I guess it's about time I started a thread here. ::) Eventually, I'll probably start another thread for some tree stuff I've been working on, but for now I'll start this thread for maps.
I just finished a bunch of maps that I'm going to release in 5 packs. Most of them are based on real-life places, but have hand-terraformed coasts with beaches, rocky headlands, etc. Other maps are more or less straight from real-life.
I thought it would be useful to post some decent-sized pictures here, rather than to rely on the tiny pictures in the LEX.
All maps require SC4Mapper 2013 https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=2880 (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=2880) (by Wouanagaine).
Pack 1 (get it here) (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1966)
Two Dot (based on the Two Dot, Montana area) - 7 x 5 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/NGfsuk0.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/dEnnhup.jpg)
Pishkun Shores (based on an area near Augusta, Montana) - 3.5 x 5 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/bruYo3V.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/JMmHPPr.jpg)
Redwood Shores: (based on an area east of Tacoma, Washington) - 3.25 x 3.5 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/wSMfejy.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/M87Spdd.jpg)
Prineville: (based on an area near Prineville, Oregon) - 4.5 x 3.75 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/ZzEsmYA.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0vyAj37.jpg)
March, 2019: So I updated CP Map Pack 1 (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1966) today with up-to-date .SC4M files (more compatible with SC4 Mapper 2013). I also included a topo map of each of the regions, for printing out, or for whatever use people might have for them. Here are some reduced versions of the topo maps (the ones included in the upload are larger resolution):
Pishkun Shores:
(https://i.imgur.com/5d31u86.jpg)
Prineville:
(https://i.imgur.com/PJMHVcN.jpg)
Redwood Shores:
(https://i.imgur.com/QE37csU.jpg)
Twodot:
(https://i.imgur.com/HxlTu5E.jpg)
Hey CP wow this awesome some maps from you!!! They are looking real great as far as I can see!!! you will be doing more trees that is soo cool and I know a certian dignatary from a certian region of the three area will love it I bet as well &hlp
good to see you back at CP,
Patrick
Nice work Brian, can't wait to see what's next under your sleeve ;)
Thanks Pat and Silvio :)
Here's the next pack (get it here) (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1969)
Pack 2
Camden (mostly real-life map of Camden, Maine) - 2.75 x 3.75 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/llhQs5P.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/JycNcKQ.jpg)
Hillsmere Shores (mostly RL map of the Hillsmere Shores area, south of Annapolis, Maryland) 2.75 x 2.75 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/ZAfpX2X.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Q5EBMYk.jpg)
Port Stroudsburg (based on the Delaware Gap, at the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border) 2.5 x 4 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/RgyE4At.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uD7FVJe.jpg)
Binghampton: (real-life map of Binghampton, NY) - 5x5 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/JED1CfN.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/gkoTjvb.jpg)
March 19, 2019: I updated CP Map Pack 2 (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1969) today with up-to-date .SC4M files (more compatible with SC4 Mapper 2013). I also made a topographic map for each of the regions, for printing out or whatever, and included it with the upload.
Binghamton:
(https://i.imgur.com/JF7kEYt.jpg)
Camden:
(https://i.imgur.com/eyOz1lq.jpg)
Hillsmere Shores:
(https://i.imgur.com/jnn1Bnc.jpg)
Port Stroudsburg:
(https://i.imgur.com/5TxeLBX.jpg)
Brian wow those new maps are sweet!! I love the close up on the one with the shore line of Camden..
Great job! I do really like your new maps! :thumbsup: just for curiosity, what terrain mods are you using? ;D
Thanks Pat (again!) and Heblem :)
In answer to Heblem's question:
Twodot uses an altered version of the Italia Terrain Mod, (called the PtReyes version). Eventually, I'll be updating all my terrain mods, and when I do, I'll try to remember to include the PtReyes version in with the Italia Terrain Mod.
Pishkun Shores and Prineville use an unreleased (and unfinished) terrain mod, called the Sage Hills Terrain Mod. I have some work to do with rock models before I can release that mod.
Redwood Shores uses the Italia Terrain Mod, along with one of dogfight's rock mods.
Camden, Hillsmere Shores, and Port Stroudsburg use the Meadowshire Terrain Mod. Hillsmere Shores uses an altered version that lowers the snow level dramatically, so that it's just above the highest hill on that particular map. Port Stroudsburg uses the rock textures that come with the Italia Terrain mod, and one of dogfight's rock mods (which I may have altered - I don't remember)
Binghampton uses the Columbus Terrain Mod
Hey CP, your map "Pishkun Shores" made me want to play the game again... if only it worked on this pc *shakes fist*
Joe
Wow, C.P, nice map, I really like the Camden and the Binghampton. &apls
Excellent work.
Yah, really nice work indeed, but, I'm really curious to try up your new terrain mods :thumbsup:
Excellent maps! Would you mind if some photos of Prineville "in use" slipped a bit early? ;)
Cheers,
Kevin
Thanks Joe, Earth Quake, Silvio, and Kevin ;D
Kevin: of course I don't mind. I'm very curious to see pictures of any of these maps in use.
This next set of maps are based on areas located in the southeast quadrant of the United States (more or less).
Pack 1 was based on locations in the northwestern U.S. Pack 2 was based on locations in the northeastern U.S. Pack 4 will be based on locations in the southwestern U.S.
