My plan is to have maps in the game be contained in 2D arrays of grid objects. However, rather than creating a special file format to store and load maps from, the information for each grid object will be read in from three seperate files: a ground map (for grass, dirt, roads, etc), an altitude map, and a solid-object map (for rocks, trees, walls, etc). These files will be simple ascii files containing a grid of data. That way I can still make quick changes to maps in notepad, without having to involve the map maker (for example, if I just want to move a rock or something). For Robot Builder, these are the only three maps I need, however when I move on to Universe Storage I could potentially add in additional maps to use in conjunction with the others, such as a portal map (to connect locations), a fog map, and an element map (for water, mud, fire, etc). I am sure my ideas will evolve as I get further into development of the map maker and discover what I need.