Zugg Software :: View topic - Difference between Automapper and zMapper

Newbie Joined: 09 Jan 2003 Posts: 6

Would someone please elaborate on the differences between the Automapper included with zMud and the zMapper application?

What feature of zMapper makes it more functional than the Automapper?

Thanks in advance,

Kyle

GURU Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 4379 Location: USA

The automaper in zMUD is a module that interacts with your MUD's output and your input to create a graphical representation of your MUD's world and track your position in it. It allows you to perform speedwalking, position tracking, automatic execution of scrips upon entering a room, dynamic room creation and modification through scripts, various searches and queries of the information contained in your map, and provides limited decoration abilities for customizing the look of the map.

zMapper is a stand-alone program that allows for the creation and tailoring of any kind of map, not just MUD maps (Zugg posted a tutorial showing how it can be used with a city map, among others). zMapper does not interact with your MUD output or input since it has no knowledge of MUDs. It does let you create a map from scratch or by importing it. It opens maps created by zMUD's mapper. It lets you change the look for each room in the map to any shape you desire and with any design you wish to create as well as for the links between rooms. It lets you define custom room kinds and exit kinds. It has the ability of exporting your map to another format (and one day, this functionality will allow zMapper to be used as an area-creation tool too). It is also capable of integrating with zMUD as a plugin which will allow you to display zMapper-enhanced maps and access extended scripting capabilities of the underlying map database through the zMapper plugin.

While zMapper is still in it's beta stage, it will see some big improvements soon. Zugg's current plan is to work on this program and zExplorer as soon as the new version of zMUD is out. As with all Zuggsoft products, it can be expected that zMapper will evolve over the years according to Zugg's general vision for the program and user input and requests.

Newbie Joined: 09 Jan 2003 Posts: 6

What I’d really like to do is have an application map the mud I play as I move around in it. I don’t have any interest in maps detailed beyond general lines and boxes with a few notes scribed inside them. From your description it sounds like automapper is the product I’ll need.

Thanks for your response.