The Portal© Cartographer (Automated Mapping Utility)

 

The Cartographer is Portal©’s mapping viewer and editor.  The cartographer is a comprehensive graphic editor where you can view existing maps and edit them as necessary.  Portal©'s cartographer also provides you with a full-functioned automated mapping/maintenance system.

 

First we’ll run through the basic controls of the cartographer, then we’ll move on to actual usage.

 

 

Menu Items

Map|Open Map Level

Use this to select an existing map level to view from the drop-down list in the map box.

 

Note: Unlike aspects of player profiles, cartographer map levels are not tied to a specific profile.  Any user can open any cartographer map level residing in the system.

 

Map|New Map Level

Create a new cartographer map level.  A level can be a complete map, or one level of a multiple (vertical) area.  You will be prompted for the name you wish to call the map.  You will also be able to add whatever notes you wish.

 

Map|Map Level Properties

View the properties of the current map level.  You can change the display colors of the map via this screen, as well as edit the map’s memo.

 

Map|Rename Map Level

Use this function to rename any previously created/imported map level.

 

Map|Print Map Level

Prints the current map level.  If you have a color printer, the printout is in full color.

 

Map|Set Printer DPI

Use this to change the DPI (dots per inch resolution) of your printer to get the best possible printed map.

 

Map|Save Bitmap Image of Map

Use this to save a graphic representation of the map in .bmp format.

 

Map|Clear Current Map Level

Clears all rooms and links from the current map level – this is permanent!

 

Map|Delete Current Map Level

Delete the current map level – this is permanent!

 

Map|Batch Delete/Clear Map Levels

Delete or clear a batch of map levels – this is permanent too!

 

Map|Import Map Level(s)

Import an existing map (or maps) file into the Cartographer.  You will be prompted for the name you wish to call each map you import.

 

Note: With larger maps, or large batches of maps, this can take a while.

 

Map|Export Current Map Level

Export the current map level to a save file.

 

Map|Batch Export All Map Levels

Export ALL map levels to individual save files in the specified directory.

 

Map|Close Cartographer

Closes the cartographer screen.

 

Edit|Toggle Map Mouse Editing (on/off)

Toggles the enabling of manual mouse-editing of map levels.

 

Edit|Set Current Map Level as Default

Sets the current map as the default map level to open when starting Portal©.

 

Edit|Set Room Label Font

Changes the font in which room labels appear.

 

Edit|Highlight Stubbed Rooms

Temporarily flashes exit stubbed rooms for easy location of incomplete corners of map levels.

 

Edit|Auto-Complete Exit Stubs

A very handy feature that automatically completes opposing stubs (turns them into actual links) following the below rules:

 

Note: With larger maps this can take a while.

 

Edit|Line-up Attic/Basement Level

Sets the map level's attic/basement zoom and home position properties to the current map.  This comes in handy for viewing multiple level maps.

 

Edit|Undo Last Action

Undoes the last major editing action you did.

 

Edit|Find Text in Room Labels/Memos

Quickly searches the current map's rooms for specific text.  It will search both labels and room memos.

 

View|Movement Menu Items

Moves the view of the map accordingly.

 

View|Zoom Menu Items

Zooms the map view accordingly.

 

View|Attic/Basement

Changes the map view to the assigned attic/basement for the current level (if any).

 

View|Move to Home Position

Moves the map to the specified home position.

 

View|Set Home Position

Sets the current view of the map level as the home position.

 

View|Zero-in on Current Location

Centers the map on the current location on the cartographer (may be on a different map than the current one).

 

Options|Speed Editing (on/off)

Toggles the speed-edit setting of the current map level.

 

Options|Show Grid Lines (on/off)

Toggles showing grid lines on the current map level.

 

Options|Show Room Labels (on/off)

Toggles showing room labels on the current map level.

 

Options|Show Room Tags (on/off)

Toggles showing room tags on the current map level.

 

Options|Show Room Exit Stubs (on/off)

Toggles showing exit stubs on the current map level.

 

Options|Show Solid Labels (on/off)

Toggles showing solid labels (meaning labels with a background that matches the map color) vs. transparent labels.

 

Options|Show Attic (on/off)

Toggles display of the assigned attic for the current map level (if any).

 

Options|Show Basement (on/off)

Toggles display of the assigned basement for the current map level (if any).

 

Options|Turn All On…

Turns the selected map attribute on for all maps.

 

Options|Turn All Off…

Turns the selected map attribute off for all maps.

