RPTools.net

I found a very, very nice random dungeon generator at http://donjon.bin.sh/d20/dungeon along with some other pleasant and useful tools that you can browse in that site (unfortunately only few of those work offline, and the dungeon generator is not among them).
So I just wondered if something like that could be added directly to MapTool to get instant random dungeon maps by setting that handful of parameters (tileset included).
Just a proposal, but I think a good one.

Ah, now here's a good example of what should be posted in the New Applications area.

It's unlikely that such a feature would be included in MapTool since that ties the two pieces together too closely. By having a separate app, the dungeon builder could be released separately from MapTool. It would probably build dungeons using some kind of tileset and output a map/campaign that could be loaded with MapTool...

Masterplan does this using downloaded tilesets (for instance the published Wizards ones) and auto-creates delves (including room encounter, traps, etc.) that you define or don't. The nice thing is you can create a master "overall" map and separate maps for encounters like the ones you find in modules. I read on the forum that some people downloaded a lot of the tilesets thats used to be online (the Wizards dungeon builder). The only caveat is that you need on the one variation of each tiles (instead of the 4 versions for each direction). Seems to work, albeit "randomly" but you can still move pieces about with their editor as well as place the monster start locations on the map.

You can output these maps (I know for sure you can print them) so you should be able to import them into Maptool without having to rescale to fix stretched resolution(exported as BMP images). They come in at 64 x 64 grid size so if you want to scale to a perfect 50 x 50, you will have to work out the math.

Nevermind - I just scaled the Height and Width by 0.7812 (or 50/64) and it pops into Maptools spot on.

I've given a look to Masterplan and it's quite cool and everything, but... as far as I've seen you must be a Wizards' subscriber (read: you must pay) or you won't be able to download any tileset or other element and you'll just have a useless application. Isn't there any free stuff to download? I couldn't find any by googlewandering.

There are some tilesets here and there that can be found, but for monsters stuff you have to subscribe, or hand-enter it.

The problem I have with MasterPlan is speed and memory usage; I caught it eating a gig of memory the other day, after loading a test file (consisted of, 5 plot points, I think, and no tiles or anything). It's a neat program, but I only have three of those gig things!

Actually I was just interested in the map-making part, since I don't play 4e, but this thing about huge memory usage is... scary...

I do not mean to cast massive aspersions on it; I just happened to check memory use at one point and it was very high. I just checked again, and after starting it, and getting to the intro screen (no file loaded, just the initial options screen), it's using 746MB of memory.

That's very spiffy!

I did colossal size and it looked like quite an adventure.

It comes with a standard tile set built in.

But DDI does allow for month by month subscriptions. Even if you did it once to twice a year, once you have it, you have it. I plan on doing this myself and using Masterplan to my full advantage.

I should note that there is a yahoo group that collects tiles, like the ones that Jai's tools used, for downloading.

You need to set up an account for the group but from the looks of things, there is quite a lot of activity regarding tile creation.

Might want to check that out.

I do have to admit... the idea of making a random dungeon in this fashion and just importing it in to an existing campaign if/when that functionality is finished is... tempting to say the least.

Add a decent quantity of customization as to what types of dungeons it makes, max size of rooms... min size of rooms... all of the other options on donjon... probably some more as well... Could take a lot of work-load off of DMs trying to make dungeons. You don't like the dungeon it makes? Make a new random one... it doesn't take more then a few seconds. Import into maptool and tweak for whatever changes you want.

You could choose for it to populate the dungeon with random monster tokens take from a certain directory, put certain things on certain layers to provide DM information... There's a lot that could be done with a random dungeon generator specifically designed for maptool.

+1 for a new aplication!
A very nice Idea that I should really have thought of, having come across DonJon's utilities and galneweinhaw's generators in my mad attempt at trying to produce a decent dungeon then wondering why there wasn't an easier way of importing it to MT lol!

Mal

FYI, the creator has added some new features recently based on requests over on the CartographersGuild. Recent changes include additional door types in random creation as well as hex grid creation.

For your simple dungeon needs, this is a quick way to make a random map.

Well I've got partial good news for you then.

I've (nearly*) created such a thing and you can download it from the user creation/drop in section, its called 'dungeon builder' (link is in my sig.). It was actually that link (donjon) that inspired me to create the tool in the first place. Tilesets are included btw.

*The 'nearly':
I've dugged in 'random dungeon creation' and concluded that the methods used are too heavy to with MT script. So I devised an inbetween method that you create your dungon in excel. Here you CAN create random dungeons and then copy paste them into MT. However I don't have time to create that code so on my todo list for this is contacting the creator of donjon and ask him if its possible to get some csv(-ish) file export of the donjon. Which can either be pasted straigth into the dungeon builder or via excel to the dungeon builder. I've retrieved his twitter address via another person of that website, I just haven't come round contacting him.

done!