Map Maker Beta ...

[madorosh]

ORIGINAL: Stridor

benpark,

You need to change your ie security settings to allow activex content to run. When you install windows (either XP or Vista) this is the default behaviour, so you may have turned it off at some stage.

Oh, ok, this is what you told benpark who had the same problem I do.

[Mraah]

John,

Let me run this idea by you one more time to see if this is easier than worrying about invalid colors on the AI MAP.

Look at my artist rendition SS below ...

See how I made a new TEXTURE/MAP : BROWSE button ?

This new button will be the map that IM uses to make the masks.
The AI button will only be used for reference only (ie, not scanned).

You can add a toggle button on the right menu bar (not shown) below the NAVI button that toggles the AI/TEXTURE maps.

This way you don't have to worry about invalid colors.
I'm not a programmer but it seems pretty straight forward to me as a solution ... for now.

Again, don't worry about having MM draw the AI map parts ... save that for later after you've had a break [;)].

Any thoughts?

Rob

[Mraah]

Stridor,

In an effort to test a complicated AI Map full of colors (8 bit/channel RBG) .... see SS.

Clicking yes or no to the dialog box stopped MM ... [yes] allowed me to closed MM, [no] made it hang but I was able to close it as well.

I have the 1000x1000 bmp if you want a PM.

By the way ... for any ASL fans .... it's two mapboards from VASL cut and pasted, then resized to a 1000x1000 bmp.

EDIT NOTE : It happened while it was "Scanning and Classifying Map Areas ..."
EDIT NOTE #2 : I closed IE7 and ran MM again ... same alert. It obviously doesn't like my BMP so I'm going to try other variants of the BMP.

EDIT NOTE #3 : I changed the color depth with these results ;
a) 24 Bit ... same alert
b) 256 Color Palette ... same alert.
c) 16 Color Palette .... YES ... it worked !!!

Rob

[Stridor]

ORIGINAL: Mraah

John,

Let me run this idea by you one more time to see if this is easier than worrying about invalid colors on the AI MAP.

Look at my artist rendition SS below ...

See how I made a new TEXTURE/MAP : BROWSE button ?

This new button will be the map that IM uses to make the masks.
The AI button will only be used for reference only (ie, not scanned).

You can add a toggle button on the right menu bar (not shown) below the NAVI button that toggles the AI/TEXTURE maps.

This way you don't have to worry about invalid colors.
I'm not a programmer but it seems pretty straight forward to me as a solution ... for now.

Again, don't worry about having MM draw the AI map parts ... save that for later after you've had a break [;)].

Any thoughts?

Rob

Rob,

The latest beta has a mechanism for dealing with what you want to do. Instead of keeping and needing to draw two maps (a mask terrain map and an AI map) you can now just draw one map (with whatever colors you want, there is no illegal colors anymore) and then use the terrain to ai/map color function to map your colors to the AI colors. This map will get saved so that you only need to do it once for each map.

Advantages

1. You don't need to memorize or otherwise use the old AI map codes. Draw your map with what colors you want, including colors for multiple masks
2. Assign masks + autogen to areas which otherwise wouldn't have got any
3. ensure all the colors are AI valid at build time (the MM does a good job at auto mapping these colors for the most part)

So there you go I think that solves your problem

Regards

S.

The other thing to note in the SS is the new font/color system for labels as well as the fact that the command bar can be scrolled/panned up and down now as it is becoming too large for just one screens worth of controls. Any new controls can be added in the future without problem now.

I am also considereding having the autogen (AG) have a switch for "minimum distance" (that way no chance for overlap) even though that *will* increase the build time, I think auto coloring the map is still a good idea for structures.

[Stridor]

ORIGINAL: Mraah

Stridor,

In an effort to test a complicated AI Map full of colors (8 bit/channel RBG) .... see SS.

Clicking yes or no to the dialog box stopped MM ... [yes] allowed me to closed MM, [no] made it hang but I was able to close it as well.

I have the 1000x1000 bmp if you want a PM.

By the way ... for any ASL fans .... it's two mapboards from VASL cut and pasted, then resized to a 1000x1000 bmp.

