Areas and Area Options
Areas are part of the level structure, the editable region within a level. They can be seen as a container for all items and all zones (items here are tiles, sprites, locations, entrances, and paths).
Additionally, each Area uses Area Options that can be changed from the respective dialog. New tileset combinations can be selected, and we can set the level timer. It's also possible to activate level modes for a specific area, such as the Toad House Mode, Wrap Across Edges Mode, Credits Mode, or Ambush Mode.
The entirety of one area is called the Canvas.
Four areas can exist per level, while there is a minimum of one.
The size of an area is 1024 x 512 blocks, or 16384 x 8192 pixels.
Areas
Areas are your new friend when making a NSMBW level. The first one will automatically be created by the level editor.
Reggie loads the default Pa0 tileset when creating a new area (Pa0_jyotyu), the other three tileset slots are empty and can be changed via the Area Options dialog.
It is important to note that all items using IDs will reset and start again using value 0 in every fresh area. For example, we can use entrances with the ID 0, 1, 2, 3 [...] in area 1, and use the same entrance IDs 0, 1, 2, 3 [...] in area 2 or any other area as well!
The same is true for the following ID types:
- Entrance ID
- Location ID
- Movement Type ID
- Rotation ID
- Line ID
- Hill ID
- Stretching Blocks ID
- Wiggling Mushroom ID
- Burner ID
- Bolt ID
- Path ID
- Path Nodes ID
Events are special in that regard, please see Events.
Timer Control, Initial Entrance, Midway Flag
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.
The timer used in the level depends on the values put into Area Options -> Settings -> Timer in area 1. Putting anything into this field in areas other than area 1 has no effect, unless the Midway Flag is involved, see below.
The timer for the midway flag is calculated in an unusual way:
- Use the time (->
Area Options) from the area with the midway flag. - Subtract 200 seconds from this time.
This gives us two options to work with:
- Keep the midway flag in area 1. This will cause Mario to start with 200 seconds less from the midway flag than he had at the start.
- Move the midway flag to any other area than area 1. This gives us the option to set any time on the midway flag respawn, by putting the following into the
Timerfield:
Desired Midway Restart Time + 200 seconds.
You want to restart with 345 seconds? Put in 545 into the timer settings in the area with the midway flag!
Sprite Loading Behavior in Areas
Placing a sprite around 30 blocks outside any zone will make sure the resources for that sprite are loaded and the sprite doesn't interact with anything. This is not the case for all sprites, though, for example Rotation Controllers, Bosses, or Boss/Cutscene Controllers etc.
Most sprites are placed inside zones, but in some circumstances they may need to be placed far outside. If they are placed far outside zones then it depends on the sprite type to determine which zone they belong to. It's usually the zone closest to that sprite.
Technically speaking, all sprites from one area will be loaded when the player enters any zone in that area. More precisely, the resources will be made available for immediate use. To actually load a sprite into the environment of the player, other factors are taken into account.
Bosses, boss controllers, cutscene controllers, and other sprites should not be placed into areas with "normal" level sections. They should use their own areas. Other controllers are sometimes placed into an area without any level terrain, making sure the sprite is loaded but not interfering with anything.
Sprites that are required for other sprites to function, for example the Bowser Jr. Boss Controller that is needed for the Thundercloud sprite to work should be placed into a separate area, too.
Area Options
This window allows modifying the settings for the current area, such as tilesets, the timer, the starting entrance and other things. We can choose the tileset for each slot by selecting one of the four suites and choosing the tileset we'd like to use. We can also use a custom tileset by typing its name in the text box at the bottom.
Please note the extension .arc is omitted. Make sure the custom tileset exists in the tileset folder that Reggie has currently selected!
The values for timer and initial entrance can be set here, further information: Timer Control, Initial Entrance, Midway Flag.
The initial entrance ID defaults to 0. That means we can be certain, that in a new level we can always use entrance ID 0 as an initial entrance.
Toad House Mode
This mode requires a very specific setup, see the original NSMBW levels for more info.
The actual game is in a separate area (area 2), while area 1 is the intro section.
Both areas need Toad House Type set to the correct type in Area Options -> Settings -> Toad House Type.
