New Cities XL MAP-Editor

[GlobexCo 33]

Originally posted by: akeekul

Thanks for the links. You know I need a map with oil, water, holiday, and farms all in one map ;D

quote>

Why not just downloading Moaku's cheats?

[eangulus 3]

Can someone please help.

I am after someone that can make an Accurate Scale Map of Dubbo NSW Australia for Cities XL 2011.

[auro_alpha 0]

hello guys

i downloaded the CitiesXL-MAP-Editor_Update-19.03.2010

but it doesnt start at all :S

[auro_alpha 0]

any one ?

[mk1974 0]

Hi all. I'm new to Cities XL but played a lot of Sim City (2000 and 3000 mostly, 4 a bit) back in my earlier days.

I'm trying to find out where there might be one all-in-one explanation of how to make custom maps in the game. I'm finding bits and pieces here and there, but I'm finding it difficult to piece it all together.

[Jeffmaster223 24]

so is there an ENGLISH tutorial?

or do we have to learn German?

-Anim.

[JustM 0]

Hello everyone...

I'm messing around with this editor and it seems pretty easy only the hightmap I don't get how to make.

The rest is just easy to change in photoshop.

Does anyone have an idea how to make your own hightmap? or is it to difficult to explain?

im thinking of making a couple off maps like the map "the great lake"

cheers marco

[rojse 0]

I've used map this editor and managed to get it to work, even building a city on the map I've created - the initial map I created was flat, because the terraforming tools are imprecise and it's hard to get a sense of the terrain to use the tools properly. For a simple job, it's quite a good editor, but I haven't used it to make a mutli-tier map yet.

My question, however, is: Is there any list of map-paks and their respective titles in the world map select screen? For example, the map-pak for "The Rocky Summit" is land_rockydesert_02.pak. Does anyone have a list for the rest of the maps?

[Stephon_D_Watson 0]

I having trouble starting up Cities xl Map Editor because it keeps saying "Cities XL Map Editor has stopped working" every time I try to run this Application to edit some things for Cities l 2011. Do you know what the problem is?

[JustM 0]

How in the world do you save a map you made and apply it to the game?

Thx in advanced,

marco

[bluurrr 0]

hi guys and gals

This is an old Thread but i hope someone can help me!

Ive had quite a play with this editor and i struggle immensely with no tutorial or guide.

ive tried to piece together all the info required from what people have said, but most of it you have to guess.

Can anyone put up a detailed tutorial for every stage throughout this editor to get new maps for cxl?

heightmap:

i created a heightmap in photoshop as a greyscale map. saved it as a PNG file. 1024x1024.

openned PNG file in ImageJ and saved it as a .RAW file. (no hint as to whether its saved as an .r32 raw)

After doing this, i open the editor and import the height map .raw file. the raw file had changed from 1024x1024 to 724x724x32bpp. it also has alot of defects on the map. If i open the PNG file within the editor, it seems fine.

do you have to have a .raw file?? if so. can anyone please suggest a better way of getting a 32bit raw file (.R32) ???

does the "black" shade on the greyscale file, represent water? if not. how do you know which height the waterlevel is at?

colourmap:

I decided to use google map to find an area as my map. i turned the satellite image into a 1024x1024 .PNG file.

After doing this, i edited the image by blocking out the land and sea for an ingame texture.

Question:- do these textures for land and sea need to be the same as cxl textures? if so where do i get my hands on them? does the colourmap with my personal photoshoped map become visible or does cxl use its ingame engine to define its own textures???

can anyone describe to me in detail how to convert this colour map into a .DDS file? ive downloaded a photoshop DDS plugin but it doesnt seem to be visible in any image mode type, when saving.

shadowmap & RGBmap:

After reading very little informaion about shadowmaps for cxl, im aware people are using Worldmachine2.2. There isnt any tutorials on this program, and after playing around with it for hours. i still cant get my head around how to start with a heightmap.r32 (rawfile) and end up with an RGB map and Shadowmap .DDS files.

theres very little info on the worldmachine2.2 program and seems like a real head puzzler. is there an easier way around it?

Resources / citylink maps:

Im aware all these maps are just black and white .PNG files, from what ive seen from the editor's subfolder ( Beispiel_SüdLeipzig )

summary:

1024x1024 Heightmap - .R32 (raw file)

1024x1024 Colourmap - .DDS file

1024x1024 RGB map - .DDS file

1024x1024 Shadowmap - .DDS file

1024x1024 Resources Maps - .PNG files

1024x1024 Citylink Maps - .PNG files

Once you have all these complete, do you have to repack them into a .patch file? Once repacked, put into paks folder with the "mod required for maps" mod?

I also noticed you have to replace other maps in the game with the maps you create. How do you dictate which gets maps get changed?

sorry if this is wrong or in anyway misleading. Ive tried to understand as best possible what you have to do, as no ones been prepared to help others very well in knowing what to do. Please help!!!

Im really hoping to make alot of maps for users which im hoping to upload onto http://xlnation.net.

Theres very little maps to download, and most do not have resources and citylinks setup correctly.

I also hope to add a step by step tutorial throughout everything once im done.

Is there anyone who has successfully made a new map and willing to help??

cities xl is slowly improving with ever more mods. it will be a shame if only a select few can make maps. please help to turn this into another SC4.

Thanks.

Bluurrr.

  Edited February 29, 2012 by bluurrr  

[jebus22 0]

No. I'm trying to make a flat map and when I load my map that game crashes. I'm mad I just want a nice flat map with open recources so I can recreate the city I live in and I've downloaded the empty blank map but the ground texture is all screwed up and I just don't think I can get into cities xl without a flat map to play on. And I mean a true flat map.

[bluurrr 0]

@jebus22

Im intending on making a flat blank map too. i also want to make blank flat maps with abit of a coast line, and make a variety of them. Once ive made a variety. i wish to make other random maps like dubai/London and other such existing cities. after which i want to make some random maps. all of which i want to upload onto XLnation.net for users to download. the issue is. the people who have made successful maps havent helped those who wish to learn illustrating each step.

Once i find out, if at all possible. i intend on making a detailed text tutorial with screenshots so other users can make their own. I think CXL mods become limited when your only restricted to existing maps.

Have you been able to play the map at all, before it crashes?

How have you made you RGBmap and shadowmap? What program and what did you do?

How have you made a .r32 raw file successfully without it making defects such as the map surface, and without making it compress the map size?

And finally how have you made your map replace an existing map ingame?

could you some how upload an unpacked version of your complete .patch file?

I need someone to actually make a tutorial or something to make custom maps because i find it so complicated.

I know you have to use another program to make your RGBmap and Shadowmap but you have to learn a huge amount just to use the program. (Worldmachine2.2 /Geocontrol) theres no tutorials either...

Ive also made the DDS plugin for photoshop work, but again. what settings and such do i use to make a successful DDS file.

too much questions. no answers.

Help!

  Edited March 2, 2012 by bluurrr  

[Ocram's Razr 963]

It would be cool to have a mostly flat map with a beach and a small river. All my SC4, SC2000, LC-NG, and Simutrans cities are like that (or rather the majority).

[Harbin91 37]

I know it is a bump to an old topic but can someone please upload this to either the STEX or a mirror host site? The original link is dead, and is coming up with Datei existiert nicht auf unserem Server! which in a nutshell translates as the file doesn't exist.

I'm keen to create my own map since everyone in game doesn't quite fit what I want.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Another site would be xlnation.com, where it is.