Zugg Software :: View topic

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2003 11:23 pm

I finally got zMapper working much better than before. It has all of the speed enhancements that I'll be adding to zMUD soon, along with an easier-to-user interface.

In particular, you'll find the palettes on the toolbar now. So, clicking the down-arrow next to the Add Room tool will show you all of your current room types. Clicking and dragging a new room creates the room with whatever initial size you want.

The improved Link tool allows you to just click on the edge of a room to add a link/door. If the room touches or overlaps another, a two-way link/door is created in the location you click at (no longer forces you to add links to the center of an edge). The new Move Door tool allows you to move doors along the edge of a room.

See the [url="http://www.zuggsoft.com/zmapper/zmapperinfo.htm#Version History"]Version History[/url] for all of the details on the bug fixes and new features.

I've included a new Sample map called "Sunless Citadel" which is a conversion of the first level of the pen/paper D&D module of the same name. Took just a couple hours to create. I'll be posting a tutorial at some point showing how I did it, but feel free to take a look at it to get ideas. Has good tricks for creating passages without doors, secret doors, and round rooms, amoung other cool ideas.

Warning: I have not done any testing of zMapper on any version of Windows except Windows 2000. There are significant differences in the Windows GDI between Win2000/XP and Win98, so if you find problems on Win98, please let me know.

This is still a BETA version, which means it still has bugs. Please report bugs here in the zMapper forum or via email.

PLEASE REPORT BUGS IN NEW TOPICS!! DO NOT REPLY TO THIS TOPIC WITH BUG REPORTS!! Only reply to this topic if you want to say how much fun this version is. Bug reports need their own topics so that I can track them properly.

Here is the download link: zMapper v1.20 BETA Download link

I hope you enjoy the new mapping program. And I hope you start to see some of the power of zMapper as a standalone mapping program, and not just as a zMUD enhancement. I've got some cool plans for the future for MUD design using zMapper and for pen/paper D&D players and DMs using zMapper.

My next job is to take the speed improvements from zMapper and put them into zMUD. Except to see that new version of zMUD within a couple of weeks.

Enjoy!

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2003 11:33 pm

Here is a link to the full image of the Sunless Citadel dungeon map: Sunless Citadel (large) Here is a smaller sample:

Enchanter Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 656 Location: USA

Awsome, I can't wait to try it out when I get home. Wish I did not have to work late tonight!

I read the version history, I'm dying to try the printing feature enhancements

Wizard Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 1551 Location: Australia

Haven't had a chance to really play with it being at work and all, but loaded up the sunless citidel example and wow! Looks great!

I'll be showing it to my DM that's for sure... hehe though we've already completed the sunless citidel adventure it's still really neat :)

Oooh... I wonder if us as players could use zmapper to create our player versions of dungeon maps too.. if there were some specific tools like "create a 10 foot by 100 foot corridor" or "create a 30 foot diameter room" etc...

I'll hafta play with this some more when my boss isn't nearby *halo*

Props, Zugg :)

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 12:44 am

Rainchild, the way that will be done is via the Library. I'll be putting together a library of some of the rooms and exits from the Sunless Citadel map.

The idea in zMapper is slightly different than what you suggested though: You don't select the "create 10 foot by 100 foot cooridor". Instead, you select the "10 foot cooridor link" and then drag it 100 feet. Or select the "round room" and drag it so that it is 30 feet in diameter. The floor grid makes this pretty easy.

But once those common items are in the library (5-ft cooridor, 10ft cooridor, secret door, locked door, round room, etc) then it will be pretty easy.

What I also plan is to allow you to place shapes *within* shapes. So then you could have a single "pillar" shape and add it multiple times to your various rooms. Changing the single "master" pillar shape would then effect all copies in all rooms. Right now Meta files do not support nested meta file references, but the user-defined extensions for meta file objects, I think I can add this and will be trying it within a few months. Once this is done, then the Library of symbols becomes even more useful and important.

The current demo is more of a demo of capability. It shows what the map database format can handle. The user interface is getting better, but it is still a bit complicated for the novice mapper.

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 12:48 am

Oh, something else to tempt your DM with:

Imagine having the DM using zMUD (with zMapper plugin) with the Sunless Citadel map loaded. Imagine that the DM has added various room scripts to various rooms, set up buttons for rolling dice, added character stats to the database module, etc.

Now, imagine that the players are running the zExplorer client, connected to the DM's machine as the map server. As the players explore the dungeon, the DM toggles a "visibility" bit for each room, door, etc. When the DM does this, the room, door, or whatever appears magically on the zExplorer client the players are using.

This gives you one of the concepts that I'm planning to demo at GenCon this year and shows how zMapper, zMUD, and zExplorer might all be integrated. Create the map in zMapper, control it in real time with zMUD (and scripting), and view the results in zExplorer (You can also view it in zMapper, but zExplorer will eventually be the cheaper solution for general players).

Wizard Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 1551 Location: Australia

*grin* That sounds very neat though seems a bit "un-natural" to use Zmud in offline mode :) I can see how it also makes sense (since zmud's got the scripts and buttons etc)... maybe in the end adding a "play" interface to zmapper would be the more natural way, kinda like running a powerpoint presentation that you've made...