 

Options|Keep Cartographer on Top

Toggles keeping the Cartographer screen on top of other screens.

 

Charting|Speed Charting (on/off)

When this is not checked, you will be asked to confirm the link for each move.  When checked, you are only prompted for link confirmation when doing special exits.

 

Charting|Show Charting Messages (on/off)

Toggles showing the charting text messages (which can get kinda spammy) that appear as you chart a map.

 

Charting|Free Charting (on/off)

Toggles the activity of waiting for exit stubs or charting failures.  Use this to instantly create a whole bunch of rooms by just moving in the appropriate directions.  This is great if you already know the area and can even be used offline.

 

Charting|Keep Map Centered on Current Location (on/off)

While charting, the current position will be centered on the map (for easy visibility of where you are).

 

Charting|Setup Charting Parameters

Brings up the charting parameters screen to allow you to setup the cartographer's charting ability for your MUD.

 

Sprinting|Sprint to a Room

Sprints from the current room to another room using the shortest path possible..

 

Charting|Copy Sprint Result to Alias or Macro

Allows you to copy the sprint path commands from the current room to another into an alias or macro.

 

Selection|Deselect Last Room

Clears the selection of the last room selected.

 

Selection|Clear Room Selection(s)

Clears any current room selections (see the section on Selecting Rooms below)

 

Selection|Move Selected Rooms Menu Items

Moves the currently selected rooms in the direction indicated, keeping all exit links intact.

 

Selection|Change Properties of Selected Room(s)

Assigns common room properties to all selected rooms.  The properties that appear as default are those of the first selected room.  All selected rooms will be assigned with the common properties (see the section on Selecting Rooms below)

 

Help|Cartographer Help

Brings up this screen.

 

Statusbar Elements (top panel)

Question Mark Button

Brings up this help screen.

 

Map Level Box

Open an existing map level.

 

(X,Y) Label

Shows the current room coordinates of the mouse pointer.  The label turns black when the coordinates indicate a valid placement for a room.  If the label appears grayed out, a room cannot be placed at those coordinates.

 

Toolbar Elements (left-hand side panel)

Direction Buttons

Use the teal arrow buttons to move the map one click in any direction.  The corner buttons will move the map one click in the diagonal directions.  If the "x4" button is depressed, each direction click will move the map four clicks.  If the "x8" button is depressed, each direction click will move the map eight clicks.

 

Note: You can also use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move around on the map.  Hold down the Ctrl key and press the desired arrow key to move one click in that direction.  Hold down both the Ctrl+Shift keys and press the desired arrow key to move four clicks in that direction.

 

Sprint Button (green running guy icon)

Use this button to define a room you wish to sprint to from the current location.  Once selected, Portal© will then calculate the shortest path to the new room and proceed to send commands to the MUD that will get you there.  Now, this is quite a simple explanation of the second main feature of the cartographer and arguably the ultimate end product.  Sprinting can be summed up in this small text, but it is one very powerful and cool as hell feature.

 

Note: For sprinting to work, there must be a path that exists between the current room and the target room.  A path basically consists of a chain of exits that lead from the originating room to the destination room.  If no path exists to the destination room, you wil be notified.

 

Charting Button (the sextant icon) [down=on, up=off]

This button turns “charting mode” on or off.  This will be explained more below.

 

Following Button (two rooms with arrows leading to each icon) [down=on, up=off]

This button turns “following mode” on or off.  This will be explained more below.

 

Note: You can have either charting mode on, following mode on, or neither on.

 

Exit Stub Display

The Exit Stub Display reflects a small graphical representation of any exit stubs that will be placed on the newly charted room.  Don’t worry about exit stubs right now, but when you’re ready, more information on them can be found in the mapping help file on charting setup.

 

Failure Countdown Timer (black square)

This field displays how many seconds are left in the charting “countdown to failure.”  This aspect of charting is described below.

 

Home Button (house icon)

Returns the map level to the home position.

 

Set Home Button (crosshairs icon)

Sets the current position of the map level as the home position.

 

Zoom In Button (+ magnifying glass icon)

Zooms in one click on the map.

 

Zoom Out Button (- magnifying glass icon)

Zooms out one click on the map.

 

View Attic Button (red up-arrow icon)

Views the attic of the current map level (if any).

 

View Basement Button (green down-arrow icon)

Views the basement of the current map level (if any).

 

Edit Map Button (map with pencil icon)

If this button is depressed (down) the map can be edited with mouse clicks.  When depressed, the map canvas displays small dots on each viable "room-position" coordinate.