Pack 3 (get it here) (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1970)
Booneport (based on the Daniel Boone Memorial Forest area, between Jefferson City and St. Louis, Missouri) 2.5 x 3 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/NRsQbZ9.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8WnVnfi.jpg)
Ida Bay (based on the Sims, Arkansas area) - 3 x 3.5 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/Q3oZfp1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/zUzB8so.jpg)
Nashville Shores (based on Nashville, Tennessee) - 4.5 x 5.5 large cities:
I notice that Troy (blade2k5) uploaded a Nashville map a couple days ago as well (you can download Troy's map here (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1965)). His is the realistic version. Mine is the extreme global warming version, in which the ocean is lapping at the steps of the Tennessee state capitol. ::)
(https://i.imgur.com/cwc56My.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/MQQzJtT.jpg)
Cordelia (based on the Craig, Colorado area) - 3.25 x 3 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/0a6z0eE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/R45zTEy.jpg)
March 19, 2019: I updated CP Map Pack 3 (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1970) today with up-to-date .SC4M files (more compatible with SC4 Mapper 2013). I also included a topographic map for each of the regions, for printing out or whatever.
Booneport:
(https://i.imgur.com/8axPtFQ.jpg)
Cordelia:
(https://i.imgur.com/S4WOauW.jpg)
Mt Ida Bay:
(https://i.imgur.com/emuflXY.jpg)
Nashville Shores:
(https://i.imgur.com/5csC8mx.jpg)
Awesome, i love the Nashville Shores map, want me to play on it :)
Also can wait for the Sage Hills Terrain Mod ;)
Good to see you with your new creations Brian :)
Great maps, I like the Pack 1 very much, but next two packs looks very good too. Coastlines screenshots look very natural, I suppose they were hand-terraformed?
I'm really excited hearing about your new trees!
Adam
Um... the people of Central Tenessee might be chasing after you if your predication comes true. However, the Nashville Shores map does look like a really good map to build on.
Humm..... Nice work on your map, I particualrity like Nashville Shores. &apls
Anyway here a splendid pack of maps. &apls
Hey there old friend, you may remember me from Freeland a few years ago. I went under the handle Scatterbones :thumbsup: Anyways, I love your take on your real world/fantasy maps. Beskhu3epnm and I dabbled with that just before besk had to take his indefinite leave of absence early last year. Now that I'm busy mapping the world and put my fantasy map making on the back burner, it's nice to see someone mixing the real with a little fantasy. I also look forward to your Sage terrain mod :thumbsup:
Oh, and thanks for the plug on papab2000s and my Nashville map ;D
These are really good looking maps.
I look forward to any new tree mods and terrain mods.
I never tire of playing and experimenting with them.
Thanks for the new work!
Wow, these are some of the best maps I've seen! But one problem... I was going to check them all out in-game, and when I go to open the "HillsmereShores" one it said "A problem occured while reading the region. Maybe it is too large for your RAM." I know that's not the case. Then terraformer freezes up and will I have to end it with the task manager. Oh, and the config is still 11x11, so it should match up.
Thanks Heblem, Adam, sim-al2, Earth Quake, Troy, pvarcoe, and Deathtopumkins! :thumbsup:
Adam: Yes, the coastlines were hand-terraformed. The hills and mountains are from DEM data.
sim-al2: Why would they chase after me? I mean Al Gore is the one who invented global warming. (Oh, wait that was the internet. Never mind.)
Troy: yes I remember, and thanks for stopping by!
deathtopumpkins: make sure you have Wouanagaine's recent SC4Mapper patch installed (there is a link to it in the first post.)
Pack 4: (get it here) (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1975)
Callville (based on a portion of the Lake Mead shoreline, Nevada) 3.25 x 3 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/6T7YZPK.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/o6AynPd.jpg)
Capitol River: (based on an area near Capitol Reef National Park, Utah) - 2.5 x 2.5 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/h8hV2Hy.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/kRXdGlL.jpg)
Sequoia Point: (based on an area near Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park, California) - 5.5 x 5 large cities:
Warning: The mountains on this map are extremely large. If you decide to use this map, you will need to be careful when choosing terrain mods. The maximum elevtion on this map is 4199m. Many terrain mods will not allow terrain this high. The only terrain mods I know of that will work with this map without modification are: Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Painted Desert and Heblem's terrain mods (available on the STEX).
If you want to use any other terrain mods with this map (including the default Maxis terrain), you need to download and install Ennedi's High Altitude Patch (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1807), which will allow elevations up to 5000m with all terrain mods (and the default Maxis terrain).
(https://i.imgur.com/t3NcsIo.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xMzZK3Q.jpg)
The Maze (portion of Canyonlands National Park, Utah) - 4.5 x 4.5 large cities:
Lots of cliffs and canyons in this map.
(https://i.imgur.com/S9f10ig.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BfztiTK.jpg)
March 19, 2019: I updated CP Map Pack 4 (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1975) today with up-to-date .SC4M files (more compatible with SC4 Mapper 2013). I also included a topographic map for each of the regions, for printing out or whatever.
Callville:
(https://i.imgur.com/QjEMgOr.jpg)
Capitol River:
(https://i.imgur.com/zMgPf1r.jpg)
Sequoia Point:
(https://i.imgur.com/4Mp9rA3.jpg)
The Maze:
(https://i.imgur.com/DvkP3yr.jpg)
detail:
(https://i.imgur.com/rtQGuba.jpg)
Quote from: c.p.deathtopumpkins: make sure you have Wouanagaine's recent SC4Mapper patch installed (there is a link to it in the first post.)
So these maps MUST be installed using SC4Mapper? I've done all the others (except Prineville) with Terraformer with no problems.
Oh, and the Canyonlands map is insane! :o Must develop... :D
Quote from: c.p. on February 14, 2009, 12:47:36 PM
Sequoia Point: (based on an area near Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park, California) - 5.5 x 5 large cities:
Warning: The mountains on this map are extremely large. If you decide to use this map, you will need to be careful when choosing terrain mods. The maximum elevtion on this map is 4199m. Many terrain mods will not allow terrain this high. The only terrain mods I know of that will work with this map without modification are: Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Painted Desert and Heblem's terrain mods (available on the STEX).
