Map is way better and components::Tile is _vastly_ improved by switching to a wchar_t on display and letting nlohmann::json auto convert it for me.

assets/devices.json

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
     "inventory_count": 0,
     "randomized": false,
     "components": [
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\u2ac5",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 10949,
         "foreground": [24, 205, 189],
         "background": [24, 205, 189]
       },
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
     "inventory_count": 0,
     "placement": "fixed",
     "components": [
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\u2259",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 8793,
         "foreground": [24, 205, 189],
         "background": [24, 205, 189]
       },
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
     "description": "Watch where you're going.",
     "inventory_count": 0,
     "components": [
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\u1ac7",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 6855,
         "foreground": [24, 205, 189],
         "background": [24, 205, 189]
       },

assets/enemies.json

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   "PLAYER_TILE": {
     "placement": "fixed",
     "components": [
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\ua66b",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 42603,
         "foreground": [255, 200, 125],
         "background": [30, 20, 75]
       },
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
   },
   "KNIGHT": {
     "components": [
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\u088d",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 2189,
         "foreground": [131, 213, 238],
         "background": [30, 20, 75]
       },
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
   },
   "AXE_RANGER": {
     "components": [
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\u076a",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 1898,
         "foreground": [156, 172, 197],
         "background": [30, 20, 75]
       },
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
   },
   "RAT_GIANT": {
     "components": [
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\u08ac",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 2220,
         "foreground": [205, 164, 246],
         "background": [30, 20, 75]
       },
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
   },
   "SPIDER_GIANT_HAIRY": {
     "components": [
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\u08ea",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 2282,
         "foreground": [205, 164, 246],
         "background": [30, 20, 75]
       },

assets/items.json

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     "inventory_count": 1,
     "components": [
       {"_type": "LightSource", "strength": 50, "radius": 2.5},
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\u0f08",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 3848,
         "foreground": [24, 120, 189],
         "background": [230,120, 120]
       },
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
     "inventory_count": 1,
     "components": [
       {"_type": "Weapon", "damage": 15},
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\u1e37",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 7735,
         "foreground": [24, 120, 189],
         "background": [24, 120, 189]
       },
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
     "name": "Small Barrel",
     "description": "A small rotten barrel that may hold things.",
     "components": [
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\uaaea",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 43754,
         "foreground": [150, 100, 189],
         "background": [150, 100, 189]
       },
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
     "description": "Light Hanging from Ceiling",
     "inventory_count": 0,
     "components": [
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\u077e",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 1918,
         "foreground": [24, 205, 210],
         "background": [24, 205, 210]
       },
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@
     "description": "A small healing potion.",
     "inventory_count": 1,
     "components": [
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\u03eb",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 1003,
         "foreground": [255, 205, 189],
         "background": [255, 205, 189]
       },
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@
     "description": "Something died here. Was this your doing?",
     "inventory_count": 1,
     "components": [
-      {"_type": "Tile", "display": "\u21ef",
+      {"_type": "Tile", "display": 8687,
         "foreground": [32, 123, 164],
         "background": [24, 205, 189]
       },

assets/tiles.json

@@ -4,20 +4,20 @@
     "foreground": [40, 15, 125],
     "background": [200, 15, 75],
     "collision": false,
-    "display":"."
+    "display": 10398
   },
   "WALL_PLAIN": {
     "texture": "assets/wall_texture_test-256.png",
     "foreground": [230, 20, 30],
     "background": [230, 20, 120],
     "collision": true,
-    "display": "#"
+    "display": 9608
   },
   "WALL_VINES": {
     "texture": "assets/wall_with_vines-256.png",
     "foreground": [230, 20, 30],
     "background": [230, 20, 120],
     "collision": false,
-    "display":"|"
+    "display": 35
   }
 }

components.hpp

@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ namespace components {
   };
 
   struct Tile {
-    std::string display;
+    wchar_t display;
     std::array<uint8_t, 3> foreground;
     std::array<uint8_t, 3> background;
   };

map_view.cpp

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "components.hpp"
 #include "rand.hpp"
 #include "animation.hpp"
+#include "systems.hpp"
 #include "rand.hpp"
 #include <codecvt>
 #include <iostream>
@@ -13,7 +14,9 @@ namespace gui {
   using namespace components;
 
