I've been thinking about online tools for gaming, and I've come up with a cheap-and-cheerful way to reveal maps to players online.
1. Install Dropbox
2. Load up your favourite image editing program - I use Paint Shop Pro v6, which might be available free in some places, but The Gimp should be able to do much the same, or even MS Paint.
3. Load your map image, and create a blank image the same size next to it on your screen (copy it and delete the contents, maybe just delete the secret stuff and leave the "outside world" parts there)
4. Save the initial blank image in your Dopbox "Public" area
5. Right-click on the file in Explorer, and select Dropbox -> Copy Public Link, and send this link to your players
6. Use a Clone tool, or just copy and paste chunks across, as the players explore the area, saving the image regularly. Tell them to hit Refresh in their browser to see the latest bits.
Step 6 is the only thing you need to keep on doing once you've got things going. Here's an example I just played around with - most of it was done with the PainShop Clone Brush, but one bit was copy-pasted.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8129635/mapreveal.jpg
1. Install Dropbox
2. Load up your favourite image editing program - I use Paint Shop Pro v6, which might be available free in some places, but The Gimp should be able to do much the same, or even MS Paint.
3. Load your map image, and create a blank image the same size next to it on your screen (copy it and delete the contents, maybe just delete the secret stuff and leave the "outside world" parts there)
4. Save the initial blank image in your Dopbox "Public" area
5. Right-click on the file in Explorer, and select Dropbox -> Copy Public Link, and send this link to your players
6. Use a Clone tool, or just copy and paste chunks across, as the players explore the area, saving the image regularly. Tell them to hit Refresh in their browser to see the latest bits.
Step 6 is the only thing you need to keep on doing once you've got things going. Here's an example I just played around with - most of it was done with the PainShop Clone Brush, but one bit was copy-pasted.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8129635/mapreveal.jpg