EQ2 supports all formats (it's a directx api call anyway, isn't it?) but the file size is the reason. However, I looked at the PSD and the DDS side by side and I really didn't see an issue with it for the present map.

as suggested to me, 8.8.8.8 ARGB 32 pp | unsigned, seems to be great quality.
I used the photoshop plugin as well.

That's uncompressed format so no quality loss at all. Have been using that for some UI textures in the past, but I can assure you that we won't accept maps in that format - the present map would be 4.5 MB uncompressed. ;)

But if it doesn't need to be DDS why not use something like a PNG?

What he was saying is that EQ2 will read all formats of DDS (of which there are plenty), not that it would read all image file formats.

I think the current settings are reasonable. As much art as we put in the map, they're really for information, not to showcase our artistic talent.

Two reasons (apart from what SaintPeter said): First, the filesize of a PNG even at the maximum compression level would still be much too large. And more importantly, while PNG is theoretically supported by EQ2, I never found out which PNG settings you need to use (if any) to not crash the client with it.

DDS File
 

Yep you're right.

I think the quality is good enough.
SaintPeter has the original quality of the map.
It has much more resolution (about 3500x2400)
so much more detail. ;-)

But I think we should cut the crap ;-)
We have to make a trade off between superb
quality and download traffic. After all eq2mapper is
a free tool and it rocks!

Thanks again
for putting the map live!

Daria

PS.: The Photoshop plugin doesn't work (or i don't know how to make it work) with the old version of PaintShopPro. I had to use a different version and this one tells me that all the DDS Files need to be in a power of 2. (That is different to beeing dividable by 2) Otherwise the plugin will disable all compress 2d texture features -> and gm9 is right -> the uncompressed version is about 4 megs in size!

So that's why I originally though that and why all old dds files (including all old EQ2MAP maps images) are in a power of 2 format. Mystery solved (we were discussing it recently)! :nana: