Crystal edit map editor introduction


To create a new map:
Menu: Main -> New -> Map Composition
	This will open a new window with your new map composition

To load an existing map:
	Via console:
		load [your map path].map
	Via drag&drop:
		drop file from explorer onto the console window

To save a map as a new file:
	Console:
		Enter "-/saveAs [your filename]" (e.g. "saveAs test")
		The input is case sensitive (e.g. "saveas test" will NOT work)
		Adding the .map extension is optional, and will be appended automatically if missing.
	
To save a loaded map:
	Via console:
		Enter "-/save"
	Via menu (of the map window):
		Main -> Save

To unload a map:
	Via console:
		Navigate to the root path of your open document (see above)
		Enter "unload"
	(note: closing the window does NOT unload the resource. it will still use up memory, but should not require any other resources while invisible)
	

Navigation:
	To navigate the focus in the map window use ASDW for movement on the plane and C/E to move down/up, respectively.
	Notice the grey cross in the center of the camera as you move around. It represents your cursor location, and new elements will be inserted here.
	
	Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. Alternatively, you can use the up and down arrow keys to do that.
	
	If you double click on any objects in the scene, the cursor will automatically jump to the central location of that element.
	
Creating a (car) track:
	Car racing tracks are called 'RoadTrack' in Crystal edit, as opposed to just tracks, which are for flight races.
	For now, stick to RoadTrack.

	While it's possible to create multiple tracks, that functionality is mostly ignored at this point.
	
	New tracks are created via the menu (of the map window):
		RoadTrack->New Track
	
	The new track will automatically be selected, if no other track existed to that point.
	
	Creating track nodes:
		Via Menu:
			RoadTrack->New Node
		Via hotkey:
			n
			
		This will add a new node at your current cursor position (a node looks a bit like a flat rectangle)
		If no track is currently selected, a new track will automatically be created.
	
	Altering track nodes:
		You can move nodes along the three axes, simply by selecting and then dragging them.
		The movement plane will be picked depending on your viewing angle.
		Thus, if you wish to move a node up, look at it from a flat angle, whereas if you wish to move it on the flat plane,
		look at it from above or below.
		
		To alter the direction of a node, first select it, then press and hold the Control (Ctrl/Strg) key,
		to make its controls appear (as a green and a blue box).
		
		While the control key is pressed, you can only alter the orientation of a node, not its position.
		The green box allows you to change the direction of the node, whereas the blue box allows you to change	the vertical alignment.
		A node will always first point in the direction of the green box. Only after that it will try to change its up-direction to face
		the blue box.
		
		Moving or rotating a node will directly affect any track segments connected to it.

	
	Connecting nodes:
		Select one node by clicking on it.
		Hold shift and click on the node you wish to connect to.
		If a connection is possible, a new track segment will be inserted between these two nodes.
		The new track segment will always pick the shortest possibility first.
		
		Track segments can (so far) not be directly moved. Their position and bending is generated from the nodes that they are connected to.
		Thus, moving the nodes of a segment directly move the segment as well.
	
	Erasing track segments:
		Select a track segment by clicking on it, and hit the delete key.
	
	Using tiles and stubs:
		To add a new tile type, drag the respective .gra file onto the track editor window. This may take a bit, so if the window does not react,
		give it up to half a minute (only then it probably crashed, although that never happened).
		A number of new icons will appear on the screen.
		Below the red icon, you will find the standard track segment, a split stub, and a ramp tile.
		The track segment can be dragged onto track segments you connected,
		whereas the split stub and ramp tiles can be dragged onto stub fields of a node.
		You will see that a drop is possible if either one of the stub fields of a node, or a segment are marked in red.
		
		Moving the split tile onto a node stub field will allow you to create Y or X track sections, and split or join the track as needed.
		When connecting to a node that features a Y-tile, the closest possible connector will be picked.
		
		To remove a tile from a track segment drop the top most (red) icon onto it. Similarly, you can remove stub tiles from nodes,
		simply by dragging the same icon on the respective node. If such an operation erases a Y-tile to which track segments are connected,
		then these track segments will be erased.
		
		Note that tiles bent over a track segment will only update once the user finishes node dragging.
		While the schematic segment graphic will directly show what the new bent track segment will look like, any tile geometry bent over it
		will only update once the user releases the mouse button.
			
	
	Defining start positions, checkpoints and goal(s):
	
		Start positions:
		Player vehicles are positioned on track segment designated as start position.
		To declare a segment a start position first select it, then select 'Menu->RoadTrack->Selected Segment->Start Position'
		Arrows indicate the direction that the vehicles will face. Cars will be placed starting from the start icon back until the far end of the segment.
		If the start direction is incorrect then select 'Menu->RoadTrack->Selected Segment->Reverted Start Position'
		The option 'Menu->RoadTrack->Selected Segment->No Function' will convert the track segment back.
		You may declare any number of start position segments. 

		Checkpoints and goal(s):
		Any number of checkpoints and goals may be declared. To declare a checkpoint or goal, select the respective node,
		 then select 'Menu->RoadTrack->Selected Node->Check Point'.
		To declare a goal select 'Menu->RoadTrack->Selected Node->Goal' instead.
		Selecting 'Menu->RoadTrack->Selected Node->No Function' will undo any declaration