 

Room Style Buttons

Selects the icon to draw on newly-created/replaced rooms as blank, up, down, up & down or special..

 

Color Grid

Selects the color in which to draw newly created/replaced rooms and links.  Left click to select the FG (foreground) color and right click to select the BG (background) color.  Rooms are outlined in the FG color and filled with the BG color.  Links are colored in the FG color.

 

Room Example

This small area displays what newly placed/replaced rooms will look like based on the above settings.

 

Selection Movement Buttons (appears when rooms are selected)

Use these keys (or the keyboard arrow keys) to move selected rooms around the map.  This keeps any connected exit links intact.

 

Group Room Properties Buttons (geometric shapes icon) (appears when rooms are selected)

Pressing this button brings up the group room properties screen.  Anything saved here will be applied to all currently selected rooms.

 

Clear Selection Button (half-selected room icon) (appears when rooms are selected)

Clears all room selections and hides the room selection buttons.

 

Cartographer Basics

 

The best way to start describing the whole concept of the Cartographer is with the following two rules.

 

Rooms can only be placed on integer coordinates

This sounds obvious, because when you look at a brand new map, you see a straight-line grid.  The grid is incremented by ½ increments though, so the actual room coordinates are every other square.  The reason for this is to leave room to show the links between rooms.  To help you see which squares are valid “room squares,” the mouse pointer will change to a straight up arrow when it’s over a valid square.  Also, the Room Label (located on the toolbar panel in the upper right corner of the screen) will appear in black (instead of gray) and the slider cursors on the rulers will turn bright green (instead of dark green).

 

Links can only be made between integer coordinates

This is related to the room rule above.  Links will visibly appear in the space between the two rooms, but the endpoints of a link can only exist on integer coordinates.

 

Before editing with the mouse, make sure the Edit button (on the toolbar) is pressed down.

 

To Add a Room

Simply left click with the mouse on a valid room square.  The room will then appear in the style and colors you have selected (using the Room Style buttons and the Color Grid).

 

To Add a Link

Left click with the mouse on a valid room square, then drag the cursor to another room square.  You will see a thick blue line appear between the two squares, indicating where the link will be created.  When you are satisfied as to where you want the other end of the link to be, unclick the mouse.  You will then be confronted by the Create Map Link screen.  Keep reading…

 

The Create Map Link Screen

This screen comes up whenever you have speed editing turned off.  What it does is allow you the opportunity to change the default conditions of the link you are about to create.

 

First, select the command you will use to move back and forth between the ORIGINATING and DESTINATION rooms.  Usually the commands are something like "n" to move to one room and "s" to move back.  Defaults will appear to help you out with this, but they can be changed to anything you desire.

 

The default values that appear are based on the ”reversed” values you have selected through the Program Options screen.

 

Note: If you clear either field to be blank, then no exit will be created for that particular direction (or both directions).

 

At this point you can also define Pre/Post Actions to be executed before (Pre) and after (Post) the individual exit commands are executed.  These commands can be virtually anything.  Something handy would be to use a Pre-Action to open a door, then the exit command would move you through the door, and then the Post-Action would close the door.

 

Next, select the command you will use to move from the DESTINATION room back to the ORIGINATING room.  Follow the same rules as in the previous step.

 

Then select the Link Color.  This will be the color in which the link will appear.  The default color that appears on this screen is driven from the FG color you have currently selected in the Cartographer, but you can change this one as you wish.

 

Once you’ve setup the links, you then are asked what to do with the rooms at the endpoints.  You are given the opportunity to automatically add rooms here (if they don’t exist already) or alter the ones that are currently there.

 

Add/Update ORIGINATING Room

This is where you work with the originating room’s properties.  If there is no room at the originating endpoint, leave this box checked and one will be created (in the style/color selected).  The default values that appear are the values of the existing room.  For example, when you dragged the link, you dragged it from a blue/white room.  That’s what appears here.  If you wanted to change it to green/white, go ahead and it will be overwritten with the new values.  You are even able to choose a new map or even new coordinates where you would like the room placed.

 

Leaving the box unchecked will not alter the current room, or, if no room exists yet, will not create one at those coordinates.

 

Add/Update DESTINATION Room

This is exactly the same as the above description for the originating room, but this area defines the properties for the destination room.

