Efficient Map Creation

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BEGINNER
THIS IS A BEGINNER ARTICLE

Introduction

MapTool has two modes when it's being used to run a game: server, and client.

The server accepts connections from clients and coordinates all data transfer between clients. This means the server needs to have good upload bandwidth — if there are five clients connected to the server, all data that comes into the server must be distributed to the other four clients. And changes that are made on the server itself need to be sent to all five clients.

Therefore, it makes sense that maps need to be created in an efficient manner that minimizes the amount of data that must be transferred. This provides a better experience for all players, including the person using the server.

This page will discuss three predominant techniques for creating maps in MapTool:

1. Building the entire map in an external tool (such as PhotoShop or Gimp).
2. Building the entire map within MapTool itself (typically using stamps, such as wall segments or floor segments).
3. Building the map using a hybrid of the first two approaches.

Using an External Tool

This option is good for users who are comfortable using PhotoShop or Gimp or other paint programs (now including Dungeondraft). These tools allow a user to design and draw an entire map within the external tool. When the drawing process is complete, the map can be exported in PNG or JPG format and used very easily within MapTool (described next).

Follow the process for creating a new map within MapTool. Click the Map button on the right side of the New Map... dialog and navigate to where the exported image is saved and select it.

That image becomes embedded as the underlying graphic for the map, similar to how a tiling pattern is used for the default Grasslands map. This keeps the normal Background layer empty so that other background images can be added to it. (For example, perhaps the exported map only contains walls and doorways, along with other static elements that clients will not interact with. However, doors could still be added to the Background layer and the GM could open/close the doors, as necessary.)

When clients connect to the server, that image will be transferred to each one separately.

Pros:

• The image generated is limited only by the user's skill with the external program!
• The image will be the only map information that needs to be transferred to the client (other than tokens).
• For external programs with proper support, the content of the VBL (vision blocking layer) can be created while the map itself is built. This is commonly done via a "mask" layer or other features within the paint program.

Cons:

• A large image could consume significant upload bandwidth on the server, since it will be transferred once for each client.
• If a failure occurs during the network transfer, the entire image may need to be sent again, further exacerbating the bandwidth requirements.
• Individual objects on the map cannot be interacted with, such as moving chairs or opening doors.