2D Tile RPG - Help with Arrays for Maps/Levels

Ok, 2D tile based rpg.

I am going to be using the following:
-32x32 pixel tiles
-The entire map will be 15 tiles wide, 15 tiles high (480x480 pixel total).
-225 Tiles in one map

Right now I am setting up an Array.

I need this array because: Say, if you are creating the map in a map editor and deciding what kind of tiles will be placed in each one of the 225 blocks on the map. When you save the map, it will store that information into a file which stores each map for the game. It will need to store a map#, and the type of tile that needs to load on each one of the 225 squares.

Not really sure how to setup this array, but I came up with this so far:

Quote:

Public Type MapInfo ' define the contents of the map array
mapNumber As Integer 'just a reference number so the game knows which map this is.
mapTile1_1 As String 'string to define which type of tile is at this location on the map
mapTile1_2 As String
mapTile1_3 As String
mapTile1_4 As String
mapTile1_5 As String 'mapTile1_5 will be the tile at Row 1, Column 5
mapTile1_6 As String
mapTile1_7 As String
mapTile1_8 As String
mapTile1_9 As String
mapTile1_10 As String
mapTile1_11 As String
mapTile1_12 As String
mapTile1_13 As String
mapTile1_14 As String
mapTile1_15 As String
mapTile2_1 As String
mapTile2_2 As String
mapTile2_3 As String
mapTile2_4 As String
mapTile2_5 As String
mapTile2_6 As String
mapTile2_7 As String
mapTile2_8 As String
mapTile2_9 As String
mapTile2_10 As String
mapTile2_11 As String
mapTile2_12 As String
mapTile2_13 As String
mapTile2_14 As String
mapTile2_15 As String
mapTile3_1 As String
mapTile3_2 As String
mapTile3_3 As String
mapTile3_4 As String
mapTile3_5 As String
mapTile3_6 As String
mapTile3_7 As String
mapTile3_8 As String
mapTile3_9 As String
mapTile3_10 As String
mapTile3_11 As String
mapTile3_12 As String
mapTile3_13 As String
mapTile3_14 As String
mapTile3_15 As String
mapTile4_1 As String
mapTile4_2 As String
mapTile4_3 As String
mapTile4_4 As String
mapTile4_5 As String
mapTile4_6 As String
mapTile4_7 As String
mapTile4_8 As String
mapTile4_9 As String
mapTile4_10 As String
mapTile4_11 As String
mapTile4_12 As String
mapTile4_13 As String
mapTile4_14 As String
mapTile4_15 As String
mapTile5_1 As String
mapTile5_2 As String
mapTile5_3 As String
mapTile5_4 As String
mapTile5_5 As String
mapTile5_6 As String
mapTile5_7 As String
mapTile5_8 As String
mapTile5_9 As String
mapTile5_10 As String
mapTile5_11 As String
mapTile5_12 As String
mapTile5_13 As String
mapTile5_14 As String
mapTile5_15 As String
mapTile6_1 As String
mapTile6_2 As String
mapTile6_3 As String
mapTile6_4 As String
mapTile6_5 As String
mapTile6_6 As String
mapTile6_7 As String
mapTile6_8 As String
mapTile6_9 As String
mapTile6_10 As String
mapTile6_11 As String
mapTile6_12 As String
mapTile6_13 As String
mapTile6_14 As String
mapTile6_15 As String
mapTile7_1 As String
mapTile7_2 As String
mapTile7_3 As String
mapTile7_4 As String
mapTile7_5 As String
mapTile7_6 As String
mapTile7_7 As String
mapTile7_8 As String
mapTile7_9 As String
mapTile7_10 As String
mapTile7_11 As String
mapTile7_12 As String
mapTile7_13 As String
mapTile7_14 As String
mapTile7_15 As String
mapTile8_1 As String
mapTile8_2 As String
mapTile8_3 As String
mapTile8_4 As String
mapTile8_5 As String
mapTile8_6 As String
mapTile8_7 As String
mapTile8_8 As String
mapTile8_9 As String
mapTile8_10 As String
mapTile8_11 As String
mapTile8_12 As String
mapTile8_13 As String
mapTile8_14 As String
mapTile8_15 As String
mapTile9_1 As String
mapTile9_2 As String
mapTile9_3 As String
mapTile9_4 As String
mapTile9_5 As String
mapTile9_6 As String
mapTile9_7 As String
mapTile9_8 As String
mapTile9_9 As String
mapTile9_10 As String
mapTile9_11 As String
mapTile9_12 As String
mapTile9_13 As String
mapTile9_14 As String
mapTile9_15 As String
mapTile10_1 As String
mapTile10_2 As String
mapTile10_3 As String
mapTile10_4 As String
mapTile10_5 As String
mapTile10_6 As String
mapTile10_7 As String
mapTile10_8 As String
mapTile10_9 As String
mapTile10_10 As String
mapTile10_11 As String
mapTile10_12 As String
mapTile10_13 As String
mapTile10_14 As String
mapTile10_15 As String
mapTile11_1 As String
mapTile11_2 As String
mapTile11_3 As String
mapTile11_4 As String
mapTile11_5 As String
mapTile11_6 As String
mapTile11_7 As String
mapTile11_8 As String
mapTile11_9 As String
mapTile11_10 As String
mapTile11_11 As String
mapTile11_12 As String
mapTile11_13 As String
mapTile11_14 As String
mapTile11_15 As String
mapTile12_1 As String
mapTile12_2 As String
mapTile12_3 As String
mapTile12_4 As String
mapTile12_5 As String
mapTile12_6 As String
mapTile12_7 As String
mapTile12_8 As String
mapTile12_9 As String
mapTile12_10 As String
mapTile12_11 As String
mapTile12_12 As String
mapTile12_13 As String
mapTile12_14 As String
mapTile12_15 As String
mapTile13_1 As String
mapTile13_2 As String
mapTile13_3 As String
mapTile13_4 As String
mapTile13_5 As String
mapTile13_6 As String
mapTile13_7 As String
mapTile13_8 As String
mapTile13_9 As String
mapTile13_10 As String
mapTile13_11 As String
mapTile13_12 As String
mapTile13_13 As String
mapTile13_14 As String
mapTile13_15 As String
mapTile14_1 As String
mapTile14_2 As String
mapTile14_3 As String
mapTile14_4 As String
mapTile14_5 As String
mapTile14_6 As String
mapTile14_7 As String
mapTile14_8 As String
mapTile14_9 As String
mapTile14_10 As String
mapTile14_11 As String
mapTile14_12 As String
mapTile14_13 As String
mapTile14_14 As String
mapTile14_15 As String
mapTile15_1 As String
mapTile15_2 As String
mapTile15_3 As String
mapTile15_4 As String
mapTile15_5 As String
mapTile15_6 As String
mapTile15_7 As String
mapTile15_8 As String
mapTile15_9 As String
mapTile15_10 As String
mapTile15_11 As String
mapTile15_12 As String
mapTile15_13 As String
mapTile15_14 As String
mapTile15_15 As String
End Type
Global MapArray(1 To 15, 1 To 15) As MapInfo 'define a 15x15 map

