Arbitrary image as map preview.

[NoQ]

Is it possible to allow using an arbitrary image as the map preview (instead of this automatically generated minimap)? The image is to be stored somewhere inside the .wz archive, and it is to be scaled to full-screen.

I was just thinking about how ugly and uninformative the map preview may sometimes be ... This is especially a problem on urban maps, where roads tend to be too crisp, and buildings are invisible.

[Per]

Perhaps we can improve the map preview instead? Please let us know how it should look, and we can try to accommodate.

[effigy]

I'm not sure what else hao has in mind, but I think it'd be nice to see oil resource locations, and have it look as nice as the in game mini-map.

[Safety0ff]

IF arbitrary images were allowed, then we wouldn't transfer them when downloading a map from another player (for obvious reasons.)

[Wolftrak]

IF arbitrary images were allowed, then we wouldn't transfer them when downloading a map from another player (for obvious reasons.)

Why not? As far as I understood, hao means that we need to put some kind of a "thumbnail" image inside in the archive,which will be used by the map preview.

[Mysteryem]

I always liked how BotmanGT's MapPrinter made it's 3D maps (textures with overlaying heightmap).
Yeah, the base icons are rubbish, but there's no way to use different ones (just pretend they're better)
(the images are at their max size, this is a 96x96 map, larger maps will produce larger images)

4cmountain3d50%mitchell.png

4cmountain3d50%box.png

The other way I often make the images for my maps is using editworld to export my map to a bitmap, which makes hilariously huge files but of brilliant quality. The image below is 25% of its original size.

[effigy]

Nice. Both of those options give a much more revealing, and insightful map preview.

[NoQ]

This urban chaos picture is great!
Anyway, i'll try to come up with a few simple solutions on improving the current preview.
In any case, i think that features should be shown on the minimap.

[Mysteryem]

You can also render the maps with features or buildings or both. Currently the buildings are teamcoloured when looking at the in-game preview, I think this is much better than making them all red as seen here.