Map Objects?

[Sketter]

Maybe it is just me...but....I'm having am few issues with the .lvz.

 

1. i can't seem to delete objects/images i have placed on the map. (delete key doesn't work, nor does trying to use the erase feature)

 

2. in the lvz manager, under Map Objects....I am able to add objects and edit their properties...and so on. Once i hit ok....then go back to Map Objects, in the Current Map Objects, the list is empty (other then the main name of the .lvz)

 

Is the lvz manager still incomplete?

 

Also DCME will crash if you do not define a image to a Map Object property and try to hit ok.

 

Still love DCME...

 

Sketter

[Samapico]

Yes the whole LVZ thing was never really finished... Some people manage to use it fine, but I guess you have to work with it for a while to know how to work around the bugs and missing features :/

[tcsoccerman]

DCME's value would skyrocket upon completion of lvz feature.

[Samapico]

it's open sourced... if anyone wants to do it, I encourage them too

[Sketter]

You must have no idea how much value there is if DCME lvz functions worked 100%.

 

You would simplify probably one of the most tedious part of the word of lvz.

It should be a mission

 

I'll paypal you $10 if you can get it done

 

Sketter

[Drake7707]

The problem is that it has been over a year (august 07') since i last did something on DCME (i checked on svn). I didn't make any sequence diagrams that would help me remember the structure :/

[Sketter]

That is !@#$%^&*ty....why not redo it?

 

I'm just really hoping that something will come out of this...you would change the world to a lot of people

[Samapico]

Redo it... yeah... that's what we would need to do, me thinks And if we are to redo it, I'd rather redo it as a cross-platform C# program.

 

Actually, I could try to make the MOVE and DELETE work... actually I think moving them around already works right? As far as I remember, it wasn't working that well, but you could move stuff around... so if I make it so we can SELECT something, that would be a big plus, then deleting shouldn't be too hard.

If I do that, will the LVZ manager still be needed? I guess it is needed to create the .LVZ itself and import images... but after that all mapobjects can be done in the map screen, right?

I haven't used lvz's with DCME for ages, so correct me if I'm wrong there.

 

The ultimate goal was to get rid of the lvz manager, cause 1- it's full of bugs, and 2- it's ugly

 

hmm... bleh... ok I think you convinced me to spend a few hours on this... but I won't bring this to a 100% completion There are far too many things I envisaged for lvz's, but I don't think it's worth spending all the time for it. I'm starting to convince myself to make a lvz tool (well, a map editor, but I'd start with the lvz-placing part).

Maybe my brain is just developping a phobia of digging through the VB code again... dunno... All I'm sure of is that the whole 'Display' thing in DCME is starting to get complicated; lots of 'IF's and repeated code because of all the conditions and especially lvz's.

 

However, I think it might be a good idea to start a new editor from scratch, starting with all the things we learned making DCME, and making sure not to repeat the same mistakes twice, and start in the right direction, plus in something that won't require tons of dlls and ocx (which is probably something that is currently repelling A LOT of people from our program)

 

Anyway... I talk a lot, but will I get anything done... we'll see

 

 

 

edit: gotta reinstall vb6 and svn and all that

[Drake7707]

hurray for sama ^^

 

If we rewrite it in c# (i know it the basics by now (because of asp)), it's better to make some uml class and sequence diagrams first ^^' so there's always an overview. Following the 3-tier model (GUI - Domain - DAL), it's not that hard to make the domain and dal for me, but i haven't worked with forms or graphics in c# so that would be more difficult

[Samapico]

I did work with forms and graphics in C#

 

and yes, some diagrams would be nice... even if I don't really know how to do those

[Sketter]

im glad something is coming out of this...... me thinks...

r u saying making a new map editor for mapping, with lvz editing? or new program for .lvz?

imo - to have one program that can do both and work with one another like how DCME somewhat does now would be epicness.

 

Sketter

[Samapico]

Probably a new editor for both, but I'd start with the lvz part (mostly because I'm more likely to need to use it myself )

 

Anyway, I made some slight progress in DCME just now... It's not as bad as I thought it would be. We were working more 'from bottom to the top' previously, like we made all the basic structures of LVZs and stuff like that, then slowly climbed up to make the data accessible and modifyiable...

Now I'm more starting from the top and going down... I make buttons and forms how I want them, then I make them dig down to the data they need. Cause the core of it pretty much works, but our interfaces suck badly to use it, and crash everywhere, so... that should help finish it.

 

Basically:

 

In the 'LVZ' tab of the tileset (now renamed 'LVZ Library', sounds nice), you'll be able to right-click on stuff to pop up a menu. You'll be able to add images, delete them, edit them, reorganize them (move from one lvz to another) and stuff like that.

I worked a bit on the 'Add image...' form, cause that's pretty much from where everything will start. I'm thinking of having the option to:

-Import an image from a file

-Reuse an existing image file (when you have multiple definitions of a single image file; if you import from a file that is already used, it should do the same thing too to avoid compressing twice the same file for no reason)

-Create a new image (using the Tile Editor, which can actually be an Image Editor) ; I won't focus on this one though, I'll keep that for the end

 

Once you have your image, select the properties (animation settings, in which LVZ file to put the image definition, in which LVZ file to put the new image file (if it's a new file), ... that's about it.

Of course, a nice preview would show you the image, animated if applicable.

 

And you have a new image available in the lvz library.

Would be nice to be able to filter what is shown in the library too, by lvz files or by animated/non-animated