New user with a few feature requests

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Starwolf
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New user with a few feature requests

Post by Starwolf »

I have recently started to use MapTool and I am pretty impressed what this little program can do.
My primary use of MapToll will be to replace the tabletop encounters as they usually takes a lot of space. I usually play out outddor encounters between high tech (sciFi) units mixing combat vehicles and personell. (I play Traveller [TNE]). Thus I have the need of large scale maps, which I usually make in CC2. I also plan to play out space combat in MapTool.

I have the following features I would like to see.

- Support for CC2/3 maps
- Possebility to turn counters as I usually use top down counters. Preferably 60 and 30 degrees for hex maps. Traveller (TNE) starship combat uses 30 degrees difference in vectors, thus moving along the verticles.
- Restrict players from placing and copying tokens. If this function exist I did not find it.
- Mark tokens for finished their action. Cannot be moved by the players before the GM releases them.
- Possible to differenciate between facing and heading. One arrow for each. Starships may point their nose in one direction and have a course in another.
- Arc templates that can be attached to tokens. These arcs should line up with the facing of the token.
- Token database with predefined stats. Lets say I make a database over different unit types. I can then write in weapon type and damage and other info that players and GM can look up on the screen. No need for automating damage and such as I prefer to roll the dice and handle the damage and logistics myself.
- The possibility to turn the hex grid 90 degrees. For some of my maps with predrawn hexes the grid do not match up as the grid is off by 90 degrees.

This is my list of most wanted items at the moment. I hope this is not to much to wish for =0)

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trevor
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Re: New user with a few feature requests

Post by trevor »

Welcome to the forums Starwolf !
Starwolf wrote: - Support for CC2/3 maps
What would this mean ? Loading their file format ? Often users export their cc2/3 maps as images and import that into MT
Starwolf wrote: - Possebility to turn counters as I usually use top down counters. Preferably 60 and 30 degrees for hex maps. Traveller (TNE) starship combat uses 30 degrees difference in vectors, thus moving along the verticles.
This can be done. When adding a new token, MT attempts to figure out what kind of token they are (circle, square, or top down). If it guesses wrong, double click the token and manually change it to the type wanted (eg Top Down). Top Down designated tokens will rotate instead of use and arrow.
Starwolf wrote: - Restrict players from placing and copying tokens. If this function exist I did not find it.
Does not currently exist, but can be added as another server property. I've added a tracker for this
Starwolf wrote: - Mark tokens for finished their action. Cannot be moved by the players before the GM releases them.
Another server property. Tracker added. We've contemplated this one in the past, and with the latest fog of war stuff would be fairly appropriate.
Starwolf wrote: - Possible to differenciate between facing and heading. One arrow for each. Starships may point their nose in one direction and have a course in another.
Quite possible. I'll add a tracker for it.
Starwolf wrote: - Arc templates that can be attached to tokens. These arcs should line up with the facing of the token.
Currently there is a recent feature that is still evolving that does this. It's called vision. Add a Conic vision object and it will follow your facing. Check out this post for additional information on future developments for this feature:

http://forums.rptools.net/viewtopic.php?p=13343#13343
Starwolf wrote: - Token database with predefined stats. Lets say I make a database over different unit types. I can then write in weapon type and damage and other info that players and GM can look up on the screen. No need for automating damage and such as I prefer to roll the dice and handle the damage and logistics myself.
We are planning a .token file format that will allow you to preassign values to your token images.
Starwolf wrote: - The possibility to turn the hex grid 90 degrees. For some of my maps with predrawn hexes the grid do not match up as the grid is off by 90 degrees.
This is planned but didn't have a time frame. I'll bump the priority.

Thanks for the great feature requests !
Dreaming of a 1.3 release

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Steel Rat
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Post by Steel Rat »

- Possible to differenciate between facing and heading. One arrow for each. Starships may point their nose in one direction and have a course in another.
I second this one. Tanks are another example, or any vehicle with a turret. Multiple turrets would be another problem. But I'd have to see multiple turrets as separate tokens grouped with the hull.
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Starwolf
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Re: New user with a few feature requests

Post by Starwolf »

trevor wrote:Welcome to the forums Starwolf !
Starwolf wrote: - Support for CC2/3 maps
What would this mean ? Loading their file format ? Often users export their cc2/3 maps as images and import that into MT
Preferably yes. As I stated in my opening post I run mainly SF or modern battles where 1 hex/square equals 10 meters. When the players for instance want to attack an installation they may want to position mortar, sniper or some other long range weaponry far from the main force it will be usefull to have them on the board so you can plot what they may and may not see from their postion.

This feature could be added as a plug-in so you may take money for it in case the guys at Profantasy wants to have some sort of license money for it. I would buy such a plug-in.
trevor wrote:
Starwolf wrote: - Possebility to turn counters as I usually use top down counters. Preferably 60 and 30 degrees for hex maps. Traveller (TNE) starship combat uses 30 degrees difference in vectors, thus moving along the verticles.
This can be done. When adding a new token, MT attempts to figure out what kind of token they are (circle, square, or top down). If it guesses wrong, double click the token and manually change it to the type wanted (eg Top Down). Top Down designated tokens will rotate instead of use and arrow.
Found it, thanks =0)

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trevor
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Re: New user with a few feature requests

Post by trevor »

Starwolf wrote: Preferably yes. As I stated in my opening post I run mainly SF or modern battles where 1 hex/square equals 10 meters. When the players for instance want to attack an installation they may want to position mortar, sniper or some other long range weaponry far from the main force it will be usefull to have them on the board so you can plot what they may and may not see from their postion.
Tell me more about what the cc map format provides that helps with this feature. It sounds like the important part is knowing that range of what the mortar can see ?
Dreaming of a 1.3 release

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Steel Rat
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Post by Steel Rat »

Preferably yes. As I stated in my opening post I run mainly SF or modern battles where 1 hex/square equals 10 meters. When the players for instance want to attack an installation they may want to position mortar, sniper or some other long range weaponry far from the main force it will be usefull to have them on the board so you can plot what they may and may not see from their postion.
Sounds like you're trying to use CC to position pieces which move all the time. Is that because you're wanting to stick with the CC graphics instead of using tokens within Maptool for things that will move all the time?

