the placement of the entrance. It is therefore suggested to place this entrance type below zones, else it would look strange. Put it at least 2.5+ blocks below the zone border. This way the players are completely hidden below the zone. The reason for this is the jumping animation: The players are frozen for a second before the jumping animation begins. This should not be visible.

Both methods require a Special Exit Controller setup.
 * Usage in "Departure" Zone
 * Launching players up into the air with a Pipe Cannon (227) to reach a Special Exit Controller entrance. For next step see "Destination" Zone.
 * Players (wall)-jumping above the zone border, using the Propeller Shroom, Propeller Block (393), or by other means. For next step see "Destination" Zone.


 * Usage in "Destination" Zone
 * As an initial entrance (starting point). Players jump into the level from below. This is used in Airships, Tower Boss Fights etc.
 * Emerging from "Departure" zone.
 * Other reasons why players should jump into a zone from below.

The entrance feature must be used for consistency reasons. It is therefore highly recommended to let the players exit the previous zone via one of the methods described above ("Departure" zone).

If the destination zone is a secret or coin heaven zone, then it's recommended to use a Special Exit Controller setup for the return path from such a zone.

Multiplayer The players will jump one after another! Player 1 starts and it ends with player 4.

Yoshi

Do not allow a player to enter a zone via this entrance type riding Yoshi. The player will die right away.

Vine Entrance
The players climb up a vine to the top. They stay there until they jump off. The players climb from the placement of the entrance. It is therefore suggested to place this entrance type below zones, else it would look strange. Put it at least a few blocks below the zone border. That's because the players are frozen for a split second before the climbing animation starts.

The vine will grow 10 blocks above the placement of the entrance, and cover an area of 18 blocks below the entrance.

Usage in "Departure" Zone This method requires a Special Exit Controller setup.
 * Players climbing up a regular vine. A vine can spawn from a ? Block (207), Brick Block (209) , from tile-based blocks or Invisible Blocks (221, 218, tileset-based) . For consistency reasons it is highly adviced to enter the next zone via this entrance type!

Usage in "Destination" Zone
 * As an initial entrance (starting point). Players climb into the level from below (unusual).
 * Emerging from "Departure" Zone.
 * Other reasons why players should climb up a vine into a zone.

The entrance feature must be used for consistency reasons. It is highly recommended that players must leave the previous zone via a vine or secret vine.

If the destination zone is a secret zone or coin heaven zone, then it's recommended to use a Special Exit Controller setup for the return path from such a zone.

Multiplayer Player 1 will start climbing and player 4 is the last one.

Yoshi

Do not allow a player to enter a zone via this entrance type riding Yoshi. The player will die right away.

General Info
Entering a zone via any boss entrance type causes all players to spawn stationary. They cannot be controlled with the gamepad. Boss entrances are typically placed together with boss controllers or cutscene controllers, as those controllers dictate the movement of the players.

Boss Controller - Tower Boss (363) Cutscene Controller - Bowser and Peach at Castle (408) Cutscene Controller - Bowser and Peach at Airship (409)
 * Recommended sprites

In a Tower boss fight, the players spawn stationary in the boss room, wait for the boss to finish the spawning sequence, then they are released and can start fighting the boss.

In Castle cutscenes, the players spawn via this entrance type. They spawn a few blocks outside the zone, then start walking towards the defeated boss, who is trying to fly away with the airship. After another waiting time, the level exits. The controller does not release the movement of the players. See Entrance ID (hardcoded IDs table).

To change this behaviour and allow the players to continue their quest after they defeat the boss, change the entrance with hardcoded  in the castle cutscene zone to any other entrance type. Do not change the ID. Please note that you also need to change the timer, as it is drained after the cutscene. Use Special Event (246) to prevent players from dying. Set it to, input a value, and trigger the Special Event with Zone Enter (33).

The boss entrance types are used in two scenarios:
 * 1) In Tower Boss Fights as a starting entrance.
 * 2) In Castle Cutscenes that take place after the boss fight. Here they are also used as a starting entrance.

Nintendo only uses, but all three boss entrances work the same.

