Oxalic's Cool Map Effects (Final)

Oxalic's Cool Map Effects Final
The only thing this guide costs you is map space. (unless you want to donate, but I will only accept 1-5 points). This is just a tutorial and a guide. I will also make it work for you if I have to.

Updates:
-Finalized
-100k Loading Screen Tutorial
-Splash Screen Tutorial
-Better Grammar
-Highlighted sections (For ease of reading)
-This map should now be tested in-game
-In-game friendly for 11 people max
-File Explanation
-New Links section with links!
Custom Mini-Map Preview
Ok first know what this is, when you host at the top right you see a mini-map or a question mark that's the mini-map preview, also before starting the game you see this. You can do these two ways. You can have it as the in-game mini-map as well as the mini map preview the first way will only have it as a preview. Or you could change both and have them both different.

Way number 1.
This couldn't be any simple just download the file I'll attach change it however you want then, in the editor go to the Module tab. then Import Manager, then go to the File tab, then Import File. Import my file you modified delete the "war3mapImported\" part by double clicking the file and checking use custom file path.

Second way (For In-game Mini-Map)
This is just like the first way, but use my other attached file War3MapMap.tga and once edited just import follow same steps above. Tada it works.

Custom Loading Screen
Ok if you REALLY want one even though the size is really big like 3mb or something you can do this below. For my map I'm just going to "break it", you can choose any imported .mdx for the preview and it will turn the loader completely black.

I'll provide the 5 necessary files all you have to do is change them.

1. Create your own image with the dimensions of 72 dpi and 1024x768 (pixels). Or use a smaller image and black out the rest of the loading screen.

2. You will now need to divide the image into same size of the provided targas. Top quadrants (TR & TL) must be 512x512 (72dpi) and the bottom two quadrants (BR & BL) must be 256X512 (72dpi). Save the Targa (TGA) file as a 32-bit image. You'll need that option

3. Import all four files using the Import Manager in your TFT editor into your map. When you import the TGA files, you have to open up the file in the importer (modify file) and check the custom path button. Erase the "war3mapimported\" part of the path. Do that only on the targas the .mdx is ok how it is.

4. Go under Scenario -> Loading Screen and click the Use Imported File button - and your imported mdx should be listed and selected at that point. It should now work if you followed the steps.

Map Protection
This protector causes un-wanted user's world editor to crash when they try to open your map. It can also have a password to unlock or re-lock the map although you could have no password leaving it forever locked. A map must have! (Export the .zip in the map if it's broken rename it to the original name, but add .zip)

-Enjoy Oxalic's Cool Map Effects (come to oxalic for free help, files, and effects)

Good Help System
Just use triggers. You can go two ways.
1. Help System through "Quests Tab"
Or
2. Help system through triggering words like "help"

I suggest using "quests tab" it's the best way
Fast access no typing. It's easy to set up to.
Create a new trigger in this layout
Event - Map Init
Conditions - <leave this untouched>
Action - Quests Add a quest (required for left side, sub-quest for right side) Then for the quest name use your the title you want Help <something> system, or Credits. Description is the text when you click on it............ It's really simple........

When I was a noob I didn't know how to do it (didn't think it was triggered)

Custom Mini-map Pings
Note: DocaCola talked about this topic before me, but I like writing my own tutorials.

Notes: Ping2 and Ping5 are the trigger based pings not the players. Ping5 Rotates, but can be made black to do nothing, leaving ping2 as a still ping. Ping 4 and Ping 6 are the most common used player pings.

Ok by now you should have TFT and warcraft 3 viewer (or it's equal to convert images to .blps)

How to implement your pings:

1) Edit the .bmps I provided
2) Use Warcraft 3 viewer to convert the edited .bmps to .blps
3) Load up the editor, Go to the module tab, Then to the import manager and import BLPs
5) Change the "war3mapImported\" segment to "UI\MiniMap\"
Now in-game test it should be working.

