Connecting locations using the Map

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Revision as of 03:02, 13 August 2013 by Saabie (Talk | contribs) (Added location creation, and divided into sections)

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The quickest and easiest way to start building your game is to draw all of the locations you need, and the connections between them, directly onto the map at the top of the screen.

For a video demonstration of the ADRIFT map, click here. For a list of the controls to use in the map, click Map.

Creating Locations

If you double-click anywhere on the map then a new location will be created:

MapNewLocation.jpg

You can now type the name of the location directly into the box.

  • You must do this immediately, before moving the location to the wanted position on the map. If you press a mouse button before entering the name then you will need to open the location by double-clicking it, in order to set the name.

Moving and re-sizing Locations

If you click the mouse in the middle of a location on the map, then it selects it, changing its color to yellow.

The location can now be dragged to a different position on the map, or deleted with the Delete key on the keyboard.

The eight anchor points that appear as small orange boxes around the edge are used to resize the location rectangle.

If you move the mouse over one of the anchors, it will change to a double-headed resize arrow, and you can hold down the left mouse button to drag that edge or corner, changing the size of the location rectangle.

MapResize.jpg

Click on the map background to de-select the location.

Connecting Locations

If you move the mouse to the position of one of the anchors, then that one box becomes visible.

MapMouseOnAnchor.jpg

You can't use it to resize the rectangle for a location thats not selected, but you can double-click on it to create a new link.

Each anchor corresponds to one of the compass directions listed on the directions tab of the location, with north at the top.

If you click the right-hand anchor then it creates a link heading east from that location.

This is shown as an arrow pointing away from the location:

MapDblClkOnAnchor.jpg

Notice that when you move the mouse that the end of the link follows it:

MapLinkDrag.jpg

Move the end of the link to the wanted direction on the location you want to link to.

Here we have moved the mouse over the left side of the location until the anchor appears (so we are joining to its west direction).

MapLinkJoin.jpg

Clicking in the anchor joins the link to it and the line color will change from orange to grey.

This creates the appropriate entries on the direction tabs of both locations:

MapLinkResult.jpg

The player will now be able to walk east from the TV room into the Lounge and west from the Lounge to the TV room.

If we drag either location, the link says attached at both ends and will stretch and bend as required.

MapLocationMove.jpg

It is not necessary to always connect west to east, you can create a curved link that goes north from one location and enters the second location from the west:

MapLinkCurved.jpg

Link Menu

If you move the mouse over either end of a link then the anchor's at both ends will become visible.

Right-click on an anchor to display the context menu:

MapLinkMenu.jpg

  • Edit Link - Not functional in current version. Double click Location & go to Directions tab to edit link.
  • One-way Link - Makes link one-way. The player will only be able to move in the direction in which the link was originally drawn.
  • Add Restrictions - Not functional in current version. Go to Direction tab of Location to add restrictions. Links with restrictions are shown as a dotted line.
  • Delete Link - Completely removes the link from both locations.
  • Add Anchor - Allows the path of the link to be altered to go around obstacles.

A one-way link will be shown on the map as an arrow indicating the direction of possible travel:

MapLinkOneWay.jpg

Extra anchors are used when you have links that cross-over other locations or are hard to follow:

MapLinkOverlap.jpg

If you select "Add Anchor" from the context menu, then an anchor will be added halfway along the link.

By dragging this anchor with the mouse, the curve of the link can be altered to go around the obstruction:

MapLinkExtraAnchor.jpg

You can add as many anchors as you want, so quite complex paths are possible:

MapLinkComplexCurve.jpg

  • You can only right-click on one of the end anchors, not one of the new anchors.
  • Anchors are added along the link in the reverse direction to which the link was drawn, so start at the end that was attached last, create an anchor, move it into position, then do the next anchor working back towards the start.


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