If you want to use one of my other terrain mods with this map, you can open the "CPT_No6..." file in the ilive reader. Find the "Terrain Properties" exemplar and edit the "MaxTerrainHeight" property to a number greater than 4200. Eventually I'll be updating all my terrain mods, and will try to include a "higher snow" option that will work with this map.
Brian,
I have released the "High Altitude Patch" (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1807)
for all your terrain modsfor all existing terrain mods and Maxis default terrain :). It increases the MaxTerrain Height property value to 5000 m.
I made this patch following Emilin's request when he released his "14 Summits" Himalaya maps pack, but I said in the readme that it can be (of course) used to every map with high mountains which doesn't exceed 5000 m. I also tried to explain why it is important :).
Great new maps, I go to download them :thumbsup:
Adam
CP,
Great job on all your maps. They all look great. :thumbsup:
Rich
Deathtopumpkins: Hmm, I just tried importing Hillsmere Shores in Terraformer and it worked fine for me. Were you using the config.bmp that came with it?
Adam: Thanks! :thumbsup: I updated the description to point to your patch.
Rich: Thanks for stopping by, and glad you like the maps. :)
Quote from: c.p. on February 14, 2009, 06:17:41 PM
Deathtopumpkins: Hmm, I just tried importing Hillsmere Shores in Terraformer and it worked fine for me. Were you using the config.bmp that came with it?
No, I made a new one... but I think I know what I did wrong... yep, I missed a spot on it. ::) I'll try again.
Yes, thanks for the heads up on the high altitude patch.
I remembered it existed, but this saves me having to look for it.
I am looking forward to trying out Sequoia Point.
It looks like my kind of terrain.
Now which terrain, rock, beach, water, and tree mods to use.
Hmmmm :)
Fantastic work on these maps c.p. they look so réalistic &apls &apls
CP looking real great here!!! WOW!!! One thing I think was funnie is I had to calm down Troy as he was throwing a fit trying to figure out who this guy was all the sudden releasing maps on the LEX lol.... After I pointed it out the fact that you gave us such wonderful terrain mods and trees and various other items he was like oooh now I remember lol.... Just a funnie story to share with ya's...
Also just a question would you be able to make a map that would cater to TPW or PW?
thanks,
Patrick
deathtopumpkins: glad you figured it out :thumbsup:
pvarcoe: good luck with Sequoia Point. There are a few flattish spots near the tops of the mountains I thought would make an interesting challenge to connect (via road, etc.) to the flat areas at the bottom.
Simpson: Thanks. :)
Pat: Yeah, I've changed my name a lot. I can see how that might be confusing. ??? What are "TPW" and "PW"?
Pack 5 (get it here) (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1977)
Pt Reyes: (RL map of Pt. Reyes, California) - 6.5 x 7.5 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/5aJf6yp.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/QeTiUfB.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/3wVrqKW.jpg)
Silver Bow: (based on southern Silver Bow County, Montana) - 6x9 large cities:
(https://i.imgur.com/7vRJGe9.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5um8JIF.jpg)
March 19, 2019: I updated CP Map Pack 5 (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1977) today with up-to-date .SC4M files (more compatible with SC4 Mapper 2013). I also included a topographic map for both regions, for printing out or whatever.
Pt Reyes:
(https://i.imgur.com/JbruIgA.jpg)
Silver Bow:
(https://i.imgur.com/DQT4TwF.jpg)
ahh thats right CP I forgotten you been somewhat out of the loop a bit my bad, TPW = Transparent Ploppable Water (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=1227) and PW = Ploppable Water (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=172)
Excellent work! I do really like the 6th picture, great rock mod and coast line! :thumbsup:
I just wanted to stop in and voice my amazement.
I was compelled to start a new region when I laid my eyes upon Nashville Shores. :thumbsup:
Incredible pack 5, my friend, this is really good. Nice work on these maps &apls
The best pack IMO :thumbsup: And I love your Pt.Reyes, I couldn't not reproduce the water bodies and the lower parts of the coast as good as you did on my version ;)
And Silver Bow is a must have map too, very nice map to build. If we ever do another Shosaloza, I would pick this Silver Bow map to be the one. &apls
Pat: ah, OK. I've heard of the transparent ploppable water (I've even used it.) I didn't realize it had been acronymized, though. ::)
So what would make a map TPW-friendly? Flattening certain areas of it? ()what()
I probably won't be making any maps in the near future, but I'm sure I'll make more eventually. If I find out what needs to be done to achieve TPW-friendliness, I'll try to keep it in mind for my next map-making binge.
Heblem: Thanks. The rock mod is one of dogfight's. (I've been using his rock mods a lot lately).
wes.janson: Thanks. That one seems to be pretty popular.
Simpson: Thanks
Silvio: Thanks. I don't know which data you used to make your version, but the 1/3 arc-second DEM data is well worth the extra download time (even on dialup), if you are looking to make more maps in the future.
Hey CP to have a TPW or even PW friendly map I guess it would be along the lines of like say the latest map you did of Silver Bow with the stream running threw it would be more or less a dry bed... You pretty much kept the stream within the boundries of the tile so that is darn near perfect!!! Would it be to hard to modify that map to be all large tiles? I would love to try it out that way...
Hello C.P.
All these recent maps you've released look smashing.I am particularly interested in using the capitol river map and was wondering which terrain mods you used.i'd like to mimic that look exactly.Great work,Thanks.
Pat: I attached a file containing a new config.bmp for Silver Bow.
I don't want to upload a second version of the same map to the LEX, just for a different configuration, so instead I wrote some instructions to import the existing map (i.e. the one in Map Pack 5) into the game, using the attached configuration file (which will change it to all large cities).
1. Unzip the attached file folder. It doesn't matter where you unzip it to, so long as you can find it again later.
2. Download Map Pack 5, and double-click the installer file for the Silver Bow region. By default, the installation program creates a new folder in your Regions folder named "SilverBow".