 

Once you are satisfied with the link and endpoint rooms, press the Accept Button to close off the Create Map Link Screen and boom!  The link is created, with or without endpoint rooms as you chose.  If you created commands for moving both ways across the link, the line will appear solid.  If you deleted one of them, then you effectively created a one-way link between the two squares.  This will be visibly indicated as such on the map with an arrowhead appearing in the middle of the link pointing in the direction of the one-way.

 

Note: Again, the Create Map Link screen will only appear if you have your speed editing turned off.  Once you have gained experience using the editing capabilities of the Cartographer, you will rarely use the Create Map Link screen any more.

 

To Delete a Room

There are a couple ways to do it.  One way is to right click on the room, then select the Delete Room option from the popup menu.  The other way is to hold the mouse cursor over the offending room, then press the Delete key on the keyboard.

 

There is a second option when deleting a room.  You can delete both the room as well as all the exits leading to/from it.  Simply choose the appropriate popup menu item or hold down the Ctrl key when pressing the Delete key.

 

To Delete a Link

Simply left click on one endpoint of the link, then drag to the other endpoint.  The link will then appear as a thick red line.  This indicates that you are ready to delete the link.  To confirm the deletion, simply let go of the mouse and the link will be removed.

 

To Set a Room as the Current Location on the Cartographer

Huh?  Relax, all you need to know right now is that you can do it one of two ways in the cartographer.  Either right click on the room and select the corresponding item on the popup menu, or hold the mouse over the room and press the F3 key.  The room that is designated as the “Current Location on the Cartographer” will appear with a green X over it on the map.  This will be explained more below.

 

To Sprint to a Room

Once again, just know that you can do it one of two ways from the Cartographer.  Either right click on a room and select this option from the popup menu or hold the mouse cursor over the room and press the F4 key.  This will be explained more below.

 

To Edit the Properties of a Room

Right click on a room and select Room Properties from the popup menu.  You can also hold the mouse cursor over the room and press the F2 key.  This will bring up the Room Properties Screen, where you can do a whole slew of things with a room.

 

Attics and Basements

 

When developing multiple level maps, it becomes important to keep track of which map is which level.  While naming the maps as different levels usually suffices, it's very handy, especially when viewing/editing maps to view multiple levels at the same time.  When you link maps together, this is possible (and very cool).

 

Think of the concept as a one-story house.  Think of the map level you are currently viewing as the main floor.  The level just below you is the basement, while the level just above you is the attic.  Each level you are viewing at any given time is the main floor, while the level below it is the basement, and the level above it is the attic.  It's really aesthetic overall, but it sure can make things easier when editing complex maps.

 

You can toggle the display of a map level's attic/basement under the options menu and you can control the color the rooms and links appear in via the map properties screen (File|Map Level Properties).

 

Attic rooms and links overlap the main level and appear as dotted lines/outlines, slightly offset to the upper-right.  Basement rooms and links are drawn "beneath" the main level and appear solid, slightly offset to the lower-left.  Neither attic nor basement rooms display exit stubs or labels.

 

Note: The designation of attics and basements do not affect sprinting in any way.  That functionality is governed strictly by the exit links developed across maps and map levels.

 

Selecting Rooms

 

You are able to select rooms in the cartographer by holding down the Ctrl button and left-clicking on a room.  The first room you select will appear with a thick TEAL border, while all other rooms you select after it will appear with a thick GREEN border.  Ctrl+clicking on a selected room will deselect it from the list (you can also use the Backspace key to deselect the last selected room).  If you deselect the TEAL room, the next room in the order you selected the rooms will become the TEAL room.  The importance of the TEAL room over the GREEN rooms will be explained in a moment.  For now, ignore the different colors.

 

Note: You can also select a room by holding the mouse cursor over the room and pressing F12 or by right-clicking on the room and choosing the “Select/Deselect Room” item.

 

Whenever a room is selected, the selection tools appear and the Selection menu becomes active.  There are two reasons you would want to select rooms.

 

Note: If you delete a room, any room selections will be cleared.

 

Moving a Room (or a Block of Rooms)

This handy feature allows you to move all the selected rooms anywhere you wish using the green direction keys (which appear on the selection toolbar).  You can also move the room using the arrow keys on the keyboard.  Any exits attached to each room remains attached to the appropriate room.  This comes in very handy on MUDs that overlap rooms, as maps sometimes need some editing to prevent overlapping in the Cartographer.  Without being able to move rooms, you would have to delete each room, along with all exits associated with it, then redo each room and reattach any exits.

