Mapping AAR

[RedRover]

This is an AAR (after action report) of my first encounter with the map-editing function. I�m jumping into this pretty cold. I�ve downloaded some sample maps, and read the threads about unit modding (doesn't seem to be a lot on maps). I have no real experience with mapping or painting programs.

Also, for the record, I�m using Windows XP.

So, I�m going to try something simple. I�d like to see what the Desert Eye demo map looks like without the wraparound feature, so I�ll try that as a first project.

First off, I�ll read the map editor PDF.
Ouch. I recognize the defined commands as line commands used to modify a MAP file (similar to the command lines used in unit modding���Quite similar to your vaporators, sir.�) But there doesn�t seem to be any instruction here on how to use the map editor program itself. I�ll try the old-fashioned method of jumping in and pushing buttons.

Initial Map Folder Operations

* I go into the �dom2� folder and open its �map� folder. In it, I find the �eye.map� file and open it with Wordpad. (The name �eye� is used for the Desert Eye map files.) Since I�m taking out the wraparound feature, I�ll use the filename �eye_flat� to designate my altered map.

(As I understand it, a game map requires two files, one graphic file (TGA) and one text-code file (MAP). So I�ll need �_flat� Versions of both files.)

* MAP File Changes: Still in the �map� folder, I copy "eye" MAP and rename the copy �eye_flat�. I leave both in the map folder.

* I then open the �eye_flat� MAP file. I locate and delete the line �#wraparound� (I picked this tip up from the forum, thanks, Gandalf).

* I also look for the command line that identifies the TGA file to use and change �#eye� to �#eye_flat� in that line as well. Then I save and exit this file.

* TGA File Changes: Still in the map folder, I copy the file �eye� TGA. I rename the copy �eye_flat.�

* This done, I exit the map folder completely.

Round One: Starting the Editor
* Next, I start the Dom2 game program using the standard shortcut (.exe command). On the opening game menu is the button, �Map Editor.� I left-click to open the Map Editor and a new menu pops up. My choices are �New Map� and �Load Map.� Since I am working with an existing map file, I choose �Load Map.�

* New Screen: �Enter File Name.� I enter �eye_flat� (the name of my copied map files). I get a new window with a menu and also see the lower left corner of the Desert Eye map. I�m in.

* The SW corner of the �Eye� map is a sea province that I later determine is [14] (for those who don�t know, all provinces on all maps are numbered--this number never changes, although province names often change from game to game on the same map if the name randomizer function is enabled). Although I can�t see the full map on my screen, the keyboard arrow keys let me scroll across it. Reassured, I scroll back to the menu.

At the top of the menu, I see a checklist of terrain types under the header �Randomize Names�. Of these, �Fresh Water� and �Farm� are checked, the others are not. I don�t mess with them and continue reading.

The button options are:

Local Guess
Guess Neighbors
Remove Neighbors
Randomize Names
Save or Exit

At the bottom is a checkbox labeled �wraparound�. It is not checked, so I assume my deletion of the �#wraparound� line when I worked in the map folder has disabled this.

(Digression: I can�t resist getting out and loading the original �eye� map file into the editor to see if this box is checked. It is, and that map has no corners�it can be continuously scrolled.

Incidentally, I use the choice �Save or Exit� in the editor menu. This brings up a save screen that requests a save file name. I hit OK without entering a name, and it gives me a popup message that the editor has been exited without saving the map file. OK, that wasn�t particularly intuitive, but now I know how that works. Back to the project. I go back into the Map Editor and �eye_flat.�)

I first decide to try the �Guess Neighbors� button, thinking it might show me the existing connections. The command turns red, all buttons become unresponsive, and map scrolling freezes. Although my cursor is still mobile, I can�t do anything with it.

I use Ctrl-Alt-Del to exit Dom2 and try again.

(Note: This will happen every time I hit this command button on this map�I won�t bore you with accidental triggerings of this effect, and will only mention it in passing when I deliberately try it. Just assume that my next action is prefaced by the words �After I reload��.) Thus, onward...

For my next loading, I again ignore the Random Names section and click the �Local Guess� button. Nothing happens, so I left-click on the large sea province in the SW corner of the map [14]. Nothing happens.

I try a right-click, and am rewarded with connection lines, some going into adjacent provinces, and some going to provinces across the map. Looks like I�m making progress.

I try �Guess Neighbors� and have to restart.

I right-click to get the connection lines back, then try the �Remove Neighbors� button. All the lines disappear from [14]. So far, so good. I pick the sea province to the east [12] and left-click it. A connection line appears from [14] into [12]. Even better.

I left-click in all the provinces adjacent to [14] to connect [14]with them. The editor won�t let me connect into some of the partial provinces. I remember from the forum that each province has a �white dot� that marks its center. I guess that the ones I can�t connect to have their centers off the map edge. So some partial provinces at the board edge won�t be playable from this side of the map--OK, next�

I right-click on the partial small island to the SW [2] (this did connect to [14]). Huh? One connection going back to the sea province [14] but no other connections? Did I erase ALL the connections on this map? I right-click on another land province [3]�yup, no connection lines. Arrrrrgh. �Remove Neighbors� looks like a global erase.

