diff --git a/overviewer_core/configParser.py b/overviewer_core/configParser.py
index a048830..84cba6e 100644
--- a/overviewer_core/configParser.py
+++ b/overviewer_core/configParser.py
@@ -221,7 +221,15 @@ class MultiWorldParser(object):
         self.settings_file = settings
 
     def parse(self):
-        glob = dict(render=dict(), custom_rendermodes=dict(), world=dict())
+        # settingsDefinition.py defines what types of things you can put in a configfile
+        # anything in settingsDefinitino that is a dict with a "type" key is a definiton
+        defDicts = [x for x in dir(settingsDefinition) if type(getattr(settingsDefinition,x)) == dict and getattr(settingsDefinition,x).has_key("type") and x != "__builtins__"]
+
+        glob = dict()
+        for name in defDicts:
+            d = getattr(settingsDefinition, name)
+            glob[name] = d['type']()
+
         import rendermodes
         loc=dict()
         for thing in dir(rendermodes):
@@ -247,21 +255,21 @@ class MultiWorldParser(object):
             logging.error("Error parsing %s.  Please check the trackback above" % self.settings_file)
             sys.exit(1)
 
-        self.render = glob['render']
-        self.custom_rendermodes = glob['custom_rendermodes']
-        self.world = glob['world']
 
-        # anything that's not 'render' or 'custom_rendermode' is a default
-        del glob['render']
-        del glob['custom_rendermodes']
-        del glob['world']
+        for name in defDicts:
+            setattr(self, name, glob[name])
+            del glob[name]
+
 
         # seed with the Overviewer defaults, then update with the user defaults
         self.defaults = dict()
-        for key in settingsDefinition.render:
-            option = settingsDefinition.render[key]
-            if option.has_key("default"):
-                self.defaults[key] = option["default"]
+        for name in defDicts:
+            d = getattr(settingsDefinition, name)
+            if d['type'] == dict and d['valuetype'] == dict:
+                for key in d['values']:
+                    option = d['values'][key]
+                    if option.has_key("default"):
+                        self.defaults[key] = option["default"]
 
             
         self.defaults.update(glob)
@@ -278,11 +286,11 @@ class MultiWorldParser(object):
             world.update(self.render[worldname])
         
             for key in world:
-                if key not in settingsDefinition.render:
-                    print "Warning: %r is not a known setting" % key
+                if key not in settingsDefinition.render['values']:
+                    logging.warning("%r is not a known setting", key)
                     continue
                
-                definition = settingsDefinition.render[key]
+                definition = settingsDefinition.render['values'][key]
                 try:
                     val = definition['validator'](world[key], world = self.world)
                     if definition.get('save_orig', False):
diff --git a/overviewer_core/settingsDefinition.py b/overviewer_core/settingsDefinition.py
index 7cbd65f..3a44c63 100644
--- a/overviewer_core/settingsDefinition.py
+++ b/overviewer_core/settingsDefinition.py
@@ -13,25 +13,42 @@
 
 from settingsValidators import *
 
-
 # note that all defaults go thought the validator
-
 render = {
-    "worldname": dict(required=True, validator=validateWorldPath, save_orig=True),
-    "dimension": dict(required=False, validator=validateDimension, default="default"),
-    "title": dict(required=True, validator=validateStr),
-    "rendermode": dict(required=False, validator=validateRenderMode),
-    "northdirection": dict(required=False, validator=validateNorthDirection, default=0),
-    "renderrange": dict(required=False, validator=validateRenderRange),
-    "forcerender": dict(required=False, validator=validateBool),
-    "stochasticrender": dict(required=False, validator=validateStochastic),
-    "imgformat": dict(required=False, validator=validateImgFormat, default="png"),
-    "imgquality": dict(required=False, validator=validateImgQuality),
-    "bgcolor": dict(required=False, validator=validateBGColor, default="1a1a1a"),
-    "optimizeimg": dict(required=False, validator=validateOptImg, default=0),
-    "nomarkers": dict(required=False, validator=validateBool),
-    "texturepath": dict(required=False, validator=validateTexturePath),
-    "renderchecks": dict(required=False, validator=validateInt, default=0),
-    "rerenderprob": dict(required=False, validator=validateFloat, default=0),
-    }
+        "type": dict, 
+        "valuetype": dict,
+        "values": {
+            "worldname": dict(required=True, validator=validateWorldPath, save_orig=True),
+            "dimension": dict(required=False, validator=validateDimension, default="default"),
+            "title": dict(required=True, validator=validateStr),
+            "rendermode": dict(required=False, validator=validateRenderMode),
+            "northdirection": dict(required=False, validator=validateNorthDirection, default=0),
+            "renderrange": dict(required=False, validator=validateRenderRange),
+            "forcerender": dict(required=False, validator=validateBool),
+            "stochasticrender": dict(required=False, validator=validateStochastic),
+            "imgformat": dict(required=False, validator=validateImgFormat, default="png"),
+            "imgquality": dict(required=False, validator=validateImgQuality),
+            "bgcolor": dict(required=False, validator=validateBGColor, default="1a1a1a"),
+            "optimizeimg": dict(required=False, validator=validateOptImg, default=0),
+            "nomarkers": dict(required=False, validator=validateBool),
+            "texturepath": dict(required=False, validator=validateTexturePath),
+            "renderchecks": dict(required=False, validator=validateInt, default=0),
+            "rerenderprob": dict(required=False, validator=validateFloat, default=0),
+            }
+        }
+
+world = {
+        "type": dict,
+        "valuetype": str,
+        "value": dict(validator=validateStr)
+}
+
+outputdir = {
+        "type": str,
+        "value": dict(validator=validateOutputDir)
+}
+
+#defines the values for each member of the world dict
+#world = dict(require
+
 
diff --git a/overviewer_core/settingsValidators.py b/overviewer_core/settingsValidators.py
index f423e4f..4d9d3a2 100644
--- a/overviewer_core/settingsValidators.py
+++ b/overviewer_core/settingsValidators.py
@@ -111,3 +111,5 @@ def validateDimension(d, **kwargs):
         return d
     raise ValidationException("%r is not a valid dimension" % d)
 
+def validateOutputDir(d, **kwargs):
+    return os.path.abs(d)