Exporting Maps to png and WHY? - Where are the sample maps?

[Ancientspark74]

So.. why does RPG Maker MV allow you to save your map to an image file but you cannot LOAD it..?   all you get are the sample maps when


you right-click and choose LOAD on the map box..      SO..  if someone downloads your map, HOW do you tell them, in MV, to put it into the game?


i have searched my hard drive in both documents AND the steam folder for a folder full of sample maps and apparently, it seems that there 


is no folder in the steam or documents sections that contains these sample maps, although they are accesible IN the environment.   


So basically how do I put new maps INTO this folder if I can't find it?  I've searched the folders by hand, and also by running searches for the names


of the maps and nothing comes up.

 

[Zalerinian]

Map files are JSON formatted text files. Search for files with the json extension to find them. They're not named by their display name, they're named by map###.json. As for what folder they're in, I don't know. But you don't export your map as an image to import it, that feature is just to get a picture of the map. I doubt it contains the maps data in it, though that would be clever. 

 

[Shaz]

The export to png is not for the purpose of sharing your maps with others.


If you want to give someone else your map, you need to give them the Map###.json file from the data folder.  But they would also need to NOT have a map with that number, otherwise they'd overwrite theirs.  They would also need to have the same tileset images as you have, and the same Tilesets tab in the database, as the json file doesn't actually contain the images - just lots of numbers.

 

[Ancientspark74]

Okay..  so where are the sample maps then?  Folder-wise?

 

[Andar]

If you load a sample map into your project, it's json files will be placed in the project's folder - that is probably the fastest way to get them, but the question would be why should you? It can only be used in another MV project, and anyone who has the program also has the sample maps...

 

[Dad3353]

Okay..  so where are the sample maps then?  Folder-wise?

I wanted an answer to this, too, and searched long and hard, but could find no trace of them. I'm not sure, but I think they're 'hard-wired' into the engine somewhere; they're certainly not in the same format as Maps that have been created by the Editor. It's also true that it's somehow academic, as all Users have these Maps, native, so there's no need to 'share' Maps in this way.


My interest was slightly different, as I like to create small Maps, just for testing out stuff, and would have liked to add to these 'template' Maps (which, I might say in passing, I find to be excellent, despite their being much derided; I don't know why...). I could then 'load' one of my own 'templates' at will. Alas, no; it's not to be. The secret of these Sample Maps is either closely guarded, for whatever reason, or forgotten in the mists of Time. Either way, one cannot add to (nor subtract from, not re-arrange...) the Sample Maps. Regrettable, maybe, but I've not been able to find out more. A bit of a shame, as it would be a useful feature, in my view, to have more functionality in this respect. Oh well, never mind...

 

[Ancientspark74]

So the maps we make are .json files and we have to share those files with others to share our own maps.


My interest in the sample maps is the same as many, starting points..     but now that I know that our own maps


are .json files then I'm okay ...  i just secretly want to know the secret of the sample maps location, but I'm betting


as well they are hard-coded in.


Thank you all.

 

[Shaz]

@Dad3353 even if you could find where the sample maps are, it's very unlikely that you'd be able to add your own to the list and have them show up in the engine.  We have never been able to make changes to the engine/editor.  I had a quick look through and couldn't find any .json files for the sample maps, so you're right - it's unlikely you'll be able to add your own.

 

[Ancientspark74]

@Dad3353 even if you could find where the sample maps are, it's very unlikely that you'd be able to add your own to the list and have them show up in the engine.  We have never been able to make changes to the engine/editor.  I had a quick look through and couldn't find any .json files for the sample maps, so you're right - it's unlikely you'll be able to add your own.

Well you can add maps of others or you own given to others, as .json files.. and put into yours/their correct data folders,  but suffice it to say, they and you have to have the same tilesets for this to work...  so one might stick to the built-in tilesets given with MV in order to make maps you can actually share.

 

[Shaz]

He's talking about adding them to the sample maps that you can load, not to your list of maps in your game.