Maps

[lordrahl]

I have created a large worldspace, and i have used a program called tes4qlod to generate lod textures. It also will generate a normal map and a textured map, but all the files are in bmp format. I convert the map itself into dds format but do all the files in the normal map have to be dds as werll? Also i have used every tutorial i can find on maps, and no matter what i do i cant get a map to show up in game. By the way im using vista. Please help!

[TheImperialDragon]

Do you mean the world map? This might have the information you're looking for:

Silgrad Towers guide for an in-game map.

I'm not quite sure what to say about the normal maps. The world map usually only needs the DDS image you want displayed when you open the menu map.

[GoatsOnABoat]

do all the files in the normal map have to be dds as werll?

the answer to that is yes.

here's how it goes down:

You'll have your texture file, which (in this example) will be named "HRShovinStuff.DDS"

If you want a normal map for it, it would be named "HRShovinStuff_n.DDS"

so if the program you're using doesn't name your normal maps that way, you'll probably have to do it yourself.

[lordrahl]

I have dds and -n.dds but the natural path in vista for maps is in Data/Textures/Maps. i created a Map folder in the Menu folder and then a World folder and then put my world map in there and it only shows up as a little green square up in the left corner in the game. Not sure what to do or what im doing wrong!

[Lady Nerevar]

first of all, the path should be Data/Textures/Menus/Map/World. to get a custom map all you have to do is change the menus from lowercase to capital (menus -> Menus)

[lordrahl]

I mean no disrespect but as i stated twice already i know what the path is supposed to be but it isnt working, I also know that the map has to be in dds format and it is. And I have followed all directions to a T. I am not a noob to modding, i am new to map making. I am using Windows Vista and the path is different.I appreciate the responses, but the obvious answers arent working!

[Lady Nerevar]

It could be that your folder is hidden or somehow protected, i know Vista has problems with that. the fact that your filepath is different makes me suspect this. the map is suppose to be saved in DTX1 compression and doesnt have a normal map.

sorry if thats obvious again, im just going through everything i can think of hrug:

[TheImperialDragon]

That green square sounds interesting... Does the map texture you're using have mipmaps? Mipmaps are smaller versions of the main image, saved in the image but in separate invisible layers. If you generated the texture in the CS, I think it would have had mipmaps generated along with it. I don't think maps (menu maps, that is ) are supposed to have them, so you might want to try deleting them and see if that helps. It could be that the game is looking at one of the mipmaps instead of the main image, and thus the small green square.

As for the folder paths... unless you unpacked your BSA, it could be that that folder path is from another mod. hrug: I can't say for certain though because I don't have Vista.

[lordrahl]

As a matter of fact it does have mipmaps. I will see what happens without mipmaps. Thanks for the help!

Edit 2008.09.05, 01:32 C.E.T.:
Lady Nerevar, thanks for you help as well, i hope i did not offend you as that was not my intention. I figured out the problem with it not showing in the game, it was the usable dimesions! So now i have the map showing in the game but no map markers or anything else shows up just the map. Any suggestions?

[Lady Nerevar]

im not in the least offended, just trying to help =)

i really have no idea on the latest question hrug: i guess make sure that you have placed map markers and enabled them from the beginning.