Map making tutorial?

[thornp113 54]

Can someone send me a link to a simple map making tutorial?

Im trying to recreate my hometown but theres no maps made so I'm wondering like, where the best place to find a topographic map is, and... I guess what I'm really looking for is a Greyscale creation guide. 

Thanks!

[Lucario Boricua 7,026]

@thornp113

Check if you can find the information here, it's somewhat disorganized.
 

I went with the method usable with the Tangram Heightmapper (link here: https://tangrams.github.io/heightmapper/ ), which allows the user to extract topographic data as an 8-bit grayscale (256 elevation values, so it's not gonna be that good for regions with bumpy topography compared to 16-bit grayscales or RGB height maps). Make sure to set the scale of your area of interest, and to define the terrain elevations with the following values:

• Do not include bathymetry unless you know the area you're mapping has quality bathymetry (topography of the sea/ocean floor)
   
• Set the lowest elevation value to -250m (equivalent to the deepest sea SC4 can recreate), and set the upper value to one of these, which I listed in this post: 

 

These values correspond to the 8-bit grayscale height factors you can select in SC4 Mapper (link here: ) or with specialized plugins which allow to change the elevation range when rendering maps in-game (link here:

 

• The map size you'll be able to import from Tangram Heightmapper will be limited to the resolution of your computer monitor. You're advised to use it in full screen, and then take several screenshots you'll stitch together. Get some extra screenshots, stitch them together, and then you'll crop out a square or rectangle whose size in pixels can be expressed as 64x + 1, where x is the number of small cities along one side.
   
• Use this image, save it as an 8-bit BMP or PNG (advisable to use either GIMP, PaintNET or Adobe Photoshop), and then open it with SC4 Mapper.
   
• With SC4 Mapper, select the terrain height parameter which matches the elevation range you defined earlier, or if unsure, experiment some until you see the water level roughly match with your coastline/lakes/rivers.

 

Another person you should ask about this is @Odainsaker, one of the few talented and active mapmakers. If you have the time, do follow their posts, as they have mastered the high definition terrains. These use different sources and techniques, but give far better results.

[thornp113 54]

Awesome! Thank You!!!

[thornp113 54]

WOW. https://tangrams.github.io/heightmapper/ Is the coolest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.