Incline Grid Cartographer - Best Tool for Drawing Classic RPG Maps

[Hidden Asbestos]

Can anyone, please, enlighten me wether the latest version - with the "game link" option - now enables automapping of games like Wizardry 6 or Eye of the Beholder?
Or does one have to tweak the DosBox files in order to activate it?

Thanks in advance.

Hi, the short answer is not yet for those two games. Eventually they will get profiles but each one is a unique proposition. Should also point out that the mapping is more semi-auto like Etryian Odyssey - only the player position is sent over. You could do full auto mapping with those components by loading in a pre drawn map but thats probably not something I can commit to supporting yet - the management would be too much, and theres also the question of where do you draw the line with spoilers.

 

[karnak]

Can anyone, please, enlighten me wether the latest version - with the "game link" option - now enables automapping of games like Wizardry 6 or Eye of the Beholder?
Or does one have to tweak the DosBox files in order to activate it?

Thanks in advance.

Hi, the short answer is not yet for those two games. Eventually they will get profiles but each one is a unique proposition. Should also point out that the mapping is more semi-auto like Etryian Odyssey - only the player position is sent over. You could do full auto mapping with those components by loading in a pre drawn map but thats probably not something I can commit to supporting yet - the management would be too much, and theres also the question of where do you draw the line with spoilers.

Thank you very much for your quick reply.
I was wondering if your program allowed something similar to what The All-Seeing Eye does for Eye of the Beholder (mapping the path as you move on). I've never played Etryian Odyssey so I don't know how the mapping mechanic works (I guess it's a huge part of gameplay).
Is it something that you intend to do in the future?

Or do you plan to stick to "player has to draw the map" routine?
Thanks again for your answers.

 

[Grauken]

Can anyone, please, enlighten me wether the latest version - with the "game link" option - now enables automapping of games like Wizardry 6 or Eye of the Beholder?
Or does one have to tweak the DosBox files in order to activate it?

Thanks in advance.

Hi, the short answer is not yet for those two games. Eventually they will get profiles but each one is a unique proposition. Should also point out that the mapping is more semi-auto like Etryian Odyssey - only the player position is sent over. You could do full auto mapping with those components by loading in a pre drawn map but thats probably not something I can commit to supporting yet - the management would be too much, and theres also the question of where do you draw the line with spoilers.

Actually, I like it the way it is now, you still do the map by hand, but its much better than constantly switching between tool und game, feels almost like a gameplay element

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Coming up in v3.0.5 is an improved Eraser.

Whereas previously it was a bit of a blunt instrument, you can now fine tune what is actually erased using this new panel, which appears while the tool is active.

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Dragon Wars was released today on GOG.com. I've started a game link profile for it here.

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Here's v3.0.5! Highlights in this update are:

* Rewritten Eraser Tool with new interface panel to fine tune what is affected.
* Split the edge styles into their own brush palette tab.
* Added many new markers and edge styles:

(torch pair, gate, bed, bones, health/healer, movable block, shop, skull, tavern, trainer)

* On-screen navigation buttons and compass HUD for 3D view.
* Fixed lots of bugs and improved touch screen support.
* Latest game link profiles including preliminary Dragon Wars support.

Download Here

 

[PeachPlumage]

I will probably give the demo a whirl on Pools of Radiance when I feel up to it. Good to see your work being mentioned on the gog forum, Hidden Asbestos. Your program deserves the exposure.

 

[Abelian]

Dragon Wars was released today on GOG.com. I've started a game link profile for it here.

Latest game link profiles including preliminary Dragon Wars support.

Coincidence? Could it be that Grid Cartographer was developed as a perfectly-timed tie-in product to tap into the enormous market for re-released 25 year old dungeon crawlers and their planned sequels?

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

I've extended the Dragon Wars game link profile and added a dozen new maps. If you've already started the game, just download the latest XML to replace the version that shipped with Grid Cartographer v3.0.5 and it should automatically recognise many more areas.

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

v3.0.6 is now available. This is a relatively small release but it makes an important change to the auto-wall behaviour that I didn't want to hide away within a larger update. I've also added a boat and bridge marker to help with Dragon Wars and improved the wand tool and sand texture tiling.

Download here:
http://www.davidwaltersdevelopment.com/tools/gridcart/?aim=dl

 

[Nostaljaded]

Request:
- Single and Double-sided Arrows for Edge Style drawing.
Will be useful for plotting abstract FF-style maps.

- Does Nudging (in Pro Edition) works for selected tiles/regions as well? If not, is there a cut & paste function that serves a similar function.
Using the free edition.

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Request:
- Single and Double-sided Arrows for Edge Style drawing.
Will be useful for plotting abstract FF-style maps.

Hmm, I think it can do this already using the one-way wall and secret wall edge styles. Am I missing something here?

- Does Nudging (in Pro Edition) works for selected tiles/regions as well? If not, is there a cut & paste function that serves a similar function.
Using the free edition.

