Incline Grid Cartographer - Best Tool for Drawing Classic RPG Maps

[Tripicus]

You should know that your fellow RPG codex bro Grauken is being awesome and patiently helping my sorry ass through Wizardry 6. So far the game link profile has been extended with an entire extra area already, which is really great news.

(psst. If you were to accidentally download this file and replace the one in your install, you'd have the improved W6 work-in-progress profile as well:
http://www.davidwaltersdevelopment.com/tools/gridcart/share/base0.zip )

Thanks Grauken. If I hadn't got distracted and lost steam awhile ago, you wouldn't have to be doing this. My party is still buried in the middle of the pyramids somewhere.

 

[Grauken]

the actual goal is W7, but I wanted some weapons from W6 so I'm going through it to collect them for my go at the sequel

 

[udm]

Nice to see this stickied

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Aw shucks, thanks! hmm, should I update the OP ?

 

[Zdzisiu]

Aw shucks, thanks! hmm, should I update the OP ?

That seems like a great idea. New people will be given the necessary info in the first post.

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

That seems like a great idea. New people will be given the necessary info in the first post.

Okay, it's a bit more current and informative now.

 

[Grauken]

Just discovered bulldozer mode (well HA told me about it), it's awesome, that makes using maps drawn by other people extremely useful

can it be made to undraw fields?

also, HA, you should think about hosting or putting up a link section on your page for finished maps of various major games, I imagine some popamole players would prefer not to map (I know, crazy) which in effect would make GridCart much more useful to them (and maybe sell more) and they could easily see what can be done with the program

especially when combined with the bulldozer mode, as it's almost like automapping

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Just discovered bulldozer mode (well HA told me about it), it's awesome, that makes using maps drawn by other people extremely useful

can it be made to undraw fields?

The bulldozer in v3 will only draw standard auto-walled coloured blocks and can't change fields/darkness etc. I plan to extend it significantly as part of v4 so that it can draw the current terrain type, change fields, smash through existing walls, etc. It's not something I've looked at fully yet but I think I can improve it along those lines and make it more of an automapper-like experience (although I'm hesitant to call it that as you'll still need to tell it what sort of door to use, etc.)

also, HA, you should think about hosting or putting up a link section on your page for finished maps of various major games, I imagine some popamole players would prefer not to map (I know, crazy) which in effect would make GridCart much more useful to them (and maybe sell more) and they could easily see what can be done with the program

especially when combined with the bulldozer mode, as it's almost like automapping

Thanks for the suggestion. It's not a 100% straightforward thing for certain games. For games like Wiz6 where the map subtly changes as you play (gates turn into open door frames, for example) - at what stage should it be given to you? I will think about it - certainly if/when I finally get onto Steam it seems like a good use of the 'workshop' feature.

 

[Grauken]

Actually I'm not too clear on how bulldozer mode works, but if you had like two layers, the normal map below and above it a layer only for fields, and its all filled with the same color for all fields, and then you bulldoze only on the second, the field layer, so that the map below it gets slowly uncovered, somehow like fog of war concept I remember in old RTS, then it could be like a automap, you only need finished drawn maps and a functioning game profiles

you're right that it could not account for changes in a map, but it would a solution good for what it is

anyway, not even sure it works like that or can be made to work like that, but I think automap for old blobbers could attract some people who would have not considered using the program before (maybe the wrong kind of people )

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Actually I'm not too clear on how bulldozer mode works, but if you had like two layers, the normal map below and above it a layer only for fields, and its all filled with the same color for all fields, and then you bulldoze only on the second, the field layer, so that the map below it gets slowly uncovered, somehow like fog of war concept I remember in old RTS, then it could be like a automap, you only need finished drawn maps and a functioning game profiles

Yes, it's one of my additional plans to add a 'been here' flag for each tile which could be used this way. A fog would be the reverse of that and also possible.

 

[Grauken]

Is it possible to copy pieces of maps between different files?

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Is it possible to copy pieces of maps between different files?

Yes. If you copy an area and load a new map (without quitting) you should be able to paste that area in.

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Grauken and I finally got automatic tracking working for 100% of Wizardry 6, hooray! So I dusted off the build making tools and Grid Cartographer v3.1.3 is now available.

Download at the usual spot here:
http://www.davidwaltersdevelopment.com/tools/gridcart/?aim=dl

(I also updated the profile for Curse of the Azure Bonds, however this profile is still incomplete)

 

[Grauken]

Would it be possible to get an alternate door edge tile, as the tile currently set for doors is the one I use for archways (I prefer it to the one used for open door frames) and more logically, it shows something open, while even unlocked doors are kinda close most of the time

I would prefer an edge tile for doors similar to the one used for gates, only with a grey line instead of pixels indicating bars.

just an idea

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Been having a productive time working on GC4 features lately. Here's some highlights:

Wall Niche + Keyhole Wall edge styles:

Convenient Save button + Revised tab order (i.e. File then Home - like MS Word 2016):

Option to display the map with blended or separate tile effects, as you prefer:

Hope you like it and as always I'm happy for feedback.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

Yes! for multiple effects. Niches are nice, how about those rounded corners though?

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Grid Cartographer 4 dev. progress: Now supporting a rainbow of 256 colours!
A bit more info and larger pic here: http://www.davidwaltersdevelopment.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2396#p2396

Yes! for multiple effects. Niches are nice, how about those rounded corners though?

Thanks! Rounded corners are on the list. It's a long list though with lots of areas to cover

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Won't be too long now and Grid Cartographer 4 will actually be released (kind of scary tbqh). I'm in a kind of a crunch period right now where I'm rounding out the lose edges and seeing how much I can get in and working before the end of the month.

