Problems testing new map - GIMP DDS settings?
 

Hi there!

I'm trying to create a new map (of the basic Freeport inn room, just so I learn how the process works), but I'm having problems testing it.

I've added the XML in _User_MapStyles.xml and I've copied the DDS file into the images/maps folder; however, after reloading the UI all I get in the mini-map is 'Map Unavailable'. I must have done something corrently because it no longer shows the 'Sorry!' message about no map having been created, but for some reason the map doesn't show up.

I have tried to follow the tutorial, but I don't have Photoshop so I've been using GIMP instead, with the following DDS plugin:
http://code.google.com/p/gimp-dds/
I wondered if I'd got the export settings wrong when saving my map image, because the settings in the GIMP DDS plugin don't match up with the Photoshop instructions in the tutorial.

Does anyone know what settings I should be using in the GIMP plugin?
Any other ideas about what might be going wrong?

Thanks!

I have no clue about the settings, but to test if its the dds, you could rename any other picture to test if it shows up ingame.

Yes, good idea - thanks for the suggestion. I've now tried that, using the basic Qeynos inn room to ensure it's a similar kind of map, and that worked.
That leaves me with the problem of working out why my DDS isn't working...
It seems to have messed up all my other maps too, so lots of them aren't showing properly any more.

Is there any logging or debug information I can get out? It feels as if I'm flying blind a bit.

One potential cause for the map not showing up would be if when were adding the XML to your user mapstyles it wasn't the right mapstyle name.

However, if the others aren't showing up you may have messed up the XML such that it is failing when parsed, which would cause the game to reject it and use the default UI instead (depending on the severity of the issue).

I solved it. It did turn out to be a problem with my DDS, so in case anyone has the same error in future here is the setting to use in GIMP when creating the DDS:
In the DDS save dialog, for Compression choose 'BC1 / DXT1'. I had to ensure that my image dimensions were multiples of 4 (as the EQ2Map tutorial says) before this would work.

It's a bit weird that having a problem with one of the DDS files for a map should break lots of other maps (I think it broke all maps which weren't included with the game, so Freeport was OK, for example, but zones for which you need EQ2Map weren't).

Thanks to those above who helped!
Now to create another thread containing my new map!