23 Feb, 2012, JohnnyStarr wrote in the 61st comment:
Votes: 0
plamzi said:
Another challenge that applies to even strictly Euclidean areas would be visualizing "walls". E. g. two rooms are neighbors on the grid but there is no actual link between them. Of course, this is another nice-to-have. Just wondering if you've thought about it yet.


This is sort of a secondary thing, but I agree that it would be a nice addition. I will probably look into changing the border shading
of the cells.

If that doesn't pan-out, I'm sure there is a way to create a Shape object (arrow, or line) and set it's coordinates to the "wall" middles.

Although these tweaks are on the back burner, I think that walls along with up/down macros will add to the appeal of the project.
23 Feb, 2012, JohnnyStarr wrote in the 62nd comment:
Votes: 0
It seems that adding arrows / lines is pretty straight forward in Excel:

Dim l As Shape
Dim sh As Worksheet

Set sh = ActiveSheet

With ActiveCell
Set l = sh.Shapes.AddLine( _
.Left - .Width / 2, _
.Top + .Width / 2, _
.Left + .Width / 2, _
.Top + .Width / 2)

End With

With l.Line
.BeginArrowheadStyle = msoArrowheadOval
.EndArrowheadStyle = msoArrowheadOval
.BeginArrowheadWidth = msoArrowheadWidthMedium
.BeginArrowheadLength = msoArrowheadLengthMedium
.EndArrowheadWidth = msoArrowheadWidthMedium
.EndArrowheadLength = msoArrowheadLengthMedium
.Visible = msoTrue
End With


The above code can be used to produce this:



1001 can go south or east.
1002 is a trap (no exits)
1003 can only go north.

The Cell that creates the line is used as an "anchor". There is still quite a bit to figure out when you
consider exit collisions, but these exceptions can be handled with careful planning.
23 Feb, 2012, JohnnyStarr wrote in the 63rd comment:
Votes: 0
I have now added the correct code to the BuildZone command:




Bigger Area:



I will now be working on updates to the arrows for when you change links.
23 Feb, 2012, Ssolvarain wrote in the 64th comment:
Votes: 0
That looks pretty good so far.
23 Feb, 2012, plamzi wrote in the 65th comment:
Votes: 0
It looks functional, certainly, but I think using cell border thickness will be much much cleaner and immediate to the eye. Haven't done enough scripting inside Excel to gauge how difficult that would be in comparison.
23 Feb, 2012, arholly wrote in the 66th comment:
Votes: 0
@JohnnyStar:
That looks really sharp.
23 Feb, 2012, JohnnyStarr wrote in the 67th comment:
Votes: 0
Thanks for the complements all :)


Ok, I've figured out how to handle irrational mapping!

I have a separate routine for "special" links now:

Public Sub LinkWestSpecial(c As Range, dest As Range)
Dim L As Shape

With c
Set L = c.Worksheet.Shapes.AddLine( _
.Left, _
.Top + .Width / 2, _
dest.Left + dest.Width, _
dest.Top + .Width / 2)
End With

StyleLink L

L.name = "_LW" & c.Value
End Sub



This translates into this:



The arrow will stretch as far as it has to, and will always point to the entry point of the Cell that
matches the logic of the exit direction.

Now you can add your shortcuts via the RoomEdit form, and re-link the map.
I have chosen to allow users to create / destroy link arrows. This both allows them the choice, and requires that
the link arrows be re-created any time there are room link updates.
23 Feb, 2012, JohnnyStarr wrote in the 68th comment:
Votes: 0
A complete example of the Fully Automated irrational exit mapper:

24 Feb, 2012, David Haley wrote in the 69th comment:
Votes: 0
plamzi said:
Regardless of implementation details, to me, the rule of thumb would be pretty simple in practice. If at any point a builder has to add a room just to appease the gods of collision detection, you have bloat. You can call it architecture, and you can make the room useful after the fact, but the bottom line is you were forced to put it there. If any world enforces a strict grid without ever forcing a builder to pad, and without "fudging" or "cheating" on its own spatial exam, then I'd be very surprised. If a superbly-designed world respecting collision (no portal cheating at all) is as dense and efficient as a superbly-designed world that doesn't, then I'd be shocked.

I think this is spot on, and would add the following question: how would this look to players? Room padding is bad enough when the builders have to do it, or even if the MUD server figures it out for you, but you're still left with a bunch of rooms players have to walk through.
24 Feb, 2012, Ssolvarain wrote in the 70th comment:
Votes: 0
Will there be any consideration for one-way exits?
24 Feb, 2012, JohnnyStarr wrote in the 71st comment:
Votes: 0
Ssolvarain said:
Will there be any consideration for one-way exits?


yes, it already does. notice in the picture above that some do not have an arrow point, these are one way links.

the arrow linker routine is based on room details, not cell location.
24 Feb, 2012, JohnnyStarr wrote in the 72nd comment:
Votes: 0
I've added a "dig" command button to make irrational mapping a cinch.

Here's what a large, complex, zone would look like: (keep in mind, arrows are generated automatically based on room data)

24 Feb, 2012, JohnnyStarr wrote in the 73rd comment:
Votes: 0
I've added up / down directions and respective arrow-links.



It seems that the user doesn't really need to worry so much about using multiple sheets
to separate zone up / down levels.

This is a good thing. You can always move the cells to different locations later.
27 Mar, 2012, arholly wrote in the 74th comment:
Votes: 0
Any news on this?
30 Mar, 2012, JohnnyStarr wrote in the 75th comment:
Votes: 0
arholly said:
Any news on this?


Hey there. Sorry, I've been out of the loop for a month or so. I started a new job, and
I don't have access to excel yet. I am still working on a stable pre-release though. It should
be available before summer.

If I don't get anything done within the next two months, I release a pre-pre-release :biggrin:
So, I guess we'll see.
30 Mar, 2012, arholly wrote in the 76th comment:
Votes: 0
No worries. Just curious. Kind of excited about it.
06 Apr, 2012, JohnnyStarr wrote in the 77th comment:
Votes: 0
After some careful consideration, I've decided to go ahead with a pre-release. There will probably be a few
areas that need completion and improvement.

I am considering licensing because I would like some say as to how the application is reproduced. I wouldn't
want to see it used comercially for example. Also, I hope that if someone out there would like to make enhancements
that they freely make it available to the public.

That being said, I'll upload it this weekend.

If anyone here would like to contribute to the project, I would be happy to answer any questions; just PM me.
25 Apr, 2012, arholly wrote in the 78th comment:
Votes: 0
I'll continue to bump this and see where it is. :)
24 Sep, 2012, Nathan wrote in the 79th comment:
Votes: 0
Does anyone know if this ever got released?
24 Sep, 2012, arholly wrote in the 80th comment:
Votes: 0
Not to the best of my knowledge, which is a shame. :(
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