Edit a map

Open a profile, then choose Map Editor. You can edit while connected or offline.

The left pane lists My maps, maps shared by friends, and temporary Session maps created by automations. A folder groups related maps; the scripting API calls it an atlas. A map is called an area in the API.

Use New folder when several areas belong together. Use New map to create a persistent area. Session maps do not survive the session unless you promote or copy them into persistent storage.

Shared maps may be view-only. The editor disables mutation tools unless the owner granted edit access. Copy to my maps makes an independent editable copy when copying is permitted.

1. Select a map in the area list.
2. Choose Add room in the toolbar.
3. Click the canvas where the room should appear.
4. Select the new room and fill in its number, title, description, tags, and other useful fields in the inspector.

Hold Shift while placing rooms to keep the Add room tool active. Hold Alt to bypass grid snapping when placing or moving an entity.

Room numbers are identities within an area, not labels for display order. A mapper integration must set the same area and number when identifying the player's location.

With Select active, drag from the outer edge of one room to another. The editor creates a connection and corresponding exits. Dropping away from an existing room can create the destination room as part of the gesture.

Select an exit in the inspector to check its direction, command, destination, weight, and one-way behavior. A visible line is not enough for routing: the exit records must point to the intended room and contain the command the MUD accepts.

The line on the map is a connection. An exit is a traversal record that names an origin, destination, direction, command, and pathfinding properties. A two-way passage normally has two reciprocal exits that share one connection; a one-way passage has one exit.

Connection geometry and appearance are stored once for the shared line rather than copied onto both exits. When a unique, direction-compatible reciprocal exit is created, Smudgy pairs it with the existing connection. If several candidates are possible or their directions conflict, Smudgy keeps separate one-way connections instead of guessing.

Inspect both directions after editing a passage. Moving or displaying a line does not by itself prove that both traversal records send the right commands.

Choose Add label or Add shape, then drag a rectangle on the canvas. Use the inspector to edit text, colors, borders, and placement. Labels and shapes belong to the current level; faint room geometry from adjacent levels is only a navigation aid.

Use Select to click an entity. Shift-click changes a multi-selection; dragging moves the selection. Copy and paste preserve relationships among copied entities. Review exit destinations after copying between areas.

Undo and Redo cover editor mutations in the current window. Cloud writes can finish after the canvas changes, so wait for the sync indicator before closing after a large edit. If sync reports failures, use its Sync action to retry.

Create a duplicate before a sweeping re-layout or before changing which details are secret. Do not rely on Undo as a backup across restarts. See Data files and backups and Share maps safely.