How to make maps! - Page 4

How to make maps!

Discuss maps & map creation - from concept to execution to the ever elusive release.

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zwzsg
Kernel Panic Co-Developer
Posts: 7049
Joined: 16 Nov 2004, 13:08

Post by zwzsg »

I am much relieved to see that you're re-making King of The Hill. Personnaly to get the good metal vent I ran HPIView and browsed through .gaf untils I found the one containing mars geovents, screenshoted one and pasted it in PSP and saved it as geovent.bmp (backuping the other one before).

Totala1.hpi /anims/MarsVents.gaf to be precise. White can be kept white.
SporkNinja
Posts: 18
Joined: 28 Apr 2005, 01:44

Post by SporkNinja »

well mb turned out decent tho i didn't progress more with it since i felt it to be tedious work maybe one day i have too much time i need to go indepht with the heightmap but even then if you look at it in the tnt in 3d like 3dfly *ithink its name* ... those are the results but i mine turned out better but some of the sides look like they need drastic work and with trees popping up everyone ..even on buildings is annoying. so zwzsg is there another easy way to get metal deposits in their right spots since +makeposter isn't as big as i wanted it.
mufdvr222
Posts: 681
Joined: 01 May 2005, 09:24

Post by mufdvr222 »

Can anyone tell me how to mirror a heightmap .bmp I am using photoshop 7.0 but have psp as well. :-)

Ah found it,, :P
mufdvr222
Posts: 681
Joined: 01 May 2005, 09:24

Post by mufdvr222 »

zwzsg wrote:- Dump all files, .bmp and compiler, in same folder
- Right click on windows explorer
- Create New Txt
- Write in it:
@mapconv --help
@pause
@echo:
@echo:
@mapconv -l -c 0.8 -x 256 -n 0 -o "CoastAndMount.sm2" -m metalandgeo.bmp -a height.bmp -i -t color.bmp
@pause:
- Save and quit notepad
- Rename as "MakeMap.bat"
- Double click on MakeMap.bat

Is how I do it.

Then you have to make a .smd. Simply open the .smd of an other map with Notepad and see what's inside.

Read what "mapconv -help" tells, it contains useful info.
Hey Zzwzsg do you know what this means?
---------------------------
Error
---------------------------
Failed to open DIB file color.bmp.

---------------------------
OK
---------------------------
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Storm
Posts: 443
Joined: 12 Sep 2004, 22:23

Post by Storm »

1. Are you sure you have color.bmp in the right folder? Or do you even have color.bmp?

2. Look at the screenshots on the previous page, because you might be operating from wrong directory.

If none of those help, make a screenshot of what you get and paste it here.
mufdvr222
Posts: 681
Joined: 01 May 2005, 09:24

Post by mufdvr222 »

What specific size and properties does the colour.bmp need to have.
The only other thing I can`t figure out is do I invert the heightmap before compiling it or does the util do that? I also saw someone mention a need to mirror the heightmap, do I do this or does the compiler do it..
Thanks :?
Last edited by mufdvr222 on 05 May 2005, 12:47, edited 1 time in total.
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zwzsg
Kernel Panic Co-Developer
Posts: 7049
Joined: 16 Nov 2004, 13:08

Post by zwzsg »

Type mapconv --help gives:

USAGE:

mapconv [-l] [-i] [-c ] -x -n
[-o ] -m -a -t
[--] [-v] [-h]


Where:

-l, --lowpass
Lowpass filters the heightmap

-i, --invert
Inverts the height map vertically (not the height values but the
height map (uhm someone rewrite this))

-c , --compress
(value required) How much we should try to compress the texture file.
Default value 0.8 . (lower=higher quality, larger file)

-x , --maxheight
(required) (value required) What altitude in spring the max(0xffff)
level of the height map should represent

-n , --minheight
(required) (value required) What altitude in spring the min(0) level
of the height map should represent

-o , --outfile
(value required) The name of the created map

-m , --metalmap
(required) (value required) Metal map to use, red channel is amount
of metal, green=255 is where to place geos (one pixel=one geo). Is
resized to fit the mapsize

-a , --heightmap
(required) (value required) Input heightmap to use for the map, this
should be in 16 bit raw format (.raw extension) or an image file. Must
be xsize*128+1 x ysize*128+1 in size.

