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Introduction

Welcome! This manual is current for Version 1.9.1 of Dungeonforge. The new version is very different from that which was previously covered in the manual. Sections of the program have been simplified and others have been removed altogether. If you are experienced with one of the earlier versions, take some time to browse the changes listed here. (If you are using an earlier version of the program, it is strongly recommended that you download the previous version of the manual to compliment it.) The most important point to know is that the way the program handles object and tile image has been streamlined. Before version 1.9, objects and tiles were treated as separate things, each requiring a special program to import and export them. These were then stored in special tileset and objectset files. The new version does away with this, simplifying image use in general. Images may now be used as either tiles or objects and may be chosen from anywhere on your computer. You sort the images into folders that suit you, open them in Dungeonforge and then choose whether you want to tile the image or manipulate it as an object on the map you create. The only extra step involved is marking an image as tileable, in order to let the program know you want to use it as a tile. As a result of this, the tile and object import and export programs are no longer needed. Also, since one method has been set up to view both types of image, the object preview bar (a gray bar running horizontally across the bottom of the map screen) has been removed, giving a clearer view of the map as you work. Much of the rest of the program remains unchanged and a few new features have been added as well. One of the most useful (but not readily apparent) is the text tool. (See the Options and Tools Text Tool section for more information on this feature.) Other additions include the ability to add background images to maps and textures to walls and these are also detailed. For more about the changes to the program, read on!

Part 1: The Main Program


When you run the DF main program you will see this screen. Each of the areas on it and what it can do is defined below.

Section Key
1. Options and Tools 2. File, Edit, View Tools and Help Menus 3. Active Image Window 4. Active Image Rotation 5. Image Selector 6. Image Preview 7. Map Window 8. Object and Wall Settings 9. Keyboard Commands (Not shown in the diagram.) 10. Dungeonforge Art Conversion Utility (Not shown in the diagram.)

Section 1: Options and Tools


This row of thirteen icons lets you control the appearance, output and editing modes of your map. New Map: Creates a blank map using the default background and grid settings.

Open Previous Map: Displays a pick list of folders on your computer where previous maps have been saved. After first opening the program, the default folder is My Documents. DF will remember whatever new folder you choose up until you close the program.

Save: Saves the map as a DF map file. The DF map file extension is .xfrg. Versions previous to build 1.9 will save the file with a .frg extension.

Save As: Allows you to pick a folder to save your map in, name it and then saves it as a DF map file.

Print: Prints the map.

Print Battle Map: Enlarges the map and prints it as a battle map for use with miniatures and scaled terrain features. Export: Exports the map from DF format to one of the following image file types: JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIFF. The map retains its original name during the export, with only the file extension changing. Note also that DF automatically crops out any unused map squares around the edge of the map in a rectangular pattern.

DF Options: This icon brings up a tabbed window with the following functions:

Map: Allows you to set the number of map squares (or cells) that determine the height and width of the map. You can also set the cell size (range: minimum cell size of 20x20 pixels up to a maximum cell size of 128x128 pixels) and the color of the maps background.

Grid: Allows you to choose the grid line color and appearance for new maps. Tip: Using the Grid Color option here does not change your present maps grid line shade it will only take effect on a new map. To change the current maps grid colors, go to the Tools list in the File Menu and change it there. (See Section 2 Tools Menu for more information.)

Confirmations: This allows you choose whether DF displays the splash screen when you load it and whether it will ask for confirmation when you delete an object on the map screen. (For more on objects, see Object Mode, below.)

Single Tile Mode: Once you have selected an image to paint on the map and designated it as tileable, left click once on a square and the tile appears. By left clicking and dragging, you can paint the tile over multiple map squares. To delete a tile, place the mouse cursor over it and right click. You can also delete multiple tiles by right clicking and dragging the cursor over the tile you want to remove. Tip: For information on designating images as tileable, see Section 2 Tools Menu Tiles. Fill: By left clicking on this icon you enter Fill Mode. To use it, select a tile, place the cursor over the top left map square of the area you wish to fill. Next, left click and drag, to create a boundary box that will show all of the map squares affected. Finally releasing the left mouse will fill all the selected map squares with the tile you chose. DF Build Note: When you first enter Fill Mode, if you have a tileable image selected, it may vanish from the Active Object Window . Re-select the tile by using the mouse wheel to scroll until an image appears in the window, then scroll back to the original and all should be joy once more. Wall Mode: This allows you to place walls in specific areas on the map, especially in places where the Autowall function does not give you what you want. In a case where two rooms share a wall, Autowall treats them as one big room. Wall Mode allows you to selectively place walls to divide rooms into smaller areas. (For more on wall settings and Autowall, see Section 8: Object and Wall Settings.) a) To add a wall, select this mode and then place the cursor over the gridline where you want to draw and left click. b) To delete a wall, place the cursor over it and right click c) As with Single Tile Mode, you can click and drag to either add or delete multiple wall sections.

d) Finally, pressing the middle mouse button or using the [ and ] keys on the keyboard will rotate the wall 90 degrees between vertical and horizontal positions. Tip: Walls created in Wall Mode are permanent, i.e. they do not vanish if you uncheck the Autowall box. They are still affected by the wall color and wall thickness settings mentioned in Section 8, however. Tip: You can now add textures to your walls. For more information, see Section 2 Tools Menu Walls.

