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How to Make A Map
by Havacoman

Note: You must have good knowledge of the advanced editor and know how to do things like put a variable into the text; use variables; know restrictions very well; and other stuff like that. There is a small part to this that teaches you how to use speacilized text for use anywhere. Knowing graphs, the X and Y axis, and other things like that are helpful.

So, you want to make a map for a game. You must think it'll take forever! Well, using my style of map-making, you'll be making maps very quickly and the user won't find a difference.

First things first! You have to have a plan for a map. Otherwise, you have no clue what you are doing unless your map is really small (5x5 grid at most). When you make your map (I suggest making it by hand) you'll need two copies. You'll also need to get rid of some of the filesize. To lower the filesize you'll have to use another tutorial on another site. To make copies though, you just take one copy of your picture already saved and take it again and use Save As. Add grid to the end of the name and than click Save. It dosen't matter if you are using a MAC or a PC. They both have the same instructions.

Anyways, now that you have your picture copied, have the first one be the map used by the players of the game if you even give them a map. After that, you can keep it for backup purposes. The second one though, you put in gridlines. Figure out a common size for your walkable spaces and have the gridlines be aproxamitly that far apart. That map will be your plan. Give it numbers for the X axis and numbers for the Y axis so that you can point to a square in the grid (not a point, but the thing surrounded by four points called a square).




Now that your first map is drawn out, you'll need to put it in a game. So first off you need to make your game if you haven't done that. Figure out the point your map is going to be used. Also, figure out how many things will be on your map. If it's more then 10 small things or 5 big ones, it's safe to assume you could use a chapter for this. Call the chapther whatever you want it to be.


Than you have to make a page. It'll be the main page of the chapter and will be traveled on many times. Using variables is a key effect in this. If you want to make the map visible anytime the person is in that area, than you show the map on that page. If you want it to be an item to be collected make it an item. Either way, it would help the player figure out where he is along with the text that says other things in the area.

Now, than, your chapter has only one page in it and it's blank. Well, that page is the map in itself. Without it, the player would have to move to so many pages and it'd make the game longer and you do more work. Go to the variables section you work with and add the following: X and Y. Now you might have quessed that the X refers to the X position on the map and the Y to the Y position. Well, if so, you are correct. Now, go back to the blank page you made and put in the following links: North, South, East, West. You can also add in the Northeast, Northest, Southeast, and Southwest links as well but they aren't nessicary. Make sure the destination is the same page you put the links on. So far you have 1 page and 4-8 links.




Well, once the person goes on that page he will be trapped there, much like on the map found in JJJ's game: Mattias the Knight. Once you get to the bottom of a dungeon in the first town, it'll say there is a maze of no return. Don't go down it, he was serious when he said, no return. It get's you a page just like the one you created so far. So, how do you change it?


Well, first you have to go into your links variables area. Make the changes for the following:

North = Y Addition 1
East = X Addition 1
South = Y Subtraction 1
West = X Subtraction 1
For a combination of two of them you just have both of there effects included. Now the player can move all over your map and anywhere on it they want. If you want them to move anywhere on it and have it so they can go anywhere they want, you can do the following:





!Skip this if you have predefined paths.

For free movement on the map you just have to go to link restictions and do the following:

North = Max-Highest number Y allowed on map. For a 10x10, it would be 10.
East = Max-Highest number X allowed on map. For a 10x10, it would be 10.
South = Min-Lowest number Y allowed on map. This should usually be 0.
West = Min-Same as South except for X instead of Y.
For the other cardinal directions, you just have to put in the min/maxes for the 2 directions it is.





!Skip this if you have no paths.

For those of you who have paths, you use a restiction that allows you to pick points. It is called _______. To use it you put in the numbers that the link will be shown on if the variable number is in the list. First off, look at your map and go to the link restrictions for one of your direcitions. Lets say it is West. You have a 3x3 map and you aren't aloud to go to the center spot. Well, on a map, West is left. You can go left on four spots. Those spots are: (2,1),(3,1),(2,3), and (3,3). Now, how many unique Xs are there? The answer is 2. They are 2 and 3. So, in the box but in 2,3 to get West only when X is at 2 or 3. Now, how many usique Ys are there? It's also 2. They are 1 and 3. Put 1,3 in the box for Ys to get the link West only when Y is 1 or 3. Put it together and you'll only get it at those 4 points. Pretty nifty huh?



To Article Editors: Please shape this into something that is easier to understand if you can. Please delete this when you make changes.