I see how many people have trouble using or understanding the Daimonin Mapmaker package. This is a crash course in some of the more important features in the editor.
Prerequisites:
You need the latest version of java.
You need the b5 mapmaker package.
First of all, the current editor has a slight problem with the arch collecting. It throws up an error and is annoying to fix if you don't know how. Step 1 is to start up the editor. When that is done you will get an error message, just get out of that. Next, go to File -> Options. Find "Collect arches at startup" (something similar) and make sure it is un-checked. Close out of the editor and run "w32_collect_arches.bat". Re-start the editor, and start mapping.
Next, you need to learn how to put tiles on the map. Most people can figure this out on their own, but maybe not all. Start by making a new map. You can either go to File -> New or by clicking on [Hrmm.... these images aren't working... Try this link.]. In the menu that appears, fill in the desired map name, and the dimensions. For any public map, the dimensions must be 24x24, and if you're making a blueprint for a huge dungeon, I recommend something divisible by 24 on both dimensions. Difficulty is mostly used for the mapmaker automating some calculations, and is not completely necessary, but I recommend filling in a good value.
Next, find this menu http://www.daimonin.org/sites/default/files/users/2/_people_/Tilemenu.PNG. The top part is completely unnecessary, but when you get more advanced you can customize it. Look down and find the big green(colorblind somewhat) space. Look up and there are a bunch of tabs. Some of those tabs were added by me, and others came with the package. Pickmaps are used for fast access to frequently used tiles. Find the tab next to pickmaps, "archtypes". Arches are what Daimonin uses as tiles. Go through the tabs and find a nice arch to put on your map. I recommend starting with floors. When you find a good one, click it, and find the map. it's a big square (or rectangle, depending on your map's dimensions) and right click somewhere where you want a floor. The wall then appears. Left click and drag the cursor to the other side of the map, and press Ctrl + F, or go to Edit and click on Fill. The selected portion of your map is then filled with that tile. Press Ctrl + Z or go to Edit -> Undo. You just undid that, obviously. Press Ctrl + A, or Edit -> Select All. Then fill the map again. Wasn't that simpler?
That's all for lesson 1, I'll be sure to write lesson 2 later, when we get into more advanced features.
 index.php_action=gallery;.thumbnail.png "Flame Sword")
 index.php_action=gallery;.png "Flame Hammer"){kind=small}
Lots of that stuff was lesson 2, like Pickmaps, and allocating memory. This isn't enough to even make a good mapset. Idicus asked me to make a guide to all of the other features, and I'm gonna work on lesson 2 after I "swat a noisy fly" that's been annoying me lately.
(Quote from Metal Gear Solid :P)
P.S. Are the image malfunctions my fault, or are they not supposed to be in the blogging?
Another useful tip if you have made your own pickmaps (and most mappers will at some time - I have loads of my own):
Create a new folder in the top level of your mapmaker and call it something like "arch-dev-editor-pickmap save". Then copy the whole of arch/dev/editor/pickmaps (including your own pickmaps) into this folder. Then if you ever update all your arches from SVN, you can copy back the saved pickmaps without losing anything.
Good job _people_. :)
But a couple of bits need tidying:
Good that you've put the bit about public maps must be 24x24. But yes, it can be helpful to prototype much bigger maps, but if you're doing this you may need to allocate more memory to Gridarta at startup. And also, BACKUP YOUR MAPS. There have been a couple of cases in the past where Gridarta has not properly saved big maps so be careful.
Also, the map difficulty is increasingly important. I'll add a few mapping hints to Daipedia soon, one of which is on this subject.
I'll link this from Daipedia for now, but better still is if you tidy it up and it can be added direct to Daipedia (where the images will work too).