[CF-Devel] Java map editor idea

[Andreas Vogl]

dnh wrote:

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      Here's a thought.
     
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      How hard would it be to create a 'walk through' command where by
     
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      you can enter the map and walk around via the editor. Obviously you
     
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      wouldn't want creatures etc to move, but in terms of looking at the
     
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      most basic map parts this could work quite well. Ie. You just add a
     
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      door that is triggered in another part of the map via a push button.
     
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      You walk the 'player' over to the button and watch to see if the
     
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      gate opens.
     
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      [...] it could be considered better to just test with a server...
     
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      but I find it quite annoying to have to run back to a particular
     
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      spot test it then kill the server if it is something like a gate.
     
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      Anyway, the concept is real-time testing of mechanisms for crossfire
     
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      maps in the editor, even just an 'activate switch' option in the menu
     
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      would probably do it.
     
     
This is certainly a feature that would be very useful. I know how
time-consuming it is to fire up the server, run through the maps and test
everything.

The problem is that it's not at all easy to do. The CF server is not only
very complex, but also a subject of continuous changes and modifications.
So if I try to build parts of the server code into the editor, it's not
only a lot of work - It must be updated regularly (As an example, I remind
of the changes in the button-handling-code that broke many of the pupland
maps).
If editor and server would "run out of sync" that would be terrible, as
mapmakers might test their maps with the editor where everything works -
But on the CF server it does not, due to some new feature/change.

Hence, I think it is more effective to build in hints for verifying
certain aspects of a map, rather than hacking a minor version of the
server into the editor.

Some examples (stuff I would like to see in the editor in future):
o Changing maps by left-clicking on an exit and selecting a menu-
  command "exit" (Like in Crossedit). If the exit-path is wrong, you get
  a notification. Maybe also a "check all exits" command to search for
  broken exit-paths in a whole set of maps.
o It would be nice to browse throught a list of all connections in the
  map. Some way to handle connections with an easy GUI, rather
  than getting dirty with the object-attributes.
o Scripting support in the editor.
o Ability to test darkness-effects and line of sight for any spot
  in a map.

However, I don't want to make promises if and when I might code
any of these features into the editor. :-)

Andreas V.