I was dinking around with .NET 3.5 and WPF over the weekend and got a halfway working app that can be used to build descent maps.

I need some folks to test it out for me and use it to build a map or 2 to give me feedback. Here are some specifics:

Good News:

1) I will/should have all the scanned images of everything up to ToI. MAP PIECES ONLY. NOTE: No monsters support yet, see below.

2) The basics work. Moving images/building maps, zorder support, zoom etc.

Bad News:

1) no PDF support. I know this will be a killer for most people. In fact i don't think you can upload non PDF files to the descent editor database so you would only be able to make copies for yourself. Essentially this thing saves files as XPS documents. XPS is essentially Microsofts PDF competition. They are kinda slick. Once you make a map you save it to XPS and IE or other browsers should load it just fine. Then you can print to your printer as normal. As long as you have access to IE explorer 6 or higher you have a free XPS viewer/reader etc. Just print from IE.

2) .NET 3.5 support only. Essentially Windows only. Sorry but please NOTE: If someone has a website that i can host the app on i think it would be easy for me to covert it to silverlight. That way MAC and linux folks could use it as well in Firefox or any other browser that supports silverlight.

Alpha Version Notes:

1) No text support for fun/descriptive text. I will add this soon, hopefully if there is demand. Remember, i was learning how to do image manipulation in WPF/.NET 3.5 and haven't figured out the full document support stuff. I would like to but this will be in the next version if i get time/demand is warranted. So, no you cannot make full adventures yet. You can make basic MAPS only.

2) No Tracker/Piece/Inventory management. I just have raw images of everything in the Tree View control and I don't manage how many of each piece there are yet. I will eventually but it's not in yet and also depends how important this is for folks.

3) This is ROUGH ROUGH ROUGH. This app is literally only 4-5 hours worth of code so it is very ROUGH right now. It can basically just give you a canvas to lay out and manipulate images on and then send them as .XPS documents.

4) No Monster support yet. I don't have the monster icons scanned as images yet. I will get those in the next version.

5) Working on a killer mouse bug. Right now when you ZOOM out from the canvas the Mouse does not scale with the Image being moved so moving images scaled way out (ScaleTransform less than 1) then it is slow. It still works but it may take you a few drag and drops to get it to the location you want.

Going Forward:

I need to finish up the installer, work on a couple fit/finish things, finish a basic help file and most importantly scan the rest of the Decent images. I am about half way there now. If you are interested let me know and i will send you a copy in a week or 2 to play with. If there is no interest that is cool too as my main purpose was to learn image manipulation via .NET. Descent just so happens to be my favorite game so why not put them together I also wanted to see how much interest there was so i know how much fit/finish i put in the thing

Bravo for giving it a shot, but if you aren't in it for the long haul, I'd probably stop now. I'm not trying to talk you out of it. I say that because making a full-featured editor is a HUGE task, and you've already listed many features that you need and aren't present.

Regarding the PDF issue.. I've never used xps, but I'm guessing it can be opened in Word? If so, Microsoft offers a free 'save as pdf' plugin for word (at least for word 2007) so that may be another way to get a pdf.

Good luck.

There are also simple plugins for computers - CutePDF installs a a "printer" on your computer and you simply print to that and it outputs a PDF. And it's free.

I am going to shoot you an email - I have plenty of space to help hold this if you would like to make it a silverlight app.

EDIT - ok - can't email you - shoot me one at [email protected]

As a fellow programmer if you need any debugging / testing done I'd be more than willing to help.

[email protected]

Oh yeah - I forgot - I would be more than willing to help test - I am very limited in programming skills... but I am more than able to QA the hell out of it!

I have looked at various previous versions of this type of app and I have a question for you. Can one make dungeons in this app and print them at good quality "at full size" or does this just make a smaller version like in the rule books for creation using the map tiles?

Thank you.

Hi,

I would be happy to help out. Where do I access it?

Dave.

Give me another week or 2 as i finish up scanning the rest of the images and i may get some basic monster tiles in this version.

The other problem i didn't think about is how to compress all these images etc. So i may have to mail out the individual set packs. I will have to see how big my .msi file is going to be. I'll keep you guys posted.

Sounds good - let me know if you need any space to host files or a silverlight application. I have a boatload of bandwidth I never use.

OK sounds good thanks.

