Map Tutorials

I've been looking around the interwebs for some kind of tutorial on making ToEE style maps from the ground up, but so far, no luck.

From the ground up, he says? Why, that's madness. Yes, yes it is.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Sorry if this is in the wrong area.

 

No the general Modification thread would be the right place for this question. Now first I need to ask you a couple of questions.

1. How much do you know about manipulating the existing maps?

2. Are you talking about creating a working sectored map or just a 2d jpeg?

3. Have you looked in the KotB thread new maps are being created for that mod?

http://rpg-rant.blogspot.com/2006/02/sectoring-tutorial.html

 

1. Well, in terms of manipulating them graphically, I can find my way around Photoshop CS2 relatively well.

2. At the moment I'm just looking to create a handful of 2D .jpegs but I'd eventually start looking into sectoring (or work with someone else in that area).

3. I've seen some of the work that's happening for KotB, it looks really good. Are there any particular programs being used for those maps?

 

Ok then I haven't created any jpegs as I am a programmin type and not an art type, but if you do make some nice jpegs. I would be glad to find a use for them sector them and put them in the game.

I will tell you what I do know which isn't much, and then with any luck this thread will start to turn into what you were looking to begin with as others correct me and add to it. Best I can do for you.

From listening to some of the more experienced folks around these parts and reading what is available, I have gleened the following:

The maps are a large jpeg, split into a bunch of 256 x 256 sized jpegs, (I think that is right) and reassembled by the game program when its running. These are stored in the modules\{module_name}\art\maps directory. Look in the root directory for how the split is done.

Any 2d jpeg that looks pretty much like one of the maps will work. so you might have to draw it yourself. Some of the guys are dressing up digital photos, I believe it was cujo that said for outdoors you really only need a good ground texture, then once you've thrown some trees and stuff on there its sorted, and you have a map.

Some of the others have a butt load more experience at this that I do and they come to the site fairly regularly, so like I said hopefully they will add to this and this thread will become your tutorial. Good luck and welcome to Co8.

See there its happening already, I was going to recommend Agetians world builder tutorials, but there you have it straight from him

 

Sheriff05 was the break-away modder working with the KotB maps. Try PM'ing him also. He brought that to the level it's at now. I'm sort of interested in what kind of abilities you might have for making altogether new maps for future mods. 2D backgrounds are what is missing for a lot of new material. Monsters & characters, we got...new locations, we ain't.

 

Thanks for the info, everyone. I've also stumbled along this program which looks like it may come in useful. Most of the examples seem to be quite large scale drawings, but I don't see any reason why it couldn't be adapted to provide smaller scale drawings as well.

I'm going to download it now, I'll let you know how things turn out.

I used to have several sites bookmarked with great textures, but over time I've lost them all. Google, ahoy.

EDIT: I've found a couple of those texture sites hiding in my bookmarks folder collecting dust, as I remember, a few of the textures were pretty much miniature exterior maps. All it would take is a little editing and I might be able to pull a (small) workable exterior out at some point. This is probably one of the better sites offering free textures that I know of.

 

Thanks a lot, World Creator looks pretty good. I've been playing around in photoshop with a quick ToEE screenshot, and I reckon I could make up a half decent map in a week or so, (it would be sooner, but I have exams coming up).

 

Back @ Allyx - Duly noted; and I suppose to avoid confusion I should have split that paragraph I posted into two pieces. I knew that Sheriff05 did maps, but not about who was working on 2d backgrounds. In my eagerness to ask L10 about his abilities, I think I left that open for people to read into.

 

Okay, everyone, I have a very small map in the works at the moment. By small I'm talking a basic wooden hut on some grass with a dirt path. I'd say overall it's about 75% complete, it could be sectored into a working map as is (albeit a pretty useless one), all that remains to be done is to make it look better. Hope to have the 'final' version within the next two days for you to take a look at.

 

Okay everyone, here's that house I made (from existing textures)



For a first try it's not bad, if I do say so myself. I think next on the agenda is to edit an already existing map.

 

Or it could be used as a stand alone map for random encounters or a quest to say go find a witch's cottage in a remote area. It is not useless by any definition of the word, It needs an interior to be usable true, but that is a minor thing. It looks great, keep up the good work.

 

Holy ****! That looks great! Folks, we got ourselves another map maker here.

Definitely not "pretty useless" either. There are so many uses for a lone cottage. Trees in the game get sectored in, so that could be a lone cottage in a forest, too. Keep up the good work, Level10.