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The Challenge Maze Software combines information from different files to present games to players. The Challenge Maze Software will present the information from the files onto the Stage when the Challenge Maze Software is running. The Challenge Maze Software will present text on the ChalkBoard portion of the 'Stage' and will present images on the Image Stack portion of the 'Stage'. Sounds files will play through the normal computer audio channels and can be synchronized with the presentation of images and text using Timing Entries. Most files and information a Maze Maker can use in a maze are combined automatically based on 2 things. Those things are the folder in which the file is located, or the textfile line on which the text information is located. It is also possible to write text information on a textfile line to tell the Challenge Maze Software where to find a file if it does not find the file automatically.
The 'Data' folder is an important folder for the Challenge Maze Software. It is found right along side the 'Challenge Maze' (aka. 'Challenge Maze.exe' Executable) file. This folder is the root folder that the Challenge Maze Software uses when looking for files. To say it another way, the 'Data' folder is the folder the Challenge Maze Software starts in when it looks for things it has been instructed to use. These instructions come from what is written in textfiles inside the 'Data' folder. The instructions can be to do something like show an image file, play a sound file, present a Challenge, or display some text from a file. The images, sounds, and text are all found in subfolders within the 'Data' folder. Sometimes the Challenge Maze Software will automatically know which subfolder to look in when finding files or information. Sometimes a peron making a maze, a Maze Maker, can write a 'Path' in a textfile entry to tell the Challenge Maze Software where to find the file or information. The 'Path' of a file is simply a bit of text. The text contains the names of the folders in which the files are located with each folder name followed by a backslash '\' and then by the file name and then a period and then the extension (Example: Folder Name\Folder Name\File Name.ext). Since the Challenge Maze Software always starts in the 'Data' folder, a Maze Maker does not have to write the name of that folder. Paths will always start with the name of the first folder inside of the 'Data' folder. For example, if a Maze Maker is creating a CutScene and wants to use a sound file located in the 'Audio Sounds' folder and that file is named 'Challenge Solved.wav' or is named 'Challenge Solved', then the path would be 'Audio Sounds\Challenge Solved.wav'.
There was a time when computers almost always displayed a file extension next to the name of a file. While those days may have passed, the Challenge Maze Software requires that the file extension be used when writing entries that specify a 'Path' where the Challenge Maze Software can find a file (Example: Data\Challengers\Spirit Wizard\Spirit Wizard.txt).
So what IS a 'File Extension'? A file extension can be described as a set of letters that tell an operating system or program what type of file it is dealing with so that the operating system or program can know how to process the file. There are three types of files the Challenge Maze Software is designed to process when combining files to present a maze game to a players.
The three types of files used in the Challenge Maze Software can all be created and edited to make mazes filled with Decorations, Challengers, Chests, Secrets, and CutScenes. All creation and editing is done outside of the Challenge Maze Software. The simplest editing can be done with textfiles and is the only editing that is required to make mazes. Sound and image editing is not required but can be done to add entirely custom appearances and sound effects for mazes.
Keep a folder separate from the Challenge Maze Software folders to hold all files used only for editing. This can help to avoid confusion and the accidental overwriting of files that do not have backup copies.
Textfiles can be edited in 'Notepad', a program that is included with each Windows computer. However, a program which can simultaneously edit multiple textfiles is recommended. 'Notepad' cannot do this, but there are many programs that can.
One such program is called 'Notepad++'. A text editor that allows replacing multiple lines of text in more than one file at a time will save hours of work when editing mazes that have many rooms. Additionally, 'Notepad++' has a simple 'Auto Save' plugin that will automatically save files when switching between windows. 'Notepad++' will also notify a Maze Maker when a file they are about to work on has been modified outside of the text editing program. This modification can happen when working with the Challenge Maze Software because walking through mazes effects the textfiles used in making the maze. Finally, 'Notepad++' lists line numbers next to the text of the lines in a textfile. This can be very useful when using this website to learn how to use the Challenge Maze Software. 'Notepad++' and the plugin are free and can be found by searching the web.
In both Notepad and Notepad ++ it is possible to go directly to a line number by pressing CTRL+G.
Whichever textfile editor you choose, be sure to master the technique of finding and replacing multi-line text in multiple files. To learn more about how to construct and customize mazes by editing textfiles please visit the Maze Rooms Page.
Image editing and it's associated software is a vast topic that can be studied at length using many resources outside of this website. The focus of this explanation will be to assist in making sure that however an image is created or edited, it can be made to be compatible with the Challenge Maze Software. While many image editing programs can save edited images as a PNG format file, there are at least 3 free programs available that can open many image formats and save edited images in a PNG format. Those programs are 'Gimpshop', 'InkScape', and 'Paint.NET' which can all be found by searching the web.
The required size for PNG images in the Challenge Maze Software is 1366 x 500 pixels. When editing and saving images to use in the Challenge Maze Software, make sure they are in the PNG format and of the correct size.
Sound editing and it's associated software is also a vast topic that can be studied at length using many resources outside of this website. The focus of this explanation will also be to assist in making sure that however a sound file is created or edited, it can be made to be compatible with the Challenge Maze Software. While many sound editing programs can save edited sounds as a WAV format file, there is at least 1 free program available that can open many sound formats and save edited sounds in a WAV format. That program is 'Audacity' and be found by searching the web.
There are generally two types of textfiles in the Challenge Maze Software. One type of textfile has information entered into entries that construct what the Challenge Maze Software shows and does. These files are primarily filled with Construction Entries. This type of file is most often written to by Maze Makers, but also is often written to by the Challenge Maze Software while players are playing through a maze. The other type of file only has information written to it in entries that are about events that occurred while someone was playing the Challenge Maze Software. Those files are written to by the Challenge Maze Software so that information can be personally analyzed later. Accordingly, the files are filled with Analysis Entries.
You can click on any of the links below to find out the specific purposes and entries of each textfile used by the Challenge Maze Software. Letters enclosed in parentheses mean that the file name is not exactly what you see here. Instead those letters describe what type of name the file has. The exact name varies according to what name the Maze Makers have named challengers, passages, etc... Also, sometimes the game applies a time stamp to a file name or there are files like room files that all have different numbers in their names but the same contents. For those files whose name number changes but content type stays the same the type of file name is also placed in parentheses. Basically, if the filename changes for each version of a file, the parentheses will be used.
The files that have Construction Entries can direct the Challenge Maze Software about where to find media like images and sounds, when to show images or text, when to play sounds, how to layout the GUI (Graphical User Interface), and what text to show. With only 1 exception, all textfiles that have Construction Entries must have at least 2 blank lines at the end. The exception is the Secrets.txt File which has instructions written in the file about how to end that file.
Special instructions for Textfiles with 'Construction Entries' can be found in the Construction Entries Section.
Textfiles that have Analysis Entries can be viewed to find out about errors that occurred or actions the players took while playing the game. This includes actions like answering Challenges and whether the answers the player gave met the challenge or not. This also includes actions like the times that games were started and the names of the players.
To see a listing of just the textfiles used in the Challenge Maze Software please visit the Textfiles Section.
Below is a list of all the folders or folder types used in the Challenge Maze Software. If you click on any of the links in that list you will get information about how the folder is used and about the other files that could or should be in that folder. The folders that are numbered and aligned to the left side of the list are the 14 primary folders found inside of the Data Folder.