Usage without Controllers
The players will be stationary forever without a boss or cutscene controller.

By using a Special Exit Controller and Events, players can be warped away after some waiting time. This can be used as a trick. The setup usually involves the players spawning invisibly below the screen (stationary). After some time, the players are teleported via the SEC to another zone. During the waiting time, a help message or level hint is shown to the players. This trick was used in Newer.

Types
The players stand still for around 5 seconds. Movement depends on the boss/cutscene controllers. The fight begins when all conditions for the boss fight are met. See retail 01-22 A2Z1 (Tower) or 01-24 A2Z2 (Castle) for an example.

The players get launched up 3-4 blocks into the air, and around 2 blocks to the right. Same conditions and effects as  and. They are spawning as in entrance.

The players fall at their highest momentum. Same conditions and effects as. They are spawning as in entrance.

Mispositioned, Unknown and Crash
There is no good reason to use any of those entrance types in a level. All types in this category can be used as entrances just fine, but it's still not recommended to do so. Never use them as exits!

The players will spawn 0.5 blocks to the left and 1 block on top of the actual position. They are spawning as in entrance. The players will spawn 1 block on top of the actual position. They are spawning as in entrance. Same as. The players will be invisible during the level fade-in. Step sounds can be heard before the players appear. They are spawning as in entrance. Same as Just as the title implies: This entrance type crashes the game. Do not use! The players will be stuck in their t-pose (default pose for a 3D model's skeleton before it is animated.). Just as the title implies the game will be frozen. If the entrance is placed into the air, the players will fall down.

The freeze can be fixed, if the players spawn inside a wall. That's because the game tries to push them to the side, hence preventing the freeze. A freeze can also be prevented by spawning an EN_ITEM (Power-Up), Yoshi, or possibly other actors. In both situations, the players will still be frozen, but the game continues to run; the enemies move, the timer runs, etc...

The players will also spawn 10.5 blocks to the right and 2.5 blocks down because the entrance can be marked as mispositioned.



Pipes
Pipes, along with Doors, are used as entrances in almost all levels. They can also be painted as regular level terrain. Warp pipes are not enterable without the entrance item.

In theory, any tile could be assigned the attributes of a pipe and could then function as an entrance. So we have to look at tile properties to see, what distinguishes pipe tiles from other tiles.

If the entrance is a pipe, then the exit should also be one. Do not let the players enter a pipe and exit a door. Additionally, pipe colors should match. Use the same color for the entrance pipe and the exit pipe.
 * Consistency

There are also two advanced pipe transportation techniques: Connected Pipes and Forward Pipes. Both techniques can be applied to all pipe tiles and pipe sprites listed below.
 * Advanced Transportation Techniques

Pipe entrances are often used in place of other entrance types. The reason is the pipe sound is emitted by this entrance type. A typical example would be to attach a pipe sound to a Special Exit Controller entrance/exit.
 * Pipe Sound

Since Reggie Next, the entrances are the size of the objects they are supposed to work with. For pipes, the entrance item is always 2x1 or 1x2 blocks, so that it fully covers the two tiles that must be touched by the players to enter the pipe. This makes placement of the entrance very easy. Placement is valid for all pipe types unless noted.
 * Placement of the entrance item



To use pipes as entrances, any of the following objects or sprites can be chosen:
 * A Tileset Pipe. The tiles need to have the parameters of a pipe, especially core type. This can be set in Puzzle Tileset Editor.
 * Any of the following sprites (setup varies):
 * Enterable Warp Pipe - Up (450)
 * Rolling Hill - 1 Pipe/8 Pipes (355, 360)
 * 4-Way Large Cannon with Pipe (301)
 * Rotation Controlled Pipe (254)
 * The following sprite pipes can only be entered by using tricks:
 * Warp Pipe - Up/Down/Right/Left (377, 378, 379, 380)
 * Magic Platform (169) Pipe
 * Pipe Cannon (227)

The Moving Pipe - Facing Up/Down (339, 353) cannot be entered at all. See Magic Platform (169) for a similar option.

