Map Template for MM .9 release

[rickier65]

I've started working up a template for MM .9f. This template is wor winter in rural russain. It's pretty simplistic right now.

The the following terrain types accounted for: (RGB values in paren)

Medium Snow (170,170,170)
Plowed Field (snow) (90,90,0)
Dirt Roads (0,0,0)
Light Woods (0,128,64)
Med Woods (0,64,0)
Hvy Woods (0,32,0)
and impassable (255,0,0)

The template is set up to create the textures and the tree, brush and grass objects (as well as a cow and tractor or two).

So user would be able to load template, then load in his own terrain map (created using the colors listed int the template. Then give the map a name (should match the name of the terrain map). MM will build the map based on preset densiites and textures.

I haven't added any buildings to this - template, and it's on a level map, but would eliminate some of the hassle in creating maps.

Below is a zip of the template files. Unzip into the PCK root driectory. It should create a map directory in the Media direcotory named WinterTemplateRR1.

Rick

[rickier65]

and a shot of the map being built using the template:

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Rick

[Stridor]

Thanks Rick for doing this.

I think it is great that you have all the texture, lighting and autogen stuff pre-made. Should be simple to make maps now and for those people who are starting off they can see what is "going on under the hood" and then make adjustments as they become more comfortable with the system.

God bless you.

Regards

S.

P.S. I will post an update to the map tutorial on how to do minimap color translation mapping.

[rickier65]

Well, as usually happens, I found myself dissatsified with my dirt road look, so I took some time to take a look at some winter dirt roads in some of the levels. I've made a couple of changes, and I'll get back to work on this now.

That being said, once template is posted I hope some of you more talented modders will take a look and either modify my template, or give me some advixe on how to improve it.

Rick

[rickier65]

I thought I had finished this up, but I tested it by zipping and downloading on a test machine, and it didn't work. I'll have to sort through this some more.

EDIT:
Ok - i've done some investigating. My desktop is running an embedded ATI graphics card. When i checked image properties, all the RBG values are correct in the template. When I transfer files to Lptop, I rechecked image properies of the map.bmp, and the terrainmap.bmp using the eye dropper in paint.net. everything still ok.

But when i run MM .9f, and load the template, the only color that stay constant is the hvy woods. The other template colors, as reported by MM in the info area (where it shows elev, and hex coed for map color) are off.

After much knashing of teeth, I decided to check video properties. While both desktop and laptop are set to 32 bit color depth, I notice that the Laptops' embedded IBM graphics is set to Highest color setting. I set this to True color. Re-ran and now MM reports the correct color values. (Im not sure why paint.net reports consistent RBG value regardless of setting, but MM only reports the correct value when I set my IBM graphics to "true Color" rather then Highest Color. NOTE that this isn't the same as color depth though (16 vs 32) It does need to be set at 32 as well.

I want to do some more testing and I'll put together some instructions, but I need to get this clear in my own mind first.

Rick

[rickier65]

I've edited the first message in this thread with a very basic template for creating a rural winter map.

You must have mm .9f installed first to use the template.

Brief instructions:

First create a Terrain map using your paint program. The terrain features listed in first message have been predefined in the template. AThe Red-Green-Blue vaues to use for the features are in parens.

Save your terrain map and note the name and location of where you saved it.

Run MM

At bottom of MM main screen enter WinterTemplateRR1 and press Load button . (this will load the the template with the texture and auto gens predefined.

Once MM is done scanning this "template" go to the top right of the main MM screen and load the terrain map you created in step 1.

Then type in a new name at bottom of MM screen and press build. MM will create the directory and build your basic map using the predefined textures.

You still neeed to go in and some topography for this map using MM. (the template uses a flat map.

You also should go in and place some building in the red areas you painted in step 1. (you can use MM for this, or Scene Edit).

If you have trouble using this template, m,ake sure you've looked through Stridors tutorial. and alos note some video setting problems I listed above.

When you first load the Template, run yo9ur cursor over the legend blocks and make sure that MM reports the correct landscape type (ie. light woods, plowed field, snow, etc. If it does not and instead reports "clear" for all of these, then you are exeriencing same video problem I did. I'll post instructions on how to deal with this in next day or so.

Rick

[Stridor]

Rick thanks for your template I have downloaded it and will check it out.

In terms of the issues you have discovered it is important to run your video adapter in desktop mode in 32bit true color. This is pretty well the standard video color depth of all new computers (those < 7 years old)

High color or 16bit color is not supported.

Paint.NET reads the RBG values from the file. MM reads them from the video memory which explains the difference.

Regards

S.

[Stridor]

Rick I just tested your template and it works just fine.

Great job.

To anyone who claims the MM is difficult to use, all you need do is draw your map in paint using Rick's terrain map color guide and you can import and build your new PCK map in literally minutes.

The only comment I would make is that I always place an autogen item on the actual color that item will be generated on to help with identification later on.

In fact as a short cut if (after you have entered the autogen stat box) you shift-left click on a terrain color to add an item to the map, then MM will autocolor link that item for you as well as autoname it for you. This little tip saves a lot of time [;)]

I can see you adding even more autogen and texture complexity to this template, until you come up with a monster cool templater for MM! [&o]

Regards

S.

[rickier65]

Thanks for the shift-click tip. ll try that.

And yes, I normally would have placed the items on correct terrain, but starting rushing to get this done. The problem I had with the shifted color-space on my two different systems really though me.

My telant for textures is no where near as good as I've seen from almost all of the other modders out there. But it gets the job done.

I may do some modifications to it. IBecause of working on this, and testing it, i now have two more winter maps I need to make some battle templates for so I can add to the random battle generator mix.

Thanks
Rick

[Mad Russian]

Do previous versions need to be downloaded for this to run or just the latest version?

