INTRODUCTION
WHAT'S INTERACTIVE DUNGEON ?
Interactive Dungeon
is a mapping software intended to replace the old technique often used
in role playing games of
having the game master describe
a dungeon as the players proceed, and having them draw it on graph paper,
often
with weird results.
Using Interactive Dungeon, the map would reveal itself on a computer screen
as the players proceed,
the whole thing being accompanied
by dynamic sound effects.
The whole process is divided
in two stages. First, there is the CONCEPTION of the dungeon map.
If you have already
used a drawing program before,
this part will be very easy for you to learn. However, unlike normal
drawing programs,
this is also where you set
up such things as events, starting points, map linking points, traps, random
encounters, planned
encounters, and custom sound
effects.
The second stage is the EXECUTION
of the dungeon where, using the keyboard arrows, the game master moves
the
party through the dungeon
at the players command.
ABOUT RIGHT CLICKING.
When designing a dungeon,
many things can be undone, edited, and changed by right clicking with the
mouse on a map
CONCEPTION
square. Use this feature
extensively for it will greatly increase the speed at which you work.
Also, some things can
ONLY be edited by right
clicking.
CREATING A DUNGEON:
By clicking the Brush
icon (8th icon on the upper tool-bar), you can draw walls on the map.
Left click anywhere on
the map, and move the mouse
three tiles to the right. Left click to secure this wall and move
the mouse three tiles down.
Left click again to secure
that second wall and move the mouse three tiles to the left. Left
click to secure that third wall
and move the mouse three
tiles up. Left click to secure that last wall, and then RIGHT CLICK
to stop drawing.
Congratulations, you just
created your first dungeon room (we told you it would be easy). By
now, you probably
noticed Interactive Dungeon's
weakness: you can only draw horizontal and vertical walls, no diagonals,
and no round
shapes. This was not
possible to conceive at the moment, because each tile is full of parameters
that come into play
in the EXECUTION part of
the program. Believe us, we brainstormed for many hours to find a
way to fix this, but at
the moment our conceptual
staff is composed of two persons, only one of which is a fully formed programmer.
Still,
we are quite sure that you
will find ways to work with that minor annoyance (hell, I did).
Creating walls is by no means
the only thing you can do, and most functions accessible by the menu also
have appropriate
MENUS:
icons on the tool bars.
FILE: NEW MAP; Choose
this option if you want to make a dungeon from scratch. The map is
new by default when
you start Interactive Dungeon.
You can also click on the New Map icon on the toolbar.
FILE: LOAD MAP; Choose
this option to load and modify an already created dungeon. You can
also click on the
Load Map icon. Note
that loading a map can take some time, so please be patient.
FILE: RUN MAP; This
option loads a .DNG file and runs it into EXECUTION mode. When started,
the dungeon
will only show the party
at the starting point and the things in their current field of vision.
You could also click on the
Run Map icon. PLEASE
READ CAREFULLY THE LAST PART OF THIS HELP FILE: RESUMING AN
ALREADY EXPLORED DUNGEON.
FILE: SAVE MAP AS...;
This will open a window in which you save the currently edited map.
Type in the name you
want for the map.
The file's extension is .DNG. DO NOT confuse it with files with the .MAP
extension. These files
will be addressed in the
EXECUTION section. You could also click on the Save Map As icon.
Note that the files are
BIG (2658 Kilobytes, or
2.6 Megs). This is because these files are much more than simple
images. Every tile of the
dungeon is full of properties
that are necessary in the EXECUTION part of the program. You might
want to save the
dungeon maps on a drive
with lots of space if you intend to make extensive use of this program.
Note that saving a map
can take some time, so please
be patient.
FILE: PRINT MAP; Click
this option to print the map on paper. This is desirable if you want
to have the dungeon
on hand during a game session.
The map will be printed on the upper half of your 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper,
leaving the
lower half empty for other
hand-written notes you might want to add. You might want to make the background
of the
map white in order to save
ink when printing it, although the default gray color shows well once printed.
You can also
click on the Print Map icon.
FILE: QUIT; Choose
this option to quit Interactive Dungeon. You could also click on
the top upper right "X" icon
(like all regular windows
applications).
