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 POL Character Editor -beta release 1.0
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::Installation::
Using WinZip extract the zip files to your Program Files 
folder, or anywhere you choose. A folder will be created 
with all the files organized inside, so there is no need 
to create a folder to store them in first. Thats it!

::Program Explanation::
The POL Character Editor was created for the online game 
POL. The program allows users to create game characters 
with ease using the grid, tools, and examples supplied. 

::Guide to the Editor::
Once you have opened the editor, you may wonder what all 
the things are for. Here is an explanation:

The Grid - This is where you draw your character! Simply 
pick a color in the color table at the right and then 
left click on the grid. Right clicking on the grid will 
erase the current pixel.

The Color Chart- By clicking a color it will set the draw 
tool to the color you picked. The number of the color is 
then shown near the bottom for easy reference and to keep 
track of certain colors you are using.

The View Box- This is the actual sized view of what the 
image will be once you save. 32x32 pixels in size.

Trace Sheets- The two drop down menu's are used for trace 
sheets. Simply pick a trace sheet from the 1st menu, and 
then select an animation direction from the second menu.
(Trace Sheets always lay on top so it will darken your 
colors slightly)

::The Program Menu::

File>New - Of course this clears everything on the grid and 
starts a new grid.

File>Save - This will save your character file to the name 
you select, make sure to add a .bmp to the end of new files, 
if you are overwriting a .bmp file, then it is not needed.

File>Load - Opens image files to display in the grid.

File>Quit - Exits the program.

Options>Grid - Hides/Displays the grid.

Options>Hide the Menu - Hides the option menu all together, 
you can press F8 to bring it back.

::Tips and Tricks::

Now that you have all the basics, let's see what tricks you 
can use to make the editor even easier.

1. When filling in your colors its a good idea to turn the 
grid off so the colors are viewed easier.

2. Upon loading an image the user can draw over it completely, 
so it is a good idea to make the image completely in the editor 
first so that you don't draw over other pixels.

3. Change the Trace Sheet to None when filling in colors as 
well. The trace sheet overlaps the grid and it will make colors 
look darker than they appear.

4. To shade properly, use 3 colors. Say for example if you pick 
dark color for the darkest part, pick the next lighter color for 
the next part, so that all 3 shades of that color are right next 
to eachother.

5. Make sure you double pixel your character. What this means is 
making anywhere that has black lines 2 pixels in width and height. 
Giving you a 4x4 pixel box. This gives the character a nice thick 
outline so that it stands out next to the colors.

6. You can use the editor for many things! You can load jpg, gif, 
bmp, and a lot of other image files into the editor. And make a 
nice frame around a picture by drawing a box around the edges of 
the grid. You can also make many other game tiles and characters 
with this editor. The icon/sprite size is 32x32 which is the 
standard size for all windows program icons. Have fun!

::Features to be added::

- A paint bucket, and a color dropper tool
- A mini animator that animates all your character images to make it 
walk, so that you can get a better idea of what it will look like.
- More trace sheets
- An instant character submitter form

Thanks for using this program! If you have any comments or questions, 
email bquest@usa.net

http://www.bulbagarden.com/pol
Visit the site for program updates and news!