Here is a quick FAQ for getting started on using the Blast Works level designer to it's full potential. Enjoy!

What all can I build, create, or edit with the editors?

The editors support the creation of the following-

*Shapes-
Shapes make up everything that you see in the game. If you just create a shape, the object will only be usable as background scenery in your custom levels

*Bullet Patterns-
Bullet patters work by layering multiple patterns. Experiment by placing patterns in different layers. Once you have an overall desired effect, you can adjust the individual parameters of the patterns

*Enemies-
Enemies are composed of Shapes you have previously built. Enemies can fire 1 weapon per part (see Bosses). Enemies that are given shield values are considered collide-able objects and the player will die by coming into direct contact with it (without destroying it)

*Ships-
Ships are only considered Player-controlled – these are the ships players will be using in your custom-built levels

*Bosses-
You will have to activate the “Advanced Enemy Editor” through options if you’d like to make more complex bosses. With the Advanced Enemy Editor, you can now build a multi-staged enemy by combining parts into groups – this allows for more than one weapon on a given enemy. Typically a “Boss” is any enemy that is not easily dispatched

*Levels-
Once you have composed all of the above, you can lay out your levels with the drag n’ drop functionality of the editor. You can dissect other levels you’ve downloaded from the Blast Works Depot to see how others have achieved their desired game play

How do movement patterns work?

The game comes with a whole slew of pre-made movement patterns – you cannot create your own movement patterns from scratch. However, each “group” of an enemy can have different movement patterns as well as the entire enemy itself; try layering these movement patterns to achieve your desired effect.

Can I animate my enemies?

You can’t “animate” enemies in the traditional sense of the word; however, by layering movement patterns you can certainly “fake” a convincing animation.

How do Hit Boxes work?

We should divide this between player ships and enemies:

*Player Ships:

Player ships only have one hit box; you can view this by going to the “Tools” tab of the ship editor and clicking on the “Show hit box” option. You should notice a small transparent box that appears in the editor window. This is where your ship will be “hit” if a bullet crosses paths with that area. Additionally, this also determines the up, down, and side-to-side pivot point of the ship. Just simply select all of your ships’ parts and move the ship to where you’d like the hit box to be.

*Enemies:

Enemies don’t have the same hit box that the player ship does – all surfaces of the enemy are considered the hit box – so if a player shoots the wheels of your enemy bi-plane, they’ll register as actual damaging hits (unless you’ve split those wheels into an indestructible group, more on that later.)

Can I apply different filters / looks to my levels?

Yes – all you have to do is look under the level editor’s options, there should be plenty to choose from.

How do triggers & enemy placements work in the level editor?

All triggers activate as soon as the camera makes “contact” with the trigger; essentially it fires slightly before the trigger comes on-screen. Keep this in mind when placing camera perspective changes & SFX triggers. Triggers will fire on any of the 4 outer boundaries of the screen.

Can I make a vertical scrolling level?

Yes, you can have a level that scrolls up, down, left, or right, but never two directions at once. All you have to do is click the Triggers tab in the level editor and view the camera triggers, drop the trigger where you want the screen to change direction.

Can I set the music for my levels?

Yes, you can choose from any of the pre-packaged music that came with the game. No, you cannot upload your own tracks via SD card.

Can I save my levels / ships / enemies to my SD card?

Yes, you can – technically. You can use the Wii’s Home Menu & Data Management screen to save the entire save file off to an SD card. Keep in mind, if you wipe the save data from your Wii after this, you’ll have to unlock anything you’ve achieved previously all over again.

An alternative to storing levels / enemies / ships / bullets, and so forth – is to send these things up to the Blast Works Depot. There is currently no plan on restricting the number of submissions, nor is there a plan to delete anything up there unless it has been flagged inappropriate by fellow Depot users. You should be able to “save” all of your creations by doing this and downloading them again at a later time when needed.

Can boss encounters have the camera sit still?

Yes – but you won’t be able to re-start the camera movement after killing a boss. I’d suggest putting the level end trigger on top of where you’ve placed the boss in the level editor.

Can custom-created levels be linked together to make a custom-built campaign?

No – while there isn’t a function that implicitly links together your own custom levels; if you’d like your levels to be played in succession, be sure to submit them to the Blast Works Depot with a naming scheme. For example:

Custom Level 1

Custom Level 2

Custom Level 3

By doing this, you will be letting anyone know who downloads it, that there’s other levels to be played.

Do my ships, enemies, bullets, and scenery get downloaded w/ my levels?

Ships are the only thing that does not get “packaged” with your levels. If you want players to use your own ship design for your custom level, be sure to name it in the same convention that your levels are.

Can you disable the pivoting of your ship?

No. But players can hold the “retract” button in to lock their angle.

Can you disable the “sticky” mechanic of enemies?

Yes – when you’re creating the enemy, check under the part tab and find the switch that says “Break into Fragment” – enable this for that part; now that part will not be “catch-able” when destroyed. Keep in mind; you can have specific parts stick, or not stick. Experiment with this!

What’s possible through “Official Downloadable Content”?

The ODLC allows Budcat Creations to give users access to new movement patterns, bosses, levels, ships, enemies, bullets, and more.

Can I send creations directly to my friends?

Yes – you can bypass the Depot altogether if you’d like – you just need to have your friend in your Wii’s Address Book.

How many save blocks does Blast Works take?

When you access the editors, it will use 128 blocks.

How do I make an enemy have a “weak spot” where all other parts are indestructible?

This is actually quite simple, you need the advanced enemy editor enabled, and so do that through the options of the game. Enter the enemy editor and use whatever shape you’d like for the weak point (a cockpit bubble, spinner shape, etc.) and place that in the last group within the Enemy Editor.

Place all other pieces of the enemy in earlier groups and set them to indestructible through the Parts tab. With the last group selected, change the options for that group to “Destroy with Previous Groups” – this basically tells the editor that when this last stage is hit & destroyed, all of the previous groups will be destroyed with it.

How do I make an enemy that has parts that “spring to life” after a certain part is destroyed?

Say you have an enemy who has armor plating in front of him that needs to be pounded on, before the rest of the ship & weapons "spring to life".

You would have to get all of the plating in the 1st group and enable the switch (all parts act as one) for that group. Place everything else in the 2nd group and set the "activate after previous group is destroyed". This should effectively make the 2nd group "sleep" until the 1st is destroyed.

Everyone should keep in mind - when you set the flag "All parts behave as one" - every single part within that group will contribute to the TOTAL HIT POINTS of the group as a whole. In other words, if one part in group one has 100 hit points, and another part in group one has 200 hit points - by switching that flag on, that group now has 300 hit points spread between all parts in the group. And neither of the parts will be destroyed until 300 hit points are reached.