I consider restarting, but decide to continue until something else happens. I go back to the island and hit �Guess Neighbors� to see if more connection lines will show up. Oops.

Well, at least that �Remove Neighbors� command wasn�t saved.

First Lessons: Review
Looks like the first move, then, is right-click to activate the �from� province, �Local Guess� to erase existing connection lines, then left-click to lock in the �to� provinces. And both the �Guess Neighbor� and �Remove Neighbor� buttons seem to be progress-killers for this project. (Maybe they are used to clean an existing map before completely changing the graphics and connections?)

Round 2: First Progress Check
I right-click the large SW sea province [14], hit �Local Guess,� and left-click the adjacent provinces. Then I right-click the next sea province to the east [12], hit �Local Guess,� and left click the adjacent provinces.

At this point, I go back and right-click the first province [14] to see if anything has changed. It hasn�t�my modifications are still there. So far, so good.

I cautiously hit the �Save or Quit� button. It asks for a file name and I type in �eye_flat.� Hitting �Return� sends me to the Dom2 menu screen.

I hit �Map Editor� and reload. I right-click on the SW sea province [14] to check the connections. WHAT?

My connections are there, but there is a new connection that goes across the board to a land province [4]! I thought I killed all the wrapping connections? (There were three, two are gone, but this one is back!)

I check the second sea province (directly east [12])�it�s the way I left it. I right click on the first sea province [14], then use �Local Guess� and left-clicks to reset the connection lines. Then I go SE to the island [2] and use �Local Guess� and left-clicks to set that. Finally, I do two more provinces, the next land province to the east [3], and the next sea north of [14] (which is [36]). Then I save, reload and check again.

Now I�m confused. The SW sea has re-established its cross-map connection to [4], the island has NOT re-established its (S-N) connections, the north sea province [36] has also re-established one connection with the east board side [25].

I shall have to think about this. In the meantime, I�m calling a break to go into a game that uses this map in order to pull out the province numbers (which I�ve gone back and put into the foregoing text).

The only thing I can figure is that maybe, since I haven�t gone to the other (right) side of the map and shut off the connections from that end, the connections might have to be confirmed killed from both directions. I also note that the surviving connections are to provinces whose numbers are lower than the provinces whose connections I�ve modified. I�ll work that angle next.

It�s a bit of a chore to get out of the editor and reload the game every time I want to check a province number. Is there any way to work around this?

[Arralen]

I'm not shure if you want to rant or if you're begging for help ... .

So just consider my part of the rant done
so we can get to something useful:

Stay away from any "neighbour-guessing" buttons in the editor

The code for guessing neighbours is broken and will at least screw up, if not downright freeze.
(Think you noticed that ..)

At first, just hover the mouse pointer of the buttons - read the popup windows (centered at the bottom of the screen) carefully. If it says "this province", it means the province with the flashing flag, "all neighbours (in the world)" and "all provinces (in the world)" may be actually an equivalent expression - just everything.

To actually change the neighbours of a given province, stay away from the buttons alltogether.
Use crtl-leftklick to remove a (always bidirectional) link, left-klick to form a link.

All checkboxes are active-province-only, apart from the "wraparound", which triggers wraparound for the whole map o.c. ...


Provinces are connected center-to-center (white dot). So if the white dot is just beyond the edge, the province will end up on the other side of the map when "wraparound" is unchecked - no matter how much of the area is left with it's old neighbours.
Province stats will not be affected by this (as they would have been in DOM1), as they solely depend on the terrain features (checkboxes).

hope this is helpful

[ February 16, 2004, 08:44: Message edited by: Arralen ]

[Tiltowait]

"one graphic file (TGA) and one text-code file (MAP). So I�ll need �_flat� Versions of both files."

Not unless you plan on editing the .tga. 2 map files can contain different rulesets for one .tga with no problems.

"The editor won�t let me connect into some of the partial provinces."

Yes, it just looks at the white dots and their general vincinity. Just click on the flags (and keep your eye out for fatter flags, having 2 white pixels side by side is annoying but occassionally happens if you're clumsy like me).

BTW The random province name generator has different names for forests/seas/mountains. So if you make a map and want to name a couple of your provinces (but not all), 1)manually assign terrain types 2)click randomize names (now that you have assigned terrain types, your seas will be called seas etc. 3)name your special provinces. I like to leave some/all provinces with no names at all, which causes them to be generated randomly (based on terrain) at the start of a game.

and ditto for Arralen's advice

Oh, what's your goal anyways? Maybe we could give you more specific advice

[RedRover]

Arralen:
This AAR is simply a record of my experiences in working with the map editor feature, in the same way that a game AAR is a player's record of an approach to a nation, god, or theme. No rant intended. It's a learning experience for me, and may be a reference for others who might be thinking about trying out this feature.

