Mapping Mission 1.0 released

[L.Tankersley]

I am pleased to announce the release of version 1.0b of Mapping Mission, a third-party

CMBB map editor.

Features of Mapping Mission include:

* exports data to Combat Mission:Barbarossa to Berlin map editor

* scrollable windowed interface

* support for extremely large maps (thousands of tiles per side)

* streamlined user interface including ability to "gesture-click" to

orient terrain features and a simple but powerful road tool

* copy-paste

* support for 256 elevation levels (at 1.25m increments)

* open file format to allow other programmers to develop compatible mapping tools

* support for importing "terrain mask" bitmaps encoding terrain and elevation (letting

map makers "paint" terrain in their paint program of choice and import the results

into Mapping Mission)

* limited undo function

In a nutshell, this is a map editor that builds maps for CMBB, but in a new (open)

file format. Naturally, CMBB can't read these files directly. But, Mapping Mission

provides an export function that uses the map file as a sort of event script to

recreate the map in the CMBB map editor. Mapping Mission cannot open CMBB maps since

these are in CMBB's proprietary format. But if map makers build maps using Mapping Mission,

they will better be able to reuse and exchange map data (and hopefully map making will be

less laborious than before).

The impetus for development of Mapping Mission was the Combat Mission Meta Campaign

(CMMC), which has recently concluded its first campaign using CMBO as the combat engine

and is currently organizing for campaign two (set on the eastern front using CMBB). The

campaign will take place over an area more than 30km (1500 CM map tiles) on a side. One

of the difficulties encountered in CMMC1 was the amount of time needed to build and modify

CM maps. By using Mapping Mission, the entire campaign map can be built before the campaign

begins and arbitrary swaths of terrain data can be exported on demand for battle requirements.

Currently, Mapping Mission is hosted on the CMMC2 website, www.cmmc2.org . Right now a link

to the download (about 90 kbytes zipped) can be found in the site forums, in the "Mapping

Mission 1.0 released" topic in the "General CMMC2 Discussion" folder. In the future this

download may be hosted at some other location. For now, the link to the appropriate thread is:

http://www.cmmc2.org/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=480

Be warned that, although it seems to be quite stable, the software has not been exhaustively

tested. Bugs may still be present. You use the software at your own risk. In particular,

users should be sure to read and understand the information about exporting map data to

CMBB, as the Mapping Mission software will generate a large number of synthetic events that might

cause some consternation on your computer if you are not properly prepared.

This version is PC only; I hope to begin work on a Mac version soon.

Enjoy!

[Gpig]

Wow!

you sir, are a champEEEEEEN!!!!

WOOT!

Gpig

[MikeyD]

I look at my mac and sigh.

[L.Tankersley]

Originally posted by MikeyD:

I look at my mac and sigh.

I feel your pain. But I don't think the port will be too hard; I just need to dust off my Mac programming skills a bit.

[aka_tom_w]

Originally posted by L.Tankersley:

I am pleased to announce the release of version 1.0b of Mapping Mission, a third-party

CMBB map editor.

Features of Mapping Mission include:

* exports data to Combat Mission:Barbarossa to Berlin map editor

* scrollable windowed interface

* support for extremely large maps (thousands of tiles per side)

* streamlined user interface including ability to "gesture-click" to

orient terrain features and a simple but powerful road tool

* copy-paste

* support for 256 elevation levels (at 1.25m increments)

* open file format to allow other programmers to develop compatible mapping tools

* support for importing "terrain mask" bitmaps encoding terrain and elevation (letting

map makers "paint" terrain in their paint program of choice and import the results

into Mapping Mission)

* limited undo function

In a nutshell, this is a map editor that builds maps for CMBB, but in a new (open)

file format. Naturally, CMBB can't read these files directly. But, Mapping Mission

provides an export function that uses the map file as a sort of event script to

recreate the map in the CMBB map editor. Mapping Mission cannot open CMBB maps since

these are in CMBB's proprietary format. But if map makers build maps using Mapping Mission,

they will better be able to reuse and exchange map data (and hopefully map making will be

less laborious than before).