Please note that horizontal (left/right) pipes need level terrain for the players to stand on. Without it, the pipes can't be entered. Both solid and solid-on-top tiles can be used, the tile can even cover 50% of the pipe and the players will still be able to squeeze into the entrance. Moving sprites, for example platforms, can also be used, as well as moving tiles, e.g. a falling donut lift block.
 * Entering horizontal Pipes

It's important to make pipes big enough for the players to enter properly. This is also needed to hide the players completely when they enter the pipe, since they will disappear behind layer 1.
 * Minimum Size

The recommended size for pipes is 3x2 blocks for horizontal pipes, and 2x3 blocks for vertical pipes. An absolute minimum is 2x2 for both kinds, with adjacent terrain.

Tileset Pipes
Tileset Pipes are all objects in the palette with a special tile attribute. Tileset pipes can be entered just like sprite pipes. Tileset pipes is a broad term. That's because in theory, pipe attributes could be applied to any tile. Any such tile could then be entered by the players.

The default tileset for the Pa0 slot is. It contains tileset pipes for all directions (up/down/left/right), and in all typical color variants except blue. It also contains the exact same set for Mini Pipes. Additionally, there are pipe joint and mini pipe joint tiles. All those tiles have unique attributes, but the core type is always the same.

Let's look at the tileset attributes that determine the tile to be a pipe:
 * Open Puzzle Tileset Editor, then open the tileset  from the retail game or from Newer.
 * Hover with the mouse over the green pipe in the tileset. More precisely, hover over the top-left corner of the pipe (row 6, column 0).
 * The Core Type for the tile should be set to, which denotes a pipe tile.
 * The Core Dropdown List does not automatically update itself, but it should show the first pipe part from the list,.

Pipe tiles are specified according to the part of the pipe. It's important to specify the right part or the entrance will not function correctly.

First, export the tileset as *PNG*, add a blue pipe to the image, save and re-import it with Puzzle.
 * Let's do an example and add a vertical blue pipe to the default Pa0 tileset

Still on the  tab in Puzzle, focus on the right side. Set Core Type to, then in the dropdown list below, select the correct pipe part from the list. For example, select  for the top-left part of the pipe. Do not set any of the  (solid, falling, ledge, meltable, ...). Then, click on the correct tile to assign the attributes to it.

Do the same for,  ,  ,  , and. Don't forget to assign the attributes to the tiles each time you change the pipe part. You should now have a fully-functional blue pipe in your tileset, which can properly be entered by placing a pipe entrance item.

Please note: Only the two tiles that are touched by the players when they enter the pipe are actually required for the entrance to work. It's highly recommended though, to assign the correct pipe attributes to all other pipe tiles as well.

Mini Pipes
Mini pipes from the tileset are identical to regular Tileset Pipes, except that they are only one block wide (vertical) and tall (horizontal), and can only be entered by players who have found a Mini Mushroom.

The entrance item for mini pipes is 1x1 blocks. It should be placed directly on top of the tile the players must touch when entering the pipe.
 * Placement of the entrance item



Sprite Pipes
In the previous chapter we have learned about Tileset Pipes; sprite pipes are more or less exactly the same. Some of them have additional features, they rotate for example, or they are attached to a cannon or rolling hill.

Some of the sprite pipes have an attribute. There, an entrance ID can directly be specified for the sprite. For those sprites, the entrance does not have to be placed on top of the sprite, it can be placed anywhere. It's still recommended to place it nearby or according to rules. Also, the entrance type can be set to anything. Setting it to anything other than pipe will cause the entrance to function without the pipe sound!

All sprite pipes can be placed off-grid by using the ALT modifier key! The entrance item position must match the off-grid position of the pipe.

Enterable Warp Pipe
Enterable Warp Pipe - Up (450)

This one is very easy to set up. It's just a regular pipe that only exists as Up variant. Color, length, and entrance ID can be set. This pipe works with any entrance type, but no pipe sound will play if setting it to anything other than pipe. Placement of the entrance item does not matter. It should be placed nearby, though.