I can see from your comments that I wasn't using the "hover" feature enough in trying to figure out how to use the editing buttons. Thanks for the reminder.

In particular, thanks very much for the tip about ctrl-left-click to erase a province connection. That issue had been giving me a bit of trouble.

One reason I stopped the AAR where I did was that I hoped someone would mention the "undo" for province connections. (I'd really like to see the basic keystroke commands covered in the PDF. Maybe these map AAR projects will eventually end up as a kind of "walk-though" for map-making.)

Also thanks for the note about the checkboxes affecting only the currently active province. I expect this information will be very handy when I progress to the point of making an original map.

Tiltowait:
Thanks for the note on TGA vs. MAP files. For the current project (which is only to render the Desert Eye map nonwrapping), it's nice to know I don't have to change anything in the TGA file. Thanks for correcting a wrong assumption on my part.

Hmmm...Fat flags = two close white pixels? I'll keep it in mind.

I agree that it is more fun to have shifting names, particularly if the map is going to be used a lot. Thanks for your explanation of how the feature worked (I did notice that on the Aran demo map, Dragons Head has always been Dragons Head in my games, while the other names would shift around).

As I learn to use the editor, I may try to deconstruct and rebuild the Aran demo map as another project. There seems to be some demand for maps of that size, and it would be a good intermediate project before trying to create an entirely original map from scratch.

My general goal is to learn how to use the map editor efficiently. My first project is just to remove the wraparound feature of the Desert Eye map so it's a flat map.

For example, before I'm done with that project, I expect to check (and possibly modify) the starting positions (for example, if I find that removing the wraparound feature puts one or more of the set starting positions at too much of a disadvantage).

FYI, I downloaded the free GIMP program this Last weekend. I haven't had any time to play around with it, though--I also have access to the Campaign Cartographer program, though I haven't done a lot with that yet, either.

Eventually I expect to get around to fully original maps, but for now I've decided to concentrate on learning how to mod the MAP files.

I just downloaded the 2.08 patch today, so we'll see if that changes anything.

This thread may have given me enough information to complete the first project now, though it will probably be this weekend before I can get back to finishing the busy-work part of the project.

Further comments will be most appreciated, and anyone who sees me heading in the wrong direction or missing anything obvious is invited to drop a comment or two my way. Or maybe share your own experiences about working with maps.

Final Note: Out of curiosity, I did go back and open the MAP file, look at its innards, then hit the "Remove Neighbor" button and reopened it, just to see what happened. Before hitting the command, roughly the Last half of the MAP file was "Neighbor" pairings. The "Remove Neighbor" button did erase all the "Neighbor" command lines in the MAP file automatically.

[Tiltowait]

"downloaded the free GIMP program this Last weekend."

I am a gimp newbie, but here is what I have gleaned.
1- The 2.0 developers Version is nice... The original is buggy too so I can see no reason not to get this one.
2- Save often, it crashes.
3- Open a file (a hassle by itself), everything else can be done as a right-click command.
3a) Right-click on picture, select File > Save As, change save file name to whatever.tga and click save. A little pop-up window will ask you about RLE compression and source lower left, just make sure both are checked and presto!
4- Use layers, at least 1 for the capitals, 1 for the borders and 1 for the picture. Makes it way easier to go back and correct stuff (I just learned this
-
Misc tips
When making a map from scratch, complete everything but the capitals. In gimp, select everything and right click Tools > Color tools > Levels. Set output levels to 0 - 254 (0-255 is default). This will completely clear your map of 'false' capitals, but allow you to have pretty-close to white features.

The filters in gimp are loads of fun. Illwinter uses this one for a bunch of their maps: Filters > Artistic > Apply canvas.
(I usually do most of my map work with macromedia fireworks, cause I like their filters too, but I am getting more into gimp as I use it more.)

And thanks for sharing your experiences, I think we are going to see more people making maps who will benefit from it.

[Gandalf Parker]

As a starting point try
Xtns->Script-Fu->patterns->
then play with Flat Land, Land, or Render Map.

Then apply canvas to that.

[PhilD]

Originally posted by Tiltowait:
"downloaded the free GIMP program this Last weekend."

I am a gimp newbie, but here is what I have gleaned.
1- The 2.0 developers Version is nice... The original is buggy too so I can see no reason not to get this one.
2- Save often, it crashes.

I have Version 1.2.3 (on a Linux machine), and I have NEVER seen the Gimp crash. Are you using a Windows Version? Maybe it's less reliable?

[Xom]

I have Version 1.2.3 (on a Linux machine), and I have NEVER seen the Gimp crash. Are you using a Windows Version? Maybe it's less reliable?

It is. Crashed several times on my WinXP.
Also it is very slow when working on big pictures
(comparing to Paint Shop Pro).

[Tiltowait]

Yep, windows 2000 here.

Thanks for that tip Gandalf, I'll try it right now!