Guide to the ETW map

[PietroMicca]

take a look to the file I have attached in my previous post

there are 3 sheets called level 1, level 2 and level 3

in these sheets there are RGB colors in html code placed exactly where it should be placed in the 3 png files I have attached in this post

notice:I have use now hex entries as RGBA so I have cut the last hex values (alpha channel). Result could be graphically different form Madagascar, but similar in meaning (I have to do again hex maps for Madagascar). Notice also that sometimes you will find cells with only 5 types. It should be always 6, but in some case excel can't accept 0 as first type. So when you meet a entry like 10101, in html become 010101

Madagascar could be impassable because there's a blocked mountain area.

And now I have also attached a file that explain almost completely header of grid_data (i2_ary and u2_ary explained)

[roy_d_merkel]

take a look to the file I have attached in my previous post

there are 3 sheets called level 1, level 2 and level 3

in these sheets there are RGB colors in html code placed exactly where it should be placed in the 3 png files I have attached in this post

notice:I have use now hex entries as RGBA so I have cut the last hex values (alpha channel). Result could be graphically different form Madagascar, but similar in meaning (I have to do again hex maps for Madagascar). Notice also that sometimes you will find cells with only 5 types. It should be always 6, but in some case excel can't accept 0 as first type. So when you meet a entry like 10101, in html become 010101

Madagascar could be impassable because there's a blocked mountain area.

And now I have also attached a file attached a file that explain almost completely header of grid_data (i2_ary and u2_ary explained)

I appologize, but could I get the 3rd color map super imposed over the region like you did earlier. Because it looks to me like the blobs vagely represent something. I'm gessing white means can't move, but I'm not sure what the other colors could mean. I'm guessing black is most movement and white is least, but I'm not 100% sure of that.

[roy_d_merkel]

I appologize, but could I get the 3rd color map super imposed over the region like you did earlier. Because it looks to me like the blobs vagely represent something. I'm gessing white means can't move, but I'm not sure what the other colors could mean. I'm guessing black is most movement and white is least, but I'm not 100% sure of that.

Here is another possibility that is less likely, what if the colors corresponded to some kind of terraign table where white is water, black is a transition point, and purple is forest or unpassible forest?

[uanime5]

take a look to the file I have attached in my previous post

there are 3 sheets called level 1, level 2 and level 3

in these sheets there are RGB colors in html code placed exactly where it should be placed in the 3 png files I have attached in this post

notice:I have use now hex entries as RGBA so I have cut the last hex values (alpha channel). Result could be graphically different form Madagascar, but similar in meaning (I have to do again hex maps for Madagascar). Notice also that sometimes you will find cells with only 5 types. It should be always 6, but in some case excel can't accept 0 as first type. So when you meet a entry like 10101, in html become 010101

Madagascar could be impassable because there's a blocked mountain area.

And now I have also attached a file that explain almost completely header of grid_data (i2_ary and u2_ary explained)

I just read the attached xml. Congratulations in figuring out what the u2, u2z_ary, and u2_ary represent. Could the u2_ary be a list of how the regions are connected to each other?

I found a way to greatly speed up making these maps. Basically I use the Fill Color in Excel to change the colour of the cells to a colour similar to the hexcode. This is less accurate as one colour is used rather than a variety of similar colours but it is much faster. Also the scale also isn't correct.


Here are the results.

In map 1 the land and sea had a very similar colour so it was difficult to decide which cells should be which colour. There were 5 blue cells and 2 red ones. As the blue areas are always near the coast they may represent ports, while the red ones could be towns or cities.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The land and sea were also a similar colour in Map 2. There were 5 green areas which were all next to the location of the 5 blue areas in map 1. If the green areas represent ports then map 1 could be land building while map 2 could be seas buildings, as a port would be on both because it's on land and sea.

Also the light blue and pink areas in map 2 correspond to the green areas in map 1. It's possible that these areas are where units can board a ship.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In Map 3 all the colours were very similar so I made a second version where each hexcode has a different colour. The colours in the second are not accurate.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[PietroMicca]

I just read the attached xml. Congratulations in figuring out what the u2, u2z_ary, and u2_ary represent. Could the u2_ary be a list of how the regions are connected to each other?

It is exactly this. Now taw (following my hints) is working on better way to convert u2_ary. But there's a little problem: the full meaning of numbers (region position) is contained in another esf file (regions.esf).

[PietroMicca]

first of of all last images attached are to be colored
so white is nothing
I only posted empty or partially empty grids to get help by uanime
there aren't white cells

[Flikitos]

Hi PietroMicca!

I tried the height_map you sent, it is more realistic but there is some creepy things about that...

First of all the new height map is not at all adapted to the game, the Alpine mountains are not enough high (I guess CA putted a limit for the size of the elevation). It seems to be like a plateau and not really like mountains:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Also about some rivers, there is a problem they do not follow the same elevation as the ground one, here the example in Spain, there is a whole showing the sea under the ground but there is no river..

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Finally there is also some bug with some buildingwhich are too elevated.

I think a mix of the vanilla's height map and the new one could be possible. I will try to do it this afternoon.

I will keep you informed.