   MapViewUI::MapViewUI(GameLevel &level) :
-    $level(level), $tiles(level.map->width(), level.map->height())
+    $level(level),
+    $tiles(level.map->width(),
+    level.map->height())
   {
   }
 
@@ -26,7 +29,9 @@ namespace gui {
     $gui.layout("[map_grid]");
 
     auto grid = $gui.entity("map_grid");
-    $gui.set<guecs::WideText>(grid, {L"Loading...", 45, ColorValue::DARK_LIGHT, 10});
+    $gui.set<guecs::WideText>(grid,
+        {L"Loading...", 45, ColorValue::DARK_LIGHT, 10});
+
     $gui.set<guecs::Sprite>(grid, {"paper_ui_background"});
 
     $gui.init();
@@ -35,28 +40,11 @@ namespace gui {
   void MapViewUI::render(sf::RenderWindow &window) {
     $tiles = $level.map->tiles();
     auto grid = $gui.entity("map_grid");
-    auto player_pos = $level.world->get<Position>($level.player).location;
-
-    std::string map;
-
-    matrix::box it{$level.map->walls(), player_pos.x, player_pos.y, 7, 3};
-
-    while(it.next())
-    {
-      if(it.x == player_pos.x && it.y == player_pos.y) {
-        map += "@";
-      } else {
-        map += $tiles.at(it.x, it.y).display;
-      }
-
-      if(it.x == it.right - 1) map += "\n";
-    }
 
-    std::wstring_convert<std::codecvt_utf8_utf16<wchar_t>> converter;
-    std::wstring map_wstr = converter.from_bytes(map);
+    std::wstring map_out = System::draw_map($level, 13, 6);
 
     auto& map_text = $gui.get<guecs::WideText>(grid);
-    map_text.update(map_wstr);
+    map_text.update(map_out);
 
     $gui.render(window);
   }

systems.cpp

@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 #include "sound.hpp"
 #include "ai.hpp"
 #include "ai_debug.hpp"
+#include "shiterator.hpp"
+#include <iostream>
 
 using std::string;
 using namespace fmt;
@@ -332,21 +334,45 @@ void System::plan_motion(DinkyECS::World& world, Point move_to) {
  * This one is called inside the MapViewUI very often so
  * just avoid GameMap unlike the others.
  */
-void System::draw_entities(DinkyECS::World &world, Map &map, const Matrix &lights, const Point &cam_orig, size_t view_x, size_t view_y) {
+std::wstring System::draw_map(GameLevel level, size_t view_x, size_t view_y) {
+  DinkyECS::World &world = *level.world;
+  Map &map = *level.map;
+
+  auto player_pos = world.get<Position>(level.player).location;
+  Point cam_orig = map.center_camera(player_pos, view_x, view_y);
   auto &tiles = map.tiles();
 
-  world.query<Position, Tile>([&](auto, auto &pos, auto &tile) {
-    if(pos.location.x >= cam_orig.x && pos.location.x <= cam_orig.x + view_x
-        && pos.location.y >= cam_orig.y && pos.location.y <= cam_orig.y + view_y) {
-      Point loc = map.map_to_camera(pos.location, cam_orig);
+  // make a grid of chars to work with
+  auto grid = shiterator::make<wchar_t>(view_x+1, view_y+1);
 
-      float light_value = lights[pos.location.y][pos.location.x] * PERCENT;
-      const Tile& cell = tiles.at(pos.location.x, pos.location.y);
+  // first fill it with the map cells
+  for(shiterator::each_cell_t it{grid}; it.next();) {
+    size_t tile_y = size_t(it.y) + cam_orig.y;
+    size_t tile_x = size_t(it.x) + cam_orig.x;
 