Good Hunting.

MR

[rickier65]

ORIGINAL: Mad Russian

Do previous versions need to be downloaded for this to run or just the latest version?

Good Hunting.

MR

If you mean MM. As far as I can tell, the latest MM .9f is the full install, so it doesn't require any earlier MM downloads.

Rick

[Mad Russian]

ORIGINAL: Rick

ORIGINAL: Mad Russian

Do previous versions need to be downloaded for this to run or just the latest version?

Good Hunting.

MR

If you mean MM. As far as I can tell, the latest MM .9f is the full install, so it doesn't require any earlier MM downloads.

Rick

Yes, of course MM. Is there another topic of discussion in this thread I'm not aware of?

Does your template work off of MM.9f ?

Good Hunting.

MR

[Stridor]

ORIGINAL: Mad Russian

Yes, of course MM. Is there another topic of discussion in this thread I'm not aware of?

Does your template work off of MM.9f ?

Good Hunting.

MR

Rick's WinterTemplateRR1 works just fine with MM 0.9f and supports all the new features.

Does this mean that you got MM to run?

Regards

S.

EDIT: Just as a tip to all those people who are using Rick's template.

1. The actual map which you want to draw your map on is the terrainmap.bmp found in the WinterTemplateRR1 directory. If you do draw over this make sure you have a backup (or printoff the old one so you can remember the color guide after you have edited over it).

2. Load up WinterTemplateRR1 in the MM. If you overwrote the terrainmap.bmp then you will see your map in MM now. Otherwise you will see the color guide map and will need to load the map you edited into the MM by clicking on the "browse terrain map" button (T/MAP).

3. Please Give your map a NEW name in the name box prior to building it. This will ensure a fresh build is made as well as prevent you from overwriting the template. A first time fresh build can take a couple of minutes to run. After than any changes which you make to the map build much quicker because the MM can leverage all the calculations it did previously.

4. If you select "Yes" to viewing your map in Scenedit (SE) at the end of the build process, it may look like nothing has loaded or your map is blank! Your map actually has loaded but because of the archaic way SE works the actual map is "off screen". To see your map move the mouse cursor to the top right part of the screen and then click and drag down and left (toward the bottom left corner) and your map will appear. SE is a Koios internal map structure placement tool. I have no part in its operation. MM simply calls it up to give you a 3D view of your freshly edited map. Instructions for the use of SE can be found in the PCK documentation folder in the pdfs.

Regards

S.

[invernomuto]

ORIGINAL: Stridor

Rick's WinterTemplateRR1 works just fine with MM 0.9f and supports all the new features.

Does this mean that you got MM to run?

I join your prayer

4. If you select "Yes" to viewing your map in Scenedit (SE) at the end of the build process, it may look like nothing has loaded or your map is blank! Your map actually has loaded but because of the archaic way SE works the actual map is "off screen". To see your map move the mouse cursor to the top right part of the screen and then click and drag down and left (toward the bottom left corner) and your map will appear. SE is a Koios internal map structure placement tool. I have no part in its operation. MM simply calls it up to give you a 3D view of your freshly edited map. Instructions for the use of SE can be found in the PCK documentation folder in the pdfs.

Regards

S.

Hi stridor, do I need to complete my map in the scenedit or the maps built from MM are final?

[Stridor]

Hi stridor, do I need to complete my map in the scenedit or the maps built from MM are final?

The maps built in MM are fully functional. So you don't need to use SE at all.

In some cases however (like making small tweaks to the red impassible base color so that it matches more closely the shape of the overlying structure for example) it may be helpful to put the finishing touches on your map in SE.

Please remember than any changes to the map that you make (and then save) in SE won't be updated in MM and if you do another MM build those SE changes you make will be overwritten. So make any final SE changes you want the very last thing you do.

In practise I rarely if ever need to use SE for anything apart from map viewing.

Regards

S.

[Mobius]

ORIGINAL: invernomuto
do I need to complete my map in the scenedit or the maps built from MM are final?

Sometimes a tree or two may be placed so that it looks like it is in the road. Or selecting a bunch of trees the same kind and making an orchard. That and aligning telephone poles is what I use it for.

[Mad Russian]

ORIGINAL: Stridor

Rick's WinterTemplateRR1 works just fine with MM 0.9f and supports all the new features.

Good.

Does this mean that you got MM to run?


Regards

S.

No.

It means I'll try the latest version to see if I can get it to run. I'm tired of not being able to make the maps I need for the scenarios that are sitting on my hard drive WAITING.......[:-]

Good Hunting.

MR

[rickier65]

Judst thought I'd post a screen shot of the final WinterRR1 map I did using the template. I sculpted some hills overlooking the roads in MM I also sued the "noise" option in MM to add some small roughening to the level areas.

I finished this using Scene Edit for adding the bldgs. and adjusting the red areas under bldgs.

I think in next map I'm going to try MM for bldg placement.

I will be making a template for this map then I'll post a link to the map and template. I really want to get more battle map templates made so that random campaigns have more variety. (last dampaign actually had same map twice in a row, so need a few more maps with templates!

And I hope some others with more texturing skills than me will create some templates as well. My are functional, but I've seen some other maps from folks here that look bettr.

Thanks!
Rick

[Mad Russian]

ORIGINAL: Rick

and a shot of the map being built using the template:

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Rick

A question...what do you type in the map name to get this template to load?????

Good Hunting.

MR

[rickier65]

At bottome of screen type in WinterTemplateRR1 in name box (A). THen Load button (B). after its loaded, note the terrain color code.

Then load your Terrainmap in (C) that is made with Paint program using the colors in template.

After loading your terrain map. Change name in (A) to your name, and then Build.

Rick