Warp Pipe
Warp Pipe - Up/Down/Right/Left (377, 378, 379, 380)

The regular sprite pipes are exactly the same as the Enterable Warp Pipe, except that they cannot normally be entered. They exist in all 4 directions, unlike the above variant.


 * To make those pipes enterable
 * Paint a Tileset Pipe above the sprite pipe you want to make enterable. It will appear behind the sprite pipe in-game; it cannot be seen.
 * Place an entrance item according to general rules for pipes.
 * Connect the entrance as learned in Connecting Entrances within same Area.

Rolling Hill
Rolling Hill - 1 Pipe/8 Pipes (355, 360)

Rolling Hills are also very easy to set up. Various attributes can be set for the hills, but we only care for  for now. Setting an entrance ID there allows the players to enter the rolling hill pipe. This pipe works with any entrance type, but no pipe sound will play if setting it to anything other than pipe. Placement of the entrance item does not matter. Pipes on rolling hills can only be used as entrance, not exit.

4-Way Cannon
4-Way Large Cannon with Pipe (301)

4-Way Cannons are easy to configure. We'll skip most of the attributes for now and focus only on. Setting an entrance ID allows the players to enter the green pipe from the rotating 4-way cannon. The pipe can only be entered while it's at the top-most position (or bottom-most if the cannon is upside down). The placement of the entrance item does not matter. Any entrance type can be chosen, but pipe sound will only play with any pipe type. Only use as an entrance!

Rotation Controlled Pipe
Rotation Controlled Pipe (254) (Buggy)

Harder to set up, but very rewarding when it works!

The rotating pipe in Reggie is extremely buggy. Nintendo never used that sprite in a level.

The pipe can be used as a stationary or rotating item. It can be entered at the starting position, or at the final position after the rotation. It can not be entered while it rotates. The entrance item needs to be placed at the correct position, identical to how it's done for regular pipes. The entrance type should be set to, but other entrance types work also if placed correctly. They won't have the pipe sound, though.


 * Setup
 * Place a Rotation Controlled Pipe (254) (Buggy) . Assign it a . Please note: It seems that not all Rotation IDs work for whatever reason. Please try different IDs in case the pipe doesn't show up in the level.
 * At the opposite side of the pipe entrance, paint a pipe joint on layer 0. Paint transparent and solid tiles behind it on layer 1. The pipe can touch the pipe joint or be up to 1 tile behind it.
 * Also place a Rotation Controller - Spinning and Zoom (149) . It should be positioned at the center of the pipe joint.
 * Select it and give it the same Rotation ID as the pipe.
 * Leave  empty! Assign a speed, and select the rotation direction.
 * Set the  to.
 * Set an  for the controller. Also place a switch or event block into the level that can trigger the event.
 * Finally, set the  to.
 * If you want the players to be able to enter the pipe at the starting point, then place an entrance there. Should the players be able to enter the pipe after the rotation has finished, then place an entrance item at the calculated final position of the pipe.

Rotating the pipe 90° also works, but only with a different setup.
 * 90° Rotations
 * Do everything as above.
 * Select the rotation controller.
 * Set the  to  !
 * Set the  to.
 * There should already be a switch or event block that triggers the rotation of the pipe. If there is none, add one now.
 * Add a chainer. The chainer should deactivate the event that was activated by the switch. Deactivation should happen immediately after it was activated. It's recommended to activate the event for 1 frame only.

This setup guarantees that the pipe will rotate 90° to the next position and then stop there.


 * The following bugs are known for the sprite
 * The rotating pipe destroys all tiles at the position where the rotation stops. It does not destroy tiles on its path.
 * Only 180° rotations work correctly. 90° rotation works with a more complicated setup involving events. Rotations below 90° do not work at all.
 * The pipe uses hardcoded tiles from  while it rotates!



Magic Platform Pipes
Magic Platform (169) (Newer only)

Magic platforms consist exclusively of solid tiles (or transparent/solid-on-top). Therefore, they cannot be entered by default. This is only possible if a tile has the attribute of a pipe (see Tileset Pipes). That's why we need to spawn pipe tiles with the Tile God Event (191) behind the magic platform at some point. This will be explained in the setup tutorial below.

