Minty23185Fresh
February 9th, 2021, 20:15
In another post (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?65875-Map-Mask-Mode-is-Unusable-in-FG-Unity) Zacchaeus and ddavison suggest unlocking the map as a possible remedy for an issue I complain about there. I've explored use of the tools in an unlocked map and found them to be just as ineffective as using the radial context menu.
For completeness, I'll show FG Classic's functionality first, then follow up with FG Unity's crippled imitation of it.
In the following composite image, there are three screenshots of a map in FGC that has been masked.
1) Left panel: One can edit the mask by Entering Mask Mode, using either the toolbar icon (red pointer) or by using the Radial Menu (a.k.a. Context Menu) by right-clicking on the map, choosing Layers and then choosing Enter Mask Mode (orange pointer).
2) Center panel: In this composite screen shot, I show how in "play" mode (i.e. non-Mask Mode, red arrow) one can hover over map pins and tokens (orange lines) to display the popup tooltip information (e.g. NPC names).
3) Right panel: Here I follow up with a screenshot showing how, in Mask Mode (indicated by the red arrow) one can edit the mask, interact with the pins and tokens (orange lines) and even move tokens (blue arrow).
43581
In this second composite image, the map is shown in FG Unity and is not masked. There are two screen shots in the image.
1) Left panel: Note that there is no "Mask Mode" here in FGU's image toolbar (red question mark). Also note that I have purposely sized the window to the map's extent for illustration purposes.
2) Right panel: Here I unlocked the map in the image window and turned off the toolbar. The image editing tools take up a substantial portion of the window, necessitating resizing the window and stealing more desktop. A minor inconvenience for some but for those of us in advancing age, with visual acuity issues, loss of desktop real estate is important.
43585
And now to address FGU's Mask Editing Mode in a third composite image, in which the map has been masked.
1) Left panel: In this composite screen shot, the map is in Play Mode (red arrow) and orange lines are used to bring your attention to the tooltips to indicate the ability to interact with pins and tokens.
2) Right panel: Here the map has been placed in Mask Mode (larger red arrow), specifically the "Reveal submode" (smaller red arrow). The solid orange line points to the fact that I have erased part of the mask, revealing part of the map. The broken orange lines are there to emphasize that I can no longer interact with objects on the map, pins and tokens.
43583
While FGC's convenient mask handling functionality is still available in FGU, there are cumbersome steps that the DM must constantly repeat in order to effect mask editing, or incremental map revealing during game play. One method is to use the context menu (a.k.a. right-click radial menu) to turn on the mask edit mode, edit the mask then turn it off again, using the radial menu. This seems like a minor inconvenience, but give it a go in your next session. I'm pretty confident you'll find it closer to infuriating, because in real time you never know what mode you're in until you try to move that NPC icon or reveal a little more of the map!
The second option, is to unlock the map and put it in Mask Mode to reveal a portion of the map, then put it in Play Mode to interact with the map. I've not tried this yet, but the mode indicator (in the rather spacious tools area) is to the far right, most times away from the action on the map. I suspect this will be frustrating, but maybe not infuriating.
One last thing: If one adds a Mask to the map using the radial menu's Layers / Enable Mask selection, one is immediately placed in Mask Mode (editing). Not intuitive to me, but that's a learning issue.
[EDIT] After writing this all down, and exploring all the options, it occurred to me, what if the mouse cursor changes with the mode just as it does in FGC. By dang! It does! There is the indicator I need. I now know what mode I am in!! Woohoo. Thanks Smiteworks. I apologize for doubting you.
So what's the next step? Having a tool in the tool bar will probably make be happier. I plan to pursue that. I've almost done enough dissecting of the CoreRPG ruleset to effect that. An exact mirror of FGC's mask editing functionality will still be lacking, I'll have to jump in and out of Mask Mode to edit, then interact with the map. It is not idea, but maybe something I can live with.
For completeness, I'll show FG Classic's functionality first, then follow up with FG Unity's crippled imitation of it.
In the following composite image, there are three screenshots of a map in FGC that has been masked.
1) Left panel: One can edit the mask by Entering Mask Mode, using either the toolbar icon (red pointer) or by using the Radial Menu (a.k.a. Context Menu) by right-clicking on the map, choosing Layers and then choosing Enter Mask Mode (orange pointer).
2) Center panel: In this composite screen shot, I show how in "play" mode (i.e. non-Mask Mode, red arrow) one can hover over map pins and tokens (orange lines) to display the popup tooltip information (e.g. NPC names).
3) Right panel: Here I follow up with a screenshot showing how, in Mask Mode (indicated by the red arrow) one can edit the mask, interact with the pins and tokens (orange lines) and even move tokens (blue arrow).
43581
In this second composite image, the map is shown in FG Unity and is not masked. There are two screen shots in the image.
1) Left panel: Note that there is no "Mask Mode" here in FGU's image toolbar (red question mark). Also note that I have purposely sized the window to the map's extent for illustration purposes.
2) Right panel: Here I unlocked the map in the image window and turned off the toolbar. The image editing tools take up a substantial portion of the window, necessitating resizing the window and stealing more desktop. A minor inconvenience for some but for those of us in advancing age, with visual acuity issues, loss of desktop real estate is important.
43585
And now to address FGU's Mask Editing Mode in a third composite image, in which the map has been masked.
1) Left panel: In this composite screen shot, the map is in Play Mode (red arrow) and orange lines are used to bring your attention to the tooltips to indicate the ability to interact with pins and tokens.
2) Right panel: Here the map has been placed in Mask Mode (larger red arrow), specifically the "Reveal submode" (smaller red arrow). The solid orange line points to the fact that I have erased part of the mask, revealing part of the map. The broken orange lines are there to emphasize that I can no longer interact with objects on the map, pins and tokens.
43583
While FGC's convenient mask handling functionality is still available in FGU, there are cumbersome steps that the DM must constantly repeat in order to effect mask editing, or incremental map revealing during game play. One method is to use the context menu (a.k.a. right-click radial menu) to turn on the mask edit mode, edit the mask then turn it off again, using the radial menu. This seems like a minor inconvenience, but give it a go in your next session. I'm pretty confident you'll find it closer to infuriating, because in real time you never know what mode you're in until you try to move that NPC icon or reveal a little more of the map!
The second option, is to unlock the map and put it in Mask Mode to reveal a portion of the map, then put it in Play Mode to interact with the map. I've not tried this yet, but the mode indicator (in the rather spacious tools area) is to the far right, most times away from the action on the map. I suspect this will be frustrating, but maybe not infuriating.
One last thing: If one adds a Mask to the map using the radial menu's Layers / Enable Mask selection, one is immediately placed in Mask Mode (editing). Not intuitive to me, but that's a learning issue.
[EDIT] After writing this all down, and exploring all the options, it occurred to me, what if the mouse cursor changes with the mode just as it does in FGC. By dang! It does! There is the indicator I need. I now know what mode I am in!! Woohoo. Thanks Smiteworks. I apologize for doubting you.
So what's the next step? Having a tool in the tool bar will probably make be happier. I plan to pursue that. I've almost done enough dissecting of the CoreRPG ruleset to effect that. An exact mirror of FGC's mask editing functionality will still be lacking, I'll have to jump in and out of Mask Mode to edit, then interact with the map. It is not idea, but maybe something I can live with.