Map-making tutorial?

[76mm]

Can anyone point me to a tutorial for using overlays, etc. to create maps based on Sov topo maps?

I didn't see any such tutorials stickied in the CMFI or CMBN mod subfora. If a good tutorial exists, would it make sense to stick it here?

Also, what is the best site for uploading/dowloading maps? CMMODs? The Repository?

[Broadsword56]

Can anyone point me to a tutorial for using overlays, etc. to create maps based on Sov topo maps?

I didn't see any such tutorials stickied in the CMFI or CMBN mod subfora. If a good tutorial exists, would it make sense to stick it here?

Also, what is the best site for uploading/dowloading maps? CMMODs? The Repository?

This is the definitive tutorial, and its stickied over in the CM: Battle for Normandy maps & mods forum:

http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=110294

[76mm]

perfect, thanks, I didn't realize that it contained so much info about map-making...

[herr_oberst]

Oh yeah, there is that thread. I'll have to go re-acquaint myself with that one.

In a related bit, I've started working on a 2km by 6km map -- potentially a piece of the Russian breakout at the Mius river near Dmitrijewka, mid July, 1943. "From the Mius to Marinowka" or something like that. I'm trying to see what it would be like to put together a 'defense in depth' scenario.

The "special editor overlay.bmp" is a godsend for letting me see a goodly chunk of the surrounding terrain when setting elevations. What I've migrated to doing is a terrain 'mesh' - I have tried different countour line methods in the past.

Trace the contour line: to me the corners are obvious, and rapid elevation change looks like a set of stairs.

Trace the contour line every X tiles or so: better than a solid trace, but rapid elevation change can yield stairs, and large expanses between elevations are pool tables.

So the current effort is a mesh. 8x8 with me guesstimating the elevation according to the contours I see from the overlay. This lets the engine do its cool work, and so far has yielded a pleasing map for the portion that is complete.

[Broadsword56]

I've always found it's preferable not to literally trace contour lines, but to just place dots every so often along a contour whenever the direction of the line changes. That way you let the engine do the rest and get a nice, natural look. It's also less strain on the game to have fewer dense concentrations of set elevation points.

[76mm]

I've checked out that tutorial, but am already confused within the first paragraph, where he says:

"In my refined concept, I figured the map would be about 1.5 x 1km...What I want to do now is be very specific about where exactly the boundaries are going to be. The best way I’ve found to do this is to lay up the relevant mapping into Google Earth, and use that to select the boundaries."

What does he mean by "laying up" the relevant mapping to Google Earth? I guess he means to overlay a map on top of Google Earth, but how, for instance, do you line up the scales on the overlay map and Google Earth?

[JonS]

by stretching the overlay until features match. You can set the opacity of the overlay so that features on both it and the underlaying Google Earth can be seen at the same time. I usually find roads, rivers, coastlines, and other distinct linear features are the best ones to use.

[JonS]

I've always found it's preferable not to literally trace contour lines, but to just place dots every so often along a contour whenever the direction of the line changes. That way you let the engine do the rest and get a nice, natural look. It's also less strain on the game to have fewer dense concentrations of set elevation points.

Yup, although the density really depends on the steepness of the slope, the complexity of any contour curves, and specifically detailed features you're trying to build.

What I most often do is trace the contour as a more-or-less continuous line, then go back and delete most of the black spots. In 'ordinary' terrain I leave a black dot every 3 or 4 tiles. On less steep terrain you can usually get away with much less, but when it's steeper I often end up using more, otherwise the black dots get 'swamped' by surrounding interpolated elevations that're either too high or too low, leaving a weird little spike or hollow.