Installing DC Mission Editor and Making Mini-maps with it

[ThetaOrion]

This is the only tutorial that I ever wrote, afaik:



Quote:
Anyone having touble saving maps? Everytime I try to save it to the DC root folder keeps giving me an error that says it can only save to the DC root folder.


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That was exactly the problem I was having.

I couldn't figure it out either.

But, the answer was hidden here:

http://forums.relicnews.com/showpos...44&postcount=91

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But, you have to read between the lines.

Here's what worked for me.

First, you have to extract the DC Mission Editor or the new ModToolsDC.zip to this folder:

C:\Program Files\THQ\Dawn of War - Dark Crusade

That wasn't the least bit clear.

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Second, you have to create the Scenarios and MP folders here, like this:

C:\Program Files\THQ\Dawn of War - Dark Crusade\DXP2\Data\SCENARIOS\MP

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Third, you have to move all of your maps that you want to work on or edit from this folder:

C:\Program Files\THQ\Dawn of War - Dark Crusade\W40k\Data\SCENARIOS\MP

where you currently have your Dark Crusade maps stored, and move all of them to the new folder that you have created:

C:\Program Files\THQ\Dawn of War - Dark Crusade\DXP2\Data\SCENARIOS\MP


Cut and paste your maps from W40k's MP folder into the new DXP2's MP folder.

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Then the new DC Mission Editor can seem to find them, load them, and save them just fine -- as long as this newly created:

C:\Program Files\THQ\Dawn of War - Dark Crusade\DXP2\Data\SCENARIOS\MP

subdirectory is there and exists. You have to create it manually, because nothing does it for you. And, you have to move your maps there if you want to work on any of them or load them or save them. Otherwise, it just seems to save your New maps there automatically as long as the subdirectory actually exists before you run the Map Editor.

I actually link or shortcut to this folder from my desktop so that I can go into that folder directly now.

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I hope that will save somebody else a few hours of grief!

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It also looks like you are going to have to create your own mm and icon folders as well, because it's not creating them with your mapname for you any more, but using a generic set now instead.

It shouldn't be too much problem, though.

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EDIT: New DC Mission Editor does mini-maps and icons for you, if you know how to use it.

Actually, it's way cool. If you zoom all the way out on your map and then save your map, the new DC Mission Editor will actually create working minimaps and icons for you out of the map itself in those generic _W40kME_temp_icon and _W40kME_temp_mm files. You just have to have the whole map visible when you save, and then it creates these files for you in totality. Then you have to rename them to the name of your map. A lot easier than it was before.

Of course, you still have to go into the mini-map and put black lines around the edges with photoshop on the skewed maps so that you don't have bleedout into the unused portions of the mini-map square in the game.

And, of course using photoshop or picture-it or some thing like that to put numbers on your icon also is nice. The mission editor doesn't do everything, but it does do a lot!

Yes indeed, mini-maps and icons were much easier with the Dark Crusade Mission Editor once I figured out why it was only giving me part of the map in those generic files -- I wasn't zooming out all the way so that the whole playable area was on the screen before saving. You only have to zoom out and save when you are done with the map and ready to make your final mini-map and icon. And, of course, you have to rename those generic files to the name of your map.

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The Source:
http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?t=119850&page=8&pp=15



The link to the new Dark Crusade 1.2 Mod tools:
http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?t=144448
I hope that the new mission editor still has that nice mini-map creation feature in it. It was great, once I figured out what was going on!


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The link to the old Dark Crusade 1.1 Mission Editor, where I first made my mini-map discovery:
http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?t=119850&page=1&pp=15

[ThetaOrion]

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The obligatory collection of other useful links:

Horusheretic collection of Modding Links:
http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?t=144450

The Wiki and the link that FinalDeath keeps 'grring' and telling us all to look at:
http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?t=72505

Beginner's Guide to Map Making, my bible for a couple of weeks of my life:
http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?t=64151

General call to Arms:
http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?t=144419&page=1



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Me, I was just mostly interested at the time in figuring out how to save and load DC maps with the new DC Mission Editor without it telling me to use the 'root' directory, or some such.

[Deunan]

I would like to know, does it use also detail textures when creating the minimap?

Or does it only use decals and the base map as before?

[Finaldeath]

The default minimaps in the ME don't have any detail maps, objects, or anything apart from the base ground texture chosen (and that is usually not coloured correctly).

Better option is to follow a tutorial like this (http://www.relic.com/rdn/wiki/DOWMissionEditor/Tutorials/Minimap) to get a top-down screenshot view, and add the strategic marker numbers for the minimap map selection icon too.

[ThetaOrion]

The default minimaps in the ME don't have any detail maps, objects, or anything apart from the base ground texture chosen (and that is usually not coloured correctly).

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Correct.

In fact, I usually take the mini-maps, since they are so 'generic', pull them into photoshop, and use the bucket fill to fill in the biggest blocks of stuff that are not colored correctly with a color that I want that I have 'eyedroppered' from nearby.

The nice thing about the created mini-maps is that they have the right aspect ratio and are not skewed or stretched in any sort of odd way, so if you have hills or walls around your chosen area, when the strategic points are applied in-game, they are actually in the right position during the game.

Definitely more than one way to skin a cat.

I just found the auto-created minimaps quite useful for my needs, as a starting point, because I didn't like some of the stuff I was getting when capturing a topdown view from within the mission editor. And, it kind of depends upon the quality of the resizing tool you are using, and your skill with using it. I never quite found the thing I liked. Or I was getting garbage out while trying to put good stuff in with my captured top-downs.

But, whatever gets you there the quickest or makes you the happiest, that's all that really matters.

And, I'm glad that Finaldeath provided a link, and that additional information on how to do it has been forthcoming.

Rayden also put up a mini-map making guide here:
http://stud4.tuwien.ac.at/~e0426579/mappingfaqindex.html
under 3.8 minimap, although it is a bit old.

Relic seems to use Targa files, or TGA files, and you pretty much have to have a paint program that accesses and modifies TGA. I have Photoshop LE, and Microsoft PictureIt that came in Works, and they both do TGA just fine without having to do any messy conversions! I used both programs to help me make my icons and minimaps, as each one has its strengths and weaknesses.

If you have other links to mini-map making hints or tools or such, be sure to post them.

[Finaldeath]

The GIMP (or GIMPShop if you like photoshops layout) is a good recommendation if you just want to do some editing, its pretty easy to get a hang of at least to crop, edit, resize and save.