Getting Started
The first thing you will need in order to use Editroid is an NES ROM image for the game Metroid. It is your responsibility to legally obtain a ROM image. You will also need to go to the file's properties and make sure the file is not set as read-only (most ROM files are distributed as read-only).
Once you open Editroid, the first thing to do is open a ROM for editing (click the Open
button on the toolbar), but remember: it is always a good idea to
make a backup of the original. Once you've opened the ROM you can begin editing
the game. The main window is depicted
below.
Each button on the toolbar has a tool tip that identifies its function. If that function has a keyboard shortcut it is shown in the tool tip in parentheses.
Screen Editor
The screen editor is the most important feature in the program. Screens are
edited by selecting objects and modifying them. When a background
object is selected it will appear in bright colors.
When an enemy is selected a rectangle will appear around it.
Objects can be moved by dragging them around or by using the arrow keys. They can be modified using the toolbar buttons or the keyboard: use the plus and minus keys to change the type of an object, use the home and end keys to re-order items, and the "p" key to change the color of an object. With enemies the difficulty of the enemy changes with its colors.
The "object info" provides information about what you are currently
editing: The object type icon
() indicates the type of the currently selected object or enemy. The types
available depend on the level you are editing. The palette icon (
)
indicates the palette the object is being displayed with. The "slot"
icon (
) indicates which "sprite
slot" an enemy belongs to; when a screen is loaded, if a sprite slot is
already taken, an enemy belonging to that slot will not be loaded. An enemies
sprite slot can be changed by clicking on the sprite slot icon.
To the right of the object info is the index of the
screen being displayed (in the case of the illustration, layout #9 is showing). It is important to understand that you are
limited to a certain number of pre-defined screens which must be re-used to fill
out the map. Use the Previous Screen and
Next
Screen
buttons (or the page up and page down keys) to cycle through the
available screens for the level you are currently editing.
To the right of the screen index is the free memory (in bytes). This is level-specific, i.e. memory can not be freed in one level to use in another. The original Metroid ROM does not have any free memory. Memory can be freed by deleting objects and enemies from screens.
Editor Map
The editor map is used to navigate the map while
you edit. Click on the editor map to center the view in that spot. You
can also navigate the map by holding shift and using the arrow keys.
As you edit the game you might want to change the layout of the map. Understand that the map you see in Editroid is for editing purposes only. Changing this map does not generally change levels in the game. The game determines which level each screen represents as you walk from room to room. Data for different levels is only loaded when the player uses an elevator. The Editroid map simply aids you in editing and tells the editor which level's data to load for each screen. The map is referred to as the "editor map" because it is used by the editor only.
If you want to change the layout of the map you generally need change the editor map. Right-clicking a screen on the map will delete it. During game play the screen will not scroll into areas where there is no screen. Holding shift and using the left mouse button, you can paint on the map with the color of the square you initially clicked on. Using shift and right-clicking will cycle an individual map square through all the levels. You can also use the number pad to modify the map.
Metedit
Metedit is a Metroid
level editor that may have some features that Editroid does not. If you wish to use
the two editors in conjunction there are some considerations you need to keep in
mind. Firstly, Editroid saves some extra data in
the ROM file. This extra data does not affect any tested emulators, however Metedit
is more finicky and requires that a ROM be exactly the correct size. In order to
save a ROM file without this extra data, go to the options menu and, under
"Maps," select "Save To External File." Also, Editroid's map
files and Metedit's map files are not compatible.
It is also suggested that a ROM only be open in one editor at once. If a ROM is opened in two editors simultaneously then every time you save with one editor, any changes made with the other will be overwritten and undone.