Cross-Platform Editor for Conquests now available! 1.51

[Blue Monkey]

If I export a map, change *one* colour in GIMP or whatever image editing program, and import it again, I just might have changed all mountains into hills instead of painfulyl doing a tile-by-tile change. The same applies to rescaling maps.

This description sounds more like an image with the 16 colors rather than a screenshot. Which raises the issue of a standardized indexing which is one of the bmp2bic bugaboos. OTOH the way Quintillus has things setup you wouldn't have to change colors to change terrain. Just reassign them when importing - the editor allows for more than one color to be the same terrain. Same goes for changing map size. No need for export/re-import. Just rescale in a graphics program them import the new version. I must be missing something about your goal. Hopefully you'll post the fuller explanation soon.

 

[Takhisis]

Reimporting with different colour scales would work better, skipping a step. But I might want to change only half of a hill range into mountains for example, or add a navigable river, so editing in GIMP still works.

 

[Quintillus]

I'm still a bit confused as to exactly what the goal is, too. At first I thought the idea was to get a big screenshot of the whole map as it looks in the editor, and thus be able to scroll around it, upload it, etc.

Or is it more of exporting an image in the same format that the editor uses for the import from BMP feature? So like you have an existing map of, say, Japan that was created by hand without bmp2bic, and you'd like to make a bigger version of that map. If you could push a button like "Export to 16-color BMP" in the editor, then you could scale it/tweak some of the terrain in the GIMP, and re-import it to get a bigger one with less work than doing it from scratch?

If it's more like the latter one, that would take a bit more work than the former. But it may be possible. It could also likely be done via the first method if you had a terrain set where each terrain was sufficiently different in color, and you hid overlays (units/roads/etc.). With the default terrain I suspect you'd have issues with converting a screenshot of it into a 16-color GIMP image; forest and jungle are similar in color, and snow-capped mountains might look too much like tundra, for example. But have a high-contrast terrain set, and it might work.

 

[Takhisis]

Or is it more of exporting an image in the same format that the editor uses for the import from BMP feature? So like you have an existing map of, say, Japan that was created by hand without bmp2bic, and you'd like to make a bigger version of that map. If you could push a button like "Export to 16-color BMP" in the editor, then you could scale it/tweak some of the terrain in the GIMP, and re-import it to get a bigger one with less work than doing it from scratch?

Spot on. I'm not being very articulate as I'm getting onlien at odd hours while studying for yet another exam.

 

[Quintillus]

Hmm... that probably could be done. I think I'd have to add some code to the bitmap support to make it possible to save 16-color BMPs (and with specified colors), but once that is added, the process for exporting it as that would be more or less straightforward. This isn't a guarantee that this will happen. But it's certainly a logical feature request.

 

[Blue Monkey]

GIMP can already create a 16 color bmp. Which can be imported into the editor as is. Any editing, rescaling, changing, etc. would have to be done in GIMP. Since the image would already be indexed and readable by the editor I really can't see why there would be any need to export a bmp.

 

[Quintillus]

GIMP can already create a 16 color bmp. Which can be imported into the editor as is. Any editing, rescaling, changing, etc. would have to be done in GIMP. Since the image would already be indexed and readable by the editor I really can't see why there would be any need to export a bmp.

I believe Takhisis is referring to the case where all you have is a Civ3 .biq file, and you (or the map's creator) didn't use bmp2bic, this editor, or any other program when creating it. So you wouldn't have an image to use as a starting point.

(Thought/possible work-around: I wonder if the Firaxis mini-map would work? Isn't it generally one-color per base terrain? It does ignore LM and such, so not ideal, but it might not be half bad. I'd probably try the Military Advisor version of it first, with Debug Mode/things otherwise visible, since that's the largest one)

 

[Blue Monkey]

I believe Takhisis is referring to the case where all you have is a Civ3 .biq file, and you (or the map's creator) didn't use bmp2bic, this editor, or any other program when creating it.

That makes sense.

(Thought/possible work-around: I wonder if the Firaxis mini-map would work? Isn't it generally one-color per base terrain? It does ignore LM and such, so not ideal, but it might not be half bad.

Looks like it does, but afaik there is not necessarily a 1 pixel = 1 tile isomorphism.

I'd probably try the Military Advisor version of it first, with Debug Mode/things otherwise visible, since that's the largest one)

The Summary Replay map is larger than the advisor version.

 

[Takhisis]

Yes, 1 pixel = 1 tile (and other conversions) would be a good addition.

I hate midterms.

 

[Blue Monkey]

The bitmap also needs to have a size equal to (32 * biq width + 32) by (16 * biq height + 16). For example, if you want a 100x100 BIQ, you need a 3232x1616 bitmap. Beyond that and the 65,536 tile limit in Civ3, you can choose the dimensions you like - an 800x100 BIQ is perfectly okay. The program will let you know if there's a problem with the dimensions. For the largest maps, this will result in 32 MB-large 16-bit bitmaps.

