Map File Format

[Paul Barba]

Symphonic recommended the following as the file format for maps. Use this thread to post any comments/recommendations.

struct BlindMapmakersFile
{
  int VersionNumber; // this is Version 1
  struct V1HeaderStruct
  {
    int xSize;
    int ySize;
  } Header;
  struct V1TileDictionary
  {
    int NumTiles;
    char TileNames[NumTiles][256]; // null-terminated strings
  } TileDictionary;
  struct V1MapData
  {
    struct V1MapCell
    {
      int Depth; // how many tiles are stacked in this cell (could be a char, how many cells are going to have depth > 255?)
      unsigned int Flags; // properties of the cell, passable? wet? on fire? I dunno...
      int Tiles[Depth]; // each tile is an offset into TileDictionary.TileNames
    } Cells[Header.xSize * Header.ySize];
  } Map;
};

[Symphonic]

So, after reflecting on Squidi's last post on the original discussion thread (see link 1 below), and thinking a bit about how to keep this simple and both 2D and 3D friendly, I propose this interface:

This is a C++ declaration for the interface; BUT I think we should definitely make a Java implementation as well. Transcoding should be pretty simple.

// IBlindMapMaker declaration
// Derive from this interface to create a blind map-maker compliant map controller
class IBlindMapMaker
{
public:
  // IBlindMapMaker::eDirection Declaration
  // an enumeration to represent directions w.r.t. tiles
  // the choice of order may seem strange;
  // I put east first so that eDirection(0) corresponds to the positive direction on the X axis
  // and they go around counter-clockwise so that rotations are a simple addition & modulo
  enum eDirection {kEastDir, kNorthDir, kWestDir, kSouthDir, kNumDirections};

  // Tile Flags
  typedef static const unsigned int FlagValue;
  FlagValue kFilled = 1; // if set; this tile is the interior of a wall, so it has no walls of its own, and its m_FloorType is drawn at the height of the top of a wall

  // IBlindMapMaker::Tile Declaration
  // a structure to represent a tile
  struct Tile
  {
    int m_FloorType;
    int m_Flags;
    int m_WallTypes[kNumDirections]; // corresponding to each direction in eDirections

    Tile(int floorType, unsigned int flags, int eastWall, int northWall, int westWall, int southWall):
      m_FloorType(floorType),
      m_flags(flags)
    {
      m_WallTypes[0] = eastWall;
      m_WallTypes[1] = northWall;
      m_WallTypes[2] = westWall;
      m_WallTypes[3] = southWall;
    }
  };

  typedef const Tile & TileArg; // easier to type; use these where possible
  static const DefaultTile = Tile(0,0,0,0,0,0);

  // IBlindMapMaker::Resize Declaration
  // Resizes this instance's map to be xSize tiles across and ySize tiles high
  // if the ClearTile Argument is specified then every tile is set to ClearTile
  virtual void Resize(int xSize, int ySize, TileArg ClearTile) = 0;
  inline void Resize(int xSize, int ySize)
  {
    Tile t = DefaultTile;
    this->Resize(xSize, ySize, t);
  }
 
  // IBlindMapMaker::SetTile Declaration
  // Sets a particular tile
  virtual void SetTile(int xLoc, int yLoc, TileArg Tile) = 0;

  // IBlindMapMaker::GetTile Declaration
  // Gets a particular tile
  virtual TileArg GetTile(int xLoc, int yLoc) = 0;
};

I think this covers the very basic requirements; Ground, walls, and arbitrary orientability (ie you can spin the view)
implementations of the interface get to decide how floors and walls are defined and rendered.

Once we have a viewer implementing this we should begin our first round of generator competition to see what people like/dislike and to collect ideas for extension.

I'm thinking about the following:
Static props (furniture, wall decorations, statues, puddles, ???)
Static Interactibles (Doors, switches, ???)
non-static interactibles (keys, crates, general pickups, destructibles, movables, ???)

I have some rough ideas I will flesh out in separate threads later on

LINKS:
1: http://squidi.net/forum/index.php?topic=237.msg3221#msg3221

[Paul Barba]

I converted your map format into java, and added it to the repository.