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[WxTech]

To help with making map_T, here's an RGB guide that makes for a handy picker for the RGB value you want to paint on the texture. I got this years ago, from where I forget.

Be aware that whatever software you're using to create map_T, it must properly handle the gray scale values. My free Photoshop has a problem, where some values are skipped over. (I did have a workaround several years ago, but after re-installing PS on my new computer, I can't seem to get this sorted.)


https://www.mediafire.com/file/1dylgj8gw0f50wb/RGB_Guide.7z/file

The best way to get to grips with map_T is to scrutinize maps made by others. If you use the software's color picker (with selectivity at the most stringent, and not contiguous) on a well made and 'busy' map, you'll see the patterns of how landscape textures are laid out. Realizing a good appearance without tiling jumping out at you is an art.

Roads and railways will have an RGB value that depends on the RGB value of the landscape texture you want it sitting atop. I've not figured this out, and sometimes have to go with trial and error. But you could look at existing maps to see what these are, and take notes.

Deciding how many texture slots to allocate to certain elements is a balancing act to be sure. You'll realize just how restricted we are, and hence how precious is every slot! If you're modeling a section of the city planet Coruscant, you could of course use all available slots for city textures. But here on Earth, the landscape must not be overlooked! 

[Atoka220]

Yes, I've studied some well made mod maps and so the secret is RGB picker
Thank you again Glenn

This might make it much easier to get some mountains done quickly with all their forests and rocky peaks

And about curvy roads
There are some beautiful maps that include curvy roads
Are those just road objects placed on the map? I checked their map_T and the road network looks the same sharp-turn-long-straight-section as on stock maps

As for textures
So we have to live with only 4 textures for every set eh?

I did an experiment and made a quick screenshot texture of Nyíregyháza and applied it in its suspected location on the map (the topography looks spot on so I might have just nailed it with bare eyes (i have great map memory))
I started putting down some lookalike panel blocks and road objects but regarding the limitations of textures, I guess I'll have to later change it to some more generic and apply it, or some other texture under the city


I also put it in like this:
City0    = land/summer/nyiregy.tga   ,-2
That ,-2 seems to make it 2 times bigger ingame judging by the city's dimensions, am i right?

[WxTech]

The curved roads are indeed objects you have to place. Try to keep the ground they're sitting on from having too-large elevation changes in a varying way (no large undulations or discontinuities at small scale.) Else you'll have road segment ends hanging in the air.

There's no requirement to put, e.g., city textures only in the City0 to City3 slots. You could put some or all city textures in any other slots. You can mix 'em up. No limits. Except of course for the 'special ones for, e.g., Water.

Indeed, the appended number after a texture name is a scaling factor. I think the limit is in the range -4 to 4, in powers of two. That is, -4, -2, 0, 2, 4. I may be wrong at one end, where the limiting value is 2 instead of 4. Easy to verify by experiment.

I must clarify that I'm no map making guru! You're soon gonna surpass me, believe it.

[Atoka220]

You still know more than me

Meanwhile I encountered another problem
When looking for objects, I press enter and scroll with page up and down and change category/pack with home and end, since they are invisible in the object viewer so it also renders the new object browser useless
But after a while many buildings fail to show up and I have to restart the game, meaning I have to copy the saved new files from the maps\map_name folder to the mods\mapmods\map_name folder and restart the game and voila, they are there
 

[sniperton]

Atoka, I really don't want to multiply your problems, so please feel free to ignore my remark, but please check the area of the Tisza-lake on old maps, because the 'lake', as it exists now, is the creation of the 1970s when a dam was built at Tiszalök and the shallow basin to the North was filled up with water in the next decades.
The railway bridge over the Tisza between Poroszló and Tiszafüred is fine for 1944 (it was bombed by both the VVS and the USAAF), but the rest to the South down to Abádszalók and Tiszafüred was more like a river with swamps nearby, rather than flat water.
If you can't find old maps, you can still rely on new maps showing the winter state of the lake, when water niveau is lowered considerably (-1.5 m) to prevent ice-flow. Or simply draw the line of the Tisza as seen here https://map.hu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/5275_tisza-to_egyben_small-scaled.jpg and fill the regions marked as "medence" with swamp terrain.

[Atoka220]

Yes, and I'm making a modern version of the carpathian basin as of the 2020's
If it turns out good and I decide to make a ww2 version, that's gonna take a lot of research

And on the tisza lake, it's 60 to 80km south of Tiszalök as the crow flies (we're just about to visit the Tiszalök plant with my gf lol)
The lake was formed by the Kisköre dam aka Tisza dam to ensure an even water flow for the hydroelectric plant and to also ensure high water level for the then just built thermal plant at Tiszaújváros. But apart from that, you are right and thanks for reminding me

Recurring to a ww2 version, the biggest work would be finding accurate maps and/or good quality aerial photos of cities
My plan would be to include Budapest too and make a kind of continuation of the Balaton map towards the east. That would need notable buildings and landmarks to be made from scratch (that I'll also need for this modern map so I guess I'll have to learn building and importing objects into il-2, and that would take me a lot of time to at least get to know the basics)

[sniperton]

And on the tisza lake, it's 60 to 80km south of Tiszalök as the crow flies (we're just about to visit the Tiszalök plant with my gf lol)
The lake was formed by the Kisköre dam aka Tisza dam to ensure an even water flow for the hydroelectric plant and to also ensure high water level for the then just built thermal plant at Tiszaújváros. But apart from that, you are right and thanks for reminding me

Uuups, sorry, my bad, I meant Kisköre of course, dunno why I wrote Tiszalök. A post-COVID symptom, maybe? 

[Chrival]

In order to draw map_T easily you may have a look at this:
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,62054.0.html

[Atoka220]

So after having a break on the long weekend (hungarian national day), I've finally checked the map ingame

Now a problem I encountered is the rivers look ugly staggered as if the actual water texture is visible from map_T



This is what it looks like in the builder

(well it still looks kinda staggered)

I used the RGB code for the water that doesn't have shallow water textures and foams on map_T (I can't recall it now)
What I did:
Created Mymap_c with a little blur around the rivers to let them have banks
Created map_c
Aligned coast of map_h with Mymap_c using the coast align tool
Created map_T with no blur to rivers whatsoever

I checked other mod maps too and neither do they have blurred rivers on map_T

On the other hand I instantly recognized the view from a mountain we hiked on last summer


Although the screenshot was taken from a peak a little more towards west as I took it by pure memory


This is just a great feedback of how Microdem actually managed to pull off topography quite well

[WxTech]

Map_t.tga must never have blur applied, for any element. The pixels must be hard-edged, and of a specific tone (RGB value) in order to precisely set the terrain texture.

The river/coast land tiling should/could never exactly conform to map_c.tga because of the 4X difference difference in pixel pitch.

For narrower rivers, how about using all grey values in map_c.tga which will have the shallows texture filling the river, from bank to bank? This would eliminate the 'stair-stepping' at the transition along the edge of the shallow part.