Location Map tab

Name: A Location Map contains one or more locations.  A scenario may have several Location Maps where some locations, such as a reception desk and various offices, are nested within another (portal) location, such as an office block. Click here for more on how to create new Location Maps.

Initial Location:  Is the first location visited in any given Location Map. Scenarios can have a number of Locations maps, each requiring an initial location which is set via the “Initial Location” dropdown menu in the Properties panel >> Location Map tab.

Location Maps

As mentioned above the SBLi Builder allows you to create nested locations – for example you could have rooms in a house located in a Location Map called “Home”; then you could have areas of the garden located in a Location Map called “Garden”. 
When the scenario begins in player mode, these nested locations will not be in view; they only appear when you click on the portal that takes you to the new Location Map.

In the example below you begin a Location Map called “Home”. If you click on the location called “Portal to garden”, you open up a new location map called “Garden” here you can only see location relevant to the “Garden” Location Map.

Creating Nested Locations

The steps involved in creating nested locations are as follows.
Decide on the location maps you need. In this case there are two location maps: “Home” and “Garden”.

1. In the Properties panel, select the Location Map tab. You will notice the default name is General Locations. Change this to the name you want for your initial map. In this case “Home”.

2. Create addition Location maps by via the Properties Panel ; Scenario Tab; Locations Maps;

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3. Click on the (properties_add.gif) icon to add a location map, call it “Garden”. The (properties_reset.gif) button allows you to delete locations.

4. In the Locations window, add the locations you need. E.g. Lounge and Kitchen.

5. Add another location that will be the portal, name it “Portal to garden”.

6. With the location “Portal to garden” selected, go to the Properties panel, Location tab, and select “use as location map portal”

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7. The drop down window just below this, allows you to select which map this portal will take you to. In this case we want “Garden”.

8. Once you have made this location a portal, clicking on it will take you to a new empty location window named “Garden”.

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9. You can now add location to represent a flower bed and a swimming pool. Lastly you need to create a portal that will take you back to you original Location map.

10. Add a location and call it “Back”. Once again go to the Location tab on the Properties panel and, as in step 6, “use as location map portal” this time you what the portal to take you to home, so select “Home” from the drop down window.

Road width: The width of the road between different locations can be modified by selecting a number between 1 and 15.

Road colour: The colour of the road can be selected from a range of colours that are displayed when you click on the box.

Properties Location tab

Name: Enters the name of a new location in the text box.

Use as location map portal: click in this check box if the location is to behave as a portal that takes the user to one or more  nested locations.  In the Player, when a user clicks on this location, the portal will immediately open up a different location map.  Therefore, you should not add information about a portal location since the user will not see it. Click here or more information about location maps.

Icon: The current icon used to represent the location in the Location window is shown in this box

Change Icon Button: (properties_add.gif): This button brings up a dialog allowing you to replace the default icon to represent the current Location.

Reset Icon Button: (properties_reset.gif): This button resets the icon image for the current Location to the default location icon.

Use icon:  This option allows you to choose between displaying the icon or only text.

Environment Background

Each Location can have an environment background image associated with it which will be used as the background in the Environment window when that particular Location is currently being visited. This picture box shows a preview of that image.

Change Environment Background Button: (properties_add.gif): This button allows you to add or change the image being used as the environment background image for the current Location.

Reset Environment Background Button: (properties_reset.gif): This button will clear the environment background image for the current Location.

Prerequisites (locations)

Prerequisites provide a means of hiding a location from the scenario user until another event has occurred, such as: a location visited, an item examined or an action taken. For instance, a field on a farm may not be visible in the Location window until the user has made a visit to the farm.

The dependencies are constructed in SBLi by using the Prerequisite Builder (see below, under adding prerequisites). Once set, the prerequisite will appear in the box under Prerequisites, in the Properties panel.

Create Prerequisites Button: (properties_add.gif): You can create a prerequisite by clicking on the plus button. When you click on this button, the Prerequisite Builder, that specifically relates to the location;action or item in focus, will appear.


Add a condition button () will add a conditional line where you adjust this sentence: I want this item: "name of item" to be available if ...

The sentence is completed using a series of drop down menus that include specific location maps, locations, items, actions and reports that have been added to the scenario.

Once the condition is completed and changes are saved, close the dialogue box and you will see the prerequisite in the Prerequisite box.

When the scenario is played, this item will only become available when the pre-requisite has been met.

Multiple conditions can also be added to a prerequisite. Click on the (properties_add.gif) to open the pre-requisite builder again and use the add condition button () to add as many conditions as necessary. In some instances it is possible to chose different options and achieve the same result. The example below wants the location "work" to be available even if the item "Car keys" have been collected (user has chosen to drive to work) OR if the actions "Hail a bus" and "pay fare" have been performed (user has chosen public transport to get to work).

The bottom grey window provides you with the completed sentence so you can check the logic of the pre-requisite.

It is important to note the Parentheses drop downs! The prerequisite builder users mathematical logic and the correct use of the Parentheses will allow you to create very complex prerequisites, creating scenarios with excellent branching capabilities.

To test the functionality of the prerequisites you set within a scenario, click on "Reset State" under the "Scenario" menu and switch to Player mode.

When editing a scenario it is useful to keep all objects available whether prerequisites have been met or not. To temporarily disable the functionality of any prerequisites set in builder mode select the "Disable prerequisites" option under Settings>>Preferences>>.

Note: prerequisites cannot be bypassed when a scenario is played within the stand alone player.

Prerequisites can be edited easily by double clicking on a prerequisite in the prerequisite box. Double clicking will reopen the Prerequisite Builder allowing you to change the elements as required. To delete a condition in a pre-requisite you just need to select the condition and click on the delete icon (see image below).

Also note that columns widths can be easily modified by dragging the column side.

Feedback if visited: You can enter in this box the customised feedback you wish to provide to the scenario user when the scenario is finished.  You may wish to confirm that the user made the correct decision to visit this location or that this was an unnecessary visit.

Feedback if not visited: You can enter in this box the customised feedback you wish to provide to the scenario user when the scenario is finished.  You may wish to confirm that the user made the correct decision in not visiting this location - it would not have been useful - or to inform the user that not visiting this location was an important omission.