Hmm and now I understand what your trying to do then I do hope your aware of VTTs and programs like my ViewingDale. It seems as though you are using a set if icons and building the maps based on limited sets of tiles. This is VTT killer territory. VTTs are virtual table tops which render out maps based on images with tokens on top. In mine the map *is* as set of tokens as the underlying image is optional. So if you are going to make your map from tokens anyway then it might be best to do it in a similar fashion.

VTTs play the game via custom internet connections through the app. Usually the app can be a server or a client so one person hosts a map and the rest log in with same app but running as clients and these map tokens are sent over the link or just the positions and orientations of them are sent and the map is rendered locally from this data set.

In other words its like sending the ascii and getting an app to draw the bitmapped based map locally. As you move about the new ascii is sent.

But in my last V1.08 release that is now sporting a new server side rendering and http browser based view of the map as well as the more normal way of doing it.

So in theory, if the map had fixed icon sets then it could all be done like this. VTTs offer a way to move top down bitmapped characters and monsters about. Its just like a MUD but more RPG usually but it never had to be like that, thats just how they are normally used.

Anyway - im waffling again. Check out my ViewingDale but also MapTool and I think BattleGroundsRPG is also in the set of VTTs that suit this type of style.

You have 5 hrs on me so I am off to bed now ! Plenty to think about I reckon.