Tutorial How to Customize In-Game Mini-maps

[Vicboy]

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.

Spoiler

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.

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.

Spoiler

To easily view your map from a bird's eye view, go to Advanced then View Entire Map in World Editor

Second

I cropped it out, spiced it up and made its dimensions 256x256 using Adobe Photoshop and ended up with this.

Spoiler

256x256 is the required dimension. Anything other than that will cause a fatal error.

Third

Once I'm finished with my image, I saved it as TGA with 24 bits and no compression.

Spoiler

This can be found in Adobe Photoshop when saving it as a TGA. Any other photoshop/image converter SHOULD have this option if they have TGA format.

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.)

Spoiler

75% is the best option.

Fifth

I opened my editor and imported the converted file. You have to name it war3mapMap.blp with no spaces and with correct capitalizations.

Spoiler

Did you know that you'd be subtracting about 15 kb from the map plus that because you replaced the usual mini-map with your custom one.

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

Spoiler

Do you notice that everything is still there? Like fogging effects and camera position. Make sure that if you recreate the mini-map's map, that you make it accurate as possible.

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

Spoiler

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.

Links for Tools

Spoiler

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.

 

[WolfieeifloW]

Isn't there a special file needed to change the minimap?
Or is that loading screens?

You should link all the tools needed (That can be downloaded for free).
And this is more like a Snippet, not really a tutorial.
Pretty good job I guess though!

 

[Vicboy]

Isn't there a special file needed to change the minimap?
Or is that loading screens?

You should link all the tools needed (That can be downloaded for free).
And this is more like a Snippet, not really a tutorial.
Pretty good job I guess though!

No need for an MDX file. That's for a loading screen.

Google is your friend.

 

[TriggerHappy]

Google is your friend.

Thats true, but in tutorials you should link the tools required...

 

[Romek]

MY COMMENTS FOR YOUR TUTORIAL:
QUIT THE CAPS AND SIZE ABUSE PLEASE





...And link to the required tools.

 

[Vicboy]

But that helps people navigate through the tutorial?

2x did I abuse the "caps"

4x did I abuse the "size"

 

[GetTriggerUnit-]

But that helps people navigate through the tutorial?

2x did I abuse the "caps"

4x did I abuse the "size"

This gonna be fun.

@Never gonna get aprooved if the tutorial's not like moderators want it to be.
Good luck in your cause.

 

[Vicboy]

This gonna be fun.

@Never gonna get aprooved if the tutorial's not like moderators want it to be.
Good luck in your cause.

I'm not a Jihad extremist who strictly sticks to what he believes.

I can change, but I can't help but question why those are actual problems for the moderator.

 

[GetTriggerUnit-]

Can cause, on certain persons, epyleptic crisis. The site doesn't want to be Purchased for $.

 

[Knight7770]

But that helps people navigate through the tutorial?

2x did I abuse the "caps"

4x did I abuse the "size"

There isn't that much to navigate. It's pretty linear; scrolling down helps me navigate it more than huge text with red coloring.

 

[Romek]

There's probably more text in an average post than there is in this tutorial anyway.
It just appears to be long because of the images.

As Knight said, the huge text is distracting.

 

[Vicboy]

There we go :]

I've been restricted to join my family for dinner in a restaurant because I had slippers. :]

 

[WolfieeifloW]

This still needs some serious formatting/layout .
Look at one of my threads;
Not saying mine are perfect, but they're good.

 

[Vicboy]

Is it any better?

 

[Vicboy]

Bump?

 

[WolfieeifloW]

Not everything needs to be in a spoiler;
Only large pictures.

And some of the pictures can be cropped so they're not humongous also.

EDIT: Does this work for maps as small as 32x32 and maps as large as something like 256x256?
What about something like 480x32?

 

[Tyman2007]

Well, In my opinion you should extend the tutorial a bit by adding in answers to common questions that may appear when someone views your tutorial.

"How do I know if it's accurate?"
"Where should I crop the map to make it accurate"
"How do I make it accurate?"
"How long does a good minimap take? You make this seem too easy to be true"

Those are just some questions that may or may not appear, It's always good to be safe. Also, say you knew NOTHING on the world editor whatsoever. Is this good enough for you to learn a lot off of.

Add text. If people don't like big walls of text then they shouldn't be looking for a tutorial.

If you think it's good to be brief, Don't make it too brief, Your leaving quite a bit of info.

"I zoomed out about #%"
"I cropped in # Pixels"
"I left out X and kept Y"

Just my opinion, But I can't leave my post with critisism without saying
"Good job for trying"

 

[Vicboy]

Does this work for maps as small as 32x32 and maps as large as something like 256x256?
What about something like 480x32?

Yeah, the BLP image should be 256x256. If the image is not square, just leave the open spaces: black or put some glitters on it.

And, TYMan, I'll keep that in mind.

 

[WolfieeifloW]

A 32x32 map stretched to 256x256 would look horrible, no?

 

[Vicboy]

A 32x32 map stretched to 256x256 would look horrible, no?

When I said 256x256, I meant pixels.