Circulate features a level editor which you can use to create your own levels!


To activate this 'hidden feature', type 'EDITOR' while in the main menu. You will see a 'Custom Levels' button appear.
Click this button to get started. To get the most out of the editor please read the following instructions.



The available keyboard commands are :

KEY

   ACTION
Space Test play the level (Press space again to return to the editor).
Insert Insert a sphere or level component under the mouse pointer.
Delete Delete the currently selected sphere or level component.
H Toggles the editor's on-screen display on/off.
Shift Hold to divide the effect of '+' and '-' on-screen buttons by 10.
Ctrl Hold to multiply the effect of  '+' and '-' on-screen buttons by 10.
Home While testing your level, press 'Home' key to return to the editor with the current changes intact.
G Toggle the grid on and off.
0-9 Alter how many segments the grid is split up by. Hold down the 'Ctrl' key and 0-9 to alter how many sections each segment is divided by.
S Snap the currently selected component to the nearest grid location.
Shift Hold down the 'Shift' key while moving a sphere to prevent the sphere from overlapping other level components.

The on-screen commands down the left-hand side of the screen are :

OPTION

   ACTION
Spheres When you press the 'Insert' key, you will create a sphere.
Shapes When you press the 'Insert' key, you will create a shape.
Walls When you press the 'Insert' key, you will create a wall.
CWalls When you press the 'Insert' key, you will create a circular wall.
Containers When you press the 'Insert' key, you will create a container.
Details When you press the 'Insert' key, you will create a detail.
Doors When you press the 'Insert' key, you will create a door.
Pods When you press the 'Insert' key, you will create a pod.
Meters When you press the 'Insert' key, you will create a tilt meter.
Best Enter the best possible time to complete the level.
Com Edits the level's Objective Commands.
Environment +/- sets the level's environment. Options are Metal, Hedge, Sketch, Snow or Sweets.

The on-screen commands down the right-hand side of the screen, underneath the pause icon are :

OPTION

   ACTION
Clear Clears the current level. You will be prompted to confirm this operation.
Load Loads a level (you will be prompted for the level's name).
Save Saves the current level (you will be prompted for the level's name).
Red +/- alters the red component of the background color.
Green +/- alters the green component of the background color.
Blue +/- alters the blue component of the background color.
 
You can share your levels by copying them to and from your 'Custom' folder. The default installation will place the 'Custom' folder here (where 'LoginName' is your Windows login name) :

C:/Documents and Settings\LoginName\Application Data\Clockwork Pixels\Circulate\Custom

Creating a Component

A level is created by adding spheres and level components.
To create a level component follow these steps :

  • Select its type from the top-left hand options.
  • When creating a sphere or shape, select the required type.
  • Place the cursor where you want to create the component.
  • Press the 'Insert' key.

Selecting a Component

To select a level component simply left-click on it. The component will flash to show that it has been selected. Please refer to the Walls and Details sections for more information on selecting these types of components.

Editing a Component

You can now change the component's properties using the top-right hand menu. This menu changes depending on which type of component you are editing.

Moving a Component

To move a level component follow these steps. Hold down the 'Shift' key while moving a sphere to prevent the sphere from overlapping other level components.

  • Select the component.
  • Leave the mouse cursor over the component.
  • Click and hold the left mouse button.
  • Drag the component to where you want it to go.
  • Release the left mouse button.

Deleting a Component

To delete a level component select the level component you wish to delete and press the 'Delete' key!

Copying a Component

To copy a level component follow these steps :

  • Select the component you wish to copy (it will flash).
  • Move the cursor to where you want to create your copy.
  • Press the 'Insert' key to create your copy.
  • Please note the original component is still selected.

This section describes the options available while editing each type of component. These options appear on the top-right hand side of the screen while a component is selected.

Many of these components (objects) have values which can be adjusted using on screen '+' and '-' buttons. Use the Ctrl and Shift keys to alter how much these buttons will effect the value. ('Ctrl' multiplies by 10, 'Shift' divides by ten).


SPHERES

To create a sphere of a specific type :
  • Click on the 'Spheres' option in the top-left hand menu.
  • A sphere type menu will appear on the top-right hand side of the screen.
  • Use the +/- buttons to scroll through the available sphere types.
  • Use the 'Insert' key to create your sphere under the cursor.

While a sphere is selected the following menu will appear in the top-right hand side of the screen :

OPTION

   ACTION
Type The sphere's type.
Radius +/- alters the size of the sphere.
On/Off This option only appears for controllable spheres (spheres which can be left-clicked during game play).
  • On : The level starts with the sphere activated.
  • Off : The level starts with the sphere deactivated.


SHAPES

To create a shape of a specific type :

  • Click on the 'Shapes' option in the top-left hand menu.
  • A shape type menu will appear on the top-right hand side of the screen.
  • Use the +/- buttons to scroll through the available shape types.
  • Use the 'Insert' key to create your shape under the cursor.

While a shape is selected the following menu will appear in the top-right hand side of the screen :

OPTION

   ACTION
Type The shape's type.
Radius +/- alters the size of the shape.
Red +/- alters the red component of the shape's color.
Green +/- alters the green component of the shape's color.
Blue +/- alters the blue component of the shape's color.
Rot +/- alters the rotation of the shape.
Speed +/- alters how fast the shape will rotate : 0.00 means there will be no additional rotation.
Free/Fixed When 'Free' the shape will move around the level like a sphere.
When 'Fixed' the shape will be fixed to the spot.