Object Mode: When this icon is selected, you can place individual objects as overlays on the map. To enter Object Mode select Objects using the Image Selector (item 5 on the main screen diagram). The Active Image Window will show a gray background to indicate you are in Object Mode. Next select the image you wish to place as an object and then move the cursor to the map location you wish to place the object and left click again. DF allows a lot of flexibility in object placement. a) You can rotate an object in place, 90 degrees clockwise at a time, by using the tile rotation buttons. (See Section 4: Active Image Rotation.) b) You can rotate an object in place 45 degrees at a time by using the [ and ]keys. c) An object can be offset through a series of 8 preset positions around a central point by clicking the right mouse button. d) To remove an object while the mask outlines it, simply press the Delete key. e) See also the Edit Object Properties section (immediately below) for more placement options. Tip: To scroll through the various objects in an object set, simply rotate the mouse wheel. The objects will cycle through in the mouse cursor image and the Active Image Window. This shortcut also applies to selecting individual tiles in Single Tile mode.

Edit Object Properties: Once an object is placed, it can be altered to suit your preferences. Left click on this icon and then on the placed object on the map. You can also enter Object Mode by simply placing the mouse cursor over a placed object and left clicking on it. This will bring up a mask that looks like this:

The mask allows you to do several different things. a) To move an object to a new location: Move the mouse cursor over the four green squares in the center of the mask until it changes to a four-headed arrow. Next, left click and drag the object to its new position. Let go of the left mouse button and the object is placed.

b) To resize an object: Move the cursor over one of the beige mask squares until it changes to a diagonal two-headed arrow. Left click on the beige square and drag the mouse to resize the object. Let go of the left mouse button when you have the object sized to your liking. c) To do fine rotation on an object: Place the cursor over the single green box at the top of the mask. The cursor will change into a hand with a pointing finger. Left click and then drag the cursor left or right to rotate the object in place to the exact position you want it in. Tip: DF does not yet support diagonal walls through either the Autowall or Wall Mode functions. You could create a new diagonal wall tile to match each new tileset, however there is a simpler way. Objects are ideal for placing diagonal walls, assuming you take the time to create and import them as first. To do this: a) Use a paint or graphics program to create a PNG or JPEG image file, filled only with transparent color. b) Size the image to match your preference in grid size (E.g.: If you use 20 pixel x 20 pixel squares as your grid size, the image should be a square of the same dimensions.) c) Create a colored diagonal line running from corner to corner of the image. Make the line as many pixels thick as you prefer to use for your wall thickness and match the colors to your chosen wall. d) Save the image and then use the Object placement to import it. You now have a properly scaled diagonal wall that can be placed, offset and rotated to wherever you like. Using this method, you only need to create and import a new diagonal wall if you change the wall thickness or colors.

Text tool: Clicking on this screen area invokes the built-in text tool, allowing you to add labels to your map. The tool has access to all available fonts that are presently install ed on your computer. (In any version of Windows, to see what fonts are presently installed, go to the Fonts section of your control panel.) When the tool is active the following will appear on the map window: The text in the red box is what will be placed on the map and will follow your mouse pointer, allowing you to position it as desired. The drop-down menu chooses the font and the radial buttons select the font size. The row of blue buttons allow you to make the font bold, italicized or underlined and the green buttons justify the font to the left, center or right. The two black boxes allow you to choose the fonts primary and secondary colors, which will give the text contrast for ease of viewing on colorful surfaces. DF Build Note: The text tool does not presently have a visible icon. To locate the tool, hover the mouse pointer to the right of the last icon in the row and the raised box where the icon should be will appear. Click to box to activate the tool. (See the Dungeonforge main screen diagram at the beginning of the manual for an example. The raised box is immediately left of the number 1)

Section 2: The File, Edit, View, Tools and Help Menus


This set of menus duplicates several of the features in other sections of the program, as well as offering access to some new ones.

