How to Customize In-Game Mini-Maps
To see a result of this tutorial, please scroll down.
This spoiler is about an important notice before reading the tutorial.
Any text with this underline is very important and shouldn't be missed out in the wall of text.
Any text with Italic is a tool you can find in HiveWorkShop, Google, or WC3Campaigns.
Adobe Photoshop is just paid tool. Find a tool that can save a TGA image file.
WC3 Image Extractor II can open BLP and TGA and save as BLP, TGA and JPG.
Any text with Italic is a tool you can find in HiveWorkShop, Google, or WC3Campaigns.
Adobe Photoshop is just paid tool. Find a tool that can save a TGA image file.
WC3 Image Extractor II can open BLP and TGA and save as BLP, TGA and JPG.
The Steps
First
You start off by finding an image. For example, I wanted to make my mini-map more than just dots and bits. So, I got this image as my mini-map.
Second
I cropped it out, spiced it up and made its dimensions 256x256 using Adobe Photoshop and ended up with this.
Third
Once I'm finished with my image, I saved it as TGA with 24 bits and no compression.
Fourth
After saving it, I ran WC3 Image Extractor II, opened the TGA file, and saved it as a BLP with 50-100% quality. (75 is the best number for quality/size ratio.)
Fifth
I opened my editor and imported the converted file. You have to name it war3mapMap.blp with no spaces and with correct capitalizations.
Ending Speech
After that, you should be able to play with that mini-map. It works like any other mini-map, like fog darkening and pinging. Just make SURE that if you're going to use the mini-map as a map, like what I did, you have it proportionally correct, so you don't end up having a ground unit looked like its on the sea in the mini-map.
Product
Advice
Making a edited mini-map needs to be proportionally correct. It's practically easy. The larger the image you use for First Step, the better.
Important Tips
You can also edit your normal mini-map by going to World Editor > File > Export Minimap...
If you want to make the whole mini-map black with no information at all, just use a blank TXT file and follow the import process.
Anything less than or more than 256x256 as the size image gives a Fatal Error.
People's screens are different in size. Make sure that your text is big enough for most types of screens.
I try not to use 16 bits because it's not so stable as 24 bits. 32 bits is also like 16 bits but increases file size too. You barely see difference in any of those numbers anyway.
If you want to make the whole mini-map black with no information at all, just use a blank TXT file and follow the import process.
Anything less than or more than 256x256 as the size image gives a Fatal Error.
People's screens are different in size. Make sure that your text is big enough for most types of screens.
I try not to use 16 bits because it's not so stable as 24 bits. 32 bits is also like 16 bits but increases file size too. You barely see difference in any of those numbers anyway.
Links for Tools
FSResizer is a great tool if you don't have Photoshop to save an image as TGA. You'll still need WC3 Image Extractor II to save TGA as BLP. You can't edit images with this though.
WC3 Image Extractor can convert TGA into BLP. You'll need this.
WC3 Image Extractor can convert TGA into BLP. You'll need this.