-      (void)loc; // not used yet, this after ripping out map so needs rewrite
-      (void)light_value;
-      (void)cell;
-      (void)tile;
+    if(tile_x < tiles.$width && tile_y < tiles.$height) {
+      grid[it.y][it.x] = tiles.at(tile_x, tile_y).display;
+    } else {
+      grid[it.y][it.x] = ' ';
+    }
+  }
+
+  // then get the enemy/item/device tiles and fill those in
+  world.query<Position, Tile>([&](auto, auto &pos, auto &entity_glyph) {
+    if(pos.location.x >= cam_orig.x && pos.location.x <= cam_orig.x + view_x
+        && pos.location.y >= cam_orig.y && pos.location.y <= cam_orig.y + view_y) {
+      Point view_pos = map.map_to_camera(pos.location, cam_orig);
+      grid[view_pos.y][view_pos.x] = entity_glyph.display;
     }
   });
+
+  // then generate the string to display, but this goes away soon
+  std::wstring result;
+
+  for(shiterator::each_row_t it{grid}; it.next();) {
+    result += grid[it.y][it.x];
+    if(it.row) result += '\n';
+  }
+
+  return result;
 }

systems.hpp

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ namespace System {
   void init_positions(DinkyECS::World &world, SpatialMap &collider);
   void device(DinkyECS::World &world, DinkyECS::Entity actor, DinkyECS::Entity item);
   void plan_motion(DinkyECS::World& world, Point move_to);
-  void draw_entities(DinkyECS::World &world, Map &map, const Matrix &lights, const Point &cam_orig, size_t view_x, size_t view_y);
+  std::wstring draw_map(GameLevel level, size_t view_x, size_t view_y);
 
   void enemy_ai(GameLevel &level);
   void combat(GameLevel &level);

textures.cpp

@@ -37,11 +37,8 @@ namespace textures {
     for(auto &el : tiles.items()) {
       auto &config = el.value();
       TMGR.surfaces.emplace_back(load_image(config["texture"]));
-
-      std::wstring display = assets.wstring(el.key(), "display");
+      wchar_t tid = config["display"];
       int surface_i = TMGR.surfaces.size() - 1;
-      wchar_t tid = display[0];
-
       TMGR.char_to_texture[tid] = surface_i;
     }
   }

tilemap.cpp

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ TileMap::TileMap(size_t width, size_t height) :
   $width(width),
   $height(height),
   $tile_ids(height, matrix::Row(width, SPACE_VALUE)),
-  $display(height, TileRow(width, {"", {0,0,0}, {0,0,0}}))
+  $display(height, TileRow(width, {L'#', {0,0,0}, {0,0,0}}))
 {
 }
 
@@ -38,10 +38,9 @@ void TileMap::dump(int show_x, int show_y) {
 }
 
 void TileMap::set_tile(size_t x, size_t y, string tile_name) {
-    std::wstring tile_id = $config.wstring(tile_name, "display");
     json tile_conf = $config[tile_name];
     auto tile = components::convert<Tile>(tile_conf);
-    $tile_ids[y][x] = tile_id[0];
+    $tile_ids[y][x] = tile.display;
     $display[y][x] = tile;
 }
 

worldbuilder.cpp

@@ -8,15 +8,6 @@
 using namespace fmt;
 using namespace components;
 
-inline void check_player(DinkyECS::World &world, DinkyECS::Entity entity) {
-  auto player = world.get_the<Player>();
-  dbc::check(player.entity != entity, "player shouldn't be added to world");
-
-  auto tile = world.get<Tile>(player.entity);
-
-  // dbc::check(tile.chr == "\ua66b", format("PLAYER TILE CHANGED {} != {}", tile.chr, "\ua66b"));
-}
-
 inline int make_split(Room &cur, bool horiz) {
   size_t dimension = horiz ? cur.height : cur.width;
   int min = dimension / WORLDBUILD_DIVISION;
@@ -238,8 +229,7 @@ void WorldBuilder::randomize_entities(DinkyECS::World &world, GameConfig &config
     auto entity_data = entity_db[key];
 
     // pass that to the config as it'll be a generic json
-    auto entity = configure_entity_in_map(world, entity_data, room_num);
-    check_player(world, entity);
+    configure_entity_in_map(world, entity_data, room_num);
   }
 }
 
@@ -247,8 +237,7 @@ void WorldBuilder::place_stairs(DinkyECS::World& world, GameConfig& config) {
   auto& device_config = config.devices.json();
   auto entity_data = device_config["STAIRS_DOWN"];
   int last_room = $map.room_count() - 1;
-  auto entity = configure_entity_in_map(world, entity_data, last_room);
-  check_player(world, entity);
+  configure_entity_in_map(world, entity_data, last_room);
 }
 
 void WorldBuilder::place_entities(DinkyECS::World &world) {