It may be better going to silverlight because these image files are pretty big and it would be grand if you could host them instead of mailing out half gig (guessing here) .MSI files for peeps to install.

I'll take a look at the silverlight stuff in the next couple days to see how it works etc.

Ok got the installer working. .MSI. Check.

Got the mouse scale bug worked out. Check (i'm not a math guy so i had to ask a PHD in math at work today to fix it for me--stupid 1 liner)

Remaining Items now are: Scan a bunch more stuff and Get a basic Help file (CHM) written up and I can give this to a few of you that replied.

NOTE: Poked around Silverlight for a bit. I have a web server built that i can test it on and if it is as easy as .NET and SIlverlight claim to be I won't be doing an MSI installer but will take SoylentGreen up on his offer to host. SG do you run your own server, meaning can you install .NET 3.5 on it and get image files on it etc or is it a remote box managed by someone else?

Shoot me an email - I have two options...

1. the less desireable... i have a lot of monthly bandwidth on GoDaddy... lame host I know - but I have so much bandwidth that can be used.

2. I do have a dedicated server up - one of the problems there - is it is currently hosted through a friend - we aren't paying for it anymore - but he isn't taking it down either. So that is an option for a while (we have a few more months of paid time).

If it is simply hosting files - and a need for bandwidth... GoDaddy - if you need a dedicated server space - I have access to that - but I cannot promise more than a few months of that.

But we can also chat about some other options... as I have servers at home - that could be hosts and setup through noip...

Why, exactly, are you doing this?

CRasterImage said:

Because the official mapmaker ended at WoD pieces.

Nostromo - I will be unable to access the internet for several days if you are sending anything out. Still send it, just note that I wont get back to you until my internet gets turned on at my new place.

@ rastermage, ya as pinky says the official one ended at WoD and i wanted to have something that i could make RtL and ToI maps with. Mix and match etc. If this has already been done please share the love so we can all benefit...

@pinky, i still need to scan more images and get them in my installer, I am still looking at another week hopefully to get the first basic version out.

Nostromo said:

If this has already been done please share the love so we can all benefit...

Tilesystem will allow you to use any homegrown tileset.

You just need a bunch of png files and an xml file.

Of course, if you are doing this project for the fun of the programming experience, then don't let that stop you.

Ya I totally fogot about TileSystem. Since most of my time is spent on scannign images (poorly) i may just port this over to your Tilesystem. But yes, most of this is due to just me wanting to learn WPF etc.

Ok, i got the Alpha version of the MSI installer ready.

It is 100 MB big...yes its huge and I don't even have the all the scans in yet. Soylent green, you have a place I can copy this too? I don't even think my mail will send a 100MB file....not sure I have hotmail i guess i can test it, otherwise I need a location to copy it too....

With my installer being a 100MB file and not PDF support I doubt many people (if any) are going to want to play with it so for those that replied saying you would look I just need a post from Soylentgreen to give me a location to post if at all possible otherwise I don't know what to do

Oh and SG for the CUtePDF suggestion I think the end user installer is free. But I looked at that and i think they charge a license fee to use their SDK...ill take a look again.

Nostromo said:

Cool - if it's only 100mb - I absolutely have a ton of bandwidth and space for that. You need to shoot me an email at: [email protected] - and I can get an ftp user setup for you to upload it to a folder on my site. I am at the office now - but I will be home and able to do this any time after about 5pm CST. (I may have to go to the post office... I believe my Tomb of Ice will be there today... so yeah - after 5pm I should be home.)

Thanks SoylentGreen for the hosting space. Alpha version is hosted below.

http://www.sinistergamers.com/nostromo/Home.htm

I took your suggestion SoylentGreen and installed CutePDF writer for free. Now i can send the maps to that and save them as PDF's thanks!.

I just uploaded a test one in the Playtest section of the database if people want to see a pdf of the output from the tool.

Thanks!

Feel free to add the files to the ftp I gave you - then just list them on the Home.htm you made...

Might be easier to find.

I really like what I see from this map maker and I hope you just keep making it better and better.

I do wonder if you plan on having it so it will automatically line up the tiles when you place them on the screen as the maps will look very odd if you have to do that manually.

Look forward to checking out the new version,when available,and keep up the great work!!

Hey, went to give this a try and got a "page not found" error.

Still there? Pull it down?

Bueller?

Bueller?