So I guess rather than just pillars, would you be able to make some ogres and put them inside the rooms... then the dm can make those visible, and drag them like movement.. I mean it's still imho a little more fun to use figurines, but it could also be a neat addition if you could with a 'simple' interface move monsters around the map... I guess it's going away from the 'mapper' and more into a 'dm client'

The next thing I'll be asking for is the complete 3.5 player's handbook and dmg indexed and available on the 'zStart' menu *halo* and metafiles for every monster in the monster manual, so you can drag them onto the map, and have them roll up their stats and treasure automatically, and internet connectivity with a webcam window for each of the players and one for the dm so you can play D&D with you friends over the 'net, and ....... ok ok I'll settle down *grin*

Does get the imagination working though... having a player and dm interface, so the player can drag their icon by the amount they're allowed to move (or use the keypad to walk it like a mud)... and then have the dm move the mobs etc. Some kind of 'initiative' counter so you act on your initiative etc. Its probably too specific a market though, but depending on how zExplorer goes, it might be workable with scripts in there perhaps... :)

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 2:19 am

Zugg, you rock!!! I was just about to report a bug I found in zMapper and something told me to check for a new version. It had only been posted for an hour. I can't wait to try it out.

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 5:00 am

Rainchild, I'm way ahead of you Smile

. I'm already looking for the updated D&D Core Rules CD. I've got the pre-v3 edition with the monster database, etc. I know that they used to ship the expensive "Campaign Cartographer" with the Core Rules CDROM. Maybe I can make a deal and get them to use zMapper instead Cool

I can dream can't I.

Anyway, I don't have any plans to add the scripting stuff to zMapper. That would just be a huge duplicate of effort already in zMUD. There's no reason why you couldn't just use zMUD offline. And if you are actually connected to your players using zExplorer, are you *really* offline? No, you are just setting up your own client/server game system with zMUD as the master, which makes a lot of sense. After all, zMUD has the scripting, the map, the database...everything you need for the game server.

And yes, you could certainly move monsters. zMapper doesn't care about it, as long as it's a graphical shape (or bitmap) on the map. It would be easy to make the monsters visible and then move them around. I haven't thought about that (I like minatures), but it's certainly easily doable.

But yep, it *does* get the imagination going, which is why I've been excited about this for a while. I'll officially decide on GenCon this summer once I see how much it costs to get a table. But I'd really like to do some live demos of this at the show. It's a natural for marketing, and the pen/paper D&D market is still quite large. As I said, the only competitor in the D&D mapping market is very expensive so it's a good target to shoot at. And they don't have the advantage of having something like zMUD as the scripting front end.

If you have more ideas along these lines, please post some topics. This is the perfect time to start bringing up these ideas to get them into the product. I remember last year when someone mentioned Hex maps, and viola, I was able to add support for them. I definitely want this to be Customer Driven and just need people to start thinking a bit out of the "zMUD box" on other markets (like D&D) for this.

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 5:44 am

Great Release! I'm loving playing with it already!

Couple things:

1) You had mentioned that one thing you'd like to be able to allow users to do is to create areas for a MUD with this program, is that still in consideration? (IE: being able to export the information within a map based on a given template) Atleast, I think I remember you mentioning this...

2) Being more of a white-wolf fan myself than a D&D fan, I was thinking.... most of those events take place in a more "real world" type setting..... wouldn't it be neat if there was a feature within zMapper that would allow us to upload our maps to a central database, say sorted by RP system. So for instance, I create a map of a certain building in LA that is where my vampire set lives, well, I can then upload that map under a tree setup where others could download it.

Like:

D&D
|-- Midgaard
|-- Sunless Citadel

Whitewolf
|
|-- Vampire
| |-- Seattle Coven
| |-- LA Dock Side
|-- Werewolf

etc.

3) Did I mention this was a great release, and I'm already working on some of these maps I'm mentioning? ;)

Thanks again zugg, my faith has never been unfounded with you.

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 8:02 am

Currently, only zExplorer is network enabled. But you might want to check out the Map Server Scripts that are in the zExplorer section of the Download page. They include some detailed documentation on how to set up a map database server using PHP and MySQL. You can then create a map in zMapper, then use zExplorer to upload the map to your database server. Others can use zExplorer to update their local copy of the map database via your map server.

Eventually, the network functions will be added to zMapper as well so that you won't need zExplorer. zMapper will eventually be the "super" program that handles the maps and network stuff. The only thing zMapper will lack is the scripting abilities that you get in zMUD.

And yes, MUD area building is definitely one of the things I'm planning. But as I've said before, that probably won't get much work until next year. Think of that as Phase 2, with a public release of zMapper before then. But zMapper/zExplorer is my major focus for at least a year, with zMUD getting the occasional update to keep in synch with the zMapper database format.

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 7:58 pm

Right on! I'll definately have to keep some of these plans going, and thanks for the headsup on the infromation about setting up my own map database server.... I'll definately check into that.

Enchanter Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 656 Location: USA

Hey Zugg,

just started playing with the new zmapper today. My first impress was, WOW you did a lot of work cleaning up the interface. The screen is a lot easier to follow and looks very clean and professional

Enchanter Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 656 Location: USA

Also Zugg remember the bug some of us were getting with the mapper not refreshing the screen when you switch to a different application. It appears to be fixed in this version.

Enchanter Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 656 Location: USA

Hmm, is it acceptable to post 3 notes in a row?

Just wanted to say that the new enhancements to printing milti-page maps are awsome!!!!

SubAdmin Joined: 18 Nov 2001 Posts: 5182

I still haven't gotten a chance to really play with it, but the changes I saw on first view were wonderful.