INSERT: DOOR, DOUBLE DOOR,
SECRET DOOR, WINDOW; These are quite self-explanatory.
They all
have corresponding icons
on the tool bar.
INSERT: LINK MAP; Use
this function to link two maps together if they are on the same level (use
the Stairs
function to link maps that
are above or below each other). This function is a bit tricky to
use, because you have to insert
the target map name AND
the starting coordinates of the new map's link. Thus, you must use
this function on both maps
in order for the link to
work both ways. Use the TOOL: SHOW COORDINATES function to see the
coordinates. It
is a good idea to put the
links AFTER all the maps of a given dungeon complex are made. A link
will be displayed on the
map by the picture of an
arrow. Use the keyboard arrows to rotate the direction in which the
arrow picture is facing.
INSERT: STAIRS, WINDING
STAIRS; This function is exactly like the LINK MAP function
except that it displays
stairs (straight or winding)
instead of the arrow symbol. Use the keyboard arrows to rotate the
stairs. Note that it is
possible to insert straight
stairs with no links to other maps.
INSERT: TELEPORTER/GATE;
This function will insert a teleporter pad on the map (illustrated by a
target picture)
that will transport the
party to another part of the SAME map. In order to make this a two-way
teleporter, you must
insert two teleporters (both
at each from/to positions).
EVENT: ENCOUNTER, EVENT,
SOUND, TRAP (PIT/OTHER); Use these functions to insert a text-and-sound
event that will be triggered
ONLY when the party icon steps on the square where the event is inserted.
The effect is the
same for all of them (sound
effects and message box), but the sound and icon displayed are different.
There are default
sounds, but you can edit
them by choosing you own .WAV files. So, if you want the players
to hear a certain sound
(by creating your own or
getting one from various sources - notably the internet) at a certain stage
of the dungeon
delving, you can by inserting
an event.
GOODIES: These
are all dungeon dressings such as columns and chairs that can be inserted
on the map. Most of them
can be rotated by using
the keyboard arrow keys. They are all accessible on the right end
tool bar.
TOOLS: CHANGE BACKGROUND
COLOR; Use this option to change the color of the whole map.
Note that
you can change the color
of a single tile by right clicking on it.
TOOLS: CHANGE STARTING
POINT; Use this option to set or change the starting point of
a dungeon map when
the map is loaded in EXECUTION
mode. It is not possible to save a map without giving it a starting
point. SPECIAL
NOTE: You might think that
you don't need starting points for each and every map of a dungeon complex
(more than
one map). Be it as
it may, you have to. However, if you access all other maps by links
(arrows or stairs), after the first
map is run, you don't need
to worry about where you put the other starting points because you wont
use them. There
may be inconsistencies when
loading an already partially explored dungeon complex, but these are easy
to avoid. This
subject is addressed in
the EXECUTION part of this help file.
TOOLS: FILL THE MAP;
This option is desirable to fill all unmapped areas of a map in black to
better outline the
rooms of the dungeon.
Use this option ONLY after the dungeon is completely mapped. This
is of no use for the
EXECUTION mode of Interactive
Dungeon, because all unexplored areas of the map are black BY DEFAULT.
It
is only of interest if you
want to print the map with a black background. SPECIAL NOTE:
This will use A LOT of ink
from your printer.
You are warned, so don't send us you ink cartridges bills.
TOOLS: HIDE GRID; Use this to hide the map grid if you don't want to see it on the printed map.
TOOLS: PREPARE RANDOM
ENCOUNTERS; One of the most interesting features of Interactive
Dungeon is
the Random Encounter function.
This function is partly set in the CONCEPTION stage of the process (beasts
encountered and numbers).
Up to eight (8) different encounters can be set in this fashion. If you
use only some of the
eight encounter slots, the
selection will be made between those (the program ignores empty slots).
If you want a certain
type of beast to be more
frequent than others, simply put it more than once in the encounter grid.