 

There are two rules regarding moving a selected room or block of rooms:

·      You cannot move any selected room onto a square that already has a room on it

·      You cannot move any selected room onto a square that already has exits leading into or out of it

 

The great thing about moving rooms is that all exits associated to the room(s) remain attached (this looks pretty cool when moving them around).  The new exit coordinates of the moved rooms change, but the actual exit commands do not.  Imagine two rooms, one above the other, with north leading from the bottom one to the top one, and south going the other way.  If you selected the top room and maneuvered it below the other room, the exits would remain the same, but now to move from the (now) top room to the (now) bottom room would be north, and south would move you up.

 

In the above example we basically reversed the normal direction of north and south between the two rooms, which is not really good form.  Best advice I can give when moving rooms is to pay attention.  Things can get really whacked with the exit directions if you move rooms all over the map without care for where you’re putting them.  If you ever want to know what the current exits are from/to any room, simply check that room’s properties.

 

Moving a Room Part 2

 

There’s another way to move a room using just the mouse.  Select a room using the Ctrl+left-click.  Then, left-click (without holding Ctrl down) on the selected room again, but this time hold the mouse button down.  Now drag the mouse cursor to a new room position clear of an existing room or any existing exits.  You will see a thick teal line appear, linking the selected room with the new square.  When you’re satisfied as to the new room placement, simply let go of the mouse button and the room, along with any associated exits, will be moved.

 

Note: You can move any one selected room using this method.  If only one room is selected at the time, after it is moved, the selection of that room will be cleared.

 

Common Properties

Ok, why the TEAL and GREEN rooms?  The other reason you would select rooms is to assign common properties to multiple rooms.  Simply select a bunch of rooms, then select the menu item Selection|Change Properties of Selected Room(s).  The Room Properties screen then appears, populated with the properties of the TEAL room.  When you save any changes, the properties selected will be assigned to ALL selected rooms.  It’s basically an easy way to assign common properties to a bunch of rooms in one fell swoop.

 

Note: Only certain room properties can be changed in this way, such as the room label, tag, color and style.  Other fields such as the room warning, notes, exits, etc. remain as whatever each room originally had.

 

Cartographer Quick Reference

Add Room                             Left click on a square

Add Link                               Click and drag between squares

Delete Room                         Hold mouse cursor over room, press Delete

                                             or Right click on a room

Delete Room & Exits             Hold mouse cursor over room, hold down Ctrl

                                             and press Delete or Right click on a room

Delete Link                           Click and drag over existing link

Room Properties                   Hold mouse cursor over room, press F2

                                             or Right click on a room

Set as Current Room            Hold mouse cursor over room, press F3

                                             or Right click on a room

Sprint to Room                     Hold mouse cursor over room, press F4

                                             or Right click on a room

Copy Sprint to Alias/Macro   Right click on a room

Select/Deselect Room          Hold mouse cursor over room, press F12

                                             or Right click on a room

 

Cartographer Hotkeys (“Arrow Key” refers to the keyboard arrow keys)

Ctrl+Arrow Key              Move the map one click in the given direction

Shift+Ctrl+Arrow Key     Move the map four clicks in the given direction

Ctrl+Alt+Up                   Zoom in one step on the map

Ctrl+Alt+Down               Zoom out one step on the map

Ctrl+Left-Click                Select/deselect a room

Esc                              Clear all room selections

Arrow Key                     Move the selected room one click in the given direction

Backspace                    Deselects the last selected room

 

Charting (Automated Mapping) Defined

Portal©’s cartographer serves two purposes.  The first is editing maps, as described above.  The second function is to serve as a powerful tool that allows you to automatically create maps on any MUD.  This is what’s known as its “charting” function.

 

Note: It is highly suggested that you spend some quality time with the cartographer's editing features before diving into automated mapping.  Once you gain a basic understanding of how the cartographer editor works, the charting function will become much easier to use.  Also, check out the Mapping101 help file for more tips and tricks.

 

So first, let’s discuss the basics of charting (automapping) a map.

 

Charting, as defined in Portal©, is the act of moving around on the MUD, while at the same time, recording information about the paths you are taking, then plotting that information into a map format that can be used later for movement reference.

 

In a nutshell, charting means to automatically make a map, that you can use later to easily move around with.  This is what you can do with the cartographer.  Now, here’s a little tutorial to get you familiar with charting.  One thing though, before we begin, is to remember to take it SLOW with charting until you get more familiar with it.  After you get used to it, you’ll start using the Esc and Enter keys to help speed things along (you’ll see).  You’ll be making maps in your sleep!

