/me Hello
Hello,
I've joined the forum, because I'm playing with the idea to implement an editor to easily create fantasy maps for roleplaying campaigns. Maps like such maps found in lord of the ring books. I wonder how much different figures (like tree, hills, waves, obligatory sea monsters etc.) are needed to be able to create something reasonable. The editor should be implemented purely in java script and run in any common browser. So I'm currently looking for input :-)
And I just started a editor for dungeon maps (and some kind of exploration mode) Dungeon Pilot - Dungeon Editor Example, where I would love to get some feedback on.
Similar to the dungeon editor, I would like to feature the map editor with some kind of exploration mode (the game master sees the full map and can define what parts are shown to the players).
best regards,
Todi
Speaking for my gaming group, we're all iOS... so if the DM's version ran on either an iPad or OS X and the player versions worked on iOS (iPhone/iPad) that would be incredible.
Would your javascript implementation work on iOS devices such as iPhone and iPad?
The dungeon editor runs in a browser without any plugins. I do not have an iPad, but I'm developing on a MacBook with safari (without flash) and this performs quit good. A friend of mine tried it with a iPad on the table for the players and he used a Windows PC for his dungeon master view and he didn't ran into any problems.
And I think for a similar tool for maps (and maybe even city maps) I can use the same technic. Of cause this doesn't have to be grid based, and coasts and rivers seems to be the biggest challenges to me right now.
Great, being tech/platform agnostic is the only way to go.Originally Posted by Todi
I had a look at Dungeon Pilot, but it really didn't fit what I was hoping a DM/Player map system would support. Maybe I can elaborate a little.
The DM's copy vs. players copy would be MOST useful for dungeons, cities, towns and localized adventure areas where I have a map/image I can upload and then add specific hot zones too. I don't think it would be as critical for continent spanning perspective -but other DMs may have different requirements than mine. Good example use-cases (from my point of view) of the perfect DM/Player map editor suite are:
Use-Case: Valley
An image is drawn using pencil-crayon of a valley.The player version shows the basic topology (the wooded bits, a river, maybe the first of a set of cave entrances) and nothing more. All of the other features are hidden until they are discovered.
The DMs version shows the entire 3 mile long valley, along with the 2 hidden cave systems (which runs underneath and alone the river, detail maps would be drill-down) and the location of the hidden forest gnomes. Also, the two main watering spots for the wild Hippogriffs.
As the players adventure, the DM would reveal specific features to the players by clicking on them the image to toggle visibility. It would be cool if the functionality was like a photoshop brush, where the black image would be revealed as the DM traces a "reveal" brush over it. On the DMs side, I would expect it to highlight what's visible to players already somehow, and to support two (maybe three) thicknesses of "reveal brush" (narrow, regular, wide).
Use-Case: Hidden cave below river
Continuing the example from above, the cave system is a typical dungeon system created on 8x11 B&W using pen, then scanned in. Additional features such as where monsters, treasure, secret passages, etc.. are not on the base scan. Those features would be hot-spotted onto the image in the DM view and would reveal to the players as they explore the passage way. A click to toggle visibility of static features would be supported.
Use-Case: Ruins
Using a software generated image or pen/pencil (really the simplest implementation would be to scan a hand-drawn image) a basic outline of the ruins is created. This is scanned in. Then features are keyed carefully to rooms using a really basic point and click method. When players enter a room, the DM clicks to reveal the sections basic features and the player(s) can refresh in their tablet (Nexus/iPad/Surface, etc...) to see the new view.
For the project to really take off, I think it would have to be system independent. Using 5' squares implies that this is really for 3/3.5 or 4e D&D use (which is fine, but not very re-usable for say, basic, anything sci-fi/hex/gurps etc...).
Just my two cents as an analyst. Individual mileage may vary.
Hi Djali,
thank you for the feedback. To make sure, that I got your idea / suggestions right:
1) It's possible for a DM to upload pictures. It's possible for the DM to show that picture at the players tablet and change the display center position.
2) It would be possible to add fog to the picture and to use a brush to reveal parts of the picture. The DM would see a picture, where the fog just grays the picture, while the players see a picture, where that fog is black.
3) The DM could upload some kind of DM-overlay for a picture that is displayed only to the DM, when showing a picture.
Would that serve your needs?
Why do the players have to refresh their tablet? With dungeon pilot, revealed dungeon parts are instantly shown to the players. I would add that to picture maps too.
I've thought of adding support for hex maps later.
Thank you for the input. I will think about this. Do you know roll20.net? That is a system, that is much more powerful than dungeon pilot. On the other hand it's also much harder to use. I'm (for example) absolutely not capable of painting any map with any system :-) So dungeon pilots easy to use editor, would be the right tool, if I where to master some D&D campaign.
First of all, welcome to the Guild Todi! Second of all, this looks like a very useful tool for DM's. I also am very interested to see what you come up with for hex map support. I don't have much in the way of constructive feedback for you at this point, but I look forward to watching this develop.
Cheers,
-Arsheesh
Welcome to the Guild! Going to go check out your dungeon editor.
M
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