Multiple Maps or one map in campaign file

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anmay73
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Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2009 9:13 pm

Multiple Maps or one map in campaign file

Post by anmay73 »

I have been growing more comfortable these past few months with maptool and have decided to start a new campaign file using the interactive sheets and other various macros. Thanks to all who have provided the code for these frameworks and macros.

I'm looking to the rest of the experienced users for suggestions on the management of my maps and encounters within the campaign file.

Here are the options I was considering:

1) Have one map and put all of the maps and encounters here. I would navigate to each encounter or map using the goto function or map explorer. Still trying to figure out how to use the drop in utility to move groups of tokens to a location. Also haven't quite figured out how to program a macro to send a token to a specific spot.
2) Have multiple maps. Each map would detail a small group of encounters.

Here are the pluses and minuses I see with both ways of doing things:
1) The file map gets big and takes awhile to load. However, once it's loaded the players do not have to wait for new maps to load. Going from level to level in a dungeon is as easy as dragging the tokens to the new level. Speaking of dragging, until I figure how to move groups of tokens it can become a pain to move the tokens long distances within the same map.
2) The players have to wait each time I force them to a new map. The chance for a packet not sending correctly and freezing someone's computer is greater (this has happened and everyone has to start over). However the file is generally smaller and load times are less. I haven't had this problem nearly as much with v63. Navigation is easier as the encounters are closer together within that particular map.

So please, respond to the above, or just tell me how you run your games. I would love the insight.

Thanks
anmay

Shpena
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Location: Japan

Re: Multiple Maps or one map in campaign file

Post by Shpena »

It all depends on what you want, your hardware and your player's hardware limitations. I personally have a 12gb 4 core dell beast that does my huge maps, but my players are running macbook with 2 gb ram and some strange notebook with 4gb. They sometimes lag, or take a while longer to load via my wireless, but generally are ready to roll after it fully uploads.

The problem with one huge map is as you say, plus if it gets corrupted you lose it all pretty much. The problem with many maps is the loading and finding the maps. Plus whatever else others will pitch in.

For moving groups of tokens, check out Lindsays tools in the user created section. He has a teleport function (derived from Dr. V) which works brilliantly.

If the packet sending could be something more like bittorrent then I think it would vastly help the speed of network updates, etc. I'll leave that up to the programmers. It may be a pain to implement, or a complete waste of time. Only they know :D
"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils."
- Louis-Hector Berlioz

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wolph42
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Re: Multiple Maps or one map in campaign file

Post by wolph42 »

If you want to use teleport pads that work fully auto, check out this: teleport pads. If you only use it for teleporting within a map its very simple to setup (just copy paste the pads and edit a line in a macro). If you want to use it as well for teleporting between maps, than the setup is more challenging...

RJohnson
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Re: Multiple Maps or one map in campaign file

Post by RJohnson »

Thought I might offer my two sense. I have very old computers and running one big map became almost impossible. I had a multilevel fortress with many many npcs due to 4ed dnd minions and the like it ran very slowly and became an issue just to add a token. So it forced me to make multiple maps and even multiple campaign files. But with the import/export macro ability this is a simple solution. Lindsey's Wolphs and every teleport option seems pretty intense and not easy to edit dynamically/during game play so I created a simple solution for me and anyone else that might want it. I am fairly new to Maptools so this was my solution because I had serious performance issues when making a very large map and I too need a way to go upstairs/downstairs quickly. This solution all I have to do is create a token on each map with the name "Teleport Token". (EDIT) The teleport puts all the pcs in one location to the right of the teleport token which is suitable for my needs but it could easily keep player position just by getting the first pcs id and location and referencing each player from that location, but at the moment I don't need such capabilities.(/EDIT)

I have a Library token named Lib:Sow which has MoveForm and MoveSubmitted macros.

so I have a Campaign Macro (I don't share campaign macros with my players.)
MoveToken:

Code: Select all

[macro("MoveForm@Lib:Sow"):""]
on Lib:Sow token
MoveForm:

Code: Select all

[frame("Moving Tokens"):{
	[h: link=macroLinkText("MoveSubmitted@Lib:Sow","all")]
	<form action="[r:link]">
      <select name="map" size="">	
	[foreach(map,getAllMapNames(),""), code:{
		<option>[r: map]</option>
	}]		
      </select>
	<input type="submit" value="Move">
	<form>
}]
MoveSubmitted:

Code: Select all

[h: newmap=getStrProp(macro.args,"map")]
[h: oldmap=getCurrentMapName()]
[h: ids=getSelected()]
[h: setCurrentMap(newmap)]
[h, token("Teleport Token"): x=getTokenX(0)]
[h, token("Teleport Token"): y=getTokenY(0)]
[h: x=x+1]
[h: setCurrentMap(oldmap)]
[h, foreach(id,ids,""), code:{
	[h, if(newmap!=oldmap): moveTokenToMap(id,newmap,x,y,0)]
	[h, if(newmap==oldmap): moveToken(x,y,0,id)]
}]
[h: setCurrentMap(newmap)]
[goto(currentToken())]


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Azhrei
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Re: Multiple Maps or one map in campaign file

Post by Azhrei »

RJohnson wrote:Lindsey's Wolphs and every teleport option seems pretty intense and not easy to edit dynamically/during game play [...] all I have to do is create a token on each map with the name "Teleport Token".
Ironically, that's the way at least one of the teleport pads work because that's how I use them. :)

Set the size of the teleport pad as desired, then execute the "Summon Players" macro that is on the token. It will put a link into the chat window telling the players to select their token(s) and click the link. All done!

Tokens moved via the macro will always occupy the area occupied by the teleport pad. So set the size of the pad to 3x3 and the player tokens will appear on top of it. You probably don't really want the players to see the teleport pad though, so put it on the Hidden layer where it won't be seen. Or on the Object layer and mark it "not visible to players". You can leave it on the Token layer and "not visible to players" but then it's a bit of a pain for the GM to select the player tokens without selecting the teleport pad. Of course, putting it on the Hidden or Object layers means you have to switch to that layer to execute the macro that's on the token. Oh well... Can't have everything! (Where would you put it?)

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wolph42
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Re: Multiple Maps or one map in campaign file

Post by wolph42 »

Mine work differently in that they automatically activate when you step on them. So no hassle with macros. However mine are harder to setup while lindseys are easy to setup. I believe alias is working on a new teleport function which will have the best of both.

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aliasmask
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Re: Multiple Maps or one map in campaign file

Post by aliasmask »

wolph42 wrote:Mine work differently in that they automatically activate when you step on them. So no hassle with macros. However mine are harder to setup while lindseys are easy to setup. I believe alias is working on a new teleport function which will have the best of both.
Yes, but not anytime soon. I'm putting the final touches on RPedit 1.3 with debugger (yeah!), then I plan to get Spell Lib 1.3 out the door (It's been a year since last update) with a search feature and customizable spells with the ability to add extra properties for spell casting macros as well as import/export spell data. I don't expect to finish that before March.

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