TMX Format

TMX (Tile Map XML) is a standard file format for tilemaps used by many tilemap editors and game engines.

Overview

• TMX is an XML-based format designed to store tilemap data.
• It supports layers, tilesets, properties, and object groups.
• Widely supported by tools like Tiled Map Editor.

Acid compiles the PCG-related code into TMX, making outputs compatible with external tools and game engines.

Structure Generated

• Tile layers containing tile indexes matching the declared tiles.
• Map dimensions defined by map_dims or the rows/columns specification.
• Optional horizontal mirroring or other transformations.

Example Output

Given an input:

rows {
    1 * rock -> 20 * path
    3 * wall -> 17 * grass
}

xrows !mirror {
    4 * rock -> 4 * grass
}

The Acid interpreter produces a TMX file encoding the tile sequence and mirroring instructions.

Benefits of TMX

• Compatibility with standard tools.
• Easy visualization and editing post-generation.
• Interoperability with game engines supporting TMX import.