 

Now, let’s move on with the tutorial…

 

Step #1

Open the cartographer window.  If you have room on your monitor screen, try and view it and the Main Screen together to get the optimal effect.  Then, on your MUD, go to a (quiet!) room somewhere that has at least a north exit and have that second room (the one the north exit leads to) have no east direction.  You’re going to move north (successfully) and then fail when you try to move east after that.

 

Step #2

Create a blank map called TEST on the cartographer.  Future charting can be done with any map, existing or new, but for now just create a new one.  Once you do this, create a room at position (0,0) by left clicking once on that square.  A room should appear.  After this, right click on room (0,0) on the map and select the “Set (0,0) as Current Location” item.  You will then see the green X appear at (0,0) right on top of the room.

 

Step #4 (yes, Step #4, we’ll talk about Step #3 later)

Press the Charting Button (the button with the sextant).  This begins the charting process.  You will then see a system text message of “Start charting map [TEST] from room (0,0)” appear in the display.

 

Step #5

Now that you’re in charting mode, enter a move in one of the 8 cardinal directions (n, e, s, w, ne, se, sw, nw) into the command line (on the Main Screen).  For example, typing “n” or “e” into the command line would be considered a charting move.  For your tutorial, type “n” and the press Enter.  You will then be faced with the Create Map Link Screen.

 

The Create Map Link Screen comes up when you’re not in speed charting mode.  While you’re learning how to chart, keep the speed chart off.  Once you get the hang of things you’ll want to turn it on to make things go faster.

 

In any event, on the screen you’ll see the “n” in the first box.  This is the direction you just moved.  You’ll also see a “s” in the box below it.  Portal© populates this box with the logical opposite (if any) to what’s in the first box.  Since this is a simple link we’re doing, leave both the “n” and “s” alone.  You’re also going to leave everything else alone on this screen and accept the defaults.  Meaning that you want a room created at each endpoint of the link.  You’ll notice the coordinates of these rooms are (0,0) (the room you’re coming from) and (0,1).  You are moving up on the Y-axis, which accounts for Y changing from 0 to 1.  Press the Accept button to complete the link.  Portal© will then send off the original “n” command to the MUD, effectively moving you north.

 

Step #6

Now you wait.  Wait for what?  You see the little timer in the Clock Field countdown from 5 to 1, but what were you waiting for?  You were waiting for the MUD to confirm to Portal© that you successfully moved.  Since there’s no accurately standard way for the MUD to confirm you moved, you instruct the cartographer to instead look for failure of you to move.  For example, “You can’t go that way” or “There is no exit north” would be examples of failures.  These are the kind of messages you program into the chartign setup parameters to tell you when you can’t move in a direction.

 

Ok, take a breath and then look at the cartographer and you’ll see that a magical thing happened.  A room now exists at both (0,0) and (0,1).  There’s also a link between the two.  Also, the green X is no longer at (0,0) but now at (0,1), because that’s where you now are.  Cool huh?  Check out the room properties of the room at (0,0) (right click and select Room Properties) and you’ll see that it’s got an exit (“n”) to room (0,1).  If you look at the properties of Room (0,1) you’ll see it has an exit (“s”) to room (0,0).  You just charted your first move!

 

But, that was for a move that ended up existing on the MUD (in this case “n”).  Now you’re going to do something about an exit that doesn’t exist (“e” in this case).  Here’s when we step back a moment and introduce Step #3.

 

Step #3

You need to define your “Charting Parameters.”  What this means, is that you’re going to enter text you expect to see if you move in a direction that doesn’t exist.

 

[In this case, I’ll use an example of a MUD that gives the message “You can’t go east” if you tried to go “e” without there being an exit in that direction.  In this case, I’ll have the cartographer look for the text “You can’t go” as a failure.  Your MUD may be different, so figure out the standard failure text and grab a unique part of it to search for.  I didn’t choose “You can’t go east” as the text simply because then I would have to define one for “You can’t go west” and so on.  “You can’t go” takes care of all those in my case.]

 

So now press the Setup button on the cartographer.  You will then see the Charting Parameters screen.  Here you can enter up to 5 conditions for failure.  Enter the failure condition of “You can’t go” (without the quotes) into the Failure String 1 Field (enter your own failure if it’s different).  Then press the Accept button.  You have now told the cartographer that if you see the text “You can’t go” come across, while you’re waiting for an exit to fail, it will abort the charting for that direction.  So, now we go through steps #5 and #6 again.