Why not just make your base map with CC, export it to JPG or PNG, then bring it int Maptool. Then you can add starships, tanks, armies of soldiers, etc within MT.
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jay
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Re: New user with a few feature requests

Post by jay »

Starwolf wrote:- Token database with predefined stats. Lets say I make a database over different unit types. I can then write in weapon type and damage and other info that players and GM can look up on the screen. No need for automating damage and such as I prefer to roll the dice and handle the damage and logistics myself.
Init tool has a database like this built into it. It could contain all the different type of units and you get to define what properties exist. Init tool isn't networked, but you can drag items from it's encounter's and group's to map tool, and all of the stats go with it. However I don't believe that map tool has a way to show generic stats yet. The database is brand new so it is a little rough around the edges. Images aren't supported yet but they will be in the next release. There isn't a editor for the files, but they are XML files so that they can be edited as text.

Starwolf
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Post by Starwolf »

I have exportet CC2 maps to BMP and PNG. My mine gripe (if you can call it that) is that most fantasy gaming covers a small aera as most combats are made with swords. Bows have a limited range, and hardly is usable beyond 100 meters at a moving target.

Modern and SF combat with combined arms (infantery, armor and air cover) usually covers a much larger area, but still need local detail. Most homes will cover one or two squares/hexes at a resolution of 10 meter a square or hex.

My maps usually cover an area of 500x700 meters. At this scale I need a map of about 4000x2500 pixels to maintain some sort of details which will be pretty grainy. At this resultion depending on compression and filetype may be as much as 30MB. However I have managed to compress them down to little less than 2Mb.

Same file in CC2/3 format is just a few 100 Kb.

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heruca
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Post by heruca »

It sounds like he's asking for vector graphics support, in addition to the bitmap graphic support that MT already has.

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Post by snikle »

Can you post examples of your map? I am thinking that the same map could be created in MapTool using textures and stamps and use less memory.
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trevor
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Post by trevor »

Starwolf. You're in luck, maptool handles near infinite sized maps, when built in a certain way. Unfortunately it doesn't handle raw raster images (jpg, for example) that big. But if you bump up the memory allocated to MT, you can have 5k x 5k images pretty easy. The best person to talk to is Dorpond, or check out a recent post:

http://forums.rptools.net/viewtopic.php?t=1194
Dreaming of a 1.3 release

Starwolf
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Post by Starwolf »

trevor wrote:Starwolf. You're in luck, maptool handles near infinite sized maps, when built in a certain way. Unfortunately it doesn't handle raw raster images (jpg, for example) that big. But if you bump up the memory allocated to MT, you can have 5k x 5k images pretty easy. The best person to talk to is Dorpond, or check out a recent post:

http://forums.rptools.net/viewtopic.php?t=1194
I noticed. Locally I have managed with a map of 30MB, however it took ages to update over my LAN when I tested towards my laptop. However, as I play around a table, but chaning out the printed maps with electronic ones to save on the space I ask my fellow friends to bring laptops too.
The main reason is that it is faster to transfer a few hundred K than a few megabytes. Especially if you play with several clients.

I can make do with it as it is, but it would be nice with some support for the CC2/3 file format.

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Post by Dalna »

I was wondering if we could have the following for maps.

1. A way to check distances from 1 point to another

2. A way to set default grid dimensions...IE how big each square or hex is. For like movement it could be a 10ft square and it shows how many feet moved via this amount.

3. THe ability to show these distances.

Starwolf...you might consider using the unbounded map ability found in Maptools. If needed you could make a map with the desired items, "cut out images for items used from a cc2/cc3 map and then remake the map quickly using maptools.

I think the CC2/3 file format is considered copywrited...(IE we would have to get their permision to use it.) You can make unbounded maps with items fast, especially if you just cut and past the items in a paint program then size them and place them on a maptools unbounded map. I bet you find that with this ability you can actually make just as good, if not better maps then cc2/cc3 can, atleast for playing, not printing. Also part of CC2/CC3 is that it uses its own predifined "images" which means we would have to have these "image files." I cant see Profantasy allowing us access to distribute these parts of their program and images for free.

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Post by Phergus »

Dalna wrote:I was wondering if we could have the following for maps.

1. A way to check distances from 1 point to another
Already there. Click on the drawing tools and select the rulerish looking tool.

Dalna wrote:2. A way to set default grid dimensions...IE how big each square or hex is. For like movement it could be a 10ft square and it shows how many feet moved via this amount.
This option is on the New Map dialog.
Dalna wrote:3. THe ability to show these distances.
Also exists for both moving tokens and drawing. See View menu and Tool menu.

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Post by Dalna »

Explaination to me not knowing this stuff...

Well I haven't yet moved to the newer versions yet because it is a pain to ask players to download a new version every week, not that I don't love the idea of using the beta version, but I would hate to download a beta version and find bugs that cause problems either. I don't think playing with the beta would be the best thing for promoting Maptools...so I end up using the release version in my games. So I haven't kept up with the releases of the betas for use, but I do do my mapping in the beta right now. I will probably use the beta once b5 comes out since Trevor has been so nice to me by adding in one of my requests which should help me use Maptools by itself.

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