WALLS

Walls are made up of points. The wall sections are drawn between these points. Select a wall by clicking on one of its 'points'. The selected point will be highlighted with a white cross. When a wall is first created it will have two points. To add additional points :

  • Select a point.
  • A small red cross will appear in the middle of one of the wall sections. (If not try clicking another point).
  • Press the 'Insert' key to divide the wall section at the red cross.

This method can be used to create up to 20 points for each wall. If more points are required, create a new wall and add it on to your wall by hand. When moving a wall, only the selected point will move. To move the whole wall, hold down the 'Ctrl' key while moving. While a wall is selected the following menu will appear in the top-right hand side of the screen :

OPTION

   ACTION
Radius The radius of the selected point.
Set All Sets the radius of all the points which make up the wall from the currently selected point's radius.
Red +/- alters the red component of the wall's color.
Green +/- alters the green component of the wall's color.
Blue +/- alters the blue component of the wall's color.


CIRCULAR WALLS

While a circular wall is selected the following menu will appear in the top-right hand side of the screen :

OPTION

   ACTION
Width +/- alters the thickness of the circular wall.
Radius +/- alters the radius of the circular wall.
Gap +/- alters the width of the gap in the circular wall.
Red +/- alters the red component of the circular wall's color.
Green +/- alters the green component of the circular wall's color.
Blue +/- alters the blue component of the circular wall's color.
Rot +/- alters the rotation of the circular wall.
Speed +/- alters the speed at which the circular wall will rotate. 0.00 means the circular wall will remain static.


CONTAINERS

While a container is selected the following menu will appear in the top-right hand side of the screen :

OPTION

   ACTION
Com Click to edit the container's objective. See the Objective Commands section for more information.
Radius +/- alters the radius (width) of the container.
Length +/- alters the length of the container (how long it is).
Red +/- alters the red component of the container's color.
Green +/- alters the green component of the container's color.
Blue +/- alters the blue component of the container's color.
Rot +/- alters the rotation of the container.
Speed +/- alters the speed at which the container will rotate. 0.00 means the container will remain static.


DETAILS

While a detail is selected the following menu will appear in the top-right hand side of the screen :

OPTION

   ACTION
Tex Click to select the detail's texture. The following details are available :
  • Metal01 - Metal04
  • Hedge01 - Hedge06
  • Sketch01 - Sketch06
  • Snow01 - Snow05
  • Sweet01 - Sweet05
Top Display the detail on top of all other details.
Bottom Display the detail below all other details.
A-Speed +/- alters the animation speed. (Pause in seconds between each frame).
A-Type +/- alters the animation type. (The order in which the frames are displayed).
Width The width of the detail.
Height The height of the detail.
Red +/- alters the red component of the detail's color.
Green +/- alters the green component of the detail's color.
Blue +/- alters the blue component of the detail's color.
Rot +/- alters the rotation of the detail.
Speed +/- alters the speed at which the detail will rotate. 0.00 means the detail will remain static.


DOORS

Doors are made up of two points. The door is drawn between these two points. Each point can be moved individually. Force-fields are one way doors. To alter the direction in which the door will affect spheres, switch the door's points. Doors can be made to be automatic by entering values for the on and off fields. Doors are manual when both of these values are set to 0.00. While a door is selected the following menu will appear in the top-right hand side of the screen :

OPTION

   ACTION
Type +/- alters the type of door :
  • Normal : A normal sliding door.
  • Forcefield : A one way door.
On +/- alters how long an automatic door will remain on (closed).
Off +/- alters how long an automatic door will remain off (open).
Radius +/- alters the scale of the door.
On/Off One of two states :
  •  On : The level starts with the door on (closed).
  • Off : The level starts with the door off (open).


PODS

While a pod is selected the following menu will appear in the top-right hand side of the screen :

OPTION

   ACTION
Type +/- alters the type of spheres which are produced by the pod.
Radius +/- alters the scale of the pod.
Pause +/- alters how long the pod will pause for before producing another sphere.
Amount +/- alters how many spheres the pod contains. When this is set to 0, the pod will produce an unlimited amount of spheres ('Infinite' will be displayed in place of the number).
Rot +/- alters the rotation of the pod.
Speed +/- alters the speed at which the pod will rotate between producing spheres. 0.00 means the pod will remain static.


TILT METERS

While a tilt meter is selected the following menu will appear in the top-right hand side of the screen :

OPTION

   ACTION
Ang +/- alters the maximum angle the level can be rotated by, before the tilt meter explodes.
Radius +/- alters the scale of the tilt meter.
 

The best way to get used to objective commands is to try them out in your own level. Objective commands tell the level what must happen for the player to have completed the level. With no objective commands, a level will be instantly completed.

Container Objective Commands

  • Enter Objective commands for each Container using its 'Com' option.
  • Containers can only have one objective command each.
  • The command only relates to the container itself.

Level Objective Commands

  • Level objective commands are entered using the level's 'Com' Option.
  • Five objective commands can be entered into the level's 'Com' option.
  • When entering more than one command, the commands should be separated with spaces.
  • The command relates to the level itself (and includes spheres used in container commands).

Command Format

Objective commands take the following format :

  • Sphere type (the name displayed in the editor)
  • Amount (a number)
  • Greater than (G) / Less than (L)

These are entered without any spaces. Let's take a look at some examples :

COMMAND

   MEANING
RED5 There must be exactly 5 red spheres.
BLUE0 There must be no blue spheres left.
GREEN20G There must be more than 20 green spheres.
HOVER3L There must be less than 3 hover spheres.
RED4G RED11L There must be between 5 and 10 red spheres (note the space between the two commands). Multiple commands are not available for containers.