General News - Grid Cartographer 2

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You may remember me mentioning a small program that allows gamers to make maps for RPG games called Grid Cartographer. The developer David Walters sent news that version 2 is now available.

Here are the changes from version one.

Grid Cartographer 2 is an RPG map making tool

It's the perfect companion for table-top roleplaying dungeon design or for mapping classic games like Wizardry, Might & Magic, Eye of the Beholder and Dungeon Master. Why not download the free edition using the links above and give it a try?

The main new features in v2 are:

* Completely rewritten user interface with tabbed toolbars and a scrolling palette of brush types. The interface was built with touch screen in mind so the Android version will be practically identical.

* Improved custom tiles support. I've replaced the old tileset system with one that uses individual images. This is much more user friendly and also convenient in that it allows for individual tiles graphics to be updated and removed more easily.

* You can also make use of a simple two layer system to draw custom tiles as both ground and feature items.

* Added support for diagonal walls which will aid mapping games like System Shock.

* Finally I've added an option to automatically add matching pairs of stairs or ladders on the floor above or below where you place one. This makes it much easier to track the entry points into a new floor.

A new license costs $12 with an upgrade of $5 for existing customers and a special offer (until the end of April) where owners of both the Android and desktop versions can get a v2 key for free.
Click to expand...
More information.
 
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$12 seems kind of pricey for what you get. I'll stick with Campaign Cartographer.
 
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I tried to use it for The Wizard's Grave but it wasn't quite the right tool for me.
 
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rjshae said:
$12 seems kind of pricey for what you get. I'll stick with Campaign Cartographer.
Click to expand...

Which is much more expensive ...
 
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Lucky Day said:
I tried to use it for The Wizard's Grave but it wasn't quite the right tool for me.
Click to expand...
Hey, Lucky Day. If you think of how Grid Cartographer could be improved to better support this game then please feel free to send me a message or post a request on my forum. I'm always open to suggestions :)
 
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Hidden Asbestos said:
Hey, Lucky Day. If you think of how Grid Cartographer could be improved to better support this game then please feel free to send me a message or post a request on my forum. I'm always open to suggestions :)
Click to expand...

HA, I didn't know you were a lurker and I didn't know I could make custom requests :). I literally had no budget so I was trying to eliminate all costs. Maybe the full version could have worked for me.

After I finish my two jobs at the end of May maybe we can have a discussion about designing the sequel.
 
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I've just posted the Android version to my website. Don't forget this is free for owners of an existing GC2 license.
 
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Been playing a little Wizardry VI on DOSBox lately, and wished I had a decent grid mapping tool that can simulate an effective automap. What would make a program like GC2 perfect would be the ability to have it automatically map as I pressed the cursor keys within the game itself. in other words, pressing the arrow up key in W6 also creates a corresponding movement square in GC2. I'm guessing this is impossible to do though but what a technical acheavement it would be, basically creating automapping for those scores of great CRPG games! I think lack of automapping is the #1 reason most CRPG gamers today can't stomach classic dungeon crawlers & blobbers.
 
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I've just released v2.0.5, a free update focused on improved grid settings.

Adjustments to the major grid size now allow for any size from 2 to 64 tiles in either axis independently. You can also limit the grid to a number of major tiles along both axes (instead of just 1 tile as in past versions). Changes have also been made to enhance the axis values settings.

I've also added the shortcut CTRL+Enter (CMD+Enter on Mac OSX) to complete a note without needing to click the tick button on the UI.

Enjoy!

JackOfOwls said:
Been playing a little Wizardry VI on DOSBox lately, and wished I had a decent grid mapping tool that can simulate an effective automap. What would make a program like GC2 perfect would be the ability to have it automatically map as I pressed the cursor keys within the game itself. in other words, pressing the arrow up key in W6 also creates a corresponding movement square in GC2. I'm guessing this is impossible to do though but what a technical acheavement it would be, basically creating automapping for those scores of great CRPG games! I think lack of automapping is the #1 reason most CRPG gamers today can't stomach classic dungeon crawlers & blobbers.
Click to expand...

It'd certainly be the dream to have this but sadly I think it'd take a lot of work for each game specifically.


vvv Thanks!
 
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Happy 1 year anniversary on joining rpgwatch Mr.Hidden Asbestos
 
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Grid Cartographer v2.1.1 is now available

This twelfth update of GC focuses on wrapping up some loose ends and fixing several bugs before version 3 development begins. As such it's the last update I have planned for the v2.x series (although I'm not discounting bug fix releases should something major crop up, so do report any issues you find). I'm very excited about v3 and hope to start revealing further information about it soon!

I also just want to add a big thank you to everyone who has supported this project in any way since I released it all the way back in June 2013 to today and beyond. Thanks!
 
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