Yep, In the pro edition you have the move tool for this. Select the area you want to move, activate it from the edit toolbar (or press V) then go crazy with the cursor keys moving up down left or right.

You can also cut and paste.

 

[Nostaljaded]

Something like the red arrows below:

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

It's been a bit longer than usual but here's Grid Cartographer v3.0.7 !

Headline features:
* New markers: "Armor", "Grave", "Pillar", "Signpost", "Statue"
* New terrain: "Mountain", "Track"
* multi-line labels
* lots of fixes and tweaks.

As usual this is a free update for v3.x Pro customers and 'free edition' users. Enjoy!

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

If you have a fancy new Android 5 device then I think I've found a fix for the crash bug that has been affecting that O/S. Please, grab the update here and give it a whirl: http://www.davidwaltersdevelopment.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1417

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

I've started working on v3.0.8 and I'll post intermittent updates in my dev.log thread as work progresses.

I've added the following things so far:

* Add momentum/friction to scrolling so you can fling the map around with less arm exertion
* Hand mouse cursor to show when you're scrolling the map / in hand mode (Windows only right now)
* Drag & Drop support for loading map files and adding custom tiles (Windows only right now)
* More arrow markers for "A then B" turning moves (e.g. Up then Right, or Down then Left, and so on)

Follow along here:
http://www.davidwaltersdevelopment.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1346&start=60

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Added to v3.0.8 a new 'message wall' edge style as seen here on the right side of this image.

If you're on Windows, why not try it out in this beta:
http://www.davidwaltersdevelopment.com/tools/gridcart/files/grid_cartographer_v3_0_8_beta2.exe

Other changes:
* Smoother view scrolling
* Drag & drop for maps and custom tiles
* New markers: "Altar", "Boots" and "Weapons"
* Bug fixes!

 

[Nostaljaded]

Request:
Under 'Options/Interface/Visible Element', good to have a 'Show Rulers' option for visually displaying coordinates in a permanent area, eliminating user the need to hover over the tile for the coords info.
Useful for very large maps and zoomed-in maps when the axes are off the map viewport.
References can be taken from image editors or MS Word.

The 'Show Next to Every Major Tile' under 'Setup/Grid' is kind of inelegant.

Thanks.

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Yet another huge update: v3.0.8 is now available! Major changes include:

• New 'Picker Tool'.
• New markers ("Altar", "Boots", "Food" and "Weapons") and edge style ('Message Wall').
• Drag&drop support for loading maps or adding custom tiles.
• Improved map scrolling.
• Additional 3D view layouts for reversed horizontal and vertical split.
• Lots of bug fixes, including Windows tablet support.
• Wizardry 6 game-link profile (preliminary, still in-development)

DOWNLOAD HERE

 

[Jaesun]

That Wizardry 6 game-link thing is AWESOME!!! Can't brofist you enough.

Is that something you think you could also get to work for FRUA (Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures)?

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

That Wizardry 6 game-link thing is AWESOME!!! Can't brofist you enough.

Is that something you think you could also get to work for FRUA (Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures)?

Thanks, means a lot!

I'll see what I can do as I did pick that up recently from GOG.com. I managed to get Pools of Radiance and a few others from that engine working so I don't see why I couldn't get something from this too. I haven't actually tried FRUA yet though, so I'll get back to you

 

[Jaesun]

That would be AWESOME!!! Just let us know.

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

That would be AWESOME!!! Just let us know.

So, I want to do a proper job of this but that may take a little more time. Due to the dynamic nature of FRUA it'll require some work to Grid Cartographer to handle things like variable map sizes (and hopefully dynamic region names). I think it'll be worth it though.

I'm also slightly concerned about the hacked versions of FRUA out there, but I'm optimistic this won't affect the game link stuff - if it does then we may need a separate profile, but I'll concern myself with getting the stock GOG.com release working first. It's mostly just a matter of finding time to spend on it.

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Okay, not quite done on FRUA yet but very close! I've got position, rotation and dungeon number working. We're also very fortunate that the developers copy the map name into a single buffer which made supporting that fairly painless too. Regions in GC are named with a numerical prefix plus the name given in the module editor e.g. "D07: CREEPY CAVES". I've also got it correctly responding to map width/height.

The last three things are: Look into stairs and how multiple floors work (are they just jumps to other maps? or is it purely visual and implied vertical motionwithin one map - so overlaps are not possible? or is it full on Wizardry, X floors within one module?) ; hook up what's remaining from the 36 dungeons (data entry work) ; some more testing.

Should have a beta available for wider testing in ? hours. The hundreds of designs out there make testing it all a difficult task for just me, so I hope it goes well but happy to look into specific modules that break it

 

[mindx2]

Hidden Asbestos I must be dumb but I can't get the game-link to work for either EOB or Wiz6. Is there a step by step guide somewhere I can go to and read?