RPTools.net

Doesn't Text go on the current drawable layer? If you add a new GM only layer and put Text on it then it would be hidden from the players, yes?

I'm trying to say I'm not against the idea of adding layers, but can we keep the layers standard or how you add them standard, so we can eventually build rule sets for game types, and better exchange maps between rule sets.

As I understand it this is a request for one more layer - a GM's features layer.

This would be above the background layer but below the token layer and allow for standard GM things like secret door markers, notes and traps. Everything on it is invisible to players. Is this what's being proposed?

I am all for a GM secret layer.

torstan wrote:As I understand it this is a request for one more layer - a GM's features layer.

This would be above the background layer but below the token layer and allow for standard GM things like secret door markers, notes and traps. Everything on it is invisible to players. Is this what's being proposed?

That's my understanding of it. I think I'll put it in for b18 and we can decide if it "works" or not

Phergus wrote:Doesn't Text go on the current drawable layer? If you add a new GM only layer and put Text on it then it would be hidden from the players, yes?

So now I've tried and I see that Text isn't going on the currently selected layer. Seeing as it is presented with the other drawing tools that do go on the selected layer this is a bit inconsistent.

Phergus wrote:Doesn't Text go on the current drawable layer? If you add a new GM only layer and put Text on it then it would be hidden from the players, yes?

Not currently. The text labels are on a layer all their own.

Phergus wrote:

Phergus wrote:Doesn't Text go on the current drawable layer? If you add a new GM only layer and put Text on it then it would be hidden from the players, yes?

So now I've tried and I see that Text isn't going on the currently selected layer. Seeing as it is presented with the other drawing tools that do go on the selected layer this is a bit inconsistent.

Does the layer control panel come up when you are on the text tool ? I can't remember

Does the layer control panel come up when you are on the text tool ? I can't remember

It goes away once you click on the Text tool but if you have been working with the other tools on a specific layer it would kind of follow that your text would go there as well.

I pretty much haven't used Text much because it is always visible to players.

I don't know if I want it to be more like a drawable or more like a token. Right now it is kind of in-between but without the benefits of either.

Trevor, would this "layer over token" idea also cover what we had talked about a few months ago? I was thinking of the ability to easily add special effects to tokens to show things like spell states or magical conditions. I wasn't sure if this would be handled as a layer over token function in the map, or if it would be better handled by being able to link multiple instances of tokens with different states.

How I had imagined the latter would be to create all of your "states" in token tool as overlays. Then link them all together, so that when you create a token, token tool would also create copies of that token with the various overlays, all linked together. Then in Maptool, you could right click on the token, go to the "states" section, and select whichever state you want to show, and instead of the X's and O's we currently use, Maptool would just select the altered version of the original token and replace the normal token with the token that has the appropriate overlay.

Or would all of this be easier to do with adding this idea of an extra layer in MT?

There's two different layers that have been discussed, one is for tokens, the other for drawables.

The extra token layers are in need of discussion to figure out a good and consistent way to present that information.

The secret GM drawable layer is pretty easy to implement and use (or ignore if so inclined), so we'll try that one out first.

The drawable layer wouldn't help you token state issue. Instead I think your idea of grouping tokens together would help in that case.

I'm totally voting yes on the hidden drawable layer, especially if it allows the text to be viewable only to the GM. While that is being developed, will it be possible to make the text moveable, once it's created? Sometimes my aim isn't so good and it takes me a couple times to get it placed exactly where I want it.

TINQ (The inevitable next question).

Will it be possible to select items on the hidden layer and move them to a visible layer?

mudpyr8 wrote:TINQ (The inevitable next question).

Will it be possible to select items on the hidden layer and move them to a visible layer?

Heh, definitely knew that was coming

The problem is that it suffers from the same problem all the other layers do: the eraser. Moving a single drawable may not give you the expected results. You have to move every drawable to keep things consistent.

I'll have to think about it some more, and welcome some of your thoughts on how that might work.

trevor wrote:
Heh, definitely knew that was coming

The problem is that it suffers from the same problem all the other layers do: the eraser. Moving a single drawable may not give you the expected results. You have to move every drawable to keep things consistent.

I'll have to think about it some more, and welcome some of your thoughts on how that might work.

Can I ask a really silly question (sorry if it's off topic)... how are drawables handled? are they kept each in their own seperate container or are they grouped together on a layer? is there a class "Drawable"? also, why would the eraser have problems dealing with them - I'm seriously not trying to be a pain, just interested to know

I have never programmed in Java before so I'm not sure what's easier to code..