EXAMPLE: If you are
creating a lair populated
mainly by giants who have bandits as followers, you might want to set your
random encounters
like this:
Giants
1 to
4
Giants
1 to
4
Giants
1 to
4
Giants
3 to
7
Bandits 6
to 12
Thus, when an encounter does
occur, there is a 3 in 5 chance that 1 to 4 giants will attack, a 1 in
5 chance that 6 to 12
bandits attack, and a 1
in 5 chance that 3 to 7 giants attack (ouch!). If you wanted to keep
it simple, lets say only 1 to 4
giants, you would simply
write Giants 1 to 4 in
the first of the eight slots and all random encounters would be with
1 to 4 giants.
The FREQUENCY of the encounters (how often they are likely to occur) is set in the EXECUTION part of the program.
TOOLS: SHOW COORDINATES;
Use this option to see all the numbers (X and Y axis) of all the tiles.
This is very
useful when setting starting
points, teleporters, and links to other maps. Use this option again
(Hide Coordinates) to
remove the numbers.
HELP: INDEX; I think you have already figured this one out.
HELP: ABOUT;
Wondering who are the people behind Interactive Dungeon ? Click away
!
EXECUTION
EXPLORING A DUNGEON:
When you do Run Map,
ID (Interactive Dungeon) will load the Execution part of the program and
open a window in
which you select what map
you want to run. If you have never done this before, you will not
see any map: that is because
ID is looking for a .MAP
file. In the bar Files of Type, you select what kind of file
you want to load, in this case, a
.DNG file. Then, you
will see all the dungeons you have created. Select one, and it will
load. An heroic song will then
send you into adventure
!
If you created the dungeon
right, you should see an icon representing the adventuring band (the players)
at the starting
point you set in the Creation
part. You should also only see what is currently in the field of
vision of the players, walls,
furniture, and doors (if
no doors, at least a secret door is somewhere - invisible to the players
of course - or this will be a
very short game session
indeed).
Before starting the exploration
of the dungeon, you might want to set two things up. First, set the
visibility radius to what
the current light source
of the players allows by selecting Tools: Visibility Radius. Second,
set the random encounter
frequency to whatever you
want (the default value is NONE). You can do this by selecting Tools:
Set Encounter
Frequency.
Then, for the fun part. Using the keyboard arrow keys, the Game Master
moves the party about, probably
following what the players
tell him where they want to go. To open doors, simply run into them.
Note that the program
doesn't keep track of what
doors are locked, so it is up to the GM (Game Master) to tell the players
"You try to open the
door, but it is locked".
Let them through the door only when they found a way to open it.
It is a good idea to have a
printed version behind the
GM screen on which you mark such things. If you don't have a printer,
then you will have to
make yourself a good-ol'
pen-and-graph-paper version of the dungeon you created.
To open secret doors, simply
run through the wall where the secret door is located. Once again,
you will see the location
of all secret doors on your
printed version of the dungeon. The dungeon will unravel itself as
the players progress,
fighting foes, finding treasure,
and falling into traps.
SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT FIELD
OF VISION: There is one thing we couldn't fix at this point in
ID, but it is a minor
annoyance that can be worked
around. When entering a winding passageway 5 feet wide (or one tile
wide), only the
section of the corridor
currently in the field of vision of the players will be visible.
As they move at the next curve or
intersection, only then
will it appear on the screen. HOWEVER, the whole winding passage will appear
on the screen if
the corridor is wider than
5 feet (one tile). It would be very complicated to explain why the
program behaves that way.
Two ways to work around this
problem. First, don't make winding passages with a corridor width
bigger than one tile
MENUS:
(unless you don't mind if
the players see more than what is logically visible in their current field
of vision). Or, you could
also put doors in winding
passageways two tiles or more in width, thus preventing the program of
showing too much (the
rest will reveal itself
only when the doors are passed through).
You will notice that the menus and toolbar in the EXECUTION part are quite different than the CONCEPTION part.
FILE: LOAD MAP;
Select this to run another dungeon than the current one. The program
will ask you if you want to
save the current one.
PLEASE
READ CAREFULLY THE LAST PART OF THIS HELP FILE: RESUMING
AN ALREADY EXPLORED
DUNGEON. Note that loading a map can take some time, so please
be patient.
FILE: SAVE MAP:
Select
this if you want to save the map at it's current point of exploration.