Quoted from the editor's help for the sake of future discussion.

 

[Blue Monkey]

10*10 map = 100 tiles
((32*10)+32)*((16*10)+16) = 61952
61952/100 =619.52

If that math is correct then in any image about 620 pixels = 1 tile.

 

[Quintillus]

Version 0.85 is now available! As always, download it here. This release focuses on improving the map-from-image functionality's usability.

Changes since 0.84:

• The editor will now remember where you last chose a .bmp from both during and between sessions.
• There are now a full 16 "basic" terrains, as well as 20 more "advanced terrains", which cover (unless I've missed some) all land-based terrains in Civ3 as well as the water option. All Landmark options are in Advanced Mode.
• The editor will remember what terrains (amongst the "basic" terrains) you previously selected for the "basic" mode (the default).
• Added a new option to the Special Actions Region (aka "SAR" and the "!" menu) to calculate BMP dimensions for a given Civ3 map size.
• Added support for Windows 4 bitmaps. This means that BMPs created with GIMP 2.8 will now work as expected.
• Added support for bitmaps with up to 256 colors. This has been tested with up to 32 colors.
• Moved help files and images into their own folders to de-clutter the program folder. Also moved the BIQ decompressor to be completely separate from the editor (though the editor is still able to use it to decompress files, and this should work the same as it did previously. But now other programs could easily use it as well).
• Added support for Windows 2 and OS/2 2.x bitmaps. It's highly unlikely you'll run into these, but if you do, it will work just fine.

The goal of this is that, while there's a few things I'd like to add to the BMP functionality yet, it will be considerably more usable and complete than in 0.84. I've also had a fair amount going on recently, with almost 4 weeks in a row without any changes, so waiting until everything was complete didn't really make sense when the top issues were ready.

The terrain-selection memorization works of a per-color basis. So, for example, if you previously said that the RGB combo (0,0,0) mapped to Tundra, it would remember that later. This is global - it would remember that for a different .bmp file as well. While I won't rule out a per-BMP or per-BIQ option in the future, this was easier to implement, and I think will prove to save more effort and be more useful in general than the per-BMP and per-BIQ options. It should also work well if you map to the same palette every time. Feedback is appreciated - I just didn't want to do it the tough way first when my instinct told me it probably wasn't necessary!

 

[Blue Monkey]

This is great! I've got several map images that are close to ready to transform into biq.

The terrain-selection memorization works of a per-color basis. So, for example, if you previously said that the RGB combo (0,0,0) mapped to Tundra, it would remember that later. This is global - it would remember that for a different .bmp file as well. While I won't rule out a per-BMP or per-BIQ option in the future, this was easier to implement, and I think will prove to save more effort and be more useful in general than the per-BMP and per-BIQ options. It should also work well if you map to the same palette every time. Feedback is appreciated - I just didn't want to do it the tough way first when my instinct told me it probably wasn't necessary!

Decision making on the fly is much easier if I have a sense of what terrain I'm looking at. Expanding from the bmp2bic palette will be nice. Adding colors for the other terrains to the well established ones will be easy.

 

[timerover51]

I like the Editor, but I am still working on how to get the map editor to work. The other problem I have is to use it on my laptop, I have to set the screen resolution to 1280 X 800, and hide the dock, or I cannot see the lower portion of the editor screen. That gets a bit hard on my old eyes. Any chance of maybe getting a scroll bar added on the side?

 

[Quintillus]

I like the Editor, but I am still working on how to get the map editor to work. The other problem I have is to use it on my laptop, I have to set the screen resolution to 1280 X 800, and hide the dock, or I cannot see the lower portion of the editor screen. That gets a bit hard on my old eyes. Any chance of maybe getting a scroll bar added on the side?

Ask, and ye shall receive! At least, on the scroll bars aspect. If the map editor issue is technical, I'll probably need some more information, or a refresher, on it.

Version 0.86 features two significant changes plus a performance optimization:

• Made every tab scrollable (except the map tab, which already was) so that the editor can be used at lower resolutions.
• Added deepwater harbours
• Improved PCX import speed for BIQs with custom maps.

While 1024x768 is still the recommended minimum, it's now easier to use at resolutions such as 1024x600. You'll have to scroll vertically on some tabs, but you'll be able to do everything. You could even try 800x600, but the text on some of the buttons at the top won't show up too far below 1024 horizontal pixels.

Deepwater harbours are discussed in this thread and are featured in the Age of Piracy scenario. You can place them by placing sea tiles on coast after choosing the new "Deepwater harbour" check box. For more details, click the "?" icon for Help, and choose the Deepwater Harbours link.

PCX files will now import faster on multi-core systems, which means the map will load more quickly. This hasn't been completely optimized, but on my quad-core computer it now takes about 60% of the time it did previously. This is also faster than the old versions that weren't loading landmark terrain graphics. Single-core systems should load PCX files in nearly the same time as before.

 

[timerover51]

Bless you, Quintillus.

