Common Tasks

This page provides information on the most common tasks you can do in the QB Damage Points editor.

Creating a new map

An empty map is created by default at startup. To specify the map and grid size, and to generate a map randomly, select File>New in the menu. Fill in the information of the New Map dialog and click OK.

Opening an existing map

Select File>Open in the menu. Choose a file to read. QBDamage loads the specified file and displays its contents in the window.

Messages and issues:

• Bad file format: some essential data is missing in the file you want to open. This error should not happen unless you modify the file manually.
• Compatibility issues: when loading a map from a configuration to another, some data may be lost or wrong.
• This happens when the map contains objects with more attributes than the running configuration can handle. In this case, all extra attributes will be lost.
• When you open a map in which objects have less attributes than the loaded configuration can handle, default values will be assigned.
• In all cases, you will be prompted to save your map as a new file.

Saving and Closing Maps

Use the Save command available in the File menu or on the toolbar. You are also prompted to save a map after you made changes to it, or if some data is not handled by the loaded configuration.

Choose a file name and a location on the disk if necessary. After saving, it is safe to close the editor window.

Important: because of the various hosting options available, QB Damage Points can only detect that its window has been closed. If you have not saved your map, you will be given an opportunity to do so, or to discard the document. You will not be able to return to the window to make more changes.

The Map Objects Hierarchy

The Map Objects hierarchical view displays all objects used in the map. Use this view to navigate the Units, Weapons, Teams and Graphics collections. Navigation is completed by the Edit>Find feature, which finds for you any object whose name contains a given string.

Clicking an item in the object tree will display its properties in the properties window.

Use the shortcut menu of this view to add unit templates, weapons, teams and graphics, or delete them. You can also unselect each selected unit under the Selected Units folder.

To refresh a collection of objects, click Refresh in the context menu of this window, or simply collapse the corresponding folder and expand it again.

Working With The Properties Window

The properties window displays the properties of any selected object in the map object hierarchy view. The properties window is a quick and easy mean to modify objects in your map. You can access it using the F4 key.

Selecting a unit on the map area, or clicking an item in the map object hierarchy will display its available properties and values. A description of each property is available in the description pane at the bottom of the window. The name and type of the selected object is displayed at the top of the grid.

To modify a property, double-click its name. Depending on the property, you will have to enter a text, a number, or select an item from a list.

Note: You cannot modify properties while the map is running.

Running your map

To see how your map is animated, click the Start command under the Run menu:

Alternatively, you can run your map using the Start button on the toolbar:

Other commands are also available:

• Step By Step: Runs your map until the next action is about to occur (a unit is going to fire, new turns)
• Pause: Suspends sequence execution. This mode allows you to make changes to objects before proceeding. To exit Pause mode, click the Start command Again.
• Stop: Cancels all actions on the map.
• Reset: If the 'Keep Unit Data at the end of the sequence' option is checked, objects will not be reset to their state prior to execution until you click this command.

Run Modes

QB Damage Points has three ways to organize unit actions on the map. Each run mode tries to accomodate the largest number of rules possible.

Note: not all run modes listed below are available at any time, depending on the document or the configuration hosting QB Damage Points. Please refer to the creator of the configuration for requests.