Hi. I am wanting to lay out my game board using square tiles - like SPACE HULK. I have the tiles designed and added to the Vassal module according to the Designers Guide so they can be drawn and laid on the “clear” mapboard and rotated to line up doors and corridors. No problem there. I set my counters up to rotate and move on the tiles. Sometimes, when I turn the counter, it will disappear and not reappear until moved another space. The counter is actually below the tile. (I can move the tile and see the counter on the main mapboard.) I assume this is a problem that can be rectified using “layers” but I can not understand the Guide’s explanation. I am reading the GAME PIECE LAYER section on page 25 but the instructions make no sense to me (probably because I am dense). The example given also confuses me. Especially the part that says, “Any piece
with a Marker Trait with Property name Layer and value Terrain will be in the bottom-most layer.” ???
Game Piece Layers are configured at the Map Window level. That is, if in the Editor your map window doesn’t already have a Game Piece Layers node, you’ll have to right-click the Map Window node and create one. Then you can double-click it to get the dialog shown here: vassalengine.org/wiki/GamePieceLayers
When you specify the “Property name for layer” (which confusingly defaults to Layer, which is also the name of a piece trait), you’re describing which property you’re going to have on all the pieces for which you want to assign a drawing order priority.
The way you’ll assign this property to all your pieces is with the Marker trait. When you create a Marker trait on a piece (vassalengine.org/wiki/PropertyMarker), you have the freedom to pick any property name and value. But you just told the Game Piece Layer tool to look for a property called “Layer” on your pieces. The Marker trait is where you do it: make the property name “Layer” and put in your value. Maybe for your purposes you’d choose a value of “Tiles” on your map tiles, or perhaps “Map”.
On all your counters you’ll add a Marker trait called “Layer” but with a different value–say, “Units”. Then back in the Game Piece Layer dialog, you’ll have to specify these drawing layers and order them appropriately. So at the top you’ll have “Tiles” (this means it will draw below all other layers), then next you’ll have “Units”. This ensures that units will never stack with map tiles and will always draw above them.
Rather frustratingly, I can’t get this to work properly.
I have two prototype definitions; settlement and terrain. Each of them has a market called Layer with the value Settlement and Terrain respectively.
In the Map section I have a Game Piece Layer Order with Terrain at the top and Settlement second. However they continue to draw in whatever order they are placed, whereas I was expecting Terrain always to be drawn underneath. What have I missed?!
Rather frustratingly, I can’t get this to work properly.
I have two prototype definitions; settlement and terrain. Each of them has a
market called Layer with the value Settlement and Terrain respectively.
In the Map section I have a Game Piece Layer Order with Terrain at the top
and Settlement second. However they continue to draw in whatever order they
are placed, whereas I was expecting Terrain always to be drawn underneath.
What have I missed?!