Looking for a Map Editor

[Bluelake]

I found that Civ 5 may look too good for that purpose - you can't simply move the camera over the terrain and make screenshots, because speculars, water reflections, etc. keep changing and make merging the screenshots afterwards quite hard.

Do you have a couple of screenshots of that, so I can try to predict how much photoshop work that would mean?

[Tom]

Do you have a couple of screenshots of that, so I can try to predict how much photoshop work that would mean?

A lot. That's why I posted. You have water speculars always on the right side of the screen, fading gently towards nothing at the left. You either have to do a lot of stitching with small parts of the screen, or some other stuff. :-(

[Bluelake]

A lot. That's why I posted. You have water speculars always on the right side of the screen, fading gently towards nothing at the left. You either have to do a lot of stitching with small parts of the screen, or some other stuff. :-(

I'm not sure I know what you mean by that, but isn't it fixable by replacing the whole water body with a texture of our own? Or are they water speculars that float in air?

[Tom]

If you're going to replace entire parts of the map, you could draw your own to begin with, couldn't you?

It's more than enough work to put a map together. Adding extensive Photoshop work to the process will only make one thing certain: That it doesn't happen.

[Silverhawk]

I am not sure if this is what your looking for, but it might be something to take a look at, as it has a map editor I think. (It might also be thats it is not the graphics or look that your after)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elemental:_War_of_Magic

[Bluelake]

If you're going to replace entire parts of the map, you could draw your own to begin with, couldn't you?

It's more than enough work to put a map together. Adding extensive Photoshop work to the process will only make one thing certain: That it doesn't happen.

Maybe you're right, and having done this for years, I trust your opinion.

But the thing is, considering all elements a map must have (considering battlemaster), the water effects are really the minor part. The only parts of the maps in which what happens in the water is of significance are some sea routes, and they can easily be made as a mask over the water, with perhaps a boat drawn there.

Of course, the amount of photoshop work depends on how perfect you want water effects to be, but depending on the awesomeness of the map editor, I wouldn't mind water being solid blue, if that's what it takes.

------

On another approach to this problem, the large scale maps that show the whole world could be made as actual maps, different from the region(/duchy/realm?) views, which could have the artwork from the civ5 editor, because they could be done in a single screenshot.

------

Other than these, let's keep looking for a good map editor.

[fodder]

I am not sure if this is what your looking for, but it might be something to take a look at, as it has a map editor I think. (It might also be thats it is not the graphics or look that your after)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elemental:_War_of_Magic

tom didn't fancy that. wrong scale, apparently. it does have a 3d map editor.
thing with it... is that if you really zoom out.. you'll get a cloth map... heh.

---
it's got biggish squares too and i haven't figured out how to place buildings... XD

[Morningstar]

The older Civ Editors had the option to turn off animation, which eliminated the issue of moving water and the like (also helped with your older machines to be able to run it).  Do the newer editors not have the same option?  I mean, you'd have to screen shot while in the editor and stitch it together from those, but I doubt that's too unreasonable.

[Tom]

Hm, good idea. There's a console in Civ5 with lots of options. There could be options to turn off water reflections and stuff like that, which would solve most of the issues.

[Tom]

I've found that Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic, the 3rd part of the series, does a good job. It's not as far advanced as I'd like to (hey, it's from 2003), but I've not yet found anything better. Check out the BM:WI Facebook page for an example map made with it, and compare it to the current one.

Opinions?

[Zakilevo]

Ehh I didn't use AW2 because youu told me the cities were too big. If I can use it why the hell am I dealing with new programs! Maybe I should use it for the SM maps too.

[Tom]

Ehh I didn't use AW2 because youu told me the cities were too big. If I can use it why the hell am I dealing with new programs! Maybe I should use it for the SM maps too.

I'm not certain about AoW2 - Shadow Magic is AoW3. I just discovered it yesterday. :-)

[Zakilevo]

I'm not certain about AoW2 - Shadow Magic is AoW3. I just discovered it yesterday. :-)

Ehh AoW shadow magic is the expansion of AoW2....

[Tom]

Whatever. :-)

Yeah, it's not perfect. The maps will have to be bigger to compensate, but frankly, show me an alternative. I've been searching for one for what, five years or so?

[Zakilevo]

And I even suggested it some time ago You refused it haha. And now you ended up using it. It is a nice editor no doubt.