Questions about Creating Custom Maps.

Bushdoctor · Post by **Bushdoctor** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:32 pm

Good day,

I gotta be honest and say that the instructions in the wiki and the 101 in this topic
on how to create your own maps aren't all that clear to me.
What I'm missing is a short and to the point step by step instruction file.

Can somebody tell me if its possible to simply draw my own terrain in
photoshop using different shades of grey.
Actually I've already done this and I need to know what to do with my
greyscale image. How do I turn it into terrain that I can load in the editor
and place my cities etc on?

Or, at which point do Dr. Frag's instructions in the Wiki kick in for me?
Where do I start reading if I already have a greyscale image?

Thanks,
Doc.

Lowell · Post by **Lowell** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:40 pm

Make a new scenario in the editor. Then go to the desktop.
Next open up the new map folder and take the grey scale you made and paste it to the top section of the Eight section map TGA. You can also rescale the maps from here as well, once you make it one long tga picture file.

That's it. Also the Wiki walks through making custom maps, it will show you a bit more about the grey scale and white is the highest point, Black is underwater... I posted a miniture Florida TGA as an example. Florida Gold started out as just a square tga file till I pasted it to the top section...that's all there is to it. Once you get it pasted on, go into the editor and do a map save...that will save any information to the other colored sections. You will need to paint the landscape, add trees etc... the whole ball of wax. I even re-paint the ocean floor areas.

The White square area is for "blends" and it will blend whatever color you paint on it with the landscape color or water. Look at the games default tga map files...you will see what I mean.

Let me know if you run into any snags...

Oh...also the wiki explains what each colored area is for...

...and yes...you can hand make a grey scale map. I am making a few landscapes in Vue 'd Esprit, it makes the grey scales and I can use those on maps as well. Bryce will also do that and if you look you may find a copy of Bryce for free, although Vue 'd Esprit blows World Construction Set and Bryce right out of the water...Vue is one of the best landscape 'wares on the planet. I beta tested Vue before it even came out for sale, been using it ever sence. Fantastic software.

Bushdoctor · Post by **Bushdoctor** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 6:13 pm

Brilliant my man. Thanks for that.
Especially your first paragraph is good info for me.
The other things you mentioned are indeed explained in full in the Wiki
so I'll turn there for even more details.

I've Photoshopped a greyscale image by simply painting with a white
semi-transparent brush. Each time when I paint, the greys become
a bit lighter in that area.
I did however not restrict it to a certain range of greys. We'll see how
that turns out.

Thanks again!

Bushdoctor · Post by **Bushdoctor** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 6:36 pm

Another question: Is there some kind of list available of all Mods and their tech specifications?
I'm asking because I want to include Workers in a map but I have no idea
where those icons are and what their tags are etc.

snoopy55 · Post by **snoopy55** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 6:50 pm

That is in the process of being worked out as we write. I can't say how soon, but the Trains and Cars only took two days, so it should be soon.

Bushdoctor · Post by **Bushdoctor** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:27 am

Very bloody nice.
Now, where the heck are those Workers.
Didn't you use those in your last scenario Snoopy?

Lowell · Post by **Lowell** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:43 am

I've built Workers and Tools plus a workers and a tools car. I use them for the outside Industries, then later from city to city like passenger traffic. They have icons and the works. Works good too, they were built on the test map Mud Skippers about to be posted...and were made for the Georgia map.

If you like I could e-mail you the stuff and you are welcome to use them if you wish.

What I did is have the workers and tools say go to a coal mine. The coal mine's production is held down low to one or two cars of coal, then you send workers and they boost the production to normal levels. Stop sending workers and production slows down again. The Tools are set for tools in and passengers back out...why? Workers off work that need taken back to the city with the load of coal cars. Sort-of a loop. I set the tools to passenger numbers to something real low like 0.23 or lower. This way you only need add one passenger car for the return run, taking mostly coal, wood etc.

Mud Skippers still has a week or two's worth of work yet...as I am finishing Florida Gold right now.

Let me know if you want that stuff...e-mail or pm me...

Bushdoctor · Post by **Bushdoctor** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:58 am

Oh wait, now I remember. You used Elves and Visitors in Ohio
to boost industries and such.

Thanks for the offer, but this gave me another idea.
I'm going to create yet another type of passenger.

Lowell · Post by **Lowell** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 3:34 am

That's the spirit...you have the right idea.

<Good>
<szName>Workers</szName>
<szClass>Passenger</szClass>
<szGTMLIcon>icon_workers_32.tga</szGTMLIcon>
<BitmapLarge>
<szFile>icon_workers_64.tga</szFile>
</BitmapLarge>
~~Snip~~

<Good>
<szName>Tools</szName>
<szClass>Mail</szClass>
<szGTMLIcon>icon_tools_32.tga</szGTMLIcon>
<BitmapLarge>
<szFile>icon_tools_64.tga</szFile>
</BitmapLarge>
~~Snip~~

Here is the snipit from the Mud Industries list for Gold...

<RRTIndustry>
<szName>Gold Mine</szName>
<Production>
<Resource>

<Input>None</Input>
<Output>Ore</Output>
<InputOutputRatio>0.2</InputOutputRatio>
</Resource>
<Resource>


<Input>Workers</Input>
<Output>Ore</Output>
<InputOutputRatio>1.0</InputOutputRatio>
</Resource>
<Resource>


<Input>Tools</Input>
<Output>Passengers</Output>
<InputOutputRatio>0.03</InputOutputRatio>
</Resource>
</Production>
~~Snip~~

The workers car is a converted passenger car. Tools are a converted mail car.

That's all you need...let me know if you have any other questions...

Bushdoctor · Post by **Bushdoctor** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:05 am

Ah cool, but I'm glad to say that I've handled those parts before.
Otherwise those examples would've been a great help.
It doesn't show where your Tools are coming from. I'm very curious for that,
so I'll watch closely for that scenario.

I'm done!
While I was watching the 2008 remake of Day of the Dead
(gotta love those new freaky fast zombies)
I designed a new passenger class: The Specialist.
Specialists are rare, but they do wonders for your industries.

The icons are done, the car is done and the car icons aswell.
Now I just need to play that darn scenario a few more dozen times
to test it.

I really gotta stop changing and adding stuff and push this one out.

Post by **Warll** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:17 am

Am I the only one who as soon as you said "The Specialist" thought of TF2? Yeah I likely am.

Bushdoctor · Post by **Bushdoctor** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:22 am

Ehmmmm I think so because I haven't got a clue what TF2 stands for.
(I'll probably have a 'Doh' moment later on).

Lowell · Post by **Lowell** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:22 am

Ah...cool idea can't wait to see it.

Yup...there are more settings for the workers and tools inside the cities and industries lists...you have the idea.

Great work...

Post by **Warll** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:50 am

Bushdoctor wrote:Ehmmmm I think so because I haven't got a clue what TF2 stands for.
(I'll probably have a 'Doh' moment later on).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Fortress_2
http://orange.half-life2.com/trailers/tf2_03.htm
http://orange.half-life2.com/tf2.html#

Lowell · Post by **Lowell** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 3:07 pm

Dystopia is a cool HL2DM Mod, heavy team play. Haven't tried TF2 yet...had Portal years back when they first started building it...gave me a headache. I do play alot of Dystopia and HL2DM.
OFC Lowell