File: This menu duplicates the functions of the icons listed in Section 1: Options and Tools. From here you can: - Start a new map - Save or Rename a map - Load a previous map by picking from a list of recently opened files - Print - Print a Battlemap for use with miniatures. - Export the map presently onscreen as an image file - Exit Dungeonforge

Edit: This menu allows you to activate the Tile Cut, Tile Copy and Tile Paste tools or to Undo or Redo an action on the map screen. Tile Cut/Tile Copy/Tile Paste: The simplest way to use these functions is through the keyboard shortcuts. Cutting and pasting or copying and pasting are a multiple part process. a) From the Edit Menu, select either Tile Cut Tool or Tile Copy Tool to activate the desired tool mode. b) Next, hold down the Control key and press and release either the C key (for copy mode) or the X key (for cut mode). c) Move the mouse cursor to the area you want to copy or cut from and left click and then drag to form a selection box around the tiles you want. d) Press CTRL-C or CTRL-X again to confirm the selection. e) Place the mouse cursor over the area you would like to paste the selected tiles and press CTRL-V to enter Tile Paste mode. At this point an orange selection box, the same size as the one you dragged while coping or cutting previously, will appear and follow the cursor. (The selection box may take a second to appear, so be patient.) f) You can now position the selection box exactly where you want on the map screen. Left click to place the selected tiles. g) To exit Tile Copy, Tile Cut or Tile Paste mode, either select a tile or object from the Image Preview window. You can also exit by selecting Single Tile Mode, Fill Mode, Object Mode or Edit Object Properties Mode from the Options and Tools icon bar.

Tip: You can change your mind about whether to Cut or Copy part way through the process. Once you have activate either mode by selecting it from the Edit Menu you can use whichever shortcut you like (CTRL-X or CTRL-C) to change the mode before dragging the selection box on the map. Undo: This undoes one editing action in the Map Window. Redo: This allows you to quickly duplicate a previous editing action in the Mapping Window.

View: This menu allows you to filter the view of the map in the Map Screen. You can show or hide the map grid, the tile layer, the object layer, and walls. Set Draw Order allows you to choose in what order DF prints the various map components and objects to the screen.

Tools: This menu allows you to set defaults for the map you are currently working on. The functions accessible here are Background, Walls, Grid, Tiles and Edit Art Locations Background: Here you may set the background color, Add a background image to the map or remove an existing background. Walls: A new feature, this allows you to set or remove an image as a wall texture. This texture will then be drawn in place of a solid color or color combination by both the Autowall and Wall Mode functions. Grid: Here you may set the maps grid color and the appearance of the grid lines solid, dotted, dashed or dash-dot alternating. Tiles: This menu allows you to tell DF how to handle tiles. Mark current graphic as tile designate the currently active image as tileable. Once you have marked the image for tiling you then need to tell Dungeonforge how much area the tile will take. Edit Tile Properties lets you set the tiles height and width in grid squares. Tip: If you are getting the message Not a tileable image when you try to use Tile Mode, you need to use Mark current graphic as tile. Tip: If a tiled image appears wrong hen you paint it on the map, odds are good that you need to correctly set the tile properties. Edit Art Locations: This lets you set the default folders that dungeon forge will look in for different image types. You can designate one area for images you will use as tiles regularly and another for objects.

Help: Resources and information for DF. Help on the Web: Connects you with online help for DF, by launching your web browser. Make certain that your Internet connection is active first in order to connect to the site. (Note that the web help is not yet back online as of this writing, however it is expected to be in the future. ) About: Shows the DF build version and logo. These also appear when you launch Dungeon Forge, if you have the Display Splash Screen box checked under Confirmation in DF Options. (See Section 1: Options and Tools for more information.)

Section 3: The Active Image Window


This window is a visual guide to let you know which tile is selected and will be actively painted on the map. Active objects that you have selected for placement will also appear here, replacing the tile image. DF Build Note: Occasionally this window will go blank, disabling the cursors ability to paint. If this happens simply reselect the tile or object you want by left clicking or using the mouse wheel to scroll. This happens most frequently when invoking Fill Mode (see Section 1: Options and Tools).

Section 4: Active Image Rotation


Tiles and objects can be rotated 90 degrees left or right by clicking on the appropriate rotation icon. (For ways to do medium and fine rotations of objects, see Section 1: Options and Tools - Edit Object Properties as listed above.)

Section 5: Image Selector


Clicking the arrow drops down a menu that allows you to choose a new active image from those in the folders specified for DF. (You can set the default folders DF will look in for Object and Tile images using Edit Art Locations in the Tools Menu, mentioned in Section 2.

Section 6: Image Preview


This window allows you to choose a tile to paint on the map screen. There are two ways to do this: a) Use the scroll bar on the right edge of the window to navigate through the tileset and then left click on the tile you want. b) Select any tile in the preview window and then use the mouse wheel to scroll back and forth through the all tiles in the set. Selected (active) tiles are highlighted in yellow in the preview window. If you have multiple tilesets bundled into folders, the folders will be shown as well. Clicking on the folder opens the tileset bundled within it. Folders like this are created by default if you use the Import DC function in the Tileset Editor. See the manual section on that program for more information.

