what is a level editor?

Hello,

Could someone explain what a "level editor" is? It seems like it is important, because there are lots of posts that talk about the level editor.

It's actually quite simple. A level editor is literally what the phrase "level editor" means. It's a program that is used to create the "levels", or environments, for your game. When someone is referring to the "level editor" of Gamestudio, they're talking about the WED (World EDitor) part of the package.

I think I understand what you are saying. In Mario Brothers, when you go underground into a different area, that is a different "level"?

Well, actually, that's a different area of a level. Generally speaking (in the Super Mario Bros. sense), a level consists of many "areas" with things like goodies, enemies, save points, and so on. Eventually, the level ends at the finish point, and this is when you move on to the next level.

But you can do more with Gamestudio than create these kinds of "linear" games. You can (with a little effort, ) create very open worlds, with tons of possible places for the player to go to. You might create a world that has many different exit points, or maybe (in the case of smaller minigames) no exit point at all, and have the player keep going until a time limit expires.