EDIT NOTE : It happened while it was "Scanning and Classifying Map Areas ..."
EDIT NOTE #2 : I closed IE7 and ran MM again ... same alert. It obviously doesn't like my BMP so I'm going to try other variants of the BMP.

EDIT NOTE #3 : I changed the color depth with these results ;
a) 24 Bit ... same alert
b) 256 Color Palette ... same alert.
c) 16 Color Palette .... YES ... it worked !!!

Rob

The new MM beta addresses this very problem.

Essentially you are only allowed 64 unique colors on the map (so in the future you won't get an error but if there are more than 64 colors the MM will tell you [;)]). If you look at your map there are lots of gradients, that is why it barfed.

However your post has given me an idea [;)]

I think I can get the MM to work with maps. Real maps. From anywhere. No more drawing required at all. This is since I have added the Terrain to AI map translation system.

So imaging this get *any* map image (any size preferably 1:1 ratio with each side = 1km). Load it up into MM. MM does a preload color compression to a max of 64 colors. You set autogen and make your masks. Set the Terrain to AI mapping. Build your map. Play your map!

Good idea?

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: Stridor
So imaging this get *any* map image (any size preferably 1:1 ratio with each side = 1km). Load it up into MM. MM does a preload color compression to a max of 64 colors. You set autogen and make your masks. Set the Terrain to AI mapping. Build your map. Play your map!
Good idea?

Yes! [&o]

[Mraah]

Stridor,

Shall I continue with my illegal color test from with PcK?

I'm having so much fun .... really. Stay tuned .... I'll have an SS of the ASL board as an AI map from within the game.

Erik, I know you're listening in[:)] ... Any chance you guys can have the terrain map definitons user changable from within the sceneXML? ie, change the impassable color to any of the new 64 colors? Then, there will be no doubt as to what is what when it comes to the AI map.

Thanks,
Rob

[madorosh]

So much for my grand plans of being "first" to render a SL map in PCK; though beyond the nostalgia I don't suppose there is really much point to it. Looking forward to seeing the 3D renders nonetheless...

[Mraah]

ORIGINAL: Michael Dorosh

So much for my grand plans of being "first" to render a SL map in PCK; though beyond the nostalgia I don't suppose there is really much point to it. Looking forward to seeing the 3D renders nonetheless...

Michael,

It's not too bad looking ... you might still consider making one though ... my example is just a rough draft to show it can be done. I'll look forward to your work if you make a render !

Here's a quick SS in scene editor ... Buildings not aligned ... trees not moved ... just a sample.
I used 10 meters for each height change ... I don't know what ASL scale is for hills.

I can PM you the map .... JSGE compatable ... if you want to have a closer idea of what it looks like.

[Mraah]

Here's an SS of the terrain mask it spit out ... rough and not complete .... same view, AI map OFF.

You can make out the hexagon shaped masks too.

[Stridor]

Hey cool Rob!

[Stridor]

ORIGINAL: Mraah

Stridor,

Shall I continue with my illegal color test from with PcK?

I'm having so much fun .... really. Stay tuned .... I'll have an SS of the ASL board as an AI map from within the game.

Erik, I know you're listening in[:)] ... Any chance you guys can have the terrain map definitons user changable from within the sceneXML? ie, change the impassable color to any of the new 64 colors? Then, there will be no doubt as to what is what when it comes to the AI map.

Thanks,
Rob

Rob you won't need to with the new map terrain to AI color mapper I have put into the new MM (see post 304)

[Mraah]

ORIGINAL: Stridor

Rob you won't need to with the new map terrain to AI color mapper I have put into the new MM (see post 304)

Ok ... gotcha .... miss read it earlier.

Here's a final group of shots .... looking south from the village, AI map on and off.
I'm going to stop with this map ... it's just a test anyhow ... so, rendering an ASL map with full detail plus an ASL scenario is still open for grabs for anyone wanting to make a complete and working map!

Thanks for looking!! (if I can do this, imagine what Michael can do !)

EDIT NOTE : The Singling Map is what I'm going to finish up totally when MM is released ... that's my focus.

[rickier65]

Very interesting - though I have to admit - I'm becoming confused with how to go about scenario making now. I've found about 4 posts in this thread that i'm going to combine into one to see if it gives a explanation of what the MM controls are now.

