coolmapmaker 0.1.4

Terminal text-adventure engine with a live minimap overlay.

coolmapmaker

A terminal text-adventure engine with a live minimap overlay.
Define your rooms and dialogue — the engine handles movement, rendering, and the map.

  +-- SHRINE OF THE NAMELESS  (1x1)           +-------+--+--+--+--+
  |   A stone idol squats in the centre,      |  . .  |  |  |  |  |
  |   ringed with offerings of bone.          +--#----+  |  |  |  |
  |                                           |       .  .  .  |  |
  |   The idol's hollow eyes track you.       +--+--+--+--+----+--+
  +-- 3 exits  [N E S]                        |  |@ |  |  |       |
                                              +--+--+--+--+-------+
  @ Shrine of the Nameless  |  exits: [N E S]  |  WASD/arrows = move  |  Q = quit

Install

pip install coolmapmaker

Or directly from GitHub:

pip install git+https://github.com/sheepishlyroyal/coolmapmaker.git

Quick start

from coolmapmaker import Room, Dungeon

rooms = [
    Room(
        room_id     = "entrance",
        name        = "Cave Entrance",
        description = "Damp stone walls glisten in the torchlight.",
    ),
    Room(
        room_id     = "hall",
        name        = "Great Hall",
        description = "Pillars rise into darkness above a cracked mosaic floor.",
        width  = 2,
        height = 2,
    ),
]

Dungeon(rooms, start_room_id="entrance").run()

Controls: WASD or arrow keys to move. Q or Esc to quit.

---

Room parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
room_id	str	required	Unique identifier used for start_room_id and exits
name	str	required	Display name shown in narrative and status bar
description	str	required	Atmospheric text shown on room entry
width	int	1	Grid cells wide (1–4)
height	int	1	Grid cells tall (1–3)
events	list[str]	[]	Random atmospheric lines; falls back to engine defaults if empty
on_enter	callable	None	on_enter(dungeon) called every time the player enters
entry_message	str	None	Override the random "you step through…" line for this room
exits	list[str]	None	Explicit list of room_ids this room connects to. Auto-connects by grid adjacency if None

Dungeon parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
rooms	list[Room]	required	All rooms in the dungeon
start_room_id	str	random	room_id of the starting room
entry_lines	list[str]	built-in	Override the "you step through…" lines
event_lines	list[str]	built-in	Override global atmospheric events
event_chance	float	0.55	Probability an atmospheric event fires on entry

Custom logic with on_enter

def treasury_entered(dungeon):
    if dungeon.get_room("shrine")._visited:
        dungeon.print("The chest glows faintly — the idol's blessing.")
    else:
        dungeon.print("The chest is cold and empty.")

Room(
    room_id     = "treasury",
    name        = "Treasury",
    description = "Iron chests line the walls.",
    on_enter    = treasury_entered,
)

dungeon.print(text) appends a line to the narrative from inside a callback.

Minimap legend

Symbol	Meaning
@	Your current position
.	Visited room floor
#	Open door (both rooms visited)
?	Passage hint (one side visited)
	Unexplored (fog of war)

Publishing your own dungeon

See example/example_game.py for a full working demo.

Requirements

• Python 3.9+
• pynput (installed automatically)
• A proper terminal (not an IDE's embedded console)
• macOS/Linux: no extra setup. Windows: pynput works natively.

License

MIT