Initially I use data statements to get things working and test gameplay features. Obviously it's considered sloppy and more times than not painstaking to create new levels quickly.
Map editors are ( to me anyway ) a complete chore to develop... boring as hell to test .. but well worth it in the end!! Remember that if you do not intend to bundle the editor with your product then it can be as sloppy as you can get away with .. as long as it works. Probably bad advice but there you go!!
A major tip is in deciding on the features which will be included in the saved file well in advance. If you decide at a later date that a new feature is required then it can be a bugger implementing as the likelyhood is that none of your older levels will be compatible with the new format. At this point you'll either need to re-do all the old levels or develop a program/ function which can convert from an older format to a newer one. Prefixing your .map file with a version number would be a smart way of handling this.
I think that using a format such as xml could potentially eleviate these issues as they'll be more dynamic and easier to add featurer after the fact. Never tried it myself though ;)
Stevie
Map editors are ( to me anyway ) a complete chore to develop... boring as hell to test .. but well worth it in the end!! Remember that if you do not intend to bundle the editor with your product then it can be as sloppy as you can get away with .. as long as it works. Probably bad advice but there you go!!
A major tip is in deciding on the features which will be included in the saved file well in advance. If you decide at a later date that a new feature is required then it can be a bugger implementing as the likelyhood is that none of your older levels will be compatible with the new format. At this point you'll either need to re-do all the old levels or develop a program/ function which can convert from an older format to a newer one. Prefixing your .map file with a version number would be a smart way of handling this.
I think that using a format such as xml could potentially eleviate these issues as they'll be more dynamic and easier to add featurer after the fact. Never tried it myself though ;)
Stevie