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Hantacore 16 Sep, 2017 @ 7:53am
HowTo : make old format islands (first editor version i think) work in current version (advanced)
Hi all here's a little how-to on how to make old maps work with the new engine (i did a lot of try and die...)

You'll need your files from the old map (OBJECT.map and HEIGHT.map)

Here we go

0 - Create a dummy map

Create an empty dummy map in the editor which we will use as a base for the import

1 - Get the heightmap working

- download FIDJI (http://imagej.net/Fiji)
- import the old HEIGHT.map file with these settings (FILE / IMPORT / RAW...)

http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1136479707

- flip the heightmap vertically
- select and crop an area with these dimensions :

x = 76 / y = 180 / width = 257 / height = 257

=> if you happen to find better dimensions, just let me know

http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1136481141

Crop the image

Save the result in the Heightmaps directory of the editor

(beware of the byte order, see the appropriate tutorial :
EDIT / OPTIONS / INPUT/OUTPUT/ check Save TIFF and RAW in Intel byte order)

2 - Import the heightmap

Open the editor, edit the dummy map you previously created, and generate your map using the newly created heightmap file, you should see the profile of your old island appear.

i'm aware that the area is not 100% covered but it's the best i could get

3 - Get the objects back

Copy the original OBJECT.map file ine your dummy map folder (the map ids will be different, so it won't work (unless you rename the object file to the dummy map guid, which you can do but you'd have to replace every single object by hand on the map, luckily you won't have to do it, as i created a little tool to help you with that

4 - Adjust objects placements

Download my placement tool. It works with .net 4.0, so you'll need to have the framework installed, this should'nt be much of a problem

Here's the link

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9jnvTKDtkUfYkJDMGdNa3lPLWc

Here's how the UI works :

http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1136489619

- /!\ exit the editor /!\
- launch the tool
- select the path to the old OBJECT.map file (the one from your old map)
- select the path to the new OBJECT.map file (the one from the dummy map)
- click on "move items"
- you should see a log appearing in the textbox on the right

Close everything and open the editor, your objects should appear.

You may adjust slightly the placement to restore the perfect position, i have to put z to 50.1 on some maps

Have fun, and i'd be happy to hear any feedback

Hanta
Last edited by Hantacore; 16 Sep, 2017 @ 8:16am
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TouriStarr 16 Sep, 2017 @ 10:56am 
Hi Hanta! Great job, as far as I can tell. :)

If I understand it correctly, (sry, I didn't tried it yet) you are relocating the objects down to the new heightmap size of 257x257.

Secondly, if I recall correctly, it was possible to open the old maps, and the heightmap would get down-scaled by the in-game editor. (That would be the step 1 and 2 in your tutorial, right?)

In this old example you can see the heightmaps are downscaled from 513x513 to 257x257, and they are still aligned to each other.
http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=780053429
So, we have now world-tiles with a 513x513 size and island-maps with a 257x257 size, and the empty space between them.
The reduced heightmap is a real issues for me, quality-wise and because of the gaps between the world-tiles.
A workaround for the reduced heightmap resolution would have been to combine tiles to be able to create nice terrain details, but that possibility has been taken away, by the way they have 'optimized' the maps.
If you ever figure out how to workaround their 'optimization' and find out a way to combine island tiles, that would be really great!

Anyway, I like your project! Keep it up, cheers!
Last edited by TouriStarr; 16 Sep, 2017 @ 10:58am
#1
Hantacore 17 Sep, 2017 @ 7:27am 
Well, it looks like the new heightmaps are now 257x257, and you cannot have as much details or surface as islands had before.

Since I did not work a lot on islands between the first editor and current version, i'm not sur about if there have been intermediate formats

What's clear is that the 257x257 heightmap does not cover the whole area, as shown on this screenshot :

http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1137423739

See the "deep sea" areas around the central heightmap (which is 257x257)
#2
TouriStarr 17 Sep, 2017 @ 7:37am 
Originally posted by Hantacore:
Well, it looks like the new heightmaps are now 257x257, and you cannot have as much details or surface as islands had before.

Since I did not work a lot on islands between the first editor and current version, i'm not sur about if there have been intermediate formats

What's clear is that the 257x257 heightmap does not cover the whole area, as shown on this screenshot :

http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1137423739

See the "deep sea" areas around the central heightmap (which is 257x257)

I know...
Originally posted by TouriStarr:
...
So, we have now world-tiles with a 513x513 size and island-maps with a 257x257 size, and the empty space between them.
...and it's since v0.17 that way.
And I think these gaps are still no deep sea biomes, they are just bottom less.
Whatever, Beamteam screwed the world map big time for me.
Last edited by TouriStarr; 17 Sep, 2017 @ 7:38am
#3
Hantacore 17 Sep, 2017 @ 12:45pm 
Originally posted by TouriStarr:
Hi Hanta! Great job, as far as I can tell. :)

If I understand it correctly, (sry, I didn't tried it yet) you are relocating the objects down to the new heightmap size of 257x257.

Secondly, if I recall correctly, it was possible to open the old maps, and the heightmap would get down-scaled by the in-game editor. (That would be the step 1 and 2 in your tutorial, right?)

First, i could not open my old maps, i think the version gap was too important, that's why i had to do all that stuff

Well basically, it seems that between the old version (at the time i created my maps) and now, the referential point of origin for objects has changed, so i did not want to move every object by hand, this program allows to translate multiple objects at a time, it does no magic :)

practical answer to "relocating the objects down to the new heightmap size" is "not really" i do not shrink the whole map, but rather just add or remove a value to the x/y/z of the objects. Any other manipulation would be possible but i do not intend to rewrite the whole editor lol

Originally posted by TouriStarr:
Anyway, I like your project! Keep it up, cheers!

Tx, it was fun to create actually, i had not written code for a long time



but that makes me think, would it be possible to use Fidji to make a HEIGHT.map file larger than 257x257 and see if the heightmap extends to the edges of the area? maybe you have tried that already...
#4
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Date Posted: 16 Sep, 2017 @ 7:53am
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