Map Graphics?

[StuccoFresco]

I'm making a test scenario with the editor to start my own projects, but when I launch the scenario the map's graphics are the same style as the (ugly) stylized editor's hexes. It's very rough and nothing alike the actual ingame graphics I appreciate in the game's standard scenarios.

How does it work? This is what I see if I launch the scenario.

[StuccoFresco]

Oooof I thought there was an automatic "translation" of the base editor tiles into the in-game graphics but it seems the in-game maps are entirely drawn "by hand" by the scenario maker?

Christ.

How do I know how to align a map to the ingame hex grid? Suppose I draw a map with forests and whatnot, how could I align it perfectly to the hex grid? If I have to modify the underlying map picture "by hand", I'd need a hex grid identical to the ingame one.

Sure I could make the underlying map with a hex grid to begin with, but again how could I possibly make it the exact right size as the ingame grid? Maybe by knowing the exact size of ingame hexes?

I see the editor manual gives simple hints about the size of the map.

Say I want to make a "campaign map" from which to carve single scenarios that's 800km * 800km, with 2500m as hex size. It would result in a 320*320 hex' map. So I enter the editor and set the size, but how many pixels should the "drawn" map be and how do I align it with the grid???

[StuccoFresco]

Ok after some test the simplest method is IMHO the following:

1- create the scenario, set scenario map size
2- create the map as you wish
3- export full map image, include the hex grid (it seems the maximum size is somewhere near 250*250 hexes)
4- go find the map .PNG file in the game directory, copy it, open in photoshop/wonderdraft/other program that lets you have overlays
5- use the game map as the overlay, center it and "paint" it as you wish following the hex grid
6- reopen the editor and the scenario, Load Image in the map, use it for the ingame scenario

Manually drawing the map is the painful part, even with the overlay guiding you. I still have to completely test the method but it should work.

On a side note the editor doesn't tell you if your map is too big to be exported, you have to check the game folder to see if it created the map file. A warning about max map size would be handy.

[O.Schmidt]

I will soon have a simple mod for "good" finished.