The magic platform must be a moving object for this setup to make sense. It's a pretty complicated process. But then it's a very nice looking feature to have in a level, and it can be used as an exit (players exit the pipe, then the pipe moves away), or as an entrance (pipe moves into position, then the players can enter).

Please note that this is the only way letting players enter or exit a moving pipe! The Moving Pipe - Facing Up/Down (339, 353) cannot be used for this, as it cannot be entered at all.

Magic platforms have a tutorial on their own, see #####here, the same is true for Events. We'll quickly go through the needed steps in this setup guide which also includes parts from the above two tutorials.
 * Step 1
 * Moving Magic Platform (MP) Pipe
 * Paint a (long) tileset pipe far outside your zone on layer 1.
 * Cover it with a location. Snap the location to the grid. Remember the location ID.
 * Place a Magic Platform (169) into your zone. The sprite represents the top-left corner of the object that we painted inside the location (the pipe). The entire object will be put into the level at the location of the sprite. That's why it should be placed so that it represents the pipe before it has moved. The movement will be configured in the next step. It's perfectly fine to place the magic platform far below/above the zone, so that it cannot be reached by the players yet.
 * Select the magic platform sprite, then match the  with the one that covers the pipe. Keep   for the   type.
 * Set a . Apply the same event ID to a switch (e.g. ? Switch (Orange) (40) ) or Event Block (239) that will be used to trigger the pipe movement. Fill out   for the switch and match it with   from the magic platform. In our example we'll be using event ID.
 * Go back and select the magic platform. After setting the event ID, new options become available. Set,  , and   for the moving pipe. This will dictate, in which direction and how far the pipe will move, and how quickly also.  It's recommended to use an auxiliary object to measure the distance the pipe needs to cover. The easiest method is to use a row/column of transparent blocks, paint it on the pathway (on layer 0), and count the required moving distance along it. Don't forget to remove the auxiliary object afterwards.   is only needed, if multiple magic platforms overlap.

We now have a moving magic platform (MP) pipe in our level. Movement can be initiated by the switch. It cannot be entered yet! It's just made of solid blocks.
 * Step 2
 * Events

What we need to do now is spawn tiles with the Tile God Event (191) behind the MP pipe. Those tiles have the pipe attributes and are therefore actually enterable. And so it appears, that the MP pipe is also enterable. It's a bit tricky because we want the tiles to spawn, when the MP pipe has finished moving and reached the final position. If the tiles spawn too early, they can be seen. If they spawn too late, then the players have to wait for the pipe to be enterable. It requires a few tests to find out the right delay, but it can be found out pretty quickly. The event chainer is precise enough so that it's possible to spawn the tiles at the right time.


 * Place a Event Controller - Chainer (If X, do Y) (37) into the level.
 * Select it and configure it as shown in the image.  should be the event ID from the switch, in our example  . For , use the next freely available ID, in our example.
 * Set a  value for the chainer. The chainer will trigger the event, after delay timer has run out. This part requires testing, as the value depends on the pipe travel distance, in our example , and the travel speed. If you see the tiles spawn way too early, set a higher delay. If you have to wait some time until you can enter the pipe, lower the value.


 * Place two Tile God Events (191) in your level.
 * Configure them as shown in the image.  should be set to the   of the chainer. Set   and   to  . Keep , set to  ,.
 * It's important to disable the sound and graphics effects, so that the pipe tiles can spawn silently without the knowledge of the player. Set  and.
 * Keep  as it is, and set the   type to   (Type 8). This only works in Newer.


 * Now we need to configure  and   to select the correct tiles from the tileset. The tiles need to match those from the magic platform pipe. We're looking for the green top-left and top-right pipe tiles. In the regular   tileset, the green top-left pipe is at position  . The green top-right pipe tile is at  . Please note: The other pipe colors are at different positions in the tileset. Since Reggie Next we have a visual clue which tile is currently selected, so it should be relatively easy to find the right one. Also, custom tilesets might have the pipes at entirely different positions.
 * Move both Tile God sprites relatively close together, as shown in the image, then move them to the position, where the pipe will stop moving. Attention: Tile Gods must be on the grid! If they are placed off-grid then they will automatically snap back to the grid in-game.
 * Finally, and if you haven't already, place an entrance item at the same position. Configure it to be enterable, set the . If needed, set the   too, and of course entrance   to   and you are done. Don't forget you might need to test your level a few times to find the right delay value.

