Multi-Scale Maps.

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Full Bleed
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Multi-Scale Maps.

Post by Full Bleed »

So I found an interesting map that was created with the idea of "tri-scaling" in mind. That is, three areas on the same map with different grid scaling... in this case, to illustrate three levels of game play along a mountain-side road.

Take a look here:

Image

For those of you that have had your head under the hood, would support for something like this be possible in MT?

I envision being able to select an area on a map and then set that area with a separate grid scale. And then as tokens move from area to area they would scale appropriately.

At first I imagine it would be, largely, visual. But if we could identify which grid scaling the token was using we could use it to determine and calculate height differential between two tokens. I have a height property in my framework to approximate this sort of thing, but something more automatic would be better.
Maptool is the Millennium Falcon of VTT's -- "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts."

Phergus
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Re: Multi-Scale Maps.

Post by Phergus »

Interesting idea for visualization.

Using it as tactical battle map has at least one if not more problems with movement. Someone on a higher layer can cross the map in less movement than those on lower levels. FoW, VBL, vision, light would all have their own issues as well.

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Re: Multi-Scale Maps.

Post by Full Bleed »

Phergus wrote:
Wed Jan 01, 2020 1:53 pm
FoW, VBL, vision, light would all have their own issues as well.
I see no issues being worse than what we currently have. When I use pseudo height maps I usually draw a line of VBL along ridge lines so that tokens have to be on the edge of a "high" area to see below clearly, and those below can only see what's standing on the edge. That works so long as you don't have two opposing forces on the high ground trying to engage across that ridgeline VBL. So it's clunky and imperfect but just about the best way to handle it right now. This doesn't fix that (or any other myriad issues when trying to facilitate z-order factored terrain in MT.)

However, the real "issues" multi-scaling solves would be 1) Visually more accurate/pleasing and 2) If we can pull a token's multi-scale level we could use it as a built-in height/distance modifying property without having to manually set and change one based on where we are on the map (like we have to do now to approximate height differential.)

Perfection is the enemy of good (or, in this case, better.)

I very much doubt we're going to see the perfect "fix" for FoW, VBL, Vision, and Light as it pertains to any z-order implementation we might get in the future... if we ever get one when you consider the daunting tasks necessary to square it with the current systems. Nothing short of a true 3d environment is really built to handle that all properly. But some devs might be able to look at incremental improvements and work-arounds in a 2D environment without having to blow up the entire system.

I just thought multi-scaling might be a feasible approach within current constraints.
Maptool is the Millennium Falcon of VTT's -- "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts."

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