3. Start SC4Mapper. Click the "Create Region" button, then SC4M.
4. Navigate to the My Documents\Sim City\Regions\SilverBow folder and choose the file ending in ".SC4M" that is located there, and then "Open". It may take a few minutes.
5. After the region terrain appears in the SC4Mapper window, choose "Save Region" and give it a bogus name, such as "DELETE Silver Bow".
6. Hit the "Load Region" button, and choose the folder for the bogus region you just saved.
7. When it is done loading, hit the "Export Region" button.
8. In the dialog box that pops up, change the Save as type: to *.png.
9. When, it's done, hit the "Create Region" button, then, on the dialog that pops up hit "16 bit png".
10. In the dialog, where is says "Filename:" find the .png file you just saved. Where it says "config.bmp", find the config.bmp file you unzipped from the attached file in step one. Then hit "OK".
11. Hit "Save Region". Give it a name and hit ok. When it is finished, your region should be ready to use.
12. In your Regions folder, delete the folder for the bogus region you saved in step 5.
jkon: Thanks. That map uses Dogfight's DarkIgneous rock mod, the LittleMissouri water mod (which I believe is included in my Grand Canyon and/or Canyonlands terrain mods. Unfortunately, the actual terrain mod I used on that map is one that is still in development (Sage Hills), so it's not available yet. The closest mods to that I can think of would be my Missouri Breaks terrain mod, or maybe some of Heblem's terrain mods, on the STEX at Simtropolis.
Thank you soo much there CP for the all Large and check out Waterfalls soon featuring Silver Bow as the new Map I am going to work with ;)
Hey C.p. these maps are really awesome ! I really love the shoreline of the first and the creeks ! &apls
The second one looks good too even more with this terrain mod. :thumbsup:
I think I will use one of theme, or... maybe.... the two ! &apls &apls
Arthur. :thumbsup:
c.p., you mind if I post here with a terrain mod question? I can delete it if you have a thread for that, I just haven't seen it.
I went to install a rock mod the other day and can't get it to work. It still just displays the greyish texture that came with your Meadowshire Terrain Mod. Which files must I replace? I thought I had done the right ones...
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on February 19, 2009, 01:35:23 PM
c.p., you mind if I post here with a terrain mod question? I can delete it if you have a thread for that, I just haven't seen it.
I went to install a rock mod the other day and can't get it to work. It still just displays the greyish texture that came with your Meadowshire Terrain Mod. Which files must I replace? I thought I had done the right ones...
You don't have to replace any file, just make sure your rock mod loads after the meadowshire terrain mod. Place a z_ in front of the name to make it load last.
Thanks, I'll try that. Still kinda new to the world of terrain and rock mods...
I really wanted to use these maps, but I'm not going through the hassle of dealing with SC4 Mapper. $%Grinno$%
Quote from: alexr19 on February 21, 2009, 09:47:19 AM
I really wanted to use these maps, but I'm not going through the hassle of dealing with SC4 Mapper. $%Grinno$%
Why not? It is an excellent program that makes installing maps very easy.
You can also use SC4 Terraformer it will also import a sc4m file... I did it just fine after a little bit....
Quote from: BarbyW on February 21, 2009, 12:49:12 PM
Why not? It is an excellent program that makes installing maps very easy.
it doesn't get along with Vista.
SC4Mapper does work under Vista and was actually written on a laptop with Vista. Read some of the solutions here:
http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=3458.0
but be aware that as the laptop with the source code was stolen it is highly unlikely that the application will be updated or rewritten.
Great! Thanks for the tip, BarbyW. I had downloaded SC4M but it didn't work, and it took me a few tries, but I got SC4T working. &idea
CP, I noticed you said you weren't going to be making more maps in the near future. Does this mean you're going to make some more fantastic houses? ;D
Oh, and how do I see snow? I have the Italia Terrain Mod installed and I thought snow was automatic...I even used the Lower Snow patch but that didn't do anything. There only seems to be one tiny patch of snow on a mountainside. ()what()
Hello,
I downloaded your Map pack 5, and I was wondering how you added all those tree and made it match the borders between regions, is there a program to add trees out of the game? It sure would save a lot of time.
Thanks.
Well, it's been awhile since my last visit here. For the Thanksgiving holiday, I had hoped to finish this map of Plymouth (where the "first Thanksgiving" is said to have been held in 1621). But . . . well, you know how it goes. So much to do, so little time. ::) So, instead, I thought I'd at least show some in-progress pictures of the map. It is mostly a real-life map, but the large lake is fictional. (I think it makes the map more interesting.) And I'll probably add some other lakes as well.
As you can see in the following pictures, I started deepening the ocean (I'm using terraformer for that), but obviously I have a lot more work to do, deepening the harbors, smoothing out the edges of the little creeks, etc.
My goal with this map, and a few others I am making, is to build a small collection of maps with nice marsh/swamp areas suitable for a new set of tree controllers I've been working on, some of which which will plant marshes or swamps below a certain elevation (maybe 3m or 4m). So I'll be spending some time to get the marshes to look nice on this map, before I upload it to the LEX.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg821%2F6172%2Fplymouthinprog.jpg&hash=d5b3a7af56b9dc87d02c29891431abca267479e0)
The DEM data available in this area is pretty decent quality. The marsh creeks in the following picture are straight from the DEM data, and already look pretty good:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg94%2F6657%2Fplymouthmarshdetail.jpg&hash=8ee2f475b181eb7c1ccd73f87f1fcab3bafd43e1)
This marsh came out a little rougher, and will require a lot more work (on my part) to smooth out all the little creeks and islands:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg94%2F6583%2Fplymouthcrappymarsh.jpg&hash=2d656e00998e44eef42f0cde9cd944aee123cefa)
And here is an overview of the map (so far).