Because I make everything in the tutorial that means I will take custom ping request. I have now updated my map effects and will attach it here

Pings Advanced
I experimented further with the pings this is what I found:
Ping 2 corresponds to the computer/trigger ping and with triggering can be re-colored. It create both the circle and the dot, but only the inside of he circle appears editable, and the circle cannot be removed
Ping 5 also corresponds to the computer/trigger ping and will have the same coloring as ping 2; ping 5 creates rotating triangles which are removable.
Ping 4 creates a circle for the player pings which cannot be removed
Ping 6 is the inside which is editable

Upon this conclusion I find that Ping 4 is useless, and Ping 2 is only useful when wanting to change the inside of the computer/trigger pings.

I have also created a diagram just for fun

Custom Cursors
Ok I know what I'm doing open this map and go to test map and you'll see Mr. Smiley :) the custom cursor.

First off you'll Need TFT or import access and Photoshop or Psp.
You'll have to decide which cursor you plan or replacing. In this example we'll use human. I attached the file so no need to extract it.

1) Open the file, and edit the remaining cursors (note keep it clean and make them well placed duplicates, and also do shading as they have.
Once you have edited the RBG channels (red blue green prime color channels and only in this mode), we must fix up another thing
2) Now we have to fix the alpha job. Go to the alpha channel make your paintbrush 100 percent black and go over the white cursors parts, then with 100 percent white go over your new cursor.
3) Import it and use the path Ui\Cursor\HumanCursor.BLP for the human cursor.
Ok I know what I'm doing open this map and go to test map and you'll see Mr. Smiley :) the custom cursor. I'll attach what you need for this mod.

100K Loading Screen
Note: the included files for this method were made by RodofNod not by me! He also wrote a tutorial on it before me! I simple make my own tutorials.
1) Export the .zip file “Loading Screen Reduction.zip� from my map. Then un-zip it (if it exports as broken right click rename add .zip to the end and you good)
2) Open the “Fullmap.tga�, make your custom loading screen. (Note: For best quality use the file I included Fullscreen2.tga, it's a 1024x1024 which means it'll have better quality at the cost of space)
3) save .tga, and convert it to a .blp
4) Now import the 3 files remove the “war3mapImported\� tag on LoadingScreen.blp, and bar-border.blp. Leave the .mdx as it is. Now go to the Scenario tab, go to Loading Screen part, for loading screen chose the imported .mdx I included. It should now work so test it out.

Custom Splash Screen
1) choose a splash screen you want to replace in this example we use panda-n-cub. Export the panda-n-cub.tga from my map or get the one you are replacing.
2) modify the .tga to what you want. Note if it's smaller then the current splash screen go to the alpha channel select 100% black and where you picture doesn't fill put 100% black over it.
3) Convert it to a .blp and remember it's file path. (ours is Replacabletextures\Camermasks\Panda-n-Cub.blp
4) Import the splash screen and use it's file path. Set up some triggers to test it out (or CnP mine they're there for a reason)

What are all these files in the import manager?
Warcraft 3 Map Preview
______________________
Warcraft3MapPreview.tga

Custom Mini Map (will also be preview, unless there is a custom preview as well)
__________________________________________________
War3MapMap.tga

Custom Loading Screen
_____________________
LoadingScreenTL.tga
LoadingScreenTR.tga
LoadingScreenBL.tga
LoadingScreenBR.tga
LoadingScreen.mdx

Custom Cursor
________________
HumanCursor.BLP (Mr. Smiley Cursor)
HumanCursor.BMP (default human cursor for editing)
NightElfCursor.BMP (default nightelf cursor for editing)
OrcCursor.BMP (default orc cursor for editing)

Custom Splash Screen
____________________
Panda-n-Cub.TGA (default panda-n-cub splash screen for editing)
Panda-n-Cub.blp (my finished splash screen)

Custom Pings
_____________
Ping2.bmp (default ping 2)
Ping4.bmp (default ping 4)
Ping5.bmp (default ping 5)
Ping6.bmp (default ping 6)
Ping2.blp (my editing ping)
Ping4.blp (my editing ping)
Ping5.blp (my editing ping)
Ping6.blp (my editing ping)

Other
__________
ping diag.jpg (explains pings)
LoadingScreenreduction.zip (RodofNod's 100k loading screen files)
protector.zip (map protector not sure who made it just found it)

I attached a .w3x with all the required files just export them, and import them into your map. If you cannot do some of these steps ILL DO THEM FOR YOU! FREE OF COST!

