When working with multiple layers in a tilemap, it becomes important to be able to change how you are viewing these layers to make sure they are getting designed correctly. Sometimes you need to hide a layer so you can see another one clearly, or make a layer partially transparent, or a number of other things to be able to see what you are doing.
All these changes can be made by changing the properties of a layer, but there are two critical problems with doing this.
One, it is inconvenient to navigate to the hierarchy, find the tilemap, find the correct component, and change the setting, all just to make what should be a quick check on something.
Two, this invites the possibility that a setting might be changed and then forgotten to be changed back, or set back to a wrong value, etc.
What I propose is an addition to the tile palette window to resolve these issues and make editing tilemaps easier.
ONE: Add a visibility icon to the left of the tilemap name in the Active Tilemap drop-down. While editing a tilemap, a user need only click the Tilemap drop-down, and then click that icon on any tilemap they want to temporarily change the visibility of. Just like changing the visibility of layers in most graphics editors.
It wouldn’t impact how the game displays the tilemap when it runs, only what is displayed in the editor.
I would also be interested in having a second icon in this list to set any tilemap to display at 1/3 opacity. With one simple click, make any layer still visible but not completely visible.
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And as I think about it, I imagine some people may want this second icon to quickly change the displayed color of the layer entirely, like if they are coloring their layers and they want to quickly view some layers at their default “white” value. In such cases maybe they want this second icon to pop up a full color dialogue to change the displayed color. But that would make it inconvenient to change to a quick transparency, so perhaps this compromise could made:
Have the second icon, when clicked, pop-up a small drop-down list where they can select the option to disable the color view, set the color view to transparent, set the color view to white, or set the color view to a custom color.
And of course, this color option would only impact how the layer is displayed in the editor. When in game the tilemaps would still use whatever color value they have set in their renderer; this would only override that value for clarity within the editor.
A third icon to lock a tilemap so it can’t be edited would be nice, too.
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Again, most graphics editing programs have this feature already. But you know what they don’t have? Some kind of notification if you try to edit a locked layer. Man I hate when I don’t realize I’m editing a locked layer. Sure would be nice if the editor just blinked some kind of notice so I didn’t get frustrated not knowing why my pen isn’t working. Just make the tile palette window flash for a moment or something.
TWO: Add a couple buttons to the side of the Active Tilemap drop-down to allow for easily changing how the active layer is viewed.
One would be an “always on top” option. If this option is selected, whatever tilemap is selected will be drawn on top of the other tilemaps, regardless of what it’s order in layer or sorting layer is.
Another would be a “make other tilemaps transparent” option. When selected, all the tilemaps are drawn at a reduced transparency except the active tilemap.
A possible third option would be to set the non-active layer to a custom color, but only when a tilemap-editing tool is selected. I for one have been painting on the wrong tilemap numerous times. it would be nice if I could have all the other layers turn a dark blue tint or something so I can see right away if I’m in the wrong layer. I’d want this feature to be a button in the Tile Palette window so I can quickly enable/disable it to see how a tilemap looks.
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Those first two options I would want to always work within the editor, in case I need to align an object in my scene. But the third one would want only when I have a tilemap-editing brush selected; so when I start changing other things the display effect reverts to normal so as to not be in the way. And then when I come back to editing tilemaps it instantly gets enabled again, just like I left it, so I don’t forget and assume I’m editing a different layer. Which I’ve done, often.
Anyone else think these features should be implemented?