'TILE TYPES (will hold a location for the tile image later on, right now I just put 0)
Public Const TileType1 = 0 'example = tiles/tile1.jpg
Public Const TileType2 = 0 'example = tiles/tile2.jpg
Public Const TileType3 = 0 'example = tiles/grass1.jpg
Public Const TileType4 = 0 'The 0's are just temporary
Public Const TileType5 = 0
Public Const TileType6 = 0
Public Const TileType7 = 0

Wouldnt you be able to use something like:

Code:

mapTile1_1 To mapTile1_15 As String mapTile2_1 To mapTile2_15 As String

And so on so that its not as lengthy. Just a suggestion.

Was hoping I could actually lol.

It won't work that way but there may be a way to shorten the code. I just don't know of a way. Thats one thing I need help with. :-)

Why not make a 2 dementional array?

VB Code:

Dim mapArray(15, 15) As String
 
mapArray(1, 1) = "First"
 
mapArray(15, 15) = "Last"
 
For i = 1 To 15
  For j = 1 To 15
 
Debug.Print mapArray(i, j)
 
  Next j
Next i

Well that was my intention actually but Im a little foggy on how I should do this and how things work. Just haven't gotten this part worked out yet.

I posted a sample of a type definiion for the map in your other thread, that way you could use an array instead.

http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.p...hreadid=308604

And you also have to consider the screen size and also the number of tiles displayed on screen. Memory considerations, you "draw" or "assemble" only the visible portion of the screen plus 1 tile all edges.

Why plus 1 tile? So you can then scroll the assembled image, the extra tile slowly showing up. Also to speed up image assembly, you only have to redraw the edges of the map (assuming all other detail or non background tiles as static).

Im not going to allow any resizing for sake of keeping it simple for now.

So the whole map will be visible in the screen?

If that's the case then it would be best for the tile size to be a factor of the screen size, eg, 800 x 600 -> 16 x 12 to give 50 tiles across and 50 tiles vertically to display the screen.