Pipe Cannon
Pipe Cannon (227)

Pipe Cannons are normally not enterable. But with a little trick they are. They can be made enterable by painting a tileset pipe over the pipe cannon.

Please note: This "feature" should never be required to be found by the players to complete the normal route or secret route of a level. If anything, it should be used to hide an optional super secret room or similar.


 * Setup
 * 1) Place a pipe cannon. Configure , set it to.
 * 2) Paint a tileset pipe over the pipe cannon.
 * 3) Place the entrance item according to Tileset Pipes rules and set the Entrance Type to Pipe.


 * How it works
 * Players enter the pipe when they press Down while standing on it. They warp to the configured entrance as usual. Technically, the tilest pipe is used.
 * Players get shot up with the pipe cannon when they ground-pound the pipe cannon. A ground-pound prioritizes the sprite (pipe cannon) for whatever reason.

The placement of the entrance item matters, see picture. Any entrance type can be chosen, but pipe sound will only play with any pipe type.

Connected Pipes
Connected pipes is a feature that allows players to go right through a pipe, hide the players during transition, and let them emerge from a different pipe, without fading out the scene. The camera will follow the path nodes that need to be placed along the way to lead the players to the destination pipe.

Any two pipes within a Zone can be connected, no matter how close together or far apart they are.

The connected pipes feature was first used in Super Mario Bros. 3, but not in the retail NSMBW game. There, it is even broken. A connected pipe can only be used once in retail NSMBW. In Newer SMBW, this bug was fixed and connected pipes can be used without any problem, even multiple times.

In the retail game, the travel speed for the players to go from one pipe to another is. In Newer, it is  and the speed cannot be altered. Setting any,   or   values on the path nodes has no effect!

The timer will stop running during the travel period.

Connected pipes require the following items:
 * Requirements
 * An enterable/exitable pipe. Any enterable tileset or sprite pipe can be chosen.
 * An entrance item using the  type. Placement of the entrance item matters, see Tileset Pipes.
 * Path nodes that need to be placed along the travel path.

Placing pipe tiles and the entrance item is an easy task for us now, as we have already learned how to do that in previous chapters. But we have not looked at the placement of the path nodes, yet.


 * Placement of the Path Nodes
 * Go to the Paths tab, and place a new path node into the level. Move it to the spot as described next.
 * The first and last path nodes must be placed directly below an imaginary 2x2 box covering the pipe entrance/exit. This might look a bit counter-intuitive at first. Please see the picture below for a visual explanation. Placing the path nodes wrong causes the players to be offset when exiting the pipe.


 * Only the first and last path nodes need to be placed according to the rules above. Nodes in between can be placed freely. Please note that the camera will follow the path nodes, so they should be placed meaningful. Not placing any nodes in between will cause the camera to move diagonal from pipe entrance to pipe exit (if the travel distance is long enough and the two pipes are on different heights). To have a rectangular camera movement (camera exactly follows the pipes), we would need to place path nodes in between. Please see the image above.


 * Setup One-Way
 * Paint two pipes into the level. In our example we'll be using a down pipe (entrance) and a right pipe as exit.
 * Place a new path and remember the  (  in our example). Place the path nodes according to rules. Look at the picture above, more precisely the one with a down and a right pipe.
 * Place two entrance items covering the pipes. Set the entrance to type, and the exit to type  . In our example, the entrance items have the   (entrance) and   (exit).
 * Select the entrance item (covering the down pipe). Set  to  . Leave   empty for both entrance items. Activate  . Activate  . Do not activate  . Set   to  . Set   (Connected Pipe Exit Direction) to  ! The last value has to match the direction of the other pipe.
 * Select the exit item (covering the right pipe). Leave  empty. Do not activate  . Activate , and  . Set   to  . Set   (Connected Pipe Exit Direction) to   (once again matching the direction of the other pipe)!

