How to Create a Good N Level

N is a fun ninja-based freeware game made by Metanet Software available here. N includes a built-in level editor so you can create and share your own levels with the help of NUMA, the N User Map Archive.

Making a level is easy. But making a good level is tricky. This instructable will help you understand what good N levels are all about, and so open the doors to virtual fame and fortune, and a 38% increase in your popularity.

Step 1 Getting Started

So, first things first, you'll need to download N . It's free!

When you unzip the archive, you'll notice there are a bunch of files included with your download. One of these is the N Editor Manual. This is a comprehensive guide to using Ned, the N level editor -- you should definitely give it a read. You can view or download the .doc version here .

So when you're finished reading through that awesome and informative manual, open up N. At the moment, Ned is still in the early stages of life, so it's a little rough around the edges: too rough to include directly from N's main menu.

At the main menu screen, press tilde (~ ) or the vertical bar key ( | ) to pull up the debug menu.

Comments

[WWIIman666]

what is the [home] button?

[dachterm7622]

The home button is in the llittle rectangle of buttons above the arrow keys

[dachterm7622]

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://sillydog.org/graph/ss/apple/keyboard_home_end.png&imgrefurl=http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php%3Fshowtopic%3D441511&usg=__TCwk7cL7zyGvlrU508bINi3Lrc0=&h=270&w=535&sz=27&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=o8NXAJVJMdxRVM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=212&ei=wMSlTd2GOoP6sAP41eiuCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkeyboard%2Bhome%2Bbutton%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26biw%3D1440%26bih%3D811%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=158&oei=wMSlTd2GOoP6sAP41eiuCA&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0&tx=100&ty=46

[Mugmoo]

Where's the home button?

[N-Destructable]

hey um im a vet, but how do  make the ned recorder work??

[yoshiwarrior1]

UHH, metanent , try this map :D go to editor and paste it >>
11011101110111011101111110111011101110111011111101110111011101110111110000000000000000000000103111011101110111011111011110111011101110111110000101110111011101111101111111111111111111111011111111000000000011110111101010301010140111100001010101010101101111021110105010101011011110000000000101010110111111111111111111111101111111111111111111000011111111111111111111110111111110110110110100001111111101101101101111011111111011011011011150111111100000000000000001111111031101101101111111111110111011011011111111111101110110110111111111111011111111111111111111110101101101101111111111101011011011011000011111020110110110110000111110000000000000000001111111011011011011000011111110110110110110000111111101101101101111111|5^108,564!11684,492,684,492!7^84,468,0!784,372,0!7^84,276,0!784,180,0!7^84,84,0!7300,180,0!7^300,228,0!7468,372,0!7^468,300,0!7468,228,0!7^468,156,0!7660,180,0!7^660,252,0!7660,324,0!7^660,396,0!7708,396,2!7^708,324,2!7708,252,2!7^708,180,2!7516,228,2!7^516,300,2!7516,372,2!7^252,420,2!7252,372,2!7^252,324,2!7132,180,2!7^132,276,2!7132,372,2!7^132,468,2!7180,84,3!7^276,84,3!7372,468,1!7^420,468,1!836,276,0!8^36,372,0!836,468,0!8^36,180,0!836,84,0!8^252,180,0!8252,228,0!8^420,372,0!8420,300,0!8^420,228,0!8420,156,0!8^612,180,0!8612,252,0!8^612,324,0!8612,396,0!8^180,180,2!8180,276,2!8^180,372,2!8180,468,2!8^324,420,2!8324,372,2!8^324,324,2!8564,372,2!8^564,300,2!8564,228,2!8^756,180,2!8756,252,2!8^756,324,2!8756,396,2!8^420,420,1!8372,420,1!8^276,132,3!8180,132,3!2^{108,516,0,-1!2}108,444,0,-1!2^{108,348,0,-1!2}108,252,0,-1!2^{108,156,0,-1!2}108,96,0.707106781186547,-0.707106781186547!2^156,60,1,0!2240,60,1,0!2^{300,72,0.707106781186547,0.707106781186547!2}324,60,0.707106781186547,0.707106781186547!2^{324,156,0,1!2}324,264,-0.707106781186547,0.707106781186547!2^{312,252,-0.707106781186547,0.707106781186547!2}120,84,0.707106781186547,-0.707106781186547!2^132,60,1,0!2276,276,-1,0!2^{240,300,-0.707106781186547,0.707106781186547!2}228,288,-0.707106781186547,0.707106781186547!2^{228,324,0,1!2}228,408,0,1!2^{228,468,0,1!2}228,492,0.707106781186547,0.707106781186547!2^{240,480,0.707106781186547,0.707106781186547!2}276,492,1,0!2^{324,492,1,0!2}252,492,1,0!2^{384,492,1,0!2}468,492,1,0!2^{480,480,0.707106781186547,-0.707106781186547!2}492,492,0.707106781186547,-0.707106781186547!2^{492,468,0,-1!2}492,432,0,-1!2^{492,408,0,-1!2}492,360,0,-1!2^{492,264,0,-1!2}492,180,0,-1!2^{492,144,0,-1!2}492,132,0.707106781186547,-0.707106781186547!2^{504,144,0.707106781186547,-0.707106781186547!2}492,156,0.707106781186547,-0.707106781186547!2^{564,132,1,0!2}636,132,1,0!2^{420,492,1,0!2}672,144,0.707106781186547,0.707106781186547!2^{684,132,0.707106781186547,0.707106781186547!2}684,180,0,1!2^{684,216,0,1!2}684,276,0,1!2^{684,336,0,1!2}684,384,0,1!2^{684,444,0,1!12}660,492!12^660,516!12684,516!12^708,516!12708,492!12^708,468!12660,468!12^636,468!12636,492!12^636,516!12636,540!12^660,540!12684,540!12^708,540!12732,540!12^732,516!12732,492!12^732,468!12660,480!12^660,504!12660,528!12^672,528!12696,528!12^684,528!12708,528!12^708,504!12708,480!12^672,516!12696,516!12^696,504!12684,504!12^672,504!2276,60,1,0!2^192,60,1,0

