Freedom Project Customizable Metaroom.zip

::----- Freedom_Project_Readme.txt -----::
The Freedom Project, Version 1
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For DS.

The Freedom Project centers on the concept of freeform building in Creatures, something that has previously been experimented with in projects like Block World or Magic Words, and which I wanted to take my own stab at. The Freedom Project is my attempt to create a fully customizable metaroom.

The Masonry Tool allows a player to place walls, walkways, and roofs and then "lock" them into place with the click of a button, forming actual solid platforms and barriers that Creatures cannot see or pass through. Or, leave the metaroom completely open to give your Creatures "free range" to roam as they please; the Freedom metaroom is 6000 pixels wide, three-quarters of the width of C1 or C2 Albia, so they have plenty of space. You will need to provide food sources from elsewhere, however; the Freedom Project doesn't come with any plants or critters, as it was designed to work alongside other tools like the Garden Box.

	How to build

The most important (or at least, the most entertaining) element of the Freedom metaroom is the Masonry Tool. You'll probably notice it right away: it's a little blue window that appears in the center of your screen. This tool offers lots of options to play with. You will notice that the Masonry Tool is essentially two menus. The larger, left-hand menu consists of build options. From top to bottom, the default options are:

1. Red, gray and tan brick walls, each represented by a single brick on the Masonry Tool.

2. Wooden platforms, represented by one section. These are semi-permeable, much like the platforms in the Norn Terrarium, meaning some agents (eg. apples, raindrops) will be able to pass through. Like the treehouses in the Norn Terrarium, some plants can grow on these platforms.

3. Tile, thatch, and shingle roofs. These operate much like the wooden platforms, but are not permeable. A good way to finish a building when you do not want rain and whatever else to drop into your new building.

Click on any of these icons with the left mouse button and a full-sized version of that build element will appear in the hand. Drop this element anywhere on the screen to place it. If the location is acceptable, you will see it "snap" into the nearest compatible position and then expand to full size. Build elements do not respond to gravity; multiple sections can be added next to one another or "stacked" on top of each other to create higher walls or wider platforms or roofs.

To remove a section, simply unlock it, pick it up, and move it somewhere else, or else drop it back on the Masonry Tool to tidy up.

All build elements seek out boundaries within the invisible grid that makes up a metaroom, and use those existing boundaries to form solid surfaces. Brick walls always search for a position to the right of where you place them, while platforms and roofs search downward; so if an element just doesn't seem to like where you're putting it, try moving it further to the left or a bit higher. In addition, platforms and roofs require a level or nearly-level surface.

Once a build element has found a compatible position and built itself to the fullest extent that it can, a green diamond-shaped button will appear at the bottom (for walls) or far left (ceilings and platforms), allowing you to "lock" it in place. Once locked, that element becomes "solid" and can no longer be picked up; it must be unlocked first. You will notice that there is a similar button on the Masonry Tool; this does not lock the Masonry Tool, instead it toggles the visibility of the buttons for any build elements currently in the metaroom. This won't prevent you from unlocking those elements by accident; its function is purely cosmetic.

The Masonry Tool itself can be "locked" to your screen by clicking on any part of it that isn't an icon or button, and can then be positioned as you like; it will float along next to you just like the Creature Counter. If you travel to a different metaroom and forget to unlock it, it will travel with you, and you can use any of the build elements in other metarooms besides Freedom. It should be noted, though, that the less uniform layout of other metarooms means they may prove a bit awkward for building.

	Ecology

The Freedom Project isn't all about building things. When you first visit the metaroom, you will notice a series of green buttons spread out at intervals beneath the ground's surface. You can use these to toggle individual sections of the metaroom between room types. By default there are three options: normal soil (as in the Norn Terrarium), boggy soil (as in the Grendel Jungle), and well-drained soil (as in the Ettin Desert).

You can also use the Masonry Tool to change the whole metaroom to a specific room type all at once. The right-hand panel, with the buttons that resemble the room type buttons, can be used to that effect. Want to house a population of Geats and still be able to grow regular plants in the same metaroom later on? Put them in Freedom and you can reset the metaroom to a growable room type after you're done with them. The buttons to change room types for individual sections can also be hidden (as in the image) for aesthetic purposes.

	Final notes

The Freedom Project is essentially in beta stage, and although testing shows it to be very stable, there may still be some bugs that need to be ironed out. One thing I've noticed but not been able to isolate is the fact that occasionally a roof section will decide it doesn't want to lock in place anymore. I'm still working on that but, if it happens to you, the solution is very simple: just return it to the Masonry Tool and get a new one.

In addition, please note that occasionally, plants and critters may reproduce on the opposite side of a wall than where they started. This is not an error in the wall, but the way the game handles agent boundaries.

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