Apparently, the first Thanksgiving took place west of the large harbor in the southern half of the map:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg40%2F4724%2Fplymouthoverhead.jpg&hash=6511e5569d50cb0230917c261354cae9d06bfedf)
Nice to see you back a little, C.P. ! Fine map you're making there.
Looking forward to some progress on the marshes. :)
Great to see you around again. Thoroughly enjoying your seasonal flora. Also a very nice map you're making. :thumbsup:
Quote from: c.p. on November 22, 2012, 01:35:22 PM
[..] a new set of tree controllers I've been working on, some of which which will plant marshes or swamps below a certain elevation (maybe 3m or 4m).
Would that be with the waterflora property? If so, I can only get flora into the water a little bit and only if the water is shallow enough. Perhaps you know another trick?!
Thanks art128 and vortext :)
Quote from: vortext on November 22, 2012, 02:17:33 PM
Would that be with the waterflora property? If so, I can only get flora into the water a little bit and only if the water is shallow enough. Perhaps you know another trick?!
No, no waterflora property. I actually tried that before and it resulted in the waterflora being planted everywhere on the map
except in the water.
What I meant was the marsh would be on land 3m or 4m above the water elevation. (i.e. from elevation 250m to 253m or 254m).
I'm hoping to start a thread before the end of the month (or at least before the end of the year :D ) to show what I'm working on, as far as tree controllers go. (Nothing technically amazing, but a LOT of new content. :) )
Quote from: c.p. on November 22, 2012, 03:09:23 PM
No, no waterflora property. I actually tried that before and it resulted in the waterflora being planted everywhere on the map except in the water.
What I meant was the marsh would be on land 3m or 4m above the water elevation. (i.e. from elevation 250m to 253m or 254m).
I'm hoping to start a thread before the end of the month (or at least before the end of the year :D ) to show what I'm working on, as far as tree controllers go. (Nothing technically amazing, but a LOT of new content. :) )
Wow, that's great to hear. Great map and great project!
Cheers
Willy
Quote from: c.p. on November 22, 2012, 03:09:23 PM
I'm hoping to start a thread before the end of the month (or at least before the end of the year :D ) to show what I'm working on, as far as tree controllers go. (Nothing technically amazing, but a LOT of new content. :) )
A LOT you say!?! Already looking forward to it! :thumbsup:
And I'm assuming these will be seasonal controllers as well?!
If not, see the link in my signatureEDIT: about the map. Are those thin stretches of land in front of the bay manmade or a natural formation? I agree the lake make things more interesting. Looks like it'll be a fun map to play on.
Fantastic to see one of the old greats of SC4 around again! The map is quite promising and I'm very interested in the swamp flora controller &apls I have a whole grocery list of things I'm secretly hoping you'd like to do at some point but I won't harass you just yet ;) Good luck on your new projects and I'll be following with great interest!
cp is back???? Am I dreaming or did I see right? I remember you well from back then when my hair was still brown.....lol
Just kidding, glad to see you back on this, and new treecontrollers from you.....wow, can't wait to see those since I ONLY use your treecontrollers in my CJ's, oupps, I mean MD's. ;)
Fred
A LOT of new content! That sounds very promising.
Great to see one of the flora masters returning to the scene :)
Thanks guys! Lol, I still haven't started a tree controller thread (a year later), but I have been puttering around with tree controllers lately, so it's coming eventually. . .
Vortext: Yes, they are seasonal tree controllers. I took a look on google earth, and the thin stretches of land appear to be natural sand formations as far as I can tell. There are actually some beach cabins on them in some areas. I'm not familiar with the area in real-life though. (It's about 4000 kilometers from where I live.)
The Plymouth map is finished, and will be ready for release on or about Thanksgiving. And I have been working on some other maps as well. I'm concentrating on maps with good marsh/swamp/wetland areas for developing/testing future tree controllers. The best dem data I've found for that purpose is the New England coast, Chesapeake Bay, and especially, Alaska.
For Halloween, I've uploaded a different New England map: Salem/Cape Ann, Massachusetts: http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3056 (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3056). It is 9x7 large cities.
(https://i.imgur.com/NR0DZUF.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2pN1DMz.jpg)
March, 2019: I updated the Salem map (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3056) today, adding a topo map, for printing out, or for whatever use people might have for it. Here is a look at the topo map:
Overall (the picture in the upload is at a larger resolution):
(https://i.imgur.com/oeBfBG0.jpg)
Detail of marshy area:
(https://i.imgur.com/WYfQfYP.jpg)
Salem:
(https://i.imgur.com/JqyYyT8.jpg)
Manchester-by-the-Sea:
(https://i.imgur.com/9f551Iu.jpg)
It's CP!
Speaking of tree controllers, i have a quick question for you. Why did you use decimals in the kSC4FloraPreferencesProperty (the 256 rep placement property) in your controllers? Is it actually possible to get multiple brushes to work in the same space of the moisture/elevation table? I've been doing some experimenting along those lines but haven't gotten anything to work; just one brush per slot on the table is what i've been working with. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated. ()flower()
Also that map looks great; love the detail in the coastline. :thumbsup:
Always good to see you come in Brian, and as usual with some great new things for us--from a first glance, that looks like a wonderful map. I'm gonna load this up with a decent terrain mod first chance I get.
Cheers
Willy
Thanks epicblunder and Willy! :)
epicblunder: As far as I know, there is no way to get multiple brushes to work in the same space of the moisture/elevation table. I probably started out using the decimal values just because that's what Maxis did. At some point, I experimented with them a little, trying to figure out what the purpose of them was, but never really came up with any answers. As far as I can remember my lastest theory was that maybe the lower numbers were for slower auto-generation of trees. But this is just wild speculation, and I didn't really test it, because my sense was the smaller values weren't going to end up being useful for anything I was doing at the time.
