Made a map for Dire Hollow:Grim Tidings
 

I made my first map skeleton (see attached) for the new zone "Dire Hollow:Grim Tidings". Now that I have this, how do I make it into an actual map?

Resources
 

Here's a zip of the resources i used (logfile, svg file)

Kinda small :)

(JUST KIDDING!)

Looking good... hehe.

Smallness
 

Yeah, i wasn't sure how to make it any bigger. I just used the default technique with the mapper.xml.

1. Extract it as a larger png
2. Open my map template from the utilities section
3. Paste the png into it, center it, make it pretty
4. post the final result as a dds dxt1 1bit alpha
5. find the zonerect with my script in the utilities section
6. post the zonerect, we will fine tune it



how to do 1.
in inkscape:
1. file-export bitmap...
2. select drawing at the top in the new window
3. where it says bitmap size: change the width to something bigger than 436 (map parchment size) so you can shrink it. Shrinking retains more detail than enlarging one you are in Adobe Photoshop.

Next step
 

Ok, here we go. Let me know what else I should do.

1. color the floor.
2. make it drop a shadow.

-how do drop shadow only on outside

---copy the stuff behind the skeleton.
------to do this use the magic selector on the layer with the skeleton. Select the area INSIDE the skeleton. Change layer to the background. select copy.

---paste it as a new layer (we will call this layer shadowlayer), under the skeleton. It should look like there is no difference at all.
---drop a shadow on shadowlayer. since you have the floor colored, you should only see the outer shadow of shadowlayer, while the inner shadow is being covered by the floor.

----suggested shadow settings:
in order to get the shadow to show all the way around like in most of our maps, you have to set distance to 0. the other two values are free to tweak with to make your map look as good as possible.

you can take out my name in the top left and put yours. thats the reason its there :) just select the layer with adobe, then select the text tool. then click on my name and start typing

same with the watermark in the background.

or just set the blending options of the layer style to outside glow :)

3rd Step
 

Ok guys, is this what you had in mind? Is there a preferred floor color?

looks good to me, now just add the lakes back in :)

if you make some pattern overlays it would look kewl too. Make the opacity like 4% and it will make the grey look like dirt, and the blue like water:)

No Lakes
 

That was my bad, they weren't lakes but actually hidden rooms behind breakable walls, that's why i took em out.

Pattern Overlays
 

I can't seem to figure out how to change the default "bubbly" pattern overlay. In addition, when I make the pattern overlay opacity 4%, the dropshadow is likewise reduced in opacity. Barring any other suggestions, I think the DDS I posted is ready for use. Would love any other stylistic suggestions.

Side Note
 

By the way, the "Dire Hollow" zone has two versions, a solo instance "Dire Hollow:Grim Tidings" and another (name unknown). The POI's are different for both but the map is the same.

if you are using photoshop the layer opacity can be set in the layers window, i believe F7 opens/closes it.
to change the pattern, after setting the fill to pattern click the little arrow pointing down to open the pattern selection thing and then if you click the arrow that points to the right in the little window that opened it will let you change between the pattern "sets". you can also define your own patterns by choosing edit -> define pattern. it can be a selection you made or the whole image.

after entering this zone, what is the last file changed under
eq2folder\cached\ioplans?
this will help me find the internal zone name :) thanks

Probable contender
 

I think it is nektulos+nektulos_mini02.iop

ok its added. Just need to input the zonerect. You should have it in game with no arrow.

Can't get back in and check
 

Hi guys,

Thanks for posting the map. I unfortunately can't get back into the zone so I can't check if it works.