Matrix Games Forums

Cheer up, TBJ, I thought I could never understand the Gimp and after a few hours, I started well.. to understand the very basics to draw a few counters.
Anyway, your map art is desired.

ORIGINAL: TallBlondJohn

I think the vanilla roads are too difficult to see anyway, I will take a look at them (even more work). Maybe make them brown? Then they will disappear in mud turns (as OKH found out the hard way).

Lightening names isn't possible (AFAIK) as they are not done as art. I know they are difficult to read, but they are just as bad in the original map! Re-setting their colour might help if anybody knows how, so I've posted that question in a new thread.

- You can darken the roads by increasing the alpha channel and text has the same ability.
- You can change the order the map draws using the tileDrawOrder.txt files.
- Terrain tiles inc Swamp vary by Ground Weather (not Water/Custom).
- Rail tiles vary by Congestion.
- Woods/Forest tiles vary by season/snow.

ORIGINAL: overkill01

swamp hexes often have a "coast" side on them to expand the swamp into the next hex to make them blend in.
To get rid of this you may want to replace the .art-file with a file with nothing on it.

In the coast map coast0... is for E, coast1... , is for SE, coast2... is for SW, etc.

Aha, yes I was wondering about that and where to find it. Even more tiles to do!

Thanks

ORIGINAL: TallBlondJohn

Aha, yes I was wondering about that and where to find it. Even more tiles to do!

Thanks

It's just making 6 coast-files blank to make them invisible.
I did it for you real quick.
I've put them in an archive.
To be able to upload to attachments I had to change the extension.
Rename "blank coast.jpg" to "blank coast.rar" and unpack it.

Are you using gimp for you're mod ? If you're serious about you're mod I would suggest using Corel Paintshop Pro, you'll have to pay for it though.

ORIGINAL: overkill01

To help you out,
swamp hexes often have a "coast" side on them to expand the swamp into the next hex to make them blend in.
To get rid of this you may want to replace the .art-file with a file with nothing on it.

In the coast map coast0... is for E, coast1... , is for SE, coast2... is for SW, etc.

If you need info or help, feel free to ask.

The blending on the WiTE2 map is nice. It breaks up the hex look and gives the terrain a natural flow.

ORIGINAL:overkill01

It's just making 6 coast-files blank to make them invisible.
I did it for you real quick.
I've put them in an archive.
To be able to upload to attachments I had to change the extension.
Rename "blank coast.jpg" to "blank coast.rar" and unpack it.

Are you using gimp for you're mod ? If you're serious about you're mod I would suggest using Corel Paintshop Pro, you'll have to pay for it though.

Sorry I cant get the attachment, just a broken link. I've already cleaned up and used tiles COAST0_201, COAST1_201, COAST2_201, COAST3_201, COAST0_401, COAST0_501

[edit] I was still getting 'lakes' (the old blue shapes) around the edge of swamps despite loading the new tile sand restarting the game. Then the map editor was crashing whenever I went to Tiles (I restored all the original art and restarted the PC, still crashed). I gave up, restarted WITE2 to take a screenshot of the new tiles that did work - and suddenly all the edges were fixed and the editor didn't crash! Some sort of caching thing going on I suspect.

So now I can see the edge tiles - a few adjustments to make. Then I will set up the mud and snow versions.

Here is a screenshot.

I really like your forest and woods.[:)]

Please post a zip file.[8D][&o]

ORIGINAL: overkill01


Are you using gimp for you're mod ? If you're serious about you're mod I would suggest using Corel Paintshop Pro, you'll have to pay for it though.

I have a older version of Photoshop, on a older computer, and I've used it for somethings. My 2 maps for WiTP:AE I used Gimp. Why do you suggest Corel Paintshop Pro?

ORIGINAL: TallBlondJohn

Then the map editor was crashing whenever I went to Tiles (I restored all the original art and restarted the PC, still crashed).

Ive noticed problems with the editor too, crashes and art not loading in the bar etc.


PS. I'm working on a tree-mod myself, but it's quite different then your's.

ORIGINAL: MakeeLearn
I have a older version of Photoshop, on a older computer, and I've used it for somethings. My 2 maps for WiTP:AE I used Gimp. Why do you suggest Corel Paintshop Pro?

Pretty much every original art has been made in PSP and IMO it's a good program.
Using PSP I could, if a modder wishes, share knowlege and anything from the original art (layers, masks, .... ).

You must be using 1.00.07 exe if doing anything with the map editor.

ORIGINAL: overkill01

PS. I'm working on a tree-mod myself, but it's quite different then your's.

Ive noticed problems with the editor too, crashes and art not loading in the bar etc.


PS. I'm working on a tree-mod myself, but it's quite different then your's.

The more the merrier! I find taking it slow in the editor helps - I think sometimes its still loading tiles when I click on a hex and that causes problems. I get that art not loading behaviour as well, it just shows Victory Cities until a restart.

Edit: using 1.00.07 since yesterday and its definitely better, no crashes yet.

Hello!
This is an extremely useful mod, especially for the visually impaired.
I ask you to complete the work if possible.

That looks great!

ORIGINAL: sil01

Hello!
This is an extremely useful mod, especially for the visually impaired.
I ask you to complete the work if possible.

Thanks! At the moment I haven't got time to work on mods, so I am waiting to see how Overkill's Pretty Trees comes along. Beyond that I might switch to a much more stylised military map-like approach rather than the 'satellite' view. Something using contemporary fonts and cartography might work well, just have to figure out how to show weather and mud information, then do all the work.

A little resurrection from the past... I really like this map mod. Was it ever finished aand made available?

In a word, no. Pretty Trees, which I highly recommend, basically covered the same ground and did it better than I ever could. I'd still still like to do a symbol-based approach one day but right now I have no time.

Thanks for the reponse. To be honest, you do yourself a diservice. While Pretty Trees is an improvement, I prefer the clairity that your appraoch offers. Thanks for "planting" the idea though!

Swamp tile is very nice, can u upload this?

I'll see what I can dig out this weekend and then try to figure out how to post it