Creating a map engine.

**suzakugaiden** · 06-18-2005

Basically I'm doing a 3D RPG. Not, like, actual 3D rendering and crap. Think Wizardry.

Anyway, basically, my main idea is to have four "bands" of depth in the dungeon view. These would basically just lie on top of eachother. Each band is basically showing whatever's on the map up to four "spaces" away from the player.

Anyway, so I basically need to figure out how to do a map engine or something. The most direct method, of course, would just be to define some sort of room class and link them all together with pointers. The problem with this is that I'd need to recompile every time I made a new map. That'd and it'd take for-freaking-ever to do.

Basically, I'm guessing I'll need to store the map data in a text file. The map in the text would be made out of ascii, and each letter/character/number I use would represent some specific layout; 1 could be a normal straight hallway, 2 would mark a door on the left side, 3 would mark just the hallway turning left, etc. That wouldn't be too terrible to do.

I assumed I'd then read it into a matrix or something, and then... update the player's x/y coords and compare this against the matrix.

My main issue here is that I'm not sure exactly how to associate the images I'd be using with the data on the map. Would I need to map one of the symbols I meantioned earlier to... a specific surface using a map?

**quzah** · 06-19-2005

Just create tile sets. Then you can use the same set of symbols to represent all rooms in each map, but you just store some place in your file what tile set to use. Then do something like setting up the value of any given square to match a specific tile.

Also, you don't need to recompile every time you make a new map. You just make some way to dynamicly load a file when you need to. It reads what it needs from the file to tell it what to expect, then reads in the map and sets it up in memory.

Quzah.

**cerin** · 06-19-2005

Uuummmm It's a 3d RPG with 2 dimensions? Wow, you are very creative.

**sand_man** · 06-19-2005

I haven't played any of the old Wizardry games but I think he means the games like the old Might and Magic games where it is first person view with 2D graphics to look 3D.

**suzakugaiden** · 06-19-2005

"Just create tile sets."

Er, I know. That's what I've done. Basically create a generic structure of some sort to hold said tileset and load in whichever one matches the dungeon I'm in, and then have it place them in accordance to the set of symbols on a map.

What I'm not sure about is how exatly I go about having the program determine which "tile" to load for which symbol on the map.

"Also, you don't need to recompile every time you make a new map."

I know. I mean manually linking room objects up in the source code by that. Obviously, of course, that's NOT what I'm doing here.

**quzah** · 06-19-2005

Originally Posted by sand_man

I haven't played any of the old Wizardry games but I think he means the games like the old Might and Magic games where it is first person view with 2D graphics to look 3D.

No. He means Wizardry. (But Xeen did the same sort of thing.)

What I'm not sure about is how exatly I go about having the program determine which "tile" to load for which symbol on the map.

What's not to know? Simply decide what character or value you want to represent a tile, and stick that in your map. Then when ever they move to the square, based on what way they're facing, display the correct tile. It's just as simple as if you wanted to display a certain character based on a keystroke. Instead, you're displaying a graphic.

Code:

char c[] = "abcdefghij";
int key;

printf("Enter a single digit number: ");
key = getchar() - '0';

if( key > -1 && < 10 )
{
    printf("The key %d represents \'%c\'.\n", key + '0', c[ key ] );
}
else
    printf("Dumbass!\n");

return 0;

Quzah.

**suzakugaiden** · 06-20-2005

ER, let me rephrase this in pseudo code.

if symbol == T
then blit image1.jpg to screen.
if symbol == Z
then blit image2.jpg to screen.

Etc.

Or, I guess a switch/case would work.

The things is, is there a way to do this beside using if statements? The problem is, I have a lot of possible symbols. I'd also have to run through the if statement four times, given that the player can view ahead four places.

**sand_man** · 06-20-2005

>The problem is, I have a lot of possible symbols. I'd also have to run through the if statement four times, given that the player can view ahead four places.

I downloaded the game to look at it and I think that each image displayed just looks like the next one in the distance; Only one image is displayed at a time. Maybe I misunderstood you.

**quzah** · 06-20-2005

So what again is wrong with an array?

Code:

int translatesymboltolookup( char symbol );
...
struct graphicdata { } tiles[ SETS ][ MAXTILESPERSET ];
...

something = tiles[ thismapset ][ translatesymboltolookup( thissymbol ) ];

Quzah.

**quzah** · 06-20-2005

Originally Posted by sand_man

I downloaded the game to look at it and I think that each image displayed just looks like the next one in the distance; Only one image is displayed at a time. Maybe I misunderstood you.

I'm not sure what you mean, as your wording isn't clear.
Yes and no. It's looks as a tile composet of:

a) The room ahead and to the left of you.
b) The room you're in.
c) The room[s] ahead of you in the distance.
d) The room ahead and to the right of you.

Because if you look at it, you can see off into the distance. (I know, I've played this to death back in the day.

)

Code:

 --------
|\      /|
| \----/ |
| |    | |
| /----\ |
|/      \|
 --------

In the left frame, you could see the room that would be that direction, if there wasn't a solid wall, or if you could see out a window, etc. The right frame does the same thing. The top frame is the sky. The center out far would be the next room ahead in the distance. The bottom the floor. Depending, some times you could see two, three rooms ahead of you. Their tile would show their left and right exits, if any.

Quzah.

**sand_man** · 06-20-2005

Ok Im going to leave this thread alone before I confuse myself even more.

**VirtualAce** · 06-21-2005

If we are talking about static pictures, raycast the image.
If we are talking about 3D use portals.

If we are talking about just 2D, use tiles.

In either case, use an array of ID's which directly correspond to the textures. Your array is a paint by ID type system where ID 1 might be a wall texture, and ID 2 might be a floor texture.

Animation then comes down to changing ID's over time.

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