First, credit to where it belongs:

Jeff Patterson at Flying Zebra Software
www.flyingzebra.com/sms

Yes, the sight is dead as far as I can tell (6/28/07).
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Unzip the file into a folder to delete. Run the setup program. Delete the folder you unzipped stuff into. I kept the original zipped folder, by the way.

Start the program. The Tutuoril button here, is VERY useful. Take advantage ot it!

Select Create New (or Load Saved if you've already made one).

Choose File and select a map to use. [Hexumvirate_resize_33] - thanks to Axiom at Base Contact:: http://www.basecontact.com/index.php?theme=&chapter=111

Choose File for a tile set. [Msize1_5'x5'_12r x 4c]

Type in the tile set name (i.e. PCs, badguys, NPCs, or maybe by size 5x5, etc.). Yo can load liek 3 mroe sets once you have it set up. Make sure you input the rows and coulmns correctly. I always save a tile set with the columns and rows as part of the name so I know.

Click Finish.

You can keep all your maps and tiles in the same folder, I just like to keep teh m separated.
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I think that's all to get it running. You can password prtoect it if you want. It was originally made for play by mail games.

You have some options now. Hit the "i" key to import tiles. You can add more sets here as well. Under File, select Preferences. You can change the color thickness of the line (CTRL+L to toggle it). Makes it nice to track LOS and such. Of much use is the ability to set the distance at specific units. 

You can do things to a tile by right-clicking on it. Manipulate it to add notes. Whatever is typed in that top section will appear when you leave your cursor over it. The name or # is a good idea for that spot. Remove is remove, Replace brings up the insert tile menu, and Flip turns it thetile over. Each tile must have a flip side, even if it's blank.

I have included a starter map. Again, many thanks and proper credits to Axiom at Base Contact: http://www.basecontact.com/index.php?theme=&chapter=111.
I have resized his map to work with the tile sizes we originally started using for Battletech years ago! It works for D&D as well obviously.

Also included is a 5x5 tile set. Yes, those are our characters with names. Yes, we have a lot of Jedi. On the bottom of the tile set are the NPCs/baddies, etc. The flip side for our characters has the name/class. The others have a greyscaled picture to signify unconsciousness, death, disabled, etc. That's just how we do it.You can have your tiles however you want 'em. They have to have a flip side though. Remember that.

You can save the file as whatever you want to keep for porosperity. Just remember that it looks for the same map and tile sets every time, so if you change the names of those files, it will not be able to load them. They are under my nomnclature now, so feel free exit out, rename the files, and begin anew.

I have also included a template folder for ease of use. It includes templates for various sizes as well as measurements to use. I think my measurements are all correct, but some of the larger ones may be off a pixel or two. 

I open the template and save it under a different name. Open up whatever picture you care to use and resize it or a section of it and copy it. Paste it onto the template wherever you like. If you are cropping a section from a larger picture, try to get the section even H by even W to make the final resixed pic look better and retain the proper aspect relationship.

My partner in crime (Shan Vivani) uses MS Paint for this process. I use it for te the template files, but for resizng and greyscaling pictures, I use cheap-as-free Irfanview. 

For Irfanview, here's how I do it:
Select a section, hit CTRL+Y to crop it and CTRL+R to resize it. Save it and CTRL+C to copy it, then CTRL+V paste it into Paint and line it up (you can zoom in paint).

For grey pictures. Under the Image section at the top, click Conver to Greyscale. Depending on the pic, it might need to be more grey or light or something else. CTRL+G brings up the Enhance Colors options. Play with it until it looks the way you want it to.

If I ommitted a step or wasn't quite clear enough, please let me know.

the_berserker70@yahoo.com

The_Berserker
AKA Randy Woods
