Hey everyone, Wand & Widgets here!

After the MapForge 1.1 video, someone left a comment saying they liked what they saw, but wanted me to show them how it actually works.

That stayed with me. I spend so much time building these modules, and sometimes I forget that all the possibilities I can see in my head aren't obvious to someone opening a menu for the first time. I need to be there for that part too: showing you how things work, helping you get comfortable, and giving you ideas to take into your own games.

So I made this video for you.We build three examples together in MapForge's Actions tab:

A chest that opens with a sound and a little "Empty" message.

Torches that light up one after another as a character enters the room.

A mysterious floating skull with a question, a saving throw, two possible outcomes, and a vision through Exalted Scenes.

We start with a few simple steps and build from there. Each example introduces something you can borrow, change, and use however your game needs it. Even if you don't use MapForge to create your maps, importing one object and giving it an interaction might be enough to add something special to a scene.

My hope is that you finish the video thinking, "Okay, I can try this." You don't have to understand every card before you start. Make something small, test it, play around, and let the ideas grow from there.

Your feedback helps me understand what you need, and your support makes it possible for me to keep doing this. Thank you. This community means the world to me.

And expect to see me on YouTube more often. I want to spend more time exploring these tools with you.

Tell me what you'd like to build, or what you'd like me to walk through next. I'd love to hear it.

A small update came out of this video, too

Apparently, explaining your own software on camera is a pretty good way to discover which buttons are quietly testing your patience.

While preparing the video, I ran into a few bugs and awkward corners in MapForge. I wanted those out of the way, both for the recording and for anyone following along. That became MapForge 1.1.1, a small update with fixes and a little extra care for the interface.

A little room to breathe

The Lights workspace has roomier sidebars, clearer preset names, and a better separation between setting the mood of a scene and placing a light. Living and Simple options now sit inside Adjust, and radius and animation controls display their values more reliably. Browsing also keeps your place and keyboard focus. Small things, but they make a difference when you are in the middle of building.

Snapping that listens

Turning off Snap to Grid in the top toolbar now turns it off for lights too. The Lights panel shows the same setting, and switching presets does not change it. Placement and snapping stay within reach while you browse or adjust a light. Choosing Torch should no longer send a useful button off on a little adventure beyond the edge of the panel.

Some new faces in the Lights tab

I also gave the lighting icons some attention. Torches, candles, lanterns, magical lights, scene moods, and the surrounding controls now use a set of original MapForge icons. The hope is that finding the thing you want feels a little more natural, and that the whole tab feels more like it belongs together.

Choose exactly which lights an action controls

The Lights action now lets you pick lights from the scene by name, even if they are nowhere near the object running the action. Choose one or several, then turn them on, turn them off, or toggle them. Renaming a light keeps the connection, and Living light layers switch together. The existing option for lights on the object is still there. If a selected light is deleted, MapForge asks you to choose another instead of quietly targeting something else.

Your uploads, within reach

In User Imports, the Close button had decided it needed most of the window. That made the uploads below it frustratingly difficult to reach. The list now scrolls properly, with a much more modest Close button. You can search by name, filename, category, or tags and filter by usage. Previews show the whole image, longer names can wrap, and pack information tucks away below. Removing an unused upload keeps your search in place. Uploads used in scenes remain protected.

Less scrolling around the library

While I was there, I found another layout issue: in narrow windows, the search row could become unnecessarily tall and push the library down the page. That is fixed too. The import area also takes up less space on tall screens, and MapForge dialogs keep their buttons separate from scrolling content.

If something still gets in your way, please tell me. These improvements started while I was working through the examples, and I want to keep learning from how you use MapForge too.

With love,

Wand & Widgets