Note that saving a map
can take some time, so please
be patient.
FILE: QUIT;
When quitting, the program will ask you if you want to save the program
at the current point of
exploration. It
is very important to do so if you want to stop the game session for the
night and want to resume
it at another time.
ACTION: CAMP;
By choosing this option (or by clicking the campfire icon), ID automatically
checks if, during the time
the players spend hours
resting, any beasts finds them when they are off guard and sound asleep.
This is, of course,
according to the Encounter
Frequency you already set (none by default). You might want to click
this icon if the players
spend any significant amount
of time (i.e. hours) at the same spot (like spending 4 hours in a huge
room looking for
secret doors).
TOOLS: CHANGE VISIBILITY
RADIUS; Depending on the means currently used by the players
to illuminate the
dark passageways of the
dungeon, their visibility will be more or less reduced. Note that
one tile (one square) equals
5 feet.
TOOLS: SET ENCOUNTER FREQUENCY;
Use this option to determine how often the players will be happily
hacked to pieces by the
unfriendly hosts of the dungeon. This is, of course, above any already
planned encounters.
TOOLS: SHOW ENTIRE MAP;
By choosing this option, the whole dungeon will appear on the screen.
Useful if
after a game is over, you
want to tease your players with all the good stuff they missed.
TOOLS: CHANGE BACKGROUND COLOR; Well, use this option to change the background color.
TOOLS: SOUND;
This is used to turn the sound ON and OFF.
RESUMING AN ALREADY EXPLORED DUNGEON:
When making a dungeon, a single .DNG file is created.
However, when executing it, a .MAP file version of the .DNG file
will be created if the map is saved during the execution
mode. .DNG and .MAP can both be executed, but only .DNG files
can be edited.
When you save and quit the map in the middle of an
exploration, ID remembers what was already explored and where the
party (players) was when it was saved. In
order to resume the game where it was last left, you must start ID, do
Run Map,
and load the appropriate .MAP file. NOT the .DNG
file, or it will start the exploration from the beginning.
Now, it gets more tricky if it is a dungeon
complex with more than one map (linked), because when resuming, you must
load the map in which the players ended the
game session.
Example: You created a dungeon complex composed
of five linked maps (you had a lot of time on your hands). You
called them RUINS1.DNG RUINS2.DNG
RUINS2B.DNG RUINS3.DNG RUINS3B.DNG. You start the game
session, and after a long trek through the wilderness,
the players find some underground ruins that they decide to explore.
So you launch Interactive Dungeon, you do Run Map,
and load RUINS1.DNG (remember to select the extension .DNG
in files of type... because at this point,
there are no .MAP files in the folder).
The map loads, the trumpets play, you set the proper
visibility radius and encounter frequency, and start exploring the
dungeon. The players eventually find a winding
stair that goes down, and RUINS2.DNG loads. Once again, you set the
visibility radius and encounter frequency and start
exploring the second level of the not so small ruins. Eventually,
the players
arrive in a corridor that seems to go off your computer
screen in which an arrow can be seen. They go through it and the
other part of the now much bigger level loads, RUINS2B.DNG.
Again, you set visibility and encounters, and off you go.
At this point, it is 5:30 in the morning and the
light of day can be seen through the gaming room windows accompanied by
the song of the morning birds. You all decide
that you had quite enough fun for one gaming night (although, deep inside,
you
all know you could go on forever). Now, at
this point, your Maps folder contains eight files. The ones you already
had,
that are RUINS1.DNG RUINS2.DNG RUINS2B.DNG
RUINS3.DNG RUINS3B.DNG and RUINS1.MAP
RUINS2.MAP RUINS2B.MAP.
The following game session, when your players come running at your house
to continue
such an amazing and live adventure, you will start
Interactive Dungeon, select Run Map, and load the file named
RUINS2B.MAP, since it was the map that the
players where in when they last stopped the game.
Although quite simple, all this may seem complicated.
If so, re-read the above example. If it is still not clear, I suggest
you
read the whole Help File and experiment with Interactive
Dungeon. Good Luck, and have fun !
You can send comments or suggestions to this email address trainz@videotron.ca