Lior's Map Creator 0.8

Synopsis

Feature History

Short explanation on the program

Thanx and contact information

Synopsis:

Lior's Map Creator is a Freeware program designed for drawing maps, not geographical maps, or real life maps, but dungeon and outdoor maps for an RPG(role playing game). I designed and wrote this program in my spare time, and although i don't play RPG's any longer, decided to continue developing it because i kind of like it, it turned out cute, and because a lot of people have emailed me to say they use this program regularly.

Feature History:

Version 0.8

  1. Shortcuts to favorite object sets
  2. Customized Grid
  3. Object & Terrain bars can align to any side
  4. Default rotation for objects
  5. Advanced toolbar
  6. New terrains and objects
  7. Improved stability
  8. Improved save/load and Smaller file size
  9. New tunneling mode, allows you to make natural caves and tunnels.

Version 0.7

  1. Ability to put legend on the map
  2. Export to bitmap
  3. More objects and terrains
  4. Object editor
  5. Unlimited map size
  6. Faster load/save
  7. Ability to erase lines
  8. Add hints to objects
  9. Print legend

Short explanation on the program:

I'm sorry for this lame help section, I don't really have time to write real help, with context help and images and the whole deal, so I'll just assume that any of you who downloaded the program know their way about windows and can figure out how an application works.

Basically the Map Creator works in modes, of which there are several:

  1. Terrain - In which you draw the basic tiles(squares) of the map, after selecting this mode you can select a terrain from the toolbar that opens and paint away like in any paint program. Also notice that if you right click on the map you can fill an area with the selected terrain. Advanced Tip: Terrain objects sit under the program directory in a folder named 'terrains', you can create your own terrains and add them to that folder, and the next time the program starts you'll have them available.
  2. Objects - In which you add stuff to the map to make it interesting, objects can be everything, from monster lairs to cities, from mage towers to altars, it all depends on the scale of your map, and what you're drawing. I've divided the objects into object sets, each set representing something, like dungeon objects, outside objects, Siege weapon objects, ... You CAN use objects from different sets in the same map, simply load the set you want to work and place them. To load a new object set go to menu (options -> load object set) or (Ctrl+L), also as you work, your regular sets will appear under 'Default object sets' in the 'options' menu.
    What can you do with objects ? Lots of stuff, if you'll right click on an object after you place it, you'll find you can delete it, add a hint to it, or rotate it. Remember you can only have one object in each square
  3. Tunnel - This new mode is a sub-mode of the terrain mode, it also paints squares on the map, but instead of regular terrain it places a tunnel there, this way if you're drawing a dungeon map, you can lava tunnels, or natural cave formations, simply select this mode, select a color for the tunnel and draw away. The program will decide on itself when to draw straight tunnels, when to draw corners ... This is my newest feature, pretty experimental, so if you have suggestions, please tell me
  4. Lines - This nice mode is for drawing roads, rivers, borders, ... everything you can think of, simply select this mode, select a width and color for your line and paint away. You can always select your line later using the combo box on the line toolbar and delete it if you don't like it.
  5. Mark Mode - This mode is usually the last step in a map, here you can add a legend to your map, assigning numbers to specific areas or rooms, adding a description, and putting the legend in a clear area of your map. Using this mode is fairly simple, select to be in either 'Put Mark' mode which places a number on a place you click on the map, or 'Put Legend' to put a box with your marks and descriptions in a place of your selection on the map.

Ok, I know how to create maps, what else can I do ?

  1. Save your maps to files with the extension '.map' so you can load them later (file->open,file->save)
  2. Export your map to a bitmap if you want to pretty it up in a professional paint program (file->export map) or (Ctrl+Alt+E)
  3. Print the map so you can use in a role playing session (file->print) or (Ctrl+P)
  4. Set your map's properties like it's size, it's name and authour ... (file->map properties) or (Ctrl+M)
  5. Create new objects with the attached Object Editor (options->Edit/Create Objects) or (Ctrl+E)
  6. Zoomin, Zoomout of your map for easier editing and getting around (options->zoomin/zoomout) or (Ctrl+Z/Ctrl+Alt+Z)
  7. And much much more that I'll let you figure out on your own for now.

Thanks and contact information

I'd like to thank all the people who used the program and then sent me encouraging emails with suggestions for improvement and bug reports.

If you want to contact me for any reason, for improvement suggestions, bug reports, mails stating how wonderful/lame my program is, please feel free to do so, it's a free net (for now), so come on, click here

Enjoy the program, Lior Shapira