pcx map import

[tossobih]

Dear community,

 

i would be appreciate if anyone could help me with importing a map into the editor of RT2.

 

So far I have:

 

- created a greyscale map of my area 320x320

- converted it from jpg to pcx

- import it with the map editor, size it 320x320

-> get crashdown

 

has anyone experience with this? What could be the problem?

 

thank you loads!

 

tossobih

[Gwizz]

Its' been awhile since I made a gray scale map.

 

I think my extension was xxx.map

[tossobih]

Its' been awhile since I made a gray scale map.

 

I think my extension was xxx.map

 

 

Hello Gwizz thank you for your answer. Unfortunately, renaming the file as .map did not do the trick. RT2 saves maps which have been edited as map files, though. When reading the manual, it say something like import an indexed pcx file, other do not work. Now I wonder are all pcx indexed...

[Gwizz]

What did you use to create the gray scale map?

Also which version of RRT2 are you using?   

Normally if the extension is not correct the map simply does not show up when you try to open it.

For a crash to happen some kind of program corruption or mis-match is involved.

The computer I need to look this up, is receiving a hardware up grade.   My memory needs an up grade as well.

There are some smart people on these threads that often chime in with answers.  

[Gwizz]

Try the extension of MP2

[tossobih]

Apparently I ran an old version of Platinum, your question about which version I use inspired me to update it. After updating it to 1.56 if worked with the pcx extension.

 

gratefully yours, tossobih

[jeffryfisher]

Try the extension of MP2

 

Gwizz, I think you completely missed the question. Tossobih was trying to import elevation data (pcx file) into a game map. Fiddling file extensions is not even close to being a solution.

 

I'm glad to hear that the patch helped. I may be tempted to create a map from PCX someday, but I have never used the import utility. Is there a scaling factor one can use to moderate or amplify elevations?

[Gwizz]

Gwizzzzzz.  In the past I've made a lot of maps from Government Topo maps and imported them to the map files. 

 

I just don't remember the process I used to import them.   Glad you were able to help and that only a patch was needed. 

 

I think it is easer to finsh a map in the editor.  I place the rivers first.  Then the cities.  Last I level  and fix the topographies to make room for larger towns.  Etc.

 

  

 

I've had problems with Micro-Soft  7 - 64 system.  But Micro-soft now has a free download site that helps with compatibility problems for most versions.

 

Don't ask for a live tech.  There is a big hourly charge for using a live tech. at MS. 

 

Some of the suggestions point you to a private company.  These companies want to sell you something.

[tossobih]

Thank both of you very much for your answers. The actual process is not that difficult: You take a black and white map, like a jpg or tiff or png and convert it to a pcx. You find free programmes for this on the web, like http://www.zamzar.com. When you open RT2 and click on create new map, it there will be two options: With or without a background image. Clicking on the right one will then ask you for the location of the file. According to the manual it must be a pcx file. After importing it, RT2 will ask you for the topography characteristic, how steep you want to have the hills. The standard is 100, which is quite a lot on my map so I reduced it to 50.

 

best greetings tossobih

[ConFuZed_tYcoon]

2 years later, and I'm jus now reading this post. But I'm just now getting into building my first map for RRT2 PE to see if it's something I'd like to really get into or not (if not then just stick to playing other user-created maps). Anyway I'd like to know more about this .pcx importing option.

I understand the whole conversion process and on, but what is a gray-scale map? Is creating one easier outside the editor, or why do it? And then, how do I do it?

If anyone replies, thanks in advance. RRT2 shall forever reign high in my collection!

[jeffryfisher]

A gray-scale map is an array of bytes where each byte represents an elevation. It's called "gray-scale" because the bytes can also be displayed as shades of gray.

 

For all of the maps I've worked on, I started with an existing map/scenario, saved it under a new name, and then altered it using the in-game editor. If there's a good-looking RRT map of the place you want to design your own scenario, then this strategy could work for you.

 

NB: Never delete an event; only nullify them by changing their parameters to do nothing and/or never trigger.

 

OTOH, if you want to cover a real location that has never been done before (like the Earth-side of the moon), then you need to hunt down some elevation data in PCX form, and then you need to wrestle with the import utility until you get something usable. I suggest that you hunt for more old threads to learn about scaling factors, calibrating sea-level etc.

[Silverback]

The old riptrack website had some useful tools - here's a link to an archived version https://web.archive.org/web/20010409053525/http://riptrack.iwarp.com/tools.html

 

I don't know if all the resources are there any more as its a 15 years old site. In its day it was the most useful; site for map making in RTII

[ConFuZed_tYcoon]

For all of the maps I've worked on, I started with an existing map/scenario, saved it under a new name, and then altered it using the in-game editor.

 

Yes I have realized in looking through all of the user-created maps that this is the most common strategy. This is why I was wondering if a gray-scale map is easy to create, in high hopes of maybe creating some maps not already seen in the campaign. But thanks for the info!

 

@Silverback

Thank you for the website, this is thus far the most valuable site I've come across for building a map in RRT2. Good ol' archives.