-t , --intex
(required) (value required) Input bitmap to use for the map. Must be
xsize*1024 x ysize*1024 in size. (xsize,ysize integers determined from
this file)

--, --ignore_rest
Ignores the rest of the labeled arguments following this flag.

-v, --version
Displays version information and exits.

-h, --help
Displays usage information and exits.


Convers a series of bmp/raw files to a spring map. This just creates the
.sm2 file, you will also have to create a .smd file using a text editor


All images can be .bmp. You can use .raw if you really want, but it's much easier to only use .bmp even for heightmap. Heightmap must be 256 greyscale, the other maps must be 24bits color. Actually it seems that other kind of palette works too, but in case of doubt.....

The biggest a map can be is 8192x8192 for texture map, with a 1025x1025 heightmap and metalmap.

I'll also resay here that Spring do use some tiling system for maps, so keeping your maps tiled as in TA help alot to reduce filesize.
mufdvr222
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Joined: 01 May 2005, 09:24

Post by mufdvr222 »

Thanks zwzsg, I think I have all the files I need in the right place with the exception of the colour.bmp apart from the colour I chose I have no idea how big it needs to be or what type of .bmp ie: colour depth, secondly I am completely confused with regard to the heightmap.
Assuming I have exported from Anni and resized the heightmap to the correct dimensions in pixels, what do I need to do next,, do I mirror the image in photoshop and let the compiler invert it?
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zwzsg
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Joined: 16 Nov 2004, 13:08

Post by zwzsg »

Personnaly I have the heightmap and color map and metal map all oriented the same in Paint Shop Pro, but use the -i parameter when running mapconv. So you flip in photoshop OR let mapconv invert it. The latter is simpler I think.
For the color depth and dimension I just posted it but apparently anything as to be repeated alot to be understood.
- Color depth is 24 bits for color map is metal map. But other color depth may work.
- Color depth is 8bits GREYSCALE for heightmap.
Dimension of bigger maps are 8192x8192 for color map.
Dimension of bigger maps are 1025x1025 for height map and metal map.
Getting all maps to precisely match is tricky. I think you'll have to enlarge heightmap to only 1024x1024 and manually add a 1 border on two of the four sides. Just try, look ingame, retry.

If you don't want to make your map the biggest possible:
length_of_metal_map = length_of_height_map = ( length_of_color_map / 8 ) +1
width_of_metal_map = width_of_height_map = ( width_of_color_map / 8 ) +1

It may or may not be possible to have other dimension for metalmap.
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Storm
Posts: 443
Joined: 12 Sep 2004, 22:23

Post by Storm »

Zw, I saved my MH heightmap as a 24 bit .bmp and applied blur on certain places in Photoshop... The texture MUST be 24 bit .bmp (or it will compile, but crash in-game), but the other two don't seem to mind much... as long as it is .bmp.
mufdvr222
Posts: 681
Joined: 01 May 2005, 09:24

Post by mufdvr222 »

I got it sorted, 1st map works beughtifully :lol: I ported an Aramon map I made a few months ago.

I have to fix the sea level,, someone pulled out the plug.
Last edited by mufdvr222 on 06 May 2005, 13:02, edited 1 time in total.
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zwzsg
Kernel Panic Co-Developer
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Joined: 16 Nov 2004, 13:08

Post by zwzsg »

To fix sea level, I recommand changing the -x and -n parameters together.

Eh, I can see HB's MB tileset!
SporkNinja
Posts: 18
Joined: 28 Apr 2005, 01:44

Post by SporkNinja »

zwzsg wrote:To fix sea level, I recommand changing the -x and -n parameters together.

Eh, I can see HB's MB tileset!
zwzsg its ok... its gonna be okay :P i like the use of tiles liek atlantis? :P
Warlord
Posts: 26
Joined: 02 Sep 2004, 01:34

Post by Warlord »

I made a map, but when it compresses i don't get any .smd file, all i get is a .sm2 file, a mini.bmp and some dds file, do I have to create a .smd file?
nitrus
Posts: 32
Joined: 12 May 2005, 23:28

Post by nitrus »

Yeah - Just copy one that's already there, rename it the same as your sm2 file. Then you can open it in Notepad and tinker with the settings.
Warlord
Posts: 26
Joined: 02 Sep 2004, 01:34

Post by Warlord »

thx for the fast response and help nitrus ;)
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