Level Editing

The Construct is your hub for creating your own levels for Diora! Enter the construct and interact with the blueprint table to get started.

The editor was designed to make level editing as easy as possible. All campaign levels were made using the level editor!

Selected block		Cursor position
D-Pad hint		Crank hint

	Place currently selected block
	Rotate level
	Move cursor horizontally

	Erase hovered block
	Change selected block
	Move cursor vertically
	Rotate cursor

Use these menus to manage your level and project.

Test Level	Test your level! Press to get back to the editor.
Save / Quit	Manage your level, and exit back to the project menu. You can delete projects and levels here as well.
Editor Settings	Change settings such as the amount the cursor moves.
Level Settings	Change settings such as the music and background of the level.
Block Library	Browse and load blocks to use in the level.
Block Inspector	Hover the cursor over a block and inspect its values. You can edit some values as well.
Edit Connections	Hover the cursor over a block and edit its connections.

The connections menu is used to link blocks together.

Connections are usually linked opposite to the flow, this is because most blocks with connections are 'listening' for the button's state to change.

While you can make plenty of levels on the Playdate, you can take advantage of advanced tools using a computer!

The Commands System is used to handle complex logic behind dialogue, triggers, and editor tools. Click the examples to copy to the clipboard.

These two groups of commands are actually interchangeable! Switch # for !msg, and vice versa. This can be used to do some very complex effects!

These commands are used in dialogue and triggers. Useful for for cutscenes and world building

Command	Args	Example	Description
dialogue		Hello World!	Base dialogue, no #. Cannot be used in triggers.
comment		#-- print Hello World!	Its a comment, pretty self explanatory.
print	message	#print Hello World!	Prints the message. Can be used to debug and label branches.
character	name	#character diora	Changes Bebe and Icon to match a character file.
icon	name	#icon diora	Changes Icon.
bebe	name	#bebe diora	Changes Bebe.
setat	type name value x y z	#setat bool active false 1 2 3	Sets the variable of the block at the xyz.
setself	type name value	#setself number tr 45	Sets the variable of the block that owns the dialogue.
setplayer	type name value	#setplayer number tr 180	Sets the variable of the player.
set	type name value	#set number playermovespeed 1	Sets the global variable. Can be unstable!
call	name	#call	Calls the global function. Can be unstable!
interactat	x y z	#interactat 1 2 3	Interacts with block at the xyz.
lockinput	value	#lockinput true	Locks/Unlocks player input. Good for cutscenes.
destroy		#destroy	Destroys the block that owns the dialogue.
destroyat	x y z	#destroyat 1 2 3	Destroys the block at xyz.
cam	angle z time	#cam 90 1 2	Starts a camera animation. Can also be 'end' to return control to the player. Good for cutscenes.
sound	name	#sound explosion	Plays the sound effect.
win	delay	#win 2	Diora is win! :) Pauses for effect. Delay value is optional.
kill	delay	#kill 2	Diora is kil. :( Pauses for effect. Delay value is optional.
video	name	#video intro	Plays a video.
wait	seconds	#wait 4.5	Pauses the commands the defined amount of seconds. Triggers only.
branch	dialogue	#branch tip1 tip2 tip3	Picks a random dialogue from the list and continues. Does not need more than one file.
setlore	name value	#setlore spoketodave true	Sets lore value. Lore is used to handle story progression.
branchlore	name dialogue	#branchlore spoketodave reward	Branches to another dialogue only if the lore is true.
gointo	name	#gointo room	Brings player into the level. Like going through a door.

These commands are used to complete tedious tasks in the editor. They are a must have when making a large level! Use the commands in the Playdate Simulator Console.

Command	Args	Example	Description
export		!msg export	Prints the level .json in the console.
loadblock	name	!msg loadblock ladder	Loads the block. Required for custom blocks.
music	name	!msg music bauhaus_groove	Changes the level music. Can also be 'none' for no music. Required for custom music.
background	name	!msg background construct	Changes the level background. Can also be 'void' for no background. Required for custom backgrounds.
blockdata	name	!msg blockdata ladder	Prints the block data .json to the console. Useful for making custom blocks.
demos		!msg demos	Print the demo list.
demo	name	!msg demo push	Start a demo on the demo list.
offsetblocks	x y z	!msg offsetblocks 0 0 1	Offsets all blocks in the scene.
offsetwhere	exp x y z	!msg offsetwhere y_==_0 0 0 1	Offsets all blocks that satisfy the expression.
deletewhere	exp	!msg deletewhere x_<_0	Deletes all blocks that satisfy the expression.

Custom levels support many types of custom assets, this section will cover how to create your own assets! The example project can be used to understand the file structure and features of custom assets.

Download example project

Most custom assets require knowledge of Blender (3.6) and the Playdate SDK.

Blender 3.6 Playdate SDK

Download the template files here.

Download block template Download character template

After customizing the block, render the frames out to a folder. Use the dither tool to convert to a single large image containing all of the dithered frames.

Dither Tool

Use the Playdate SDK to build the image table to a .pdt, and place it into the blocks folder in your project. The character file will have an extra frame for the dialogue icon. Dither and build it as a separate .pdi.

By naming the custom block the same name as an existing block, you can replace the graphics of that block in the project. This could be used to create a unique art style, or replace Diora with a new character.

Some blocks may need custom functionality, this can be achieved with a block data file. Use the editor command !msg blockdata NAME to see that block's data. See the example project for the example block data file.

Use the editor command !msg loadblock NAME to load the block.

Download the template file here.

Download background template

After customizing the background, render the frames out to a folder. Use the dither tool to convert to a single large image containing all of the dithered frames.

Dither Tool

Use the Playdate SDK to build the image table to a .pdt, and place it into the backgrounds folder in your project.

Use the editor command !msg background NAME to load the background.

Custom music can be used, convert to ADPCM WAV. Build to a .pda using the Playdate SDK. Music looping can be defined using a descriptor txt with the same name as the wav. The txt contains the decimal seconds into the song where the music should resume at when it reaches the end. See example project for the formatting of the descriptor.

Use the editor command !msg music NAME to load the music.

You can use custom images as your project and level icons! Create a custom icon at (200x240) Build to a .pdi using the Playdate SDK. See the Example project for the location of these icons.

You can use the lock and desc files to supply optional metadata about the project. Use desc.txt to show a simple message about your project in the menu. Use lock.txt to prevent editing the level without first removing the file. Consider doing this before sharing your level for a more polished experience.

Unsure of how to use a certain block? There is a large list of demo levels that show exactly how to set up a block to work correctly. They can also be used for inspiration!

Use the editor command !msg demos to print the demo list.

Use the editor command !msg demo NAME to start a demo. This can be done from the map or inside the construct.