Right now I'm in the middle of porting various things over to Linux and Mac OS. NOTE: The Android version has been split off and pushed back to an unknown time while I concentrate on making the desktop versions equal.

Here's the new Game Link 2.0 feature running on Linux for example:

http://www.davidwaltersdevelopment.com/tools/gridcart/share/gc4-gl2linux.png

Spent quite a bit of time getting dosbox to build on Linux and learning how to make shared memory work on there. It was good fun learning that stuff. I'm moving to Mac next and hopefully it will require less work due to its Unix roots. Once that's done I can work on things that don't require special platform specific features and booting into strange operating systems, which is much better for progress.

Finally, just to add - anything that doesn't end up in v4.0 will probably end up in v4.x eventually. v3 was released around 18 months ago now and got a lot of things added during its lifetime (3D engine, Game Link 1, etc.). I hope to do the same again with v4!

 

[Bumvelcrow]

Here's the new Game Link 2.0 feature running on Linux for example:

I feel this deserves more than one brofist, so I'll have to owe you.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

Rounded corners?

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Rounded corners?

I'm actually debating with myself whether to have only 1 corner and introduce H/V flipping of markers (with the other 3 as shortcuts rather than truly unique tiles). This flipping support would then lead towards using GC to make tile maps for retro games.

So, yes but I don't want to rush in and naively add four tiles and have to redo the work later.

In the mean time I made a temporary set of custom tiles for you to use. They are compatible with GC3 just save from here and drag&drop onto the app to import. They only really work at 100% zoom and you should set them to be on the terrain layer to remove the drop-shadows. I don't think this is good enough but hopefully it'll do for now.

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

Okay, so it's nearly time. Grid Cartographer 4 will launch on 27th September. Two weeks from today.

Full details here:
http://www.davidwaltersdevelopment.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1468

Upgrades from v3 to v4 Pro will be $17.99 but reduced to $15.99 until 31st October.

(New licenses for v4 Gamer and Pro will be $17.99 and $44.99 respectively, during the discount period.)

Gamer edition is geared towards just playing cRPGs with the pro edition for tabletop, game developers, etc. As v4.x rolls along the feature gap will widen.

v3 is still available as are v2 -> v3 upgrades. v1 and v2 will not eligible for a discounted upgrade to v4.

 

[Hirato]

That is a pretty hefty increase in price, with a rather large reduction in features compared to the similarly priced V3 version (ie, the Hex grids, the 3D mode, the export features, etc)

 

[Hidden Asbestos]

That is a pretty hefty increase in price, with a rather large reduction in features compared to the similarly priced V3 version (ie, the Hex grids, the 3D mode, the export features, etc)

Increasing the price was a decision I've made based on a few factors. The main one being that I'm positioning it for a Steam release. With that brings the associated need to rely on heavy discounting to drive sales. Version 3 has always been sold at the same low price of $20 and has never been on sale, but that's not really compatible with how Steam works. I felt I needed to raise the price up to a point where I don't feel I'm asking too much for what you get but also a price point that I can comfortably reduce when I know the increased numbers will compensate (i.e. during the big summer and winter sales).

I hope to make version 4 worth the asking price at launch, and if not then through effort in adding new features and improving what's there. For new customers who only want to play games using it, I think what you'll get in v4 Gamer for $20 is still going to be worth it. For existing version 3 customers I think it's right that you've had more features and get a better deal as you've been there supporting the project for a lot longer (and for many of you these were features added after you put money down - so extra thanks for believing in me).

Ultimately a changing price isn't going to make everyone happy - there's always going to be someone who misses the boat on a sale or got in early and had a better deal - but I've tried (and will try) to make prices changes reasonably and at the right time. I'm also trying to set out on a course where I can continue to work on this and one day even make it a sustainable product.

 

[Hirato]

Increasing the price was a decision I've made based on a few factors. The main one being that I'm positioning it for a Steam release. With that brings the associated need to rely on heavy discounting to drive sales. Version 3 has always been sold at the same low price of $20 and has never been on sale, but that's not really compatible with how Steam works. I felt I needed to raise the price up to a point where I don't feel I'm asking too much for what you get but also a price point that I can comfortably reduce when I know the increased numbers will compensate (i.e. during the big summer and winter sales).

I have to disagree.
I think most of the sale-time sales come more from the fact that a big sale is on (usually with assorted bonus games and goodies, particularly trading cards), more so than the product itself being heavily discounted.
I also think that HUGE discounts, especially of the -90% level shows that the developer doesn't have a lot of faith in the product.
I personally don't think you should be doing sales and discounts of grid cartographer at anything bigger than -15% off - especially because grid cart has a fairly niche interest.

I hope to make version 4 worth the asking price at launch, and if not then through effort in adding new features and improving what's there. For new customers who only want to play games using it, I think what you'll get in v4 Gamer for $20 is still going to be worth it. For existing version 3 customers I think it's right that you've had more features and get a better deal as you've been there supporting the project for a lot longer (and for many of you these were features added after you put money down).

Though if I were you, I would at least keep 'Hex maps' and 'export to image' as features available at the 'gamer' tier.

Ultimately a changing price isn't going to make everyone happy - there's always going to be someone who misses the boat on a sale or got in early and had a better deal - but I've tried (and will try) to make prices changes reasonably and at the right time. I'm also trying to set out on a course where I can continue to work on this and one day even make it a sustainable product.

Fair enough really.

I personally would've started the Pro edition's pricing at around $30 though, just to keep in line with tradition (v2 $12.00 --> v3 $19.99, etc).
I also wouldn't particularly mind paying a little more than the difference between versions either (eg, if v4 was $29.99, the upgrade cost from V3 was $11.99), because I do understand that you have to make money to both support yourself and continue development of grid cartographer.