That solves the problem of changing display size. By checking the information on Map Editing, I determined that the reason I was not seeing the map is I needed to start up from the launcher. Now I can see the map quite clearly, and no longer have to go to Parallels and Windows with a Flash Drive in to move files around.

Now, if I can just remember where I put my back-up flash drives for Civ3, or get them off of one of my computers with operating issues, I will be in fantastic shape.

Note: My favorite color is blue, for water and the naval operations and exploring that I love to do.

 

[Civinator]

Added deepwater harbours

If this works properly, it can change the face of the world of Civ3!

 

[timerover51]

I have not tried any of the more advanced features of your editor, Quintillus, but I successfully imported into my Naval Mod the blank map of Leobon, and therefor saved myself several hours of work by not having to painstakingly modify all of the units again. Magnificent.

I will be mentioning your editor in the games design class that I will be teaching for the next three weeks. I will be using Civ3 Complete as an example of a computer game that can be used for much more than just playing games. The mapmaking and editing features make it valuable for generating standard game maps for miniature games as well. Just need to overlay the terrain map with a hex pattern, or use it with the existing grid, depending on what you are planning to use if for.

It could readily be used to generate outdoor and territory maps for roleplaying games such as D&D or Traveller.

 

[Quintillus]

Glad to see these changes are popular. I can't say I'll always be able to add features in six hours, but that the scrollability worked out, and was easier to add than I'd anticipated.

I'm also glad to hear the map-importing is being used. That's an interesting idea, using it for other games as well. I hadn't anticipated it being used beyond Civ3, but that's great. I'm also glad it's saving time now - it's probably still got a ways to go to even out the time required to make it, so keep making maps! And if you post some scenarios on CFC or elsewhere that used the editors' capabilities to a significant degree, PM me - I'd be curious to see scenarios that have used this editor practice, and may miss them otherwise.

I also realized that I'd modified the wrong HTML files, so the updated Help files, particularly the one on Deepwater Harbours, didn't actually make it into the editor. So I've included that help file in the spoiler below:

Spoiler Deepwater Harbours Help File :

Deepwater Harbours

Deepwater Harbours are an unusual Civ3 feature that allows sea to connect directly with land. This effect was pioneered by Shay Roberts in the Age of Piracy scenario. When used in conjunction with ships having the wheeled unit attribute, and coastal tiles being forbidden to wheeled units, this can allow direct sea lanes between cities where the AI will stick to the intended route.

To Use

With the map tab open, press T to select terrains. From the drop-down list, select Sea, and then check the "Deepwater Harbour" check box (you can also make a landmark deepwater harbour if you like). Then click on a coastal tile on the map. You'll get a confirmation pop-up that a deepwater harbour has been created, or a notice that you can only create deepwater harbours on coast if you clicked on a different terrain. Thereafter, the terrain will continue to appear as coast, but if you click on it, you will sea that the terrain is now Sea (or whatever name you've given Sea/Landmark Sea). You now have a deepwater harbour!

Recommendations

I recommend adding a resource that visualizes the deepwater harbour on the map, as it can be easy to forget where your deepwater harbours are.

It's also advisable to add deepwater harbours at the end of scenario editing. Firaxis's editor will not respect deepwater harbours, and doing any further editing in Firaxis's editor will result in your deepwater harbour being ruined. This editor will preserve existing deepwater harbours, but editing the tiles directly around them can get tricky. Some editing will result in the graphics being off, some won't be possible because the editor will think that those tiles shouldn't border each other, and some will work as expected. If you want to edit the tiles around a deepwater harbour, you should change it back to coast first, do the modifications, and then change it back to a deepwater harbour.

As for what's next, here's some of what I plan. Though don't count on it too much; plans tend to change.

• Version 0.87 will be a "finish up some features that I'd started and either put aside or forgotten about" release. This is likely to include:
  • A utility to add buildings to many cities at once.
  • Moving the map-flipper utility I wrote (available in the Civ3 Utilities section) into the editor.
  • Possibly, a utility I started (but haven't yet finished) for easier civ color modification.
• I'm likely to switch from a bunch of buttons at the top to a menu around version 0.90. I liked the buttons approach early on, but as more things are added it's becoming crowded and more unwieldy. In particular, putting map utilities under the "!" button is probably worse than just having a "Map" menu. I may explore the possibility of a hybrid menu-button approach, however - such as having a menu, but leaving a few buttons, such as Zoom, to the right of the menu. I'd also like to put a Recently Opened Files option in the menu (this would be nice when programming it, too!). If you have opinions, this is a good time to voice them, before I've started.
• The next several versions will have a gradual rewriting of a fair amount the user interface so that it scales better on tabs other than the map one at resolutions above 1024x768, and is generally more flexible. This will be a gradual process. Many of the tabs were constructed in a less than ideal, but easy-at-the-time, fashion.

Nested lists work on CFC! Awesome!

 

[timerover51]

Looks like creating Deep Water Harbors is much less complicated than I thought. I will have to give it a shot.