Aha. I was really, really hoping that there was a way after all to work uniform underbrush into the ground spaces in a large conifer forest without adding them to each brush. Oh well. Thanks for the info. ;D
Scooped this map up the minute I saw it. Great work! &apls I am going to have a blast with this. :) For those that haven't seen it, here it is in-game ( I tweaked the config.bmp a bit ). The 800 pixel width restriction doesn't do this work justice though. Thanks for your work c.p. :thumbsup:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FahGEYMD.jpg&hash=72bc0d8a87451b3c8fe423ff87da0b8cf252beca)
I've always liked trying to build on New England's coasts, so I had to try out your Salem map, and I have to say it's a beautiful map. The marshes are particularly well done. :thumbsup:
Also, the nearly year-old question about Plymouth's sandbars piqued my interest, so of course I had to read up on it. Turns out they're natural, or at least they've been there as long as anyone's been drawing maps of the area. Several maps from the late 1700s show them clearly, and older maps show Plymouth harbor pretty enclosed, if with less detail. The northern one has been the site of a lighthouse since the 1760s. So either the Pilgrims had nothing better to do with their abundant free time than build sandbars, or more likely, they're natural. ;D
Thanks, guys.
epicblunder: my own solution to that was to make tree clump models containing underbrush beneath. It may be a while before those are released though, as I am considering making dead/diseased versions of the conifer clumps for use as abandoned tree props (so when lots abandon, some of the trees "die", and you can see the abandoned lots easily from a distant zoom.)
TheOtherRick: Thanks for showing the picture. :thumbsup: And I'm glad you like the map. It doesn't look as hilly with that terrain mod as it did in Terraformer.
APSMS: Interesting. Thanks for the research and info. :) Since there are sandbars like these along coastlines all over the world, the pilgrims must have built them in league with some larger organization. . . :D
So I uploaded another map, Imuruk Bay, to the LEX. It is pretty much a real-life map, based on Imuruk Basin in northwestern Alaska, but it has been rotated and flipped. It is 7.5 x 5 large cities.
(https://i.imgur.com/AesSbOU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/IV9bqvf.jpg)
March, 2019: I updated the Imuruk Bay map (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3066) today, adding a topo map, for printing out, or for whatever use people might have for it. Here is a look at the topo map:
Overall (the one in the upload is at a larger resolution):
(https://i.imgur.com/EUl28R7.jpg)
Detail:
(https://i.imgur.com/LKsp5Pd.jpg)
Quote from: c.p. on November 07, 2013, 08:30:47 AM
epicblunder: my own solution to that was to make tree clump models containing underbrush beneath. It may be a while before those are released though, as I am considering making dead/diseased versions of the conifer clumps for use as abandoned tree props (so when lots abandon, some of the trees "die", and you can see the abandoned lots easily from a distant zoom.)
Those are both nifty ideas. My solution so far has been to use underbrush in the first couple clicks of the brush cycle, but that was proved... underwhelming.
Also, that map is excellent! Where are you getting your alaskan satellite data? I haven't found anything other than the STRM data for alaska north of 60* (granted i haven't looked very hard for more), which is usually crap at that latitude with any relief.
Nice maps c.p. &apls
Glad to see you back!are you back into BATing too?
Cheers
Guglielmo
Thanks epicblunder and Gugu3 :)
epicblunder: The elevation data is from the USGS National Map Viewer site:
http://viewer.nationalmap.gov (http://viewer.nationalmap.gov)
In the past year or so they've released some excellent 1/3 arc-second data for parts of Alaska. The following map shows the areas where the good stuff is available. Currently available good stuff is shown in light green and orange. The crosshatched red and brown rectangles are areas they are planning to release in the next year or two.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg571%2F7526%2Fq2le.jpg&hash=7f85a4c87e9e96715344c253b784941324074a5b)
Even though most of the "continental" United States is covered by 1/3 arc-second data, a lot of it is of mediocre to poor quality. I get the impression that a lot of it was faked in from contour maps, or something similar. But gradually, (very slowly) it is being replaced by more modern, high precision data. The following map shows where the better quality 1/3 arc-second data is currently available (in brown) in the continental U.S.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg845%2F5720%2Flquk.jpg&hash=f39ffbaa840be7ea0d16a9d6d5ab6289cb918a84)
Gugu3: Yes, in fact I'm working on some R$$ houses right now. Also, check out my BAT thread:
http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?PHPSESSID=7ce7a5fbb34f300f3651644af81ac5ee&topic=15318.0 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?PHPSESSID=7ce7a5fbb34f300f3651644af81ac5ee&topic=15318.0)
huh, well how about that. I tried using TNM to pull data for SE alaska and the Aleutian chain maybe... 9 months ago or so, and was not impressed. It was all NED 3-second, and so full of holes it might as well have been STRM. That's encouraging that they're updating the dataset, though. I'll have to take a look soon; there's some great map potential there.
Don't forget, for find-your-house-on-the-map level of detail, there's 1/9 arc second data for some parts of the US as well. ::)
epicblunder: Yes, I agree about lots of map potential. Also, one of the nice things about Alaska terrain is it isn't full of road cuts, grading for buildings/parking, etc.
whatevermind: Good point. 1/9 arc-second data seems unnecessarily cumbersome to work with though, for simcity purposes.
So I uploaded a map from the southern coast of Nebraska:
(https://i.imgur.com/53WYcyh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lyR3n7s.jpg)
(Yes, the coastline is fictional) :)
March, 2019 update: I updated the St. Elwood download (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3069) today, adding a topo map (for printing out, or for whatever use people might have for it). Here's a look at the topo map (the LEX map is higher resolution):
(https://i.imgur.com/RTedVK2.jpg)
That could actually work quite well for some Norwegian fjords, I suppose. Very nice!