[PietroMicca]

I know there are problem with my height_map, but I have done it for two reasons. A global height_map is possible without huge problems. The second reasons is I can't see Alps as tall as Himalayas and other unrealistic situations. Anyway problem with buildings, rivers is not a real problem. I can make areas covers by rivers and all buildings flat easily. This was a try to draw mountains where are not present now. So finally this is not a try to have a more realistic map for the present game (so is not adapted), but a new height_map for a far future. And at last I did supposed that CA putted a limit for the size of the elevation, but if you generate (using real data) an height_map with Alps as upper bound you will have a much larger portion of America and India covered by mountains. So vanilla height_map is more an artist job, than a way to depict reality. I know anyway that I have to work on my upper bound.

[PietroMicca]

I upload a rar for uanime with all hex maps spreadsheet.

PS: I have found a way to do it also using an html table. This is level 1 for India. Could we say "green" for impassable areas?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[roy_d_merkel]

so I went ahead and exported the stuff using taw's tool, and I was curious what the path was to the .xml file containing the mystery color information (green most likely is passibility)? I was hopeing to go ahead and try to change the ones in the himilayas to non-green to see if that would allow walking through that region.

[PietroMicca]

india level 2

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

differences?

[uanime5]

Good idea using html PietroMicca. It's quicker and more accurate than manually colouring in an image.

In map 1 green is probably impassible areas; such as mountains, rivers, and impassible coasts. The grey areas are forests, possibly impassible forests.

The red and blue areas in map 2 can't be ports because they appear in land locked regions. It's like the pink, red, and blue areas also represent impassible areas. Maybe pink if for impassible, while blue and red are land bridges.

So maps 1 and 2 are very similar and seem to tell ETW the same things. However neither contain any information regarding region boundaries or where cities/towns/ports/resources are located in land regions. It's possible map 3 will contain region boundaries.

[PietroMicca]

the 3rd level is only for empty cells. In not-empty cells hex level is replaced by pathfinding areas information.

[uanime5]

Okay then. I made the level 3 map for India. The empty cells seem to form the region boundaries.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I also made the maps for America. The main difference between map 1 and map 2 besides their colours is that map 1 has a bar of pixels at the top and map 2 has a bar of pixels at the bottom.

Map 1

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Map 2

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Map 3

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[PietroMicca]

just to show what I mean with 3rd level...

a combination of pathfinding areas and 3rd level information

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

notice: not only where is present pathfinding area there is a empty cell, but also the next cell is empty

[Flikitos]

Wow!! Would it be possible to modify thoselevel map and the pathfinding areas?

Is there anything you do not know yet about the campaign map?

You are great guys!

[uanime5]

I see, so we need to change the boundary information, rather than the hexcodes.

I just finished the European versions. One thing I noticed was that on the 3rd map the impassible areas, such as the Sahara desert, were darker than non-impassible areas.

Level 1

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Level 2

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Level 3

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[PietroMicca]

I see, so we need to change the boundary information, rather than the hexcodes.

Yes, and here real troubles start.

There's the old problem of flags: 0,1,2 and 3 entries that are not coordinates. I don't know if you have ever noticed that among taw's scripts there are two called paths_expand and paths_unexpand. Those 2 scripts split and rejoin u4_ary in pathfinding areas. Each split u4_ary draw a trait that composes an area. I know how grid_data manage areas, but apart this I know other few things. It is as if I could read but not write pathfinding. I can graphically translate pathfinding, but I don't know where insert these damned flags. About flags I know this: a trait not containing flags is a closed line (a geometrical figure completely contained in a cell). Flags are equals in number inside a theatre. For instance in America there are 8799 0 and then 8799 1, 8799 2 and 8799 3. In East Indies 646 0,1,2 and 3. This property is respected in all theaters.

And that's all.

[uanime5]

Yes, and here real troubles start.

There's the old problem of flags: 0,1,2 and 3 entries that are not coordinates. I don't know if you have ever noticed that among taw's scripts there are two called paths_expand and paths_unexpand. Those 2 scripts split and rejoin u4_ary in pathfinding areas. Each split u4_ary draw a trait that compound an area. I know how grid_data manage areas, but apart this I know other few things. It is as if I could read but not write pathfinding. I can graphically translate pathfinding, but I don't know where insert these damned flags. About flags I know this: a trait not containing flags is a closed line (a geometrical figure completely contained in a cell). Flags are equals in number inside a theatre. For instance in America there are 8799 0 and then 8799 1, 8799 2 and 8799 3. In East Indies 646 0,1,2 and 3. This property is respected in all theaters.

And that's all.

I know about the u4_ary as I figured out that it was a series of coordinates.

It's possible that there are 4 flags so the same flag won't have to be used twice in the same entry. Have you tried switching two flags to see if this causes a problem?

Do the closed lines correspond to settlements or impassible areas?

Could these flags represent blank cells?

[PietroMicca]

I know about the u4_ary as I figured out that it was a series of coordinates.

It's possible that there are 4 flags so the same flag won't have to be used twice in the same entry.

I have just discovered something like that. In 4 flags 0,1,2,3 can't be repeated. But it doesn't solved the problem. How many flags and where? We just know that total number of flags is a multiple of 4. Anyway is little step forward.

Have you tried switching two flags to see if this causes a problem?

No, nerver. Interesting advice. I have only tried to remove a flag. It crashes.

Do the closed lines correspond to settlements or impassible areas?

No. Closed lines generally compose ports and roads. But what is important to understand is that ports and streets are composed of several closed lines.

Could these flags represent blank cells?

Likely no. It seems rather that flags are used to connect segments.