Level Design

Mibo builds maps from a CellGrid2D<'T>. Two channels author the same grid: F# values (Code-First Maps) and KDL/XML documents (Authored Maps). Both stop at cells; the game draws them.

Map terms

Term	Meaning
Cell	One grid position. The game defines the cell type 'T.
Grid	CellGrid2D<'T>: the cell array, square or hex.
Stamp	A reusable F# value with a footprint and a paint.
Word	A name for a cell value, used by documents: fill grass.
Kernel	A named per-cell rule, used by documents through generate.
Element	A named body of statements with an optional size.
Surface	The game's frozen tables of words, kernels, and elements.
Layer	One grid in a stack, painted bottom first.
Span	How many cells one drawn instance covers: Span(4, 2), Radius 2.
Occupancy	The build's answer to "which instance owns this cell".
Landmarks	The rectangles element names resolve to, plus tag and cell queries.

The domain is the map data: words, kernels, elements, layers, spans. The infrastructure is the game side: the cell type, the surface, the build call, the queries, the render context, the stack. 3D from 2D walks the infrastructure.

Pick a path

Goal	Page
Build a map step by step	Build a Map End to End
Author in F#	Code-First Maps
Author in KDL or XML	Authored Maps
Use raw grid operations	The Layout Escape Hatch
Stack layers	Layers
Cover many cells with one instance	Instances and Occupancy
Build a 3D map	3D from 2D
Work with hexes	Hex Grids

Grid storage

Square and hex maps share one storage type. Geometry is a configuration.

	Square	Hex
Storage	CellGrid2D<'T>	CellGrid2D<'T> (hex geometry)
Build	CellGrid2D.create	CellGrid2D.createHex
Cursor	GridSection2D<'T>	GridSection2D<'T>
World space	Vector2	Vector2 (staggered rows or columns)
Spatial queries	Grid2DSpatial	Hex2DSpatial

Cells hold 'T voption: ValueSome content or ValueNone. CellGrid2D.getWorldPos converts a cell to world space.

Build and draw order

1. Create the grid with CellGrid2D.create or CellGrid2D.createHex.
2. Paint it with Flow.run, or build a document with DocFlow.buildLayers.
3. Query it: Landmarks answers names, tags, and cells; Occupancy answers the instance that owns a cell.
4. Draw it: a 2D sprite loop (Buffer & Commands), or InstancedRenderContext for a footprint grid (GPU Instancing).

Run steps 1 to 3 at load. Step 4 runs per frame.

2D and 3D

2D layout fits side-scrolling platformers, top-down RPGs and roguelikes, isometric games, and tile-based puzzles.

A 3D map is a 2D footprint plus a Height per cell: walls are tall columns, ramps are stepped heights. A span scales one instance over several cells, so one model covers a 2×2 deck or a 16×6 plaza. See 3D from 2D.

Hex geometry fits strategy and tactics games, wargames, and games with six-directional adjacency.

Guides

• Build a Map End to End: the whole path in order, from the cell type to the draw.
• Code-First Maps: the Flow DSL.
• Authored Maps: KDL and XML documents.
• 3D from 2D: height, spans, the stack, the instance draw.
• The Layout Escape Hatch: raw grid and section operations.
• Migrating to Mibo v6: the old-to-new mapping.
• V5-and-below archive: frozen docs for the retired APIs.