^^ I need to point out that the above is not necessary unless you plan on having l3dt regenerate the heightmap from a design map. Additionally, with 2.5c you can tell it how large to make the design map so it's worth playing around with different sizes.

Likewise with the smoothing. Setting the horizontal scale to something lower than 10 should do the trick nicely, no matter how flat your map is. I usually use 8 as a matter of course.

Hey, I was just wondering: I am planning to make a Core-homeworld map, and have the base color texture done at 512*512. If I were to use this smaller texture, would Spring automatically tile it to fit the map? Because I can't make an 8,192*8,192 pixel image on THIS computer... If I try, it just locks up for lack of RAM.

Thanks in forward,

-Asdam

asdam,

If you want a main texture at 8192 ...
You will need a height map 1025x1025
You will need a metal map 1025x1025
You will need a feature map 1024 x1024
Now your main texture map 8192x8192 ..

when you compile your map using the the command
line util. It will not tile a 512x512 image for you
main texture ..

why is this thread not sticky?

But it is.

wow i never knew it was so long and complicated to make maps

so fot maps with objects in them, such as city maps, do you just do them inside the 3D program and texture them normally?

Short answer: yes. You're the guy that did that mecha, right?

If you want a longer answer, or have stuff that could be animated, play sounds, or do other Really Cool Stuff... send me a PM, I'll answer in about a week.

Is there another link to Mapconv? The above doesn't work.

Thank you.

Could you please post a zip file which you can compile directoy into a map? Like with a heightmap, texture map, perhaps some features?
It would be nice to have a starting point and be able to try some things with it, to get the hang of how things work.
Thanks!

There's some in KP_Sources.

Then those KP_Sources are only available in KP Installer. And even then, only if read the fine prints and do tick "KP Inst Source Files" in the "Component page".


Then you might not want to run the KP Installer just to get a couple map source exemples. What you could do instead, is download the KP Installer, then instead of running it, open it with 7-zip, and extract \KP_Sources\KP_Sources\Kernel_Panic_Maps.zip. Yes, I do mean opening the .exe with 7-zip. It works as that exe is an installer done with NSIS. The file tree is a bit messed up, but files are there.

Once you have extracted Kernel_Panic_Maps.zip, then unzip Kernel_Panic_Maps.zip.

Then go for instance into /Maps/DMA/

Then open up MakeDMA.bat in Notepad. Correct the set SpringFolder=C:\Games\Spring to make it fit your actual Spring path.

Then save and double-click it. Wait for Spring to start.

However, map is not ready to use yet as the .smd is not created. You'll have to extract the .smd of an already finished map .sd7 and copy it into the appropriate place (such as C:\Games\Spring\maps\Direct Memory Access.sdd\maps\), and probably edit and rename the .smd to fit.

After you've eventually managed to get that map to play in Spring engine, you may want to copy and rename then edit MakeDMA.bat again, and:
- Change SourceStub, which is the prefix of how your source images files are called.
- Change MapName, which is how the compiled map is called.
- Change the mapconv option, such as -c 0.5 (compression)
-x 1505 (max height) -n 806 (min height) and read "Beherith MapConv ReadMe.txt" for more mapconv options.

that should do.
Thanks!

does this tutorial still work?

if so, can it be copy and pasted into the wiki?

we have about 10 not working map tutorials in the forum... in the wiki it can be at least updated by others, here not.

Yep still works. Problem is, this is for old school smf mapping. I need to update it for use with blueprint ssmf and I fully plan to, but atm I don't have the time.

can it be copy and pasted into the wiki? (others can fix it, most links are broken for example)

I would advise against it. It has enough old information to cause problems. It's worth nothing that this is the only mapping tutorial that is actually complete from start to finish.

Updating won't be that hard, and doing the updating on the forum is a lot easier than trying to do it in the wiki (forum syntax, buttons and stuff make it easier (for a wikinub such as myself) to format, and so forth).

I'll try to update it soon.

Tutorial mostly explains how to use the L3DT software with photoshop and some other tools.
The spring specific parts are outdated or links to wiki.

The links are broken (both 404 and unreadable because no url-tags)


There are better tutorials on the wiki though none is imo really good either. They could be remixed into one tutorial.
This attempts to create a "complete tutorial on XY" are kind of fail, it is excactly why Spring is so confusing. The tutorials try to cover every aspect but are never really complete and you have to hunt for informations in long texts. Stuff gets explained in multiple places slightly different and of course nobody wants to ever update that as well.
Structure by seperating into multiple pages.

Map Development should really be seperated into 2 parts:
Designing maps:
-tutorials on various terrain software
-specific guides such as how to make mountains
-Mapping/Tex with the World In Conflict Map Editor
...

Getting the map ingame:
-compiling via mapconv
-folder structure
-pixel sizes of heightmap/texturemap etc
-features
...

Some informations hidden inside the various tutorials should be its own page eg:
The Sun System/Shadow System
Then link to it.

abma:
I see you edited some map tutorials, correcting links to mapconv and such. imo that is a lost effort at the moment because first the mapping stuff needs to be better structured. Otherwise you end up correcting the same mistakes in a dozen times pages. (vergebliche Liebesmühe)

that was a cleanup while reading it. didn't take much time... most (maybe all) currently map-tutorials can be imo deprecated... i removed the part in the tutorials, where they describe each tool with the command line parameters and created dedicated pages for that (MapConv, MapConvNG, Mothers MapConv).