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Codetapper · 22 June 2013, 16:23

I am very proud to present the first version of Maptapper, The Ultimate Amiga Graphics, Level and Map Ripper!

Download the Maptapper Install Kit (recommended) or a Zip File (containing the same files but no uninstaller).

What is Maptapper?

Maptapper is a Windows application used to rip graphics and maps from Amiga games. It has been designed with the Amiga in mind (big-endian), but there is no real reason why it would not be able to work with other systems such as the Atari ST.

The easiest way to use the program is to open the examples and have a play!

Once you are familiar with how it works, you should create save-states in WinUAE and load them into Maptapper. Maptapper supports both compressed and decompressed save states, and the Tools menu has an option to decompress a save-state if required.

In WinUAE you can create save states by pressing F12 to bring up the GUI, going into the Miscellaneous tab and clicking the Save State button.

For matching up graphics, it will often make your life a bit easier if you disable sprites first. You can do this by pressing Shift-F12 to enter the debugger, typing in "Ms 0" and pressing Enter, then type "x" and Enter again to restart the game. This will remove all hardware sprites from the display, giving a cleaner image to work with.

Installation

You should install Maptapper in it's own folder OUTSIDE of the Program Files folders in Windows. This is because the program saves settings to an INI file in the same folder, and also attempts to update itself regularly.

You can install Maptapper using the install kit, or download the zipped version and unpack the archive wherever you like!

Examples

Maptapper comes with the following examples to play with, each located in their own directory. To familiarise yourself with the software, select Open Project from the File menu and open any of the example files:

- Action Fighter
- Chuck Rock
- CJ's Elephant Antics
- Creatures
- Global Gladiators
- Nipper Vs The Kats
- Pang
- Rainbow Islands
- Rick Dangerous
- The Power
- Toki
- Turrican 2

Keyboard Support

Maptapper relies heavily on the keyboard for locating tiles and maps, and has been designed with English QWERTY keyboards in mind. In the Options menu, you can change the controls to QWERTZ (German) or AZERTY (French) keyboards.

If you have another keyboard you would like supported, please contact me.

Help

Most of the controls have a hint if you hover the mouse over them. Failing that, click on a control and press F1 to launch the help file. This will be added to over time!

Documentation

The documentation for Maptapper is rather lacking. Like all programmers, I hate writing docs, but realise that it's a necessary evil. I am hoping someone would like to assist with this task.

Future Plans

I have a lot of ideas that would improve Maptapper. Some of these include:

- Manual lining up of bitplanes (like the graphics ripper 3rdDay)
- Using threads for the searches (rather than making the program unresponsive)
- Search memory for other palettes
- Support games that draw graphics with multiple layers (eg Jim Power)
- An option to only search Amiga chip memory
- Built-in hex viewer

If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to get in touch with me!

Greetings

Toni Wilen for the amazing WinUAE emulator
Tomaz Kac (Tomcat) for writing the original GfxRip software
Nico Blüthmann (x_to) for his pioneering work in ripping maps
Adrian Simpson (CodyJarrett) for testing and ideas
Everyone on here that contributed ideas for the name!

22 June 2013, 16:23	#1
Codetapper 2 contact me: email only! Join Date: May 2001 Location: Auckland / New Zealand Posts: 3,182	Maptapper released! I am very proud to present the first version of Maptapper, The Ultimate Amiga Graphics, Level and Map Ripper! Download the Maptapper Install Kit (recommended) or a Zip File (containing the same files but no uninstaller). What is Maptapper? Maptapper is a Windows application used to rip graphics and maps from Amiga games. It has been designed with the Amiga in mind (big-endian), but there is no real reason why it would not be able to work with other systems such as the Atari ST. The easiest way to use the program is to open the examples and have a play! Once you are familiar with how it works, you should create save-states in WinUAE and load them into Maptapper. Maptapper supports both compressed and decompressed save states, and the Tools menu has an option to decompress a save-state if required. In WinUAE you can create save states by pressing F12 to bring up the GUI, going into the Miscellaneous tab and clicking the Save State button. For matching up graphics, it will often make your life a bit easier if you disable sprites first. You can do this by pressing Shift-F12 to enter the debugger, typing in "Ms 0" and pressing Enter, then type "x" and Enter again to restart the game. This will remove all hardware sprites from the display, giving a cleaner image to work with. Installation You should install Maptapper in it's own folder OUTSIDE of the Program Files folders in Windows. This is because the program saves settings to an INI file in the same folder, and also attempts to update itself regularly. You can install Maptapper using the install kit, or download the zipped version and unpack the archive wherever you like! Examples Maptapper comes with the following examples to play with, each located in their own directory. To familiarise yourself with the software, select Open Project from the File menu and open any of the example files: - Action Fighter - Chuck Rock - CJ's Elephant Antics - Creatures - Global Gladiators - Nipper Vs The Kats - Pang - Rainbow Islands - Rick Dangerous - The Power - Toki - Turrican 2 Keyboard Support Maptapper relies heavily on the keyboard for locating tiles and maps, and has been designed with English QWERTY keyboards in mind. In the Options menu, you can change the controls to QWERTZ (German) or AZERTY (French) keyboards. If you have another keyboard you would like supported, please contact me. Help Most of the controls have a hint if you hover the mouse over them. Failing that, click on a control and press F1 to launch the help file. This will be added to over time! Documentation The documentation for Maptapper is rather lacking. Like all programmers, I hate writing docs, but realise that it's a necessary evil. I am hoping someone would like to assist with this task. Future Plans I have a lot of ideas that would improve Maptapper. Some of these include: - Manual lining up of bitplanes (like the graphics ripper 3rdDay) - Using threads for the searches (rather than making the program unresponsive) - Search memory for other palettes - Support games that draw graphics with multiple layers (eg Jim Power) - An option to only search Amiga chip memory - Built-in hex viewer If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to get in touch with me! Greetings Toni Wilen for the amazing WinUAE emulator Tomaz Kac (Tomcat) for writing the original GfxRip software Nico Blüthmann (x_to) for his pioneering work in ripping maps Adrian Simpson (CodyJarrett) for testing and ideas Everyone on here that contributed ideas for the name! Last edited by Codetapper; 22 June 2013 at 21:50. Reason: Corrected zip link - thanks Carlos Ace!