The impetus for development of Mapping Mission was the Combat Mission Meta Campaign

(CMMC), which has recently concluded its first campaign using CMBO as the combat engine

and is currently organizing for campaign two (set on the eastern front using CMBB). The

campaign will take place over an area more than 30km (1500 CM map tiles) on a side. One

of the difficulties encountered in CMMC1 was the amount of time needed to build and modify

CM maps. By using Mapping Mission, the entire campaign map can be built before the campaign

begins and arbitrary swaths of terrain data can be exported on demand for battle requirements.

Currently, Mapping Mission is hosted on the CMMC2 website, www.cmmc2.org . Right now a link

to the download (about 90 kbytes zipped) can be found in the site forums, in the "Mapping

Mission 1.0 released" topic in the "General CMMC2 Discussion" folder. In the future this

download may be hosted at some other location. For now, the link to the appropriate thread is:

http://www.cmmc2.org/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=480

Be warned that, although it seems to be quite stable, the software has not been exhaustively

tested. Bugs may still be present. You use the software at your own risk. In particular,

users should be sure to read and understand the information about exporting map data to

CMBB, as the Mapping Mission software will generate a large number of synthetic events that might

cause some consternation on your computer if you are not properly prepared.

This version is PC only; I hope to begin work on a Mac version soon.

Enjoy!

Many Thanks !!!

That sounds Great!

I am Thrilled that you will consider a Mac version. I think this APP is badly needed for CMBB!

Thanks for all the hard work, I think BFC should hire you for the NEXT big thing they are working on!

There will be more than a few of us looking for the up coming Mac version of your latest release!

-tom w

[jeffsmith]

Originally posted by L.Tankersley:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by MikeyD:

I look at my mac and sigh.

I feel your pain. But I don't think the port will be too hard; I just need to dust off my Mac programming skills a bit.</font>

[akdavis]

Originally posted by L.Tankersley:

By using Mapping Mission, the entire campaign map can be built before the campaign

begins and arbitrary swaths of terrain data can be exported on demand for battle requirements.

Bless you! I've been dying for this! Big maps, here I come.

[Kirill S.]

being a programmer myself I'd like to ask:

How does it work??

Thanks in advance

[Eden Smallwood]

Originally posted by L.Tankersley:

But, Mapping Mission

provides an export function that uses the map file as a sort of event script to

recreate the map in the CMBB map editor.

The Mac version of CMBB is about as scriptable as a rock. It's the first program I've seen in literally a decade which doesn't even support the Core AppleEvents of Quit, Open, Open Doc...

Are you going to cheat into the event queue and post key events or something? Well it sure sounds neat, (gawd, wouldn't it solve some problems! That $&$%&*^#$ Editor which can't load QB maps, etc etc etc), but I hope you're not relying on faulty assumptions...? Just concerned,

Eden

[hardcampa]

Awesome.

[Michael Dorosh]

So basically, this is a repository for mouse clicks, which then feeds the info into the Windows interface and simulate the player clicking in the editor itself?

Just downloaded it and it looks like it will be great fun - but despite reading the documentation, I can't get the elevations to work - none of them are being imported to my CM map editor.

[Michael Dorosh]

Hmm, can't get any elevations at all to export, though the terrain does well enough. Anyone else having this problem?

The only drawback I see to this is that you can't edit randomly created maps; for scenarios I usually just tweak randomly generated ones from the editor. Will there be a random-generation feature at some point?

[hardcampa]

My elevation maps works =/

I used Photoshop to create a BMP and saved the BMP in 8 bit windows format.

However just a few suggestions on future updates to the editor, here's what I really would like to see in it:

The ability to import and overlay (partly transparent maybe?) an actual picture/map, thus the mapmaker can simply fill in the map features he wants right ontop of the picture.

The ability to scale imported images to fit the current map. I couldn't find any good way of doing this as it is. It crops now instead of scales.

Also the ability to set a max height before you export the map.

It's just suggestions, so don't get upset =)

[ January 18, 2003, 02:34 AM: Message edited by: hardcampa ]

[Ales Dvorak]

Originally posted by L.Tankersley:

I hope to begin work on a Mac version soon.!

[Mr Byte]

I am constantly amazed at the dedication skill and shear brillance of this community.