Same as above, with the only exception to set  and   on both pipes.
 * Setup Dual-Way
 * First (down) pipe has  activated, and   set to  . Activate/Set ,   (1),   (right).
 * Second (right) pipe has  activated, and   set to  . Activate/Set ,  ,   (1),   (down).



The players will be hidden when entering a connected pipe, and during the entire travel period. But this is not the case for graphical effects surrounding a player actor.
 * Visual Glitches

Mario is surrounded by a yellow sparkling animation for 1-2 seconds when he collects a coin. When he collects a 1-Up, the same happens but the effect has a green-ish color, etc. Those graphical effects wear off quickly, but they can still be seen for approx. 5-8 tiles, assuming the player moves at the highest speed.

If the graphical effect has not had enough time to wear off before players enter a connected pipe, it can still be noticed even though the players are invisible. The graphic effect is visible during the entire travel time, as the effect no longer wears off.

It is therefore suggested to place the following tiles or sprites at least 5-8 blocks away from any connected pipe entrance:
 * Coins (tileset-based and sprites, any type)
 * Star Coins
 * 1-Ups (make sure the actual 1-Up can't get any closer than 5-8 blocks)
 * Any power-up (once again consider the "path" a power-up would take)
 * Any other sprite causing a graphical effect surrounding the players

Forward Pipes
If this setting is activated on a pipe entrance, the  and   values will be ignored. Mario will pass through the pipe and reappear several tiles ahead, coming out of a pipe pointing towards the screen. This actor pose is quite unique and only used here.

The travel distance and all other aspects of this entrance type are hard-coded and cannot be changed. The players will travel either 5.5 or 6.5 blocks, depending on the direction. For horizontal pipes, they will also travel downwards by 1 block.

In the code, the entrance type is called water tank. This suggests the entrance was intended to be used in water-filled zones. From what we know, this is not really a requirement for this entrance type, though.


 * Setup
 * Paint a pipe into the level. Any tileset-based pipe or sprite pipe will do.
 * Place an entrance item. Set it to any  type. Place the entrance item according to Tileset Pipes rules.
 * Set  on the pipe.
 * Activate.
 * The exit does not require an exit item!
 * For the exit, a special, towards-screen pipe should be used.



Doors
No Yoshi

Usage

Multiplayer

= Exit Controllers =

Special Exit Controller (SEC)
You can end a level using the Special Exit Controller by selecting 'Exit, Stage Left', then making it the size you need. Keep in mind the player will be forced to walk left and the exit transition will be overridden by an iris focused on the left side of the screen. This will not complete the level, and will not make any pipe sound.

Level Exit Controller (Switch Palace)
This can be used along with Bowser Switch (Large) (479) to activate whichever colored Switch Palace blocks you select and show a message with it from messages.bin, then it will complete the level with the standard exit.

= Level Exit Conditions =

Goal Flagpole
The standard flagpole found at the end of every normal level. Make sure there is terrain leading to the fortress behind it.

Ambush
Keep in mind that Newer SMBW rewrote the way Sprite 203 works, so ambushes will not work at all in Newer mods. You can end a level by setting it up like an ambush, using Ambush - Toad Balloon (185), Chest (203) , Toad NPC (432) , and Ambush Level Controller (454). First, you get these 4 sprites, then you get 7 more Ambush - Toad Balloon (185) and set them up as you want. That is pretty much all you need to do, as the ambush controller does the work from there, meaning when you collect the items out of the chest, the level will end.

Chest
Chests work somewhat like the flagpole, they will complete a level with the standard exit when opened. You will also get what items were selected in the sprite settings.

Bosses & Cutscene Controllers
When you set up a boss fight, you can use the appropriate boss controller to make the fight work. When setting up a boss fight area, it is strongly recommended that you copy the area from the original level, as some things are hardcoded, or need to be very specifically set up. These controllers will complete the standard exit for the level when the boss is defeated.