Re-textured map for Victoria II.

[Modestus]

Update for AHD.

Minor Disclaimer this is based on the Demo of AHD.

Using my up to date files for VictoriaII replace the following with these updated files for AHD.

texturesheets.tga and texturesheets(2).tga (look the same but different format)

terrain_2_0.fx and water.fx

Download here (5.5 MB): http://www.mediafire.com/?vgzljkztnhfgjjf


Should work without a problem.







Re-textured map for Victoria II.

Update 03-11-10.

Download here (14.10 MB): http://www.mediafire.com/?e0uvon5w0n2v6wy


Instructions: Download and extract files to wherever this will create a folder called “VC update 03-11-10” which contains the files you may want to change in VCMapMap2 (28.53MB) below.

Make backups and check it out.

Screens:






Update 09-10-10: All files will work with version 1.2


I have called this Version VCMapMap2.

Download here ( 28.53 MB): http://www.mediafire.com/?r3oqs41096mx15a

or

Here: http://www.filefront.com/17311475/VCMapMap2.7z

Instructions: Download and extract to your desktop this will create a folder called VCMapMap2 which contains the files that you will need to replace.

First make sure that you have backed up your vanilla files, I would recommend that you simple make a copy of your terrain folder and call it vanilla terrain folder then copy and paste my new terrain files into your existing terrain folder.

Second make a copy of your water.fx and terrain_2_0.fx files and replace your existing ones with with my new ones.

Third backup and replace your building_capital.dds

Start the game.

Description:

An attempt to make the Victoria II terrain map look more like an actual map and at the same time not to have a detrimental impact on the other maps, in fact to try and make them look better. This is now the default version but alternative texturesheets are included within the terrain folder which can be renamed to replace my default texturesheets.

Change list:

1\ New texture sheets.

2\ New and more detailed colormap.dds to work with the new texturesheets

3\ New colormap_water.dds

4\ A few other terrain files see folder.

5\ New terrain_2_0.fx to lessen the darkness of the FOW (does not remove the FOW).

6\ New water.fx to allow the sea colour to show more clearly.

7\ New building_capital.dds , stands out more.


Issues:

None that I am aware of, note that these changes will not cause a re-cache which I believe the game cannot do at the moment.

Version 2 Screenshots:












Version 1 Screenshots:











Stylised map Screenshots :






Cheers Modestus.

[Alexspeed]

I just tried it out, i have to say its a good work.

But i have one advice, you should reduce the size of the

- colormap.dds
- colormap_political.dds
- colormap_water.dds

again. These bigger versions cause on my pc a serious lag
At least i think that these are the files responsile for the lag.

The textures themself are looking great.

[Modestus]

I just tried it out, i have to say its a good work.

But i have one advice, you should reduce the size of the

- colormap.dds
- colormap_political.dds
- colormap_water.dds

again. These bigger versions cause on my pc a serious lag
At least i think that these are the files responsile for the lag.

The textures themself are looking great.

You could be right I normally resize them to match the terrain.bmp map this can help when working with the graphics.

I will resize them I see what they look like and upload an update.

[Baleur]

I love the second screenie with the jungle texture, very intense, i like it. But i really dont like the rest, its like, Paradox finally gave us a game with a beautiful artistic map, but then this retexture basically brings it back to the desaturated sepia-tone realism of the past games. (which is rather ironic considering real life has far more colour than most games / graphics obsessing about being realistic)
No offense!! Just different tastes

[Modestus]

I love the second screenie with the jungle texture, very intense, i like it. But i really dont like the rest, its like, Paradox finally gave us a game with a beautiful artistic map, but then this retexture basically brings it back to the desaturated sepia-tone realism of the past games. (which is rather ironic considering real life has far more colour than most games / graphics obsessing about being realistic)
No offense!! Just different tastes

No offense taken but the goal is to make it look like a map.

Open to but may ignore suggestions.

[Aleksei]

I like it!

[barrabas]

Nice work!

In game, I do feel it is a bit too "bright", though. Perhaps it could be changed just slightly. And the farmlands could do with a little more colour contrast, I believe.

[Modestus]

Nice work!

In game, I do feel it is a bit too "bright", though. Perhaps it could be changed just slightly. And the farmlands could do with a little more colour contrast, I believe.

Yes you could right, best to get it out there and get some feedback.

[Leviathan07]

Nice! I will try out this "map" look. The screenies remind me of the Atlas style maps we used in geography class in high school.

I too think the Vanilla map is the most beautifiul map that Paradox ever made, but I sometimes find it very hard to find troops when looking at the map at zoomed out levels.

[Leviathan07]

Ok so I tried it out...

I absolutely LOVE the fact that I can spot my armies easier now. Also I like the "map" look. And I like the performance increase I got from your mod ... it's 1896 in my game, I have a worldwide empire, and with your mod it runs as smoothly as it did in the 1830s!!


However there's one sad thing... the oceans are terribly bland!! Right now there's no way to see what part of the map you're looking at, since oceans are just uniform bright blue. I previously used Danevang's map mod, and he had more detailed oceans, which REALLY helped a lot with not getting disoriented on the map.

Is there ANY WAY to for example

• show ocean depths, like in Danevang's map fertilizer mod? Maybe he would let you use a part of his map... it's really good with his map, you have a much easier time scrolling the oceans, particularly the Atlantic and Pacific.
• Add a latitude and longitude grid to the regular map view? Kind of like the way how Ocean maps are depicted...
• Add graphics for the common sealanes or transoceanic cables to the map, like this: (to help with orientation)

Any one (or more) of those would be my suggestions to further improve this already very nice mod

[Modestus]

Ok so I tried it out...

I absolutely LOVE the fact that I can spot my armies easier now. Also I like the "map" look. And I like the performance increase I got from your mod ... it's 1896 in my game, I have a worldwide empire, and with your mod it runs as smoothly as it did in the 1830s!!


However there's one sad thing... the oceans are terribly bland!! Right now there's no way to see what part of the map you're looking at, since oceans are just uniform bright blue. I previously used Danevang's map mod, and he had more detailed oceans, which REALLY helped a lot with not getting disoriented on the map.

Is there ANY WAY to for example

• show ocean depths, like in Danevang's map fertilizer mod? Maybe he would let you use a part of his map... it's really good with his map, you have a much easier time scrolling the oceans