Tip for using Large Maps (file size)

[ShaneLeahy]

Since things have quieted down figured I would post something I tried last night and it worked great.

I have recently started using Devin's tokens. Really nice tokens BUT when using my JPG maps from Paizo (running Age of Worms), when I zoomed down to the right scale, the maps were too blurry. So I did my maps for the game last night as PNG. The bad thing about that is that the files got quite large and I did not want to spend all that time transferring the maps.

Now my group has a website that we use to talk about the game and stuff. So I took the maps that they would need, posted them as a compressed file and then told my players to simply download the files into the correct directory...C:\Program Files\Fantasy Grounds\Campaigns\Age of Worms\images.

Now when the time came for the game, the maps where there right away, and putting the masks on worked with no problem at all.

I off course told my players they were more then welcome to look at the maps if they wished to ruin their game.

So just letting other new users like myself, don't be afraid to use the larger size maps, just get the players to download them before hand.

[ghedrain]

Someone suggested to make the maps room by room and that way you don't have to fog them. So when the characters enter a room just load up the map for that room at the proper scale.

I'm sure this won't work in every situation but I should with a lot of the map problems.

[Snikle]

I have experimented allot with maps. Absolutely never go over 1mg, seems to crash for me everytime (could be a memory issue, I have 1gig though).
Ideally the size for players downloading via FG seems to hover around 300~400k, course depending on the bandwidth, etc etc, this may be in flux some.

[mr_h]

Someone suggested to make the maps room by room and that way you don't have to fog them. So when the characters enter a room just load up the map for that room at the proper scale.

I'm sure this won't work in every situation but I should with a lot of the map problems.


I've considered using something like that, always worried about the time it'd take. Plus, one nice thing about having a big map is they can see the 'connectivity' of the area, sorta get a better idea of where they fit into the area. However, I have seen someone on the Dundjinni site do their maps exactly like that, and they come out quiet nicely.

[Stuart]

I've played alot with maps and experimented with cc2 and Dundjinni all essentially to get the best backdrop for players and the tokens I use (Devinnight). I have gone as large as 700 Kb but generally try and stay around 500KB. This normally allows me to map out 3 or 4 connected rooms (Dundjinni) or maybe more (cc2 - less "attractive").

What can work is a low res "whole dungeon map" for the players (masked of course) and close up "battle/tactical maps".

[Cypher]

I've considered using something like that, always worried about the time it'd take. Plus, one nice thing about having a big map is they can see the 'connectivity' of the area, sorta get a better idea of where they fit into the area. However, I have seen someone on the Dundjinni site do their maps exactly like that, and they come out quiet nicely.

I use Dundjinni to do my maps like this always. If you want the connectivity of the maps to be evident I would suggest this: Do your individual rooms as battlemaps with each 5' grid square being 50 pixels in size. Then do a full version of your map, but shrink it down. The map will be too small to use as a battlemap, but you can then unmask the portions that the players have seen and retain the overall picture you are looking for.

[kalmarjan]

or one way that can work is this....

you only need the maps in battle scale when you havge an encounter. have a large map that is scaled down, then place 'shortcuts' to individual room[s] with the shortcut feature. that way, when you are putting the party through the dungeon, they see it on the maps [or they see the whole party opn the maps] and when they reach an encouter, then load up the map for the room.

this would give the feel like the old school computer rpgs you played, where you wandered around until you got an encounter, then you were in 'battle' scale [complete with the transitional music of course]

i have a huge map [267 rooms all more than 10' lol] coming up, and i think this will be the approavh i take.

please excuse the spelling, my hand is still recovering.\

sandeman

[devinnight]

267 rooms? all on one map?
When I 1st started playing FG my maps consisted of about 15-20 rooms for the larger ones.. after a couple months though I realized that at PnP speed a map of that size took several weeks to play through. Now most of my maps are about 5-6 rooms and 2-3 encounters.
Of course I like to make all kinds of different places so this could just be the result of ADD. :)

-D

[kalmarjan]

lol

no... i do not put the whole map there...

it is broken up into 8 different parts. each part has up to 30 rooms.

the pins work like a charm... on the dm map. for the players... i think i will give them the same... but break it down a little... and save the big res maps for the encounters.

one rule for d and d is you never create more than you need for the session. so, to have 245 encounters is overkill, especially in fg where you may only play through one or two in a session ;).

sandeman

[Stuart]

For FG games I find I have to prepare far more encounters in detail in advance than I ever did in face-to-face games where I could simply "wing it" and quickly sketch rooms, NPC's, encounters etc and still gently guide the players along a broad plot line. The nature of the chat interface dictates that I have far more prepared description than before.

[Griogre]

I choose to buy FG precisely because I could just "wing it". I don't really prepare much more other than I would face to face other than I am gradually adding maps and tokens. I do use voice though and can just read stuff from my DM notes.

[Cypher]

I get a great amount of satisfaction prepping a game. I'm a super prepper! I have absolutely no problem when my players do not choose a path that I have prepared material for though. I just put that material aside in the "use later" pile, and carry on with the game going in the direction the players want. I do, however, feel far more confident running my games since preparing so much material gives me a better understanding of the world we're playing in.

I find it easier to "wing" things when I've prepared a lot.