I've been working on SL scenario Hedgehog at Piepsk for my next scearnio. I pretty much manually created the HM and AI map using a scale of 40meters / hex from the SL map boards. ANd I was using 5 meters / color change for the elevations. I think the horizontal scale is correct, but I'm not sure the vertical scale is correct. ( I was trying to interpret height intervals based on the LOS tables in the SL manual.

I'm no invisioning being able to take a digital phot of the mapboard and using this directly as the "base map".

Rob - I thought I also did some tests with the red impassible under bldgs, but concluded that it needed to be impassible to make the mount and dismount work correctly. But perhaps I somply misinterpreted the results I was getting.

Stridor - I cant believe how much the MM as morhped over time. It has become a pretty conplex piece of SW.

Rick

[JMass]

I am unlucky... [:(]

[Mraah]

ORIGINAL: Rick

I've been working on SL scenario Hedgehog at Piepsk for my next scearnio. I pretty much manually created the HM and AI map using a scale of 40meters / hex from the SL map boards. ANd I was using 5 meters / color change for the elevations. I think the horizontal scale is correct, but I'm not sure the vertical scale is correct. ( I was trying to interpret height intervals based on the LOS tables in the SL manual.

Oh it's 40 meters .... [:D] ... I thought it was 50 ... so my map is wrong and invalidates it as a workable ASL map. Good!
I was thinking that if a house or woods block LOS then the height of each level must come close to the height of these models. Still a tough value to figure out!

I'm no invisioning being able to take a digital phot of the mapboard and using this directly as the "base map".

Does this mean you want to use the SL mapboard but don't have the means to create it? If you want to use a SL board then let me know the board #'s and I'll PM you some images that I can cut 'n paste from the VASL module. Of course, it's not original work and credit goes to the designer of the VASL boards ... but it does contain the detail necessary to make an SL mod complete ... if that's your goal.

Rob - I thought I also did some tests with the red impassible under bldgs, but concluded that it needed to be impassible to make the mount and dismount work correctly. But perhaps I somply misinterpreted the results I was getting.

You know, I never checked the mounting vs the terrain map color ... good find. Perhaps we can "trick" PcK by having the center of the building map as a red "dot" surrounded by another type terrain color. Sigh .... more testing [&:].


Rob

[rickier65]

Your map SL map looks a lot better than mine. See attached AI map I made. THis was pretty much eyeballed by laying the SL mapboards down next to my chair while drawing the AI map!

Since the SL maps weren't historical to begin with, I wasn't too concerned about exactness. My main objective was to see how well the SL scenarios translated. I did a scenario When PC:K first came out called Balta. It was a trnslation of a SL scenario and I actually was pretty happy about how well it translated to PC:K.

(the 40 meter / hex number came from designer notes in the SL manual.)

Attached see my AI map (without blds.).

Rick

[Stridor]

ORIGINAL: JMass

I am unlucky... [:(]

To anyone who is having activeX probelms it is probably becuause your antivirus or firewall software is blocking activeX or you have changed the default security settings in IE.

You can try to change these in IE options or in your security software.

Otherwise you can also try activeX manager and then activate all *.ocx controls in the Editor subdir. That would work also.

http://www.4dev.com/xmgr/index.htm

This is a free program for 30 days but once you have activated the DX controls you can then just delete it, you won't need it anymore.

Regards

S.

[JMass]

ORIGINAL: Stridor

You can try to change these in IE options or in your security software.

Otherwise you can also try activeX manager and then activate all *.ocx controls in the Editor subdir. That would work also.

I have not changed the default security settings in IE (I use Firefox) but I tried to active also insecure options without results and all my *.ocx controls are registered (controlled with activeX manager).

[Stridor]

ORIGINAL: JMass

ORIGINAL: Stridor

You can try to change these in IE options or in your security software.

Otherwise you can also try activeX manager and then activate all *.ocx controls in the Editor subdir. That would work also.

I have not changed the default security settings in IE (I use Firefox) but I tried to active also insecure options without results and all my *.ocx controls are registered (controlled with activeX manager).

Hmmm, that is odd. racing your error it is not even an activeX error but a standard file object error!

Jmass does the scenario or campaign editor work for you as that uses the same libraries. Puzzled.