 

Note: Ignore the Exit Stub Conditions area for now.  Later, when you’re feeling more confident with basic charting, read the Charting Parameters help file under the Mapping header.

 

Step #5(b)

Ok, you're still in charting mode from before, so now try moving "e" via the command line.  Once again, you'll be faced with the Create Map Link Screen.  Accept the defaults and Portal© will then send off the “e” command to the MUD, trying to move you east.

 

Step #6(b)

Now you wait.  Wait again for what?  We're waiting for the failure to appear.  Now before the countdown reaches 0, the failure should come across.  When it does, Portal© will recognize it (just like it does any event) and highlight it in the colors chosen for Sprint Commands text (program options).  The cartographer then aborts the move.

 

Check out the cartographer now and you'll see that no new room was created for the "e" move.  Also, the current location of the X remains where it was (at 0,1).  Try moving "e" again and you'll see it abort again.

 

Step #7

Now, all you need to do is continue repeating steps #5 and #6 until you're finished.

 

Step #8

Press the Charting Button again to exit charting mode and you're done.

 

That's all there is to it!

 

Following Mode

We also mentioned "following mode" above.  Following mode is similar to charting, but no rooms or links are created as you move around.  It’s designed to be turned on as you walk around the MUD, and will try to keep you in the correct room each time.  Basically, if you type “n” into the command line, the cartographer will check the current room for a “n” exit.  If none exist, the current room remains the same.  If a “n” exit does exist, however, the cartographer will reposition the current room at the new location (the endpoint of the exit).  This works for all commands you enter, comparing each against the exit commands in the current room.  If no exits match, or if no room exists at the end of the exit, you will remain in the current room.

 

Following mode is almost identical to Charting mode, except that in Charting mode, you will actually plot new links and rooms.  Following mode will only follow you around the map.

 

Free Charting

We mentioned "free" charting above and here's the promised explanation.  The steps described above explain how to do normal charting, waiting for delays and all that.  When you do free charting, there's no failure countdown, no delay, and you're free to move however you like.  There is no restriction whatsoever where the map will move.  This mode is designed for advanced users or when you already know exactly what the map looks like.  It's also great for offline charting.

 

Charting Hotkeys

There are two hotkeys that come in very handy when charting.  They are used only in normal charting mode.  They have no special function in free mode.

 

Enter Key

Entering a blank line into the command line (basically pressing Enter) while waiting for a link to confirm will "force" the link to be confirmed.  This is useful when you know the link has been confirmed and don't want to have to wait for the final seconds to countdown.

 

Escape Key

Pressing this key will abort the current charting countdown.  Use this if you know that the exit failed and you don't want to have to wait for the final seconds to countdown.

 

Other Tips

Most MUDs have what is known as "brief" mode.  This means that as you move around, you don't see the entire room description, but just a short blurb and the exits from that room.  If your MUD does this, use it for charting, as it's usually a lot easier.  If your MUD doesn't show the exits though, you'll have to use verbose (non-brief) mode.  Search in the help files for your MUD to see if it offers you such a thing.

 

When charting, if you quickly move in another cardinal direction while awaiting failure, it will force the chart, as well as move you in the new direction.  It's just as if you pressed the return key (to force the chart) and then moved again, only in one move.

 

Also when charting, if you ever need to move in a cardinal direction on the MUD, but don't want to chart in that direction, just use the activator character before the direction (i.e. ;east, ;w, ;sw etc.).  This can come in handy when you get ahead of yourself and overshoot a room in the charting process and want to do-over.

 

Command Line Charting Commands

 

Most of the charting commands can be invoked from the command line using the Activator Character.  The below commands assume the semicolon (;) as the Activator Character.

 

;chart (or ;c)

Toggles charting mode on/off.  When charting begins, you are asked to confirm the starting position on the map.  The default is the current location on the cartographer.  Once you select one, that will become the new current location on the cartographer.  If speed-edit is on, the confirmation won’t be asked, and charting will start from the current position.

 

;follow (or ;f)

Toggles following mode on/off.

 

;chart <x>,<y>

Changes the "current location" coordinates to (<x>,<y>) (on the current map on the cartographer)

Example:   ;chart 4,-5

Result:       Sets the current room to (4,-5) on the current map on the cartographer

 

;chart <x>,<y>,<map>

Changes the "current location" coordinates to (<x>,<y>) on map: <map>

Example:   ;chart 4,-5,test

Result:       Sets the current room to (4,-5) on map: TEST

 

;chart <exit>

Attempts to move the “current room” to a new room, along the <exit> from the current room.  If the exit exists, regardless of what mode you are in, the room at the endpoint of the exit will become the new current room.  If you are in Following mode, the <exit> command is sent to the MUD as well.