Section 7: The Map Window


This is the place where your dungeon/city/overland map develops and is displayed. The Map Screen is navigable via the scroll bars, so that you can create large maps (see Map Settings in the DF Options portions of Section 1) that extend beyond the screen edges and then move around to add to or edit them.

Section 8: Object and Wall Settings


This window allows you to alter the appearance of the objects and walls that DF draws, as follows: Show Object Shadow: This indicates whether objects will cast a shadow or not when place on the map. Unchecking the box disables this function. Note that objects already placed without shadows enabled will not gain them if you enable this later on. Only objects placed after the box is checked will have shadows drawn. This also applies in reverse, and thus shadowed objects keep their appearance, even if new shadow-less ones are placed during the same mapping session. Snap Objects to Grid: When checked, this option forces placed objects to align themselves to the map grid. Unchecking it allows freehand object placement anywhere within the map window.

Autowall: When this box is checked, DF automatically draws a wall around each tile when it is painted. It also automatically expands the wall to outline multiple tiles forming a room. To add walls to subdivide a rooms interior use Wall Mode (Section 2 Tile and Object Tools). Draw Wall Shadows: If you want a more three-dimensional effect to the walls on the map, check this item. If you prefer a simple solid wall, then uncheck it. Wall Inner and Outer Color: This allows you to customize the two colors the wall is drawn in. You can choose a color from the pre-set list or by selecting more colors. From here you can then click on a color or specify the exact shade you want by using RGB or Hue, Saturation and Luminosity numerical settings. Changing the wall colors is global and will effect all walls on the present map, as well as those on new maps created during the same session. DF Build Note: In build 1.9.1, the program does not save the wall color settings after you exit it. The next time you start the program, the walls will revert back to the defaults of gray and black. It is a good idea to write down for future reference the numerical values for any custom wall colors you pick. Wall Size: This decides how many pixels thick the walls will be. The default thickness is 4. Walls may be as thin as 3 pixels or as thick as 12, but this is a global setting. Therefore, all walls on the map will have the same thickness if the settings are changed including those permanent walls placed using Wall Mode. DF Build Note: In build 1.9.1 the walls will revert to the default thickness of four pixels after you quit and then restart DF. You can change this default manually by going into the folder in which DF is installed and opening the DFConfig.ini file in a text editor (such as Notepad). Find the line reading WALLSIZE=4 under the heading [APPLICATION]. Change the number here to the desired wall thickness and this will then become the new default every time you open the program in the future.

Section 9: Keyboard Commands


The following are keyboard shortcuts built into DF for use in various map-editing modes. [ and ]: Rotate 90 degrees left or right. This command is context sensitive and will work for placing walls, tiles and objects. Delete: Removes an object on the map, after the object has been selected in Object Mode or Edit Object Properties Mode. Ctrl+X: Enter Tile Cut Mode. Ctrl+C: Enter Tile Copy Mode. Ctrl+V: Enter Tile Paste Mode. Ctrl+Z: Undo an editing action in the Map Window. CTRL+SHIFT+Z: Redo an editing action in the Map Window

Section 10: The Dungeonforge Art Conversion Tool


Since tiles and objects are no longer stored as separate tilset and objectset files with separate extensions, a conversion utility has been included with Version 1.9.1 of the program. This utility will allow you to convert any older tilesets and objectsets for use with version 1.9+. The program is labeled Dfartconverter.exe and is bundled into the zip file containing version 1.9.1. When launched, you will see this screen:

The + button allows you to navigate to any tile or objects sets you have from previous version of Dungeonforage and add them to the conversion list. Folder to put art in tells the converter where to place the converted files. If you are interested in keeping your image files organized, you may want to use the default Tile and Object folders DF creates when it installs. (In most cases this will be C:\Progtram Files\Dungeon Forge\Artwork\Tiles or C:\Progtram Files\Dungeon Forge\Artwork\Objects.) The Go button starts the conversion process.

Acknowledgements
- Thanks to Red Monkey for creating and improving Dungeon Forge. - Thanks to Dormouse for invaluable assistance in creating this manual and for working tirelessly to get DF back online. - Thanks to Graiskye for creating the Dungeon Forge Yahoo group. - Thanks to the all of DF community for hanging in there and supporting the program. If you discover glaring omissions or wrong information in the manual, contact me so I can fix them! You can reach me through the DF Yahoo group or the DF website forums (as soon as they return).

Brian Aka Braggi, Swain and Varlet at Large

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