Ok pretty self-explanatory, but I don't want to confuse anyone yet. By the way if any files export and you can't open them because there format is “file� re-add the .file format, like re-add .zip to broken zips, .blp to broken blps etc…

Links
Adobe PhotoShop Trial (you'll need to signup for free)
Paint Shop Pro 8 Free Trial
Warcraft 3 Viewer
GIMP

The Final version of Oxalic's Map Effects! Now with grammar that makes sense! The latest version includes all working, customized, effects with correct paths. It also has the original .bmps for editing. For the loading screen just select the portion hit delete and it's empty (Except for background).Now refer to the map for path files, take it apart to see what controls what if you couldn't solve it by reading.

This version is pretty much finalized I've covered most of the harder and cooler effects. Only reply if you have suggestions, feedback, if you think I've missed an important feedback.

Credits: Oxalic (For writing all of the tutorials and compiling information & Files) RodofNod (for his 100k Loading screen files) DocaCola (for teaching me about pings in the first place, although the tutorials are all mine)

Any future skinners I also wrote an in-depth skinning tutorial!

Enjoy!

cool stuff man. pretty amazing stuff u found out. how long did it take u?

Not sure a lot of time learning the information, the re-writing what i knew in a form where people could pick it up and learn, and keeping the tutorials up to date, lots of tutorials have old steps required for RoC that can be confusing. (Ex: puttings all your warcraft 3 loading screen files in your directory, or creating tons of folders for skins and stuff)

This is really a polishing off of my older thread, what i did is in updates obviously.... Well hope you like it :)

Btw skinning tutorial is here

Enjoy!

I downloaded your attachment but I can't open it with WE or anything else. It's some kind of unknown file...

does it download it as "attachment.file" and you can't open it? If so rename it to anything.w3x

It doesn't seem to let me export the LoadingScreenReduction.zip... and it says its 0k

Ok i found out the 4 .bmps for pings, and the loadingscreenreduction.zip were all corrupted. I updated the download at the top it's now fixed, thanks for reporting bugs. Whats ok btw? my map stuff?

"Whats ok btw? my map stuff?"

I didn't say okay, i said that file was 0k in size. But it's says that its 111k now.... I can export it now. thanks

What do I use to open/edit .tga files?

You're going to need Adobe Photoshop or Paint shop Pro I'll make a links section for the tutorial soon.... so everyone gets everything they need...

Edit: Added links section, you might need to make a free sign-up for the 2 trials, not sure...

This program will also work for graphic editing(and it is 100% free), if you look around on the website you can find a windows version: http://www.gimp.org/

Please send any commentary, suggestions, feedback, or glitch information to [email protected] or private message me!

Added GIMP to the links, it's a free substitue for PhotoShop or PaintshopPro. Thanks Newhydra for pointing it out:) anyhow does anyone remember me saying this:

Well i did at the very top. That means i will make any of these features for you for FREE in my spare time. As long as you provide specifically what you want and any required images :) I'm also happy to inform you i am working on mutiple warcraft 3 maps (Release date will be a long while for them, as they plan to be good :))

i've been trying so ****ing hard to get my god damn loading screen to work and it's giving me headaches out the ass... i'll show u my loading screen then reply again and show u the map i sent it to and maybe u guys can help me w/this and figure out what i'm doing wrong when i try... b/c this is more than pissing me off...

Now for my map... tell me wtf i'm doing wrong! PLZ!

remove the picture it's to big and i got it working for you in a map. Sorry if you posted a long ass time ago.