Google Earth/COTA map outlines

[Mr. Personality]

I enjoyed Rooster's Google Earth walk through some time ago while eagerly awaiting CotA's release. I was wondering if Rooster or anyone else had ever created maps that outline the areas covered by the CotA maps? I'm no expert at reading topographic maps, so Google Earth is a nice resource (once I've changed the view to look at the ground at an angle [oblique?]). However, even with Google Earth's "Populated Places" layer turned on, I find that it just doesn't currently have every single village identified. Also, for cities/villages that are known to GE, the city/village names sometimes disappear and reappear depending on the altitude. So long story short, it isn't as easy to use GE to do a battlefield walk-through as one could imagine.

Anyway, if someone had taken Rooster's thought one step further for one or more of the maps, I'd be happy to take advantage of the work you've already gone to! [:D] I'm going to attempt to upload a picture that is something vaguely like I've been envisioning (but note that this isn't accurate - just something I threw together!)...

[Rooster]

Great idea, Mr. Personality.  I wish I had time...
 
Here's a helpful site in identifying smaller towns and villages in Greece - just use the coordinates to find the towns in GE and the you can import screen grabs of the maps as overlays and line up the towns.
 
http://www.indexmundi.com/zp/gr/140.htm
 

[Real and Simulated Wars]

Rooster, I never thanked you for the previous GoogleEarth overlays.
Just after loading a CotA scenario for the first time, I like to go to the places and get a GoogleEarth view of the battlefield. It really adds to the immersion factor. Besides, I am very bad with relief contours, in CotA or any map out there ... [:o]

MrPersonality, if you are doing this that would be great.

[Mr. Personality]

Chelco, I just might take a stab at a few maps and see how much work each is.

Does anyone have any suggestions on a good (but free!) resource for learning how to create a GE overlay? Sure, I could open the application and open the help file, but why take such a direct approach??

Rooster, if/when I try a map, I'll make sure to use that link you provided. With Google Earth's incomplete roster of Greek villages, that should prove to be a nice resource.

Regards,
Mr. P

[Rooster]

Chelco - very welcome. Glad you like it. I'd like to do some other neat things with GE if I ever find time.

Mr Personality - If you can make a screen grap of the area you want to use as an overlay - you're half way there. Just do an "Alt - Print Scrn" and then past it into a graphics program. If you want, you can crop out the interface so you just have the map. Or not. doesn't matter really. Then save the file as a gif or jpg to your drive.

Once you open GE, navigate to the map in an almost completely vertical (facing down) view of the area you saved from the game. Then select the tool that lets you put map pins on the map. Choose image overlay and it will give you a dialogue box that you can use to navigate to your saved screen grab. It will plop it onto the map and the you've got to resize and twist the image a little to make it fit. It takes a little practice, but it's kind of amazing.

Good luck!