Image to map converter?

[Ultramarine]

I couldn't get the bmp2bic program to work correctly and I wasn't happy with the distortion it made to the map anyway, so I sent my brother the map and the photoshop grid file and he overlaid it for me(he has photoshop). I will now attempt to make this map freehand.
I found that if I make a mark on the grid as I place a tile in the editor it's easier to keep track of my progress.

 

[Blue Monkey]

I do the same "dots=done" thing on my hard-copy. I'm curious if the green vs. pink dots is significant.

I think you'll find that the ability to decide for yourself whether or not partially filled tiles become land or shore leads to greater creative satisfaction. I look forward to your results.

 

[Ultramarine]

I'm curious if the green vs. pink dots is significant.

No, not really. I used the green as the first tile I placed just to help keep my bearings in the beginning. Further along when I found it necessary to alter the "Blueprint" map, like when the island tiles are too close to the main continent and it causes them to connect, I used a black dot to know that I deviated from the original "blueprint" on purpose.

 

[Ultramarine]

Ummm, I have an issue. I seem to have miscalculated the number of rows that I needed. Please tell me there is a way to add like 10 more rows to the bottom of the map. I really don't want to have to start over again.

 

[Blue Monkey]

I know that you can crop in the editor. I'm not sure if you can extend. If not, save it as a BIC & use Map Tweaker.

 

[BadKharma]

Map tweaker will allow you to resize a map adding rows to either axis make sure you save it as uncompressed though. MapTweaker

 

[Ultramarine]

You guy's Rock! Map tweaker did the trick. I added 20 rows to the bottom and deleted 20 rows from the right side. It wasn't that hard to figure out either, so I'm back in business. Thanks guy's!

 

[AnTi90d]

OK, I made an account for these forums that I have been lurking in for many months now.. just so that I can ask about BMP2BIC.. I found it on the forums and downloaded it, and it seemed easy enough to operate.. but I have come across the same problem that Ultramarine had on the previous page. I can go into my paint program, use the eyedropper to select the exact colors for my palette, make a map with a 60x60 new document using those exact colors, save the bmp, load the bmp into BMP2BIC, see a preview of what the "map" will look like in BMP2BIC that seems accurate to what I have created and use BMP2BIC to save that file as a BIC.. My problem is that, although BMP2BIC shows me what the map "should" look like.. all that it saves is a BIC file that has nothing but ocean. In the preview window of BMP2BIC it clearly shows that it recognizes the colors that I have used.. but there is a problem when I hit "generate map." All it generates is a map with only ocean. If I load it into the C3C map editor it is nothing but ocean, and if I load it into BMP2BIC with "load BIC file" it is nothing but ocean. What could be the problem? The BIC file has an actual size, so it isn't just a 0 sized corrupt file.. I can't see why, after BMP2BIC clearly recognized the BMP as a legitimate source of information, it would save that information as ocean.. It clearly saw terrain in its map preview. I am extremely frustrated with this program.. It seems like a brilliant idea, and.. if it worked, I would manufacture several maps for my own personal pleasure with it. So, does anyone have any suggestions? I will attach the BMP that I made (No, it isn't a complete map.. I am just trying to test it out to make sure that this program works before I devote hours of my time into map creation.) and the BIC that BMP2BIC spit out that contains nothing but oceans, along with the Map.exe and palette from BMP2BIC. (Oh, and on a side note, are there any other map creation programs like BMP2BIC? I was unable to locate any others.. and I do not like the C3C map editor.. I find it to be terribly inexact and I have a difficult time placing terrain tiles exactly where I want them.) Thank you for your time in reading this and replying. Any suggestions and advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Blue Monkey]

you got an RGB palette there, buddy. Helps to read the whole thread in case there's an important post that explains things.

 

[AnTi90d]

I used the BMP2BIC palette. I picked the eyedropper tool and saved that specific color to my custom palette and did that for all of the colors that I needed from the BMP2BIC palette. I tried saving the BMP in 16 bit color, 24 bit color and 256 color. I even found the original thread made by LookANinja at http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=34238 where he laid out the specific RGB values and tried inputting those manually into my custom palette.. and I still can't get BMP2BIC to make a map that isn't all ocean. The only thing that I can come up with is that my Paint program isn't saving the BMP exactly like BMP2BIC wants them.

Oh, and just to have the RGB values here on Civfanatics.. in case the Apolyton forum gets shut down or erased in time.. here they are: (Although, I think he transposed the sea and coast values.. this is a post straight from the creator of BMP2BIC.)

RGB(231,223,65); //Desert
RGB(206,166,74); //Plains
RGB(132,142,41); //Grassland
RGB(214,231,231); //Tundra
RGB(239,239,181); //Floodplain
RGB(171,99,33); //Hills
RGB(82,48,16); //Mountains
RGB(80,131,31); //Jungle
RGB(90,121,41); //ForestA
RGB(150,250,150); //Tundra Forest
RGB(61,101,61); //Forest B
RGB(16,121,132); //Coast
RGB(24,158,156); //Sea
RGB(0,65,82); //Ocean

 

[Blue Monkey]

The palette values are included in the post I linked to as part of an image showing the approx. colors. If the bmp you posted were in the 16 color palette you used I could try it & see what the problem is.

 

[AnTi90d]

Yes, I downloaded the palette with BMP2BIC.. it was inside the zip file.. I still can't get it to make anything other than an entire ocean world.

 

[Blue Monkey]

I guess you're stuck then, since I can't look at the file you're actually working with.

 

[AnTi90d]

Umm.. I uploaded it inside the zip file in my first post.. Portion.bmp is there along with the palette that I got with BMP2BIC, the program BMP2BIC its self and the output that it gave me of the ocean world.

 

[timerover51]

For those that have used this, how does it compare timewise to scanning a map into Photoshop, putting a grid overlay on it, and then simply doing everything by hand?

 

[Blue Monkey]

The linked post (from post 29 above) gives a very detailed comparison including both time & quality of result.

 

[timerover51]

The linked post (from post 29 above) gives a very detailed comparison including both time & quality of result.

Thank you, I suspected that the grid overlay method might be best, especially since I am not that good with Windows programs.