COCAT, CMMOS, ALL THE MODS, THE EXELLENT SCENRIOS (so well researched and tested) THE INCREDIBLE KNOWLEDGE OF SUBJECT, TOURNAMENTS (the organisation alone!! but also the quality of scenario) THE FAN SITES. and now THIS

WOW !!!!

group hug

Well done to all those that along with Battlefront make this such a great hobby...er I mean game ....now where did I leave my kids... :confused:

[ichadwick]

Thanks. I'm really looking forward to trying this one.

I checked out the web site - mostly empty but could hold promise. I found a document giving "detials" (sic) about a map's relevance to the Kursk battle and found these lines... (I know: they're not your mistakes... but I can't resist, being a former editor et al...)

The area on these maps witnessed intense fighting... SS-PzDiv 3 forged the small river running east to west across map ... torments of rain... it marked end and failure of the last German offensive on the Eastern Front.

Areas can't witness. Only humans can witness. You need eyes and sentience to witness.

Forged? Torments? Yipes.

And I believe there were a few more offensives on the Eastern Front after Kursk... Budapest was one that comes to mind.

[aka_tom_w]

Originally posted by hardcampa:

My elevation maps works =/

I used Photoshop to create a BMP and saved the BMP in 8 bit windows format.

However just a few suggestions on future updates to the editor, here's what I really would like to see in it:

The ability to import and overlay (partly transparent maybe?) an actual picture/map, thus the mapmaker can simply fill in the map features he wants right ontop of the picture.

The ability to scale imported images to fit the current map. I couldn't find any good way of doing this as it is. It crops now instead of scales.

Also the ability to set a max height before you export the map.

It's just suggestions, so don't get upset =)

these might be REALLY good idea's for the map editer in the rewrite

I would hope the map editer in the Next Big Thing would have all these features and many more with a great interface so that is might actually be a joy to use, maybe somthing like designing terrain and laying out maps in Sim City.

I think it would be great if the map editor was something akin to the interface of SimCity for map making.

But then again I am a dreamer

-tom w

[L.Tankersley]

How does it work?

I assume you mean the export to CM; the software generates mouse and key events to simulate a user doing all the clicks and presses necessary to build a map -- just really, really fast (I had to put in a brake because my code would generate events faster than CM could process them and eventually I think I filled the queue -- if other people still see similar issues I may add a user-configurable brake factor to deal with this).

Regarding a Mac version, I did a proof-of-concept of the same scheme before I fleshed out the tool and demonstrated to myself that the process would work. No Apple Events/ scripting involved; it's all raw event stuff. (This is why the program needs to know the screen resolution; I have to basically hard-code the pixel coordinates of everything that the program might need to click on, and many of those change with different resolutions.)

Hmm, can't get any elevations at all to export...

Not sure what the problem would be here, if the terrain export works. Does everything stay at elevation 7? Do you have a wacky keyboard setup or something? What key do you use to change elevations in the CM editor?

Will there be a random-generation feature at some point?

Possible, although I doubt I will spend much effort on that myself. The file format is published at the end of the documentation; if someone else wanted to build a random terrain generator using the Mapping Mission format, I would have no problem with that.

Here's what I really would like to see in it:

The first suggestion is already on "the list" -- see the "Planned Future Enhancements" section of the documentation. The second is also planned but it's not on the formal list -- what I have now is good enough for the immediate needs of the CMMC2 project (which already has the map images built). I'll probably add a bit more flexibility to the bitmap import routines, particularly as regards support for other resolutions. (Note that if you have a bitmap of the right resolution, but not the right size, you could create a Mapping Mission map just big enough for the bitmap, import it, and then copy-paste the imported map into a larger work in progress.)

Generally, folks, if you have bug reports or suggestions, you should email them to the address given in the documentation. With the volatility of this forum, this thread could easily vanish beneath the waves, and I don't always get here regularly anymore. But thanks for the encouraging feedback!

[Ubertracker]

There is no elevation "4" available. It skips from 3 to 5.

Any reason or just a bug???

[L.Tankersley]

Originally posted by Ubertracker:

There is no elevation "4" available. It skips from 3 to 5.

Any reason or just a bug???

