new dm, new cartographer, tons of problems

[Rybesh]

hello everybody! as i said, i am a new dm (havent even dmed a game yet, in fact) and i would like to make a digital map in order to play in. and this is where the problems come in. i unfortunately do not have any rights on the computer i am currently using, so downloading and installing GIMP (which i see is the widely preferred method) is out of the question for me. would anyone happen to know of any tutorials for paint (unfortunately, the only program i have any hope of using, due to the lack of photoshop and the lack of rights, mentioned above)?

[Jacktannery]

Rybash, as far as I know you can run gimp from an external hard disk or an external USB stick without it ever touching the computer. Just go to an internet cafe or similar and download it and it should work I think. You should google this first to double check.

[Rybesh]

the rights problem isnt with the downloading. i could download stuff to my hearts content, the problem is with the installation, and i need an admin password for that, something that i sorely lack. ill still look into it though.

[Rybesh]

ya i just downloaded some programs to install, and i couldnt even get to a page that said install. i just clicked on it and it said "dude you dont got no rights, find an admin" (not using those words, but you get the point). so, does anyone know of any online map making sites? with the program embedded into the site or something like that?

[Bogie]

Check out Roll20, it is both an online map making program and an online VirtualTableTop.

[Rybesh]

how easy is it to make a custom map from scratch on roll20?

[Bogie]

I don't know, I have not tried it yet. I know you can also use Maptools VTT to make maps pretty easily, but you have to download the app. Roll20 is all online. There are several youTube video tutorials. Here is a link to one of them Roll20: Building Maps Help, Part 1 - YouTube

[zukeprime]

Rybesh,
You can download and run GIMP, Inkscape, and Blender in a portable version, i.e. one that you can utilize from a USB stick on any computer. Check out Portable Apps

The advantage of using portableapps.com vs just running a standalone portable version, is that the devs actually modify the save structure to keep it intact on the USB, and prevent any intrusion onto the host system. For graphics applications you're going to want a pretty sizable and fast USB stick, but it actually works great. You can also transfer all your brushes, scripts, etc, onto the stick in the appropriate folder.

I know it will work with Linux systems as well, but the caveat is that the host system needs WINE to run these windows based portable apps....there's no "portable" WINE solution.

While I'm speaking of Linux, you can also install Linux onto a USB or portable drive. If the computer is modern enough, you can just boot right from the USB (stick or drive) into the Linux environment, where you'll have a fully operating system "on the fly". GIMP, Blender, Inkscape, etc. Most people are scared of Linux, but it actually works very well with GIMP, etc...much better than my windows box.

A portable Linux solution is simple, but to someone not familiar with Linux, the installation can be hazardous to your host computer if you don't know what you're doing.

[Rybesh]

zuke, the problem im having is that i cant install anything due to lack of rights and the fact that i my computer has a ton of restrictions on it. before i can even get to a page that i can install from, it stops me.

just tried to install that and i got blocked.

[zukeprime]

I see...yes, in order for that to work, you need to download portable apps onto the USB from your own computer, or a computer that will let you. After that, of course, you can use it on any computer that hasn't denied access to the USB ports.

You could try publicly available computers, like at an internet cafe. You could probably get the portable apps suite downloaded and installed from there onto your USB, then you'd be good to go. The other thing I didn't mention: they have an auto-updater, so when a new version is out, it'll update it for you onto your USB.