There are three different Toad House Types:
- Power-Up Toad House (Match Game)
- 1-Up Toad House (Cannon)
- Star Toad House (Star Chest)
Toad House Unlock Criteria In the game there are several Toad Houses that are unlocked when beating a level. But we can also make them re-appear on the map by saving Toad when he appears in a level. To do this, we'll need to head to a level with the white Toad marker. Release Toad from the ? Block he's trapped in -- near the beginning of a level, listen for the cries -- and run him all the way to the end of the level to make a Toad House spawn. The type of Toad House depends on the final digit of the time when we grab the flag at the end of the level. We'll get a certain number of fireworks based on this final digit, and the final firework will reveal the color of Toad House we've unlocked.
- Green (1-Up cannon game) - Get Toad to the end of the level, hit flag when the last digit of the time ends in 0, 1, 2 or 3 (MP: 00, 11, 22).
- Red (Match game) - Get Toad to the end of the level, hit flag when the last digit of the time ends in 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 (MP: 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88).
- Gold (Star reward) - Get Toad to the end of the level, hit flag when the last digit of the time ends in 9 (MP: 99).
Toad House Bonanza
Beat the game to make all the Toad houses in Worlds 1-8 reappear.
Collect all of the Star Coins (W1-W9) and visit/use every Warp Cannon to make the houses reappear and stay for good. This will only happen if you have all 5 stars by your save file and all of the videos unlocked in the castle -- you have to do EVERYTHING. Source: IGN
Toad House Match Game (Reggie: Power-Up Toad House)
Needs these sprites to set up:
428: Toad House Minigame - Flip Panel
430: Toad House Minigame - Flip Panel Controller
There are six Toad House match game variants for each of the Worlds 1-9. For a complete list of the Toad House match game solutions, please refer to this Mario Wiki page.
Boards are set up on a 3x6 grid, on a chain link fence. This gives Mario 18 panels to guess from. Simply climb up the fence to the panel you want to hit and press 1 (or B if you're using the nunchuck – Wii Remote controller setting) to punch the block and spin it around.
You can get a variety of items, but there are also panels you want to avoid. With 18 panels, there will be 9 matches, and 2 of those sets of panels will be Bowser and Bowser Jr. If you get a match of father or son, the game ends early, so you want to avoid those panels. You can get one Bowser and one Bowser Jr. panel without the game ending, but matching either will end it.
Source: IGN1-Up Cannon Game (Reggie: 1-Up Toad House)
Needs these sprites to set up:
202: Toad House Minigame - Cannon
412: Toad House Minigame - Lives Balloon
429: Toad House Minigame - Cannon Controller
Star Reward (Reggie: Star Toad House)
Needs this sprite to set up:
203: Chest
Simply gives the player a Star power-up through a chest. This Toad House type uses only one area.
Note that the chest's power-up can be changed to a different power-up in the sprite settings.Ambush Mode
This mode requires a specific setup best observed looking at the retail levels. These are XX-33, XX-34, and XX-35, where XX is for the World ID.
Only one area and one zone is needed to set up an Ambush level.
Area 1 needs Ambush flag ticked in Area Options -> Settings -> Ambush.
Needs these sprites to set up:
185: Ambush - Toad Balloon Eight of these are required for the chest to spawn.
203: Chest Set Chest Type to 3: Triggered by Ambush Controller.
429: Toad House Minigame - Cannon Controller
Enemies are optional, but should be present to provide some sort of challenge.
Please note the Ambush levels have a small zone size, with an X-size ranging from 496 to 544, and a Y-size of 272. Spreading out the Toad Balloons over a larger section can break the Ambush Controller.
Ambushes are automatically triggered in NSMBW when Mario bumps into an enemy on the world map.
Credits Mode
This mode requires a very specific setup best observed looking at it's level. The credits level is 01-42.arc
Area 1 needs Credits flag ticked in Area Options -> Settings -> Credits.
It also needs 468: Cutscene Controller - Credits present in the level.
It's recommended not to change anything here, unless you know what you're doing.
The file with the credits can be converted to text and edited. This is covered in this article.
Wrap Across Edges Mode
This mode requires a very specific setup as well, best observed looking at a retail level. An example of this in use is 01-20.arc Area 1, Zone 1.
The area with the feature needs Wrap Across Edges flag ticked in Area Options -> Settings -> Wrap Across Edges.
