Mapper setup and guide

Setup and Installation:

The first step for setting up the mapper is installation. For this, you need to download the Fonline: TLJ server files.

To do so easily, download Smartgit first, then paste https://github.com/fonline-roleplay/FO4RP when it asks for the repository you wish to clone.

After downloading the server files, navigate to FO4RP.git\tools\Mapper And find the Mapper.cfg file.

To set this up properly, Just navigate to FO4RP.git and copy the pathway into the path to server folder section, then do the same for the path to the client folder.

You should end up with a file resembling the image on the right.

After completing all of these steps, now it is time to launch the mapper and get started.

Mapper Toolbar:

The mapper toolbar on the right is the same as you will see in the mapper, but a few sections have been highlighted.

The buttons in the yellow box are for browsing assets to place via different categories, the buttons in the blue box are to toggle visibility the of assets, and the buttons in the orange section are for toggling what you can select via clicking and dragging.

The Basics:

Clicking and dragging with the mouse cursor will create a selection box. After selecting objects they will become transparent. To add to your selection, hold shift while clicking or while creating another selection box. Once you have selected the objects you wish to move, right click to change the cursor to the hand, then left click and drag to manipulate the objects. Pressing delete will delete any objects currently selected.

Pressing Tab will switch your selection box between square and orthographic, useful for selecting walls, scenery, due to it not being a traditional square shape.

Ctrl C can be used to copy selected objects, after which Ctrl P will paste them. Note that objects can be copied from one map and pasted into another, and will appear at the same coordinates that they were copied from in the previous map. If copying from a large map to a small map, there might not be enough space for the objects to spawn. Making sure the MapX and MapY coordinates exist on both maps before copying will solve this issue.

Pressing Ctrl B will show you movement blockers; green hexes allow for line of sight but not movement and red hexes block both sight and movement.

Holding shift while moving an object with the hand cursor will allow you to move it via Offsetting the X and Y coordinates. Do note that the blocker will remain in the same place as the object was prior to offsetting, so make sure if it blocks movement there is another object placed there. You can also do this manually by clicking on an object and entering values into the OffsetX/OffsetY section.

The SpriteCut section when selecting an object can be set to 0, 1, or 2 to allow for different clipping on objects. Useful if a wall is clipping into a scenery object, or you want one scenery object to be in front of another.

Pressing enter and typing ~ followed by the map name will load a map with that name. ( ~Load\_Example )

Typing ^ followed by the map name will save a map under a that name. ( ^Save\_Example )

\*I highly recommend you keep a map backups folder you update regularly, as accidentally saving a map is irreversible and will overwrite all of your progress on the previously saved map.

#ClearClones will clear out any duplicate objects stacked on the same hex, useful for when copy/pasting blockers or if accidentally de-selected objects as you copy/pasted them.

#ClearTiles will clear out any misplaced tiles. If you toggle off tile visibility, you will notice the map has a grid. All tiles, roofs, and walls should be placed to align with the grid.

The Fast section of the toolbar allows you to place blockers for movement, sight, light, along with entry/exit grids.

S, 2, 3, 4 are cover blockers, and players who crouch behind these will receive extra DT if they are attacked from that direction. S is 5 bonus DT, and each tier is an additional 5 bonus DT, up to 20. Do not place multiple tiers of cover blockers on the same hex, only place the highest tier of cover than an object should provide.

S: Light cover. 2: Wood cover. 3: Metal Cover. 4: Concrete / Stone cover.

SAI blocks movement but allows for line of sight. Used for water, short cliffs, swamps, etc.

ENT has many functions; with its main uses being resource nodes and entity spawn points.

S (white) is a scroll blocker. Used to limit the area a player can move their camera.

The lightbulb and the lightbulb with an X are the light blockers; the one without an X produces light, the one with the X stops light from moving past that point.

The green and yellow W blockers are used for walls. Green does not allow for light to pass through, and yellow does. Use green for solid walls, caves, etc. And yellow for things like tall cliffs that are outdoors.

Common Issue and Fixes:

Alt tabbing and returning to the mapper will cause you to scroll through large chunks of assets at a time, as well as be unable to swap between selection boxes, delete objects, and other things. You can return the mapper to normal scrolling by pressing alt once.

Pressing Shift-Alt will cause you to start typing in Russian, press Shift-Alt again to return to typing in English.

Scrolling through large assets will cause performance issues and sometimes crashes. Save often when working with large assets.

Working with large maps (2x2 small maps; A small map is 75x75 tiles) will cause performance issues. Save often whenever working on a large map.

Palette files:

Palette files are useful in the mapper for allowing you to find the assets you are looking for without scrolling through each section.

I have created multiple files full of various assets, walls, tiles, etc. That are organized for ease of use. I will upload them here soon:tm: when they are more finished.