H5 Editor problems

[Sarvi]

Doea anyone know why the H5 Map Editor sometimes won't allow you to save your map? I suspect it detects an error somewhere which I can't see. It seems to remember an error even after you've corrected it!

Another thing: The problem with including your own PWL picture (editor bug) still not fixed in HoF version.
How do you use the bewildering array of inbuilt "textures" for PWL pictures - is there a way to preview what you get?

[myythryyn]

Doea anyone know why the H5 Map Editor sometimes won't allow you to save your map? I suspect it detects an error somewhere which I can't see. It seems to remember an error even after you've corrected it!

Another thing: The problem with including your own PWL picture (editor bug) still not fixed in HoF version.
How do you use the bewildering array of inbuilt "textures" for PWL pictures - is there a way to preview what you get?

the map editor is an unstable, buggy POS(piece of software)

ive had the editor say its saved my file, only to load the map again and find out that it did not save anything.
ive had the editor crash while saving, loosing all the work ive done.
it also just randomly crashes sometimes.
its very unreliable.
i would always keep a word document copy of all your script. just before i save my map, i copy and paste all the script, so i have a backup.
of course, this doesnt help with any lost terrain work, so make sure you save very often so if the editor decides to act up, you dont loose much at least.
and keep a couple saved versions of your map so you can backtrack to a previous version in case an error is found.
the editor has on occasion created corrupted saved files too, if i didnt have multiple saved files i would have lost my map entirely.

here is a post about setting PWL files, im not aware of any changes with HOF, and the only way to preview your image is to load the map.

viewtopic.php?t=4191

[Sarvi]

viewtopic.php?t=4191[/quote]

Despite all the problems you've created some beautiful maps! I remember particularly Battle for Androna which, on hard level, gave me hours of entertainment!
I'm also impressed with the editor's possibilities, though I'm still on a steep learning curve....

[JagoBC]

Can anyone point me to a usermade map where this PWL business has worked? I think I followed the instructions to the letter, but all I got for my work was my pic showing up in the upperleft corner (at 1/6 size) of the screen and then "Smearing" pretty colors across the remainder of the screen. AND my map file size was more than 10 times as large with the huge PWL pic saved inside it! I, naturally, decided against it and removed the pic. But I would love to have the chance to study someone else's successful results.

Thanks.

[myythryyn]

about PWL files, here is a post describing the process of makinga loadscreen PWL file

viewtopic.php?t=4191

if you want a map to study, dowload my latest map, Lord Garrick Stahlrad, on the news page of celestial heavens, look in the map file with winrar, winzip, and copy and paste the file loadscreen.xdb.

<DestName href="/loadscreen.dds"/>

this is the only line youll need to change with whatever name you gave your fle.

[JagoBC]

Yeah, that looks exactly the same as when I tried it. Your picture is only in the upperleft corner of the screen and then bleeds color trails to the right and downward. Is it possible to post a screenshot on this forum? Then I could show you what I see. I'd like to know if that is the same for everyone or some weird glitch with my monitor...

[myythryyn]

hmmm, well you might have the same....bug? that i have.

before i installed HOF, all my PWL load files looked fine.

then i installed HOF, and ever since then, all my pics look exactly as you described.
i thought it was my file, so i sent the map to someone to take a look at.
they reported that there was nothign wrong with the picture.
my map has been out for weeks too, and so far no one has said anything.
i also downloaded another user made map, same thing, funny loadscreen. so its not just my maps/files.

so as far as i can tell, PWL loadscreen files only look funny on my computer, and now i guess yours too
so i just accept that the files look funny on my PC, and that they look ok on everyone elses computer, since i have no idea what to do to fix it.

[JagoBC]

Of course the most distressing possibility is that it actually looks that way on everybody's computers but we have all grown so accustomed to this game's little glitches that no one thought to mention it...

[Pitsu]

Since all images are OK in my comp (no HoF) I have hard time testing the glitch. But I had a similiar issue with the large message box mod and it got solved. The reason was that dds files can be compressed in different ways, and by default most converters take the wrong method. You can download the conventer that i linked here, and make sure that you do not have any mipmaps on your dds (when converting see what is under the options button). I just had a look at Myythryyn's Lord Stahlrad, and its PWL has mipmaps > 1, suggesting that some graphics drivers show it in reduced size.
Can someone with the glitch and converter test this theory?

[myythryyn]

interesting, thxs for sending me that file Pitsu.

it actually looks quite nice, i might consider keeping it
the PWL file you sent looks perfect, no graphics glich.

so the trick is to use the DDS converter you have provided a link to?
and then watch for the mipmap setting? mipmap should not be > 1?

im a little confused though, have you always used the converter you linked to? or have you only recentely started to use it?

the reason i ask is because one of the maps i tested after installing HOF was Ruins in the Desert, and its PWL file has a graphic glich on my system now. So just wondered if you used a different converter, or settings for that file.

[Pitsu]

I was not aware of the glitch for long time myself. Therefore in first instructions I did not pay any attention to it and Ruins in Desert possibly has an old type image as well (BTW, with Nival changing the TransformTown command in HoF, I am not sure how playable the map is.)
I have used several converters, but last times mainly the one that was linked (also changed the link in the sticky H5 tips topic) and Adobe Photoshop. Both allow *disabling* mipmaps. You can search for such option in your converter.

[Apocalypse]

I create thumbnail pictures perfectly
I use Adobe Photoshop and NVidia's DDS tools to export the file. You must not create mipmaps and the format should be 8:8:8:8!
Then you need to create a texture .xdb file for this and type in the format TF_8888. This is pretty much advanced for you if you haven't worked with textures for this game before, but I'm telling you it is NOT a bug because I CAN DO IT flawlessly. You just have to do it the right way.

Here's how a texture .xdb looks like:

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Texture>
	<SrcName href="/pic.tga"/>
	<DestName href="/pic.dds"/>
	<Type>TEXTURE_2D</Type>
	<ConversionType>CONVERT_TRANSPARENT</ConversionType>
	<AddrType>CLAMP</AddrType>
	<Format>TF_8888</Format>
	<Width>240</Width>
	<Height>180</Height>
	<MappingSize>0</MappingSize>
	<NMips>1</NMips>
	<Gain>0</Gain>
	<AverageColor>0</AverageColor>
	<InstantLoad>true</InstantLoad>
	<IsDXT>false</IsDXT>
	<FlipY>false</FlipY>
	<StandardExport>true</StandardExport>
	<UseS3TC>false</UseS3TC>
</Texture>

SrcName is useless, you can write whatever you want in there (the file can even be missing)
DestName is the name of the .dds file that you must create without mip maps and with the 8:8:8:8 format. Also, the size should be 240x180.
Leave the other parameters alone for now.

Then in the map .xdb file find the <thumbnailimages> section and add your texture .xdb there. Something like this:

Code: Select all

<thumbnailImages>
	<Item href="/pic.xdb#xpointer(/Texture)"/>
</thumbnailImages>

The above information is for thumbnail images, not for PWL pictures, but I think it is pretty much the same concept

[astral76minor]

I followed the directions using the 32-bit Photoshop and the DDS Nvidia plugin.

On this thread follow the exact directions. It works perfect on Heroes of Might and Magic: Tribes of the East with the latest patch.

I can do preview thumbnails (4 or more) and the map loading PWL screenshot flawlessly.

Thank you all.