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Player vision of maps

Posted: Fri May 12, 2017 8:42 pm
by zetim
I'm trying to host a local game using maptools on a large display. I've already figured out how to load two instances of maptools, host as the GM on one and as the player on the second. The goal of this is primarily for use in dungeons, hwere large swaths of the map won't be visible to the players until they're in it. I'm trying to figure out how to use the lighting to restrict player vision of these objects without revealing entire areas of the map at once. I don't want to load a 40x40 square of open space if their torch only lights 4 of it. I wouldn't mind using fog of war, but it seems I have to manually erase stuff as they see it and fill it back in when they return. I'd prefer the background be made invisible when it's not lit.

The one thing I have found is that I can make background images tokens, and that way when the light shines on them it reveals them with raytracing from the light. I can draw on the VBL to make it reveal just the area of the dungeon that they have lit and what needs to be obscured by walls and what have you, is, and it is obscured once they leave. That works, but the issue is I've accidentally moved the background images because they're on the same layer as the tokens that are moving around providing the light and vision.

I suppose I'm asking if there's a way to impose the same image-blocking properties that tokens enjoy with the VBL and lighting as another layer? Is there some other mechanism that can achieve this? If not I guess I'm just going to have to be real careful with moving the backgrounds as tokens.

Re: Player vision of maps

Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 7:47 pm
by JamzTheMan
Keep playing around with tokens/layers/lights/fow, you will get the hang of it.

Be sure to start a server to test your lighting/fow. You can set tokens to "auto reveal" fow this way as well. Attach your lights to PC tokens (if they have a torch or some such) or create a "torch" type option and put it on OBJECT layer and add light to it. Put your maps and such on the background layer.

1. Grid is drawn OVER Background layer, Object layer draws OVER grid.
2. FoW "History" (what the PC's have seen but can not currently see) only shows the Background layer (and IIRC Object layer). It does not show anything on the Token layer. So if you move a monster or something behind them, they won't see it until their vision/lighting is in range.

Re: Player vision of maps

Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 8:49 pm
by zetim
JamzTheMan wrote:Keep playing around with tokens/layers/lights/fow, you will get the hang of it.

Be sure to start a server to test your lighting/fow. You can set tokens to "auto reveal" fow this way as well. Attach your lights to PC tokens (if they have a torch or some such) or create a "torch" type option and put it on OBJECT layer and add light to it. Put your maps and such on the background layer.

1. Grid is drawn OVER Background layer, Object layer draws OVER grid.
2. FoW "History" (what the PC's have seen but can not currently see) only shows the Background layer (and IIRC Object layer). It does not show anything on the Token layer. So if you move a monster or something behind them, they won't see it until their vision/lighting is in range.
But even with FOW, the whole map is revealed. Am I missing something?

Re: Player vision of maps

Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 10:06 pm
by aliasmask
Checklist for FOW vision
  • Map vision is on - Map | Vision: Day or Night
  • Token vision is on - Edit Token | Config: Has Sight checked
  • Token is a PC token - Edit Token | PC (top right dropdown)
  • FOW is On - Map | Fog-of-War (Ctrl-W)
  • Tokens have a light source or personal light for Night vision
  • I recommend default Map Vision distance of 240 - Map | Edit Map: Vision Distance
  • Server settings on - strict token ownership; players can reveal vision; reveal on movement (personally, I check all the server boxes)

Re: Player vision of maps

Posted: Sun May 14, 2017 1:36 pm
by Full Bleed
aliasmask wrote: [*]Token vision is on - Edit Token | Config: Has Sight checked
Also, what vision types are you using? Make sure you've assigned the right type to the token in question.

http://lmwcs.com/rptools/wiki/Introduct ... and_Sights
players can reveal vision; reveal on movement
Caveat: Make sure this is what you want. I avoid this because players (new players in particular) can mess up their movements and expose things they should see when it's done automatically.

You can use CTRL-I to expose the FoW for a selected character after they move (this is the method I use).

Some other shortcuts:
http://lmwcs.com/rptools/wiki/Shortcut_Keys

As noted, you can use CTRL-SHIFT-O to add back all the FoW that tokens currently can't expose. I don't bother with this. I let players "remember" the exposed areas... keep in mind that regardless of there being FoW or not, players still won't see anything new happening in exposed areas (like enemy tokens or new objects, unless it's within their actual vision range.)

You can do these things with macros, too:
Wiki: exposeFOW()
Wiki: exposePCOnlyArea()
zetim wrote:]but the issue is I've accidentally moved the background images because they're on the same layer as the tokens
If you have images on the "token" layer they really aren't "background images" (they're considered "tokens"). Put those items on the "Object" layer. You won't accidentally move them then.