Cheers
Willy
Quote from: Swordmaster on November 17, 2013, 09:36:08 AM
That could actually work quite well for some Norwegian fjords, I suppose. Very nice!
Thanks :) The map, especially near the coast, is pretty much low-lying and flat. I picture Norwegian fjords as being a lot steeper (semi-mountainous), but I suppose there must be a lot of variety there too.
So, the Plymouth map is now on the LEX. This is a fairly accurate real-life map, that has been rotated to make more of the beachfront areas orthogonal. There are lots of marsh areas, which will be useful for future tree controllers designed for marshlands.
The Pilgrim settlement of the area (in 1620) was in the city tile in the second row from the bottom and second from the left. I'm guessing that is where the first Thanksgiving celebration occurred also. :)
Hope everyone has has a great Thanksgiving Day (or al least a great November 28, if you don't celebrate in Thanksgiving your country).
(https://i.imgur.com/2WR5lQQ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/eJDL7un.jpg)
March, 2019: I updated the Plymouth download (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3073) today, adding a topo map, for printing out, or for whatever use people might have for it. Here's a look at the topo map:
(https://i.imgur.com/91EvbTl.jpg)
Yesss, that would make a nice Harbour city with plentiful possibilities to create an immense harbour and nice located downtown.
I can already see it. Also the marshlands would make a perfect "close to the city" Natural Park surrounded by some suburbs.
Great map again. Will try this one for sure.
Did I read right? "future tree controllers designed for marshlands"......ouffff....can't wait, I'm a maniac of marsh and swamps with plentiful wildlife.... Yoooohooooo!
Thanks cp. ;)
Thanks Fred. :) I've been experimenting with a couple different marshland tree controllers, but it is slow going due to RL and all my other projects. But it will pan out eventually.
So, they recently released more Alaska elevation data. The following map is Ekichuk, a real-life map from the area around Ekichuk Lake and the Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge (you probably haven't been there). Once again, it is a region with extensive marshlands (mainly along the southern edge). There are also several small creeks running through the uplands, as well as mountains, hills, and a large harbor.
Maximum extent: 10 x 11 large city tiles.
(https://i.imgur.com/XhUr2e8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6HBkJA5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/JeCykzT.jpg)
March, 2019: I updated the Ekichuk download (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3091) today, adding a topo map, for printing out, or for whatever use people might have for it. Here's a look at the topo map:
Low resolution topo map:
(https://i.imgur.com/eOOSwPC.jpg)
Detail:
(https://i.imgur.com/MoeWVvo.jpg)
Quote from: c.p.
(you probably haven't been there).
:D
I'll bet few people have - I grew up in Seattle and I never managed to make it up to our 49th state.
Awesome map though - I'm glad the elevation data is being put to good use :)
It's been a while since I've posted here. It looks like all the old pictures have disappeared. :(
Just wanted to post a couple of pictures for a map I uploaded today, Crowheart Cove. The map is based on the Crowheart, Wyoming area, but given a fictional coastline:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FrKtDuUb.jpg&hash=1ac9e3b274ac939711acbad81b9b1e4554d9fcf5)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FKsro40s.jpg&hash=759ea20810b0a183bc4b8c2d8dd7fc2c306398bc)
Update March, 2019: Re-uploaded to the LEX, with a topo map of the region. The topo map is for printing out, or for whatever use people might have for it. Here is a look at the overall topo map (the topo map in the download is at a larger resolution):
(https://i.imgur.com/VMUToE2.jpg)
And here is a closer view of part of the map:
(https://i.imgur.com/nvEYQeu.jpg)
Nice map! Looks a bit challenging but should give some good opportunity to build. :)
Cowboy country... love it :thumbsup:
So I've come up with a new feature to include with my map uploads: a topographic map that can be printed out, used for planning, etc. While no one was looking, I re-uploaded several of my previously released maps with the new topo maps. In addition, I've got some new maps to upload. I also started restoring the lost pictures in this thread, and put up pictures showing the new topo maps for some of the regions.
Here's a map I thought I uploaded a few years ago, but I guess not. It's another real-life Alaskan terrain, lying at the mouth of the Noatak River, about 200 miles north of Nome. The size is 10 x 10 large cities.
(https://i.imgur.com/LRMaNc5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/NlleP6Q.jpg)
And here's the topo map (the LEX version of the map is higher resolution, so it's a lot clearer). The contour interval is 10 meters (50 meters for the darker contours). In addition, there is a blue dashed contour at 2.5 meters above water level, and brown dashed contours at 5 and 15 meters above water level:
(https://i.imgur.com/8yxkrYd.jpg)
Detail of Noatak River:
(https://i.imgur.com/95673P0.jpg)
For printing these maps, I've found they print better if they are lightened quite a bit first. This particular region is pretty big. I printed it out in color at 11"x 17" (actually 11"x 11"), and it's OK at that size, but bigger would be better.
Great idea Brian!
Love the map &apls
Simmer2
Thanks Nick :)
So I uploaded another real-life Alaskan map, Alsek Bay, based on the Alsek River area in southeastern Alaska, about 250 km northwest of Juneau. Size is 9 x 7 large cities. Get it Here (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3800).
(https://i.imgur.com/0GPfL9O.jpg)
I also included a topographic map with the upload. Here is a reduced version:
(https://i.imgur.com/Htfv6UQ.jpg)
Detail of Dry Bay:
(https://i.imgur.com/ZOjKKx6.jpg)
Marsh/wetland detail (this is the same resolution as the uploaded map):
(https://i.imgur.com/DI7WfiJ.jpg)
The contours for the topographic map are 20 meters (100 meters for the darker contours), with additional dashed contours at 270 and 290 meters (20 and 40 meters above water level.) Also, there is a dotted blue contour at 253 meters (3 meters above water level), and a dotted brown contour at 256 meters (6 meters above water level). I printed the full map out at 11"x 17", and the contours are all visible at that scale, but the dotted ones are a little hard to see.