This is discussed in the documentation, but it's not really obvious. The base CM elevation level is 1.25m (or a multiple of this: 2.5m or 5m). Mapping Mission uses 1.25m elevation levels internally. But instead of displaying elevation levels, it displays elevations in meters. These are rounded off to integer values. So level 3 = 3.75m, displayed as 3. Level 4 = 5.0m, displayed as 5. In general, you will have 3 of every 4 elevation values (in meters) allowable in Mapping Mission.

I went with displaying elevation in meters because for CMMC purposes, we are working from real maps with elevations in meters, and this makes it easier on the mapmakers. It might be worth adding an option to display elevations in levels rather than meters; I'm not sure.

[kipanderson]

Hi

When I tried it earlier today all worked as described, it is a truly great add on to CMBB. A large historical CMBB map 20km by 20km, out of which one simply exports the section needed for a given engagement/scenario, is now possible.

Stunning.

All the best,

Kip.

[27ray]

I too can not wait for this for the mac!

BFC has such a loyal following that maybe they will open up the source code (or at least hooks, formats etc) once they get going on the new engine, so that coders can continue to add features and enhancements to this game.

till them my powerbook stas in OS9 and runs a mail app and CMBB. sad really.

-ray

[Treeburst155]

Originally posted by kipanderson:

Hi

When I tried it earlier today all worked as described, it is a truly great add on to CMBB. A large historical CMBB map 20km by 20km, out of which one simply exports the section needed for a given engagement/scenario, is now possible.

Stunning.

All the best,

Kip.

Wow! It took this post for me to realize the value of Leland's work. I'm dense at times. This is truly a breakthrough. Now we need someone to make huge HISTORICAL maps. I assume there are CMMC people doing this as I type?

Great work, Leland!!

Treeburst155 out.

[kipanderson]

Hi,

When one considers the potential of the Mapping Mission, it is almost endless.

The real use of the program, and the reason it was designed, is that it allows the user to do a 20km by 20km chunk of map, and then Export sections to CMBB for use in individual scenarios/games. Of course, what all will do is to produce 20km by 20km chunks of real world topography and then track campaigns across it, cutting out sections for CMBB battles as the fighting moves over the 20km by 20km map. This in itself is a huge plus, in my view.

There are a number of features that then make the construction of such a huge map a little easier. One is that it is possible to set up a grid, like the grid on topographical maps, when manually copying from a real topographical map, this makes it a lot easier. The way one can drag roads across the map, the way one can place and orientate builds, all cuts just a little time, together quite lot of time. The Copy and Paste feature will also save a lot of time. I have found that it is much easier to, and far quicker, to heavily tweak an existing CMBB map than to start from the being. Thus I could copy and paste chunks of urban area in, and then tweak them to make them different. Also small features, such as that as you drag the roads over the map, they will take on the back ground of the area they are dragged over. So drag a dirt road over woods, and you get a “dirt road in woods” tile… and so on.

The enhancement that interests me most is the one below.

The plan is to be able to place a scan of a topographical map in the window of the Mapping Mission and then simply place tiles on top of it. So you use the topographical map as a guide. With such a feature one could knock out hugely accurate maps of huge areas, and then just Export sections one wished for to a given CMBB game.

Once the full potential of this program sinks in, there will be a mass of smaller groups of CMBB friends getting together to construct their own campaigns. With the Copy and Paste feature individual members of campaign groups could take responsibility for the construction of different sections of the campaign map, and then simply Copy and Paste it all together on a Master Copy.

I think it is a great program and will speed up the making of large, accurate maps over which one could track campaigns. This is what it is designed for.

All the best,

[L.Tankersley]

It's good to hear the enthusiastic responses; thanks!

As Kip says, the primary reason I built the thing was to make it easier to run campaigns on very large maps while keeping the battle maps consistent. In the past, maps were built in CM-sized chunks a few km on a side, and battles tended to be "shifted" in position a little bit so they would fall in one chunk and not straddle two. When this was a problem, someone had to load one of the chunks, shift it, and recreate (by hand) the overlapping part of the other chunk.

But I think the tool will also very useful for making maps for single battles. I've dabbled a bit in map making, and it just made me nuts dropping down a single road tile at a time (and having to worry about whether it was a woods-road or a pines-road, and having to clean up all the little road tiles that ended up sprinkled on either side of the road when I tried to paint a diagonal road and my hand wavered). Hopefully other mapmakers will find this useful as well.