 

If the exit does not exist in the current room, and you are not in charting mode, nothing is changed.

 

If the exit does not exist in the current room and you are currently in charting mode, the cartographer will attempt to create a new link from the current room, along the <exit> direction.  Examples of an <exit> to use this for would be “u” or “d” (to change levels in a dungeon maybe) or "jump" or "climb" etc.  Regardless if speed-edit is enabled or not, the Create Map Link Screen will always appear when charting a special direction.  Once you accept the link, the <exit> command is sent to the MUD, and the standard “failure” checking is done.  If no failures occur, the newly charted link is finalized.

 

Note: In a nutshell, when charting, the cardinal directions (n, s, e, w, ne, se, sw, nw) automatically activate the cartographer.  To use any other direction, you need to use the “;chart <exit>” command.

 

Example:   ;chart jump

Result:       Brings up the Create Map Link screen for a link from the current room to the room you specify

 

;tag <char>

Sets the current room tag to <char>

<char> can only be one character

Example:   ;tag F

Result:       Sets the current room's tag to F

 

;label <label>

Sets the current room label to <label>

Example:   ;label Town

Result:       Sets the current room's label to Town

 

;stubs <stub string>

Manually sets the current room's exit stubs

Each stub is represented by a number on the keypad.  I.e. 8 = north, 9 = northeast, 6 = east, etc.  Also, 5 = the "special" stub.  The string is basically a string of the numbers to create stubs for.  This overwrites the current exit stubs for the room with the new values.

Example:   ;stubs 2469

Result:       Sets the current room's exit stubs to south, west, east and northeast

 

;sprint <x>,<y>

Sprints from the current position to position (<x>,<y>) (on the current map on the cartographer)

Example:   ;sprint -3,7

Result:       Sprints from the current room to room -3,7

 

;sprint <x>,<y>,<map>

Sprints from the current position to position (<x>,<y>) on map: <map>

Note: <map> does not need to be capitalized

Example:   ;sprint -3,7,test

Result:       Sprints from the current room to room -3,7 on map: TEST

 

;room

Displays the properties of the current room.

 

;room add (or ;room a)

Adds a room at the current position (or overwrites an existing one) with the current charting parameters defaults.

 

;room delete (or ;room d)

Deletes the room at the current position (if one exists).

 

;room delete all (or ;room da)

Deletes the room at the current position (if one exists) and all exits leading to/from it.

 

;room refresh (or ;room r)

Used to refresh the stubs of the current room.  What this will do is reset the failure timer to the preset time, and then send a “look” command to the MUD.  While you’re not actually waiting for a failure to occur, you just looking for the exits to be listed so that the stubs will be refreshed (hence the “look” command).  While some MUDs (for whatever reason) may not have the “look” command, or you wish to use another command instead, simply use it after the “refresh” command.  I.e. “;room refresh gaze” or “;room r peer” etc.  Once the timer counts to zero, the stubs for that room will be refreshed.

 

Note: The command “look” is defined in the Charting Parameters screen and can be changed to any other default you desire.

 

You can also use the Enter key to force the timer down, and the Esc key to abort the current check, just like in charting.

 

;mapundo

Manually undoes the last map edit

 

Charting Quick Reference

;chart                                       Toggles charting mode on/off

;follow                                     Toggles following mode on/off

;chart <x>,<y>                         Changes the "current room" coordinates to <x>,<y> on the current map

;chart <x>,<y>,<map>             Changes the "current room" coordinates to (<x>,<y>) on map: <map>

;chart <cardinal direction>      Moves the “current room” coordinates one click in <cardinal direction>

;chart <special direction>        Creates a link from the current room to another room with the exit <special direction>

;tag <char>                              Sets the current room tag to <char>

;label <label>                          Sets the current room label to <label>

;stubs <stub string>                  Manually sets the current room's exit stubs

;sprint <x>,<y>                         Sprints from the current position to position (<x>,<y>) on the current map

;sprint <x>,<y>,<map>             Sprints from the current position to position (<x>,<y>) on map: <map>

;room                                       Displays the properties of the current room.

;room add                                Adds a room at the current position

;room delete                            Deletes the room at the current position

;room delete all                       Deletes the room at the current position & all exits attached to the room

;room refresh                           Refreshes the exit stubs for the current room

;mapundo                                Manually undoes the last map edit