The zone with the feature needs to have a specific width. Use the numbers exactly as shown.
- With Screen Height 14: Zone width must be
416px - With Screen Height 17: Zone width must be
512px(default mode for "Wrap Across Edges") - With Screen Height 19: Zone width must be
560px
It's recommended to use a separate area for zones using this mode.
Area Specifications and Limitations
The following table provides an overview of the specifications that are known for areas.
Most limitations regarding zone/sprite/tile [...] usage are valid on a per-area basis and not per-zone.
| Area Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Number of Areas per Level | 1-4 |
| Area Size | 1024 x 512 blocks 16384 x 8192 px |
| Unique Tilesets per Area | 4 (16 unique Tilesets per Level) |
| Max Zones per Area | 6-9, but more can be created if same Zone Settings used, see Zones and Zone Options |
| Max Sprites per Area | ~1000 (also depends on Sprites used, limit can be reached much earlier) |
| Max Tiles per Area | There is a limit but correct numbers unknown |
| Max Tile Size per Area | There is a limit but correct numbers unknown. It's recommended to make tiled objects not larger than 127 x 127 blocks. |
| Max Locations/Entrances/Paths/Nodes per Area | Locations: 256 (Location ID 0 is special, don't use unless you know what you're doing) Entrances: 256 Paths: 256 Nodes: 4096 |
Reggie Area Techniques
New Area & Delete Area
This action can not be undone, so make sure you've saved the level before.
From the Settings menu, select either
New Area, which will add a new area using the next free area slot (up to four).Delete Area, which will delete the area that is currently active in Reggie.
Import/Clone Area
We can also import areas from any other level.
From the Settings menu, select
Import Area from Level, select any level, then choose the desired area to import (1-4).
To clone an area:
- Save the current level.
- Open
Settingsmenu ->Import Area from Level. - Choose the currently selected level, then choose the currently selected area to import exactly the same area as the one that is currently active.
Re-Order Areas
To re-order any areas, do the following:
- Make sure that you have saved the current level with the areas that you want to rearrange. Save as
levelname_v1.arc - Save the level again as
levelname_v2.arcand continue working with that file. - Delete all the areas except for the area that should become Area 1 after the re-ordering process.
- Import the other areas in the right order from
levelname_v1.arcintolevelname_v2.arc.
Please note that imported, cloned, or re-ordered areas may not be connected properly. Entrances and exits coming from or going to other areas need to be modified manually. See Entrances.
Area or Zone?
When building a level we will sooner or later face the decision whether we want to create a new zone or a new area. This decision should be made using the following tips.
If anything below is true, then we need to create a new area, if false then we can create a new zone.
- Does the new level section (zone) require new tilesets?
Explanation: If we are fine with all four tilesets currently in use then there is no need to create a new area. Creating a new zone is advised. If we want to use a new tileset then we must create a new area.
- Does the new level section invoke any of the special modes?
Explanation: Level sections using the special mode "Wrap Across Edges" are usually put into a separate area. The entrance section and goal section won't have this activated, while the main section does. For example, area 1 could include the entrance section (and maybe even the goal section, depending if the same tilesets are used), while area 2 could include the main level section with the "Wrap Across Edges" feature.
- Does the level include a boss section?
Explanation: Bosses, especially those from the original game, are usually placed into an area of their own. The reason for this is, because the boss controllers and the actual boss sprite that are needed for the boss fight to function can influence other actors in the entire area. In the original game, area 2 is used for boss fights. The term "boss fight" here includes the two zones needed to create the boss room, boss fight, and cutscene section.
Likewise, Bowser's 1st Fight and Bowser's Final Fight are placed in a separate area.
- Do the items within the area reach any of the area limits?
Explanation: A new area must be created for obvious reasons when one of the area limits is likely to be reached. Please see Area Specifications and Limitations for further information.
- Do we want to have the midway entrance in another area?
- Do we want to manipulate the midway restart time?
Explanation: There are many reasons to place the midway entrance into an area other than area 1. It could be a new tileset combination introduced in the later part of the level, which also holds the midway flag and entrance.
To manipulate the midway restart time, all that needs to be done is place the midway flag and entrance into an area other than area 1, and set the time in Area Options according to the info from here: Timer Control, Initial Entrance, Midway Flag.