[vapire125]

when i press p it goes to the game but nothiung moves?

[mammaletto]

Caps lock is neccessary to play in debug mode.

[Shadowfury]

Well, not necessary, just easier. You can play the map FBF if you want to, but I don't recommend it.

[metanet]

http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n.html for info and http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n_downloads.html to download it

[Ewan654]

how do you download it

[shadowninja31]

I LOVE THIS GAME!!!!

[FreshPineSent]

But is it's power level over 9000?

[metanet]

It would be much better to post maps on NUMA, instead of here!

[yoshiwarrior1]

map***

[yoshiwarrior1]

uhhh, i only registered so i can ask metanet, i registered to numa like 4 times
they never sent me an email validation, how can i upload my ap

[lighterkid19]

I created a level and tried to upload it to NUMA, but when i checked it out on the site it was just a picture of my level and i couldnt play it. what did i do wrong?

[metanet]

Nothing... in order to play levels in N, you need to add them to the "userlevels.txt" file included with your download. This is covered in step 13. Increased ease of level sharing is one of the many things that's on our "to do" list -- sorry it's so clunky at the moment!

[sona]

metanet, are you, as your name implies part of metanet software? or just a big fan like me?

[metanet]

Yep, I'm half of Metanet Software.

[sona]

Cool, great game too.

[metanet]

:D thank you!

[Shikamaru92]

ok this is great, but on my N, when i downloaded it, it had all the things telling me how to work the level editor, but no actual level editor. im confused? is it just hidden, or did my get messed up, or am i just missing something?

[metanet]

Take a look at this instructable's step two, and/or read the editor manual that was included with N: "At the main menu screen, press tilde (~ ) or the vertical bar key ( | ) to pull up the debug menu. " That should get you started. :) Ned, is still a little too rough to be linked from N's main menu, which is why it's still only part of debug. This will change in the next version of N!

[metanet]

there is a link to the editor manual in Step One of this instructable. Or, you cold just download N again, and throw out everything but the files you need (it's only a ~1.5MB zip file). (Also, where I said "step two" in my earlier comment, I should have said "step one" -- whoops!)

[Shikamaru92]

ok thanks that works. but about the editor manual; the whole file that came with the different N programs, i can no longer find. i had made a shortcut to the part where you play the game, but i can't find the file that came with all of it.

[metanet]

Sirckus: Yes, give N a try. you might get addicted though, so look out! Thanks for the link, prony -- there are some good points there too.

[randName]

Yay, finally a tutorial...

I guess I should also include this: http://jeffkillian.com/NUMA.htm

[Sirckus]

Must admit... I'm not familiar with 'N', but this extremely thorough instructable has me intrigued.