Awesome! It looks like I'll have to start a "proper" region for these beauties ;D. The thing I like most about your maps is that they are incredibly realistic and they are also a mix of large, medium and small tiles. &apls
Thanks Matt :) Yeah, I usually prefer the small and medium size cities. If I were to play these regions, I'd probably break down some of the large cities into medium size before starting the region. (Extremely easy to do in SC4Mapper 2013.) The large ones can be a bit much for one sitting, and that makes them less fun and more of a chore, IMO.
So, I finished updating my previous map uploads (with new .SC4M files and topographic maps), and restored the pictures to most of my previous posts in this thread. Also, I uploaded another new map, based on the Cheboygan, Michigan area. Get it here. (https://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3806)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ho3WqAv.jpg)
Topo map (reduced):
(https://i.imgur.com/U3P3Fnk.jpg)
The contours for this map are 5 meters (25 meters for the darker contours), and a dotted blue contour at 253 meters (3 meters above water level).
I love the idea of a topographic map! I wanted to do that ages ago for one of my regions and never figured out a simple way to make it work. How did you go about it? :thumbsup:
Thanks Matt, good to see you here :thumbsup:
So here's my process for making the topographic maps. I don't know if it's the simplest possible process, but it only takes 10 or 15 minutes, once you've done a few of them. You will need a free program, QGIS. Download QGIS Here (https://qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html)
In TERRAFORMER or MAPPER
Start by saving overhead picture of the region in Terraformer or SC4Mapper, and export the region as a 16bit png.
-------------------------------------------------
PHOTO-EDITING SOFTWARE, such as PHOTOSHOP
Flip the 16 bit png vertically and save. (If you don't have graphics software that can handle 16 bit grayscale don't worry about it, this step is optional.
Lighten/brighten the overhead picture (quite a lot) and save. Take note of the dimensions (in pixels) of this picture. You will need this info later.
-------------------------------------------------
In QGIS Desktop:
(Note: I use version 2.14.20)
New Project
Raster>Extraction>Contour
For "Input File", select the 16 bit png previously saved (preferably flipped, if you were able to do that).
For "Output File for Contour Lines" I put something like Cheboygan100 (no extension, I don't think it actually saves a file).
For "Interval between Contour Lines", enter 10x the actual interval you want. So if you want a 10m interval, enter 100.
Provide an attribute name for the contours such as inter100, idx500, Wat2500, wtlnd2530, etc.
Check the box next to "Load onto Canvas when Finished".
Hit OK, and just hit OK at the Coordinate System Reference Selector dialogue, (which is irrelevant for these purposes.)
Then, while the Contour dialogue is still showing, run through these steps again for the darker contours (with an interval of 500 if that's what you want), and again for whatever other contours you may want on the map. So for example, if you wanted a single contour at 5 meters above water level, run it with "Interval Between Contour Lines" of 2550 (which will actually create a contour every 255 meters, but later you can delete any contours at 510m, 765m, etc.).
When you have all the contours you will be needing, click OK through all the dialogue boxes until you get to the screen showing the contours.
(Note the contours come in flipped, but hopefully you already flipped the 16bit png, in which case they are already correct).
The contours are probably crappy colors that won't work for your map, so:
Right click on layer entry on left and select "Properties".
In the Properties dialogue, in the upper right, change the width to something like 0.13 for lighter contours and 0.23 for darker contours. You can also change the color of the contours here and the line type (for example, to dashed).
If you are creating a 255m contour, as in the example above, right-click on that layer, then click Open Attribute Table, toggle the edit tools to enable (the little pencil on the left). The right column is the elevations. Click the heading for that column to reorder reorder them by elevation, then it is easy to select the elevations you don't want, (in this case all the contour elevations other than 2550) and delete contours by pressing the delete button in the table dialogue. Then hit the little pencil again to toggle off the edit tools. Save when it asks you to.
When you have the contours the way you want them, Save project.
Then: Raster>Georeferencer
Open Raster (Choose the lightened overhead picture of the region previously saved).
"Add Point" at lower left and upper right. For starters, you only have to pick these points approximately on screen. Enter map coordinates of 0,0 for the lower left, and total pixels of region x (horizontally), total pixels of region y (vertically), when it asks for the upper right x and y. Then, in the little table near the bottom, Enter numbers in the Source X and Source Y columns as follows:
first line:
Source X = 1, Source Y = (total height of region in pixels - 1) x -1
second line:
Source X = total width of region in pixels - 1, Source Y = -1.
If this doesn't work, try 0, 0 for the first line, and total pixels X, total pixels Y for the second line.
File>Start Georeferencing. Might have to do this twice to get it to work.
Just OK through any transformation settings that pop up.
File>Close Georeferencer
Ignore hourglass cursor when it asks for Coordinate system, and just hit OK.
If all went well, there should be an entry in the layer stack for the overhead picture. Drag that entry to the bottom of the stack so it doesn't hide the contours.
If it looks good, save the project.
*******************************
QGIS (continued)
New Print Composer (Ctrl+P) (Name can be the region name).
In the Composition tab on the right, Set paper size to custom, set units to inches, and set size to 0.01 times the number of pixels in picture. Set Quality to 200 dpi.
Layout>Add Map Pick corners approximately, and then drag corners of map box to corners of canvas, (they should snap exactly to corners of canvas).
In "Item Properties" tab on the right, "Extents" section, set map to canvas extent, then, in the following order: set X min to 0.00, Y max to the number of vertical pixels of the region, X max to number of horizontal pixels of the region, and Y min to 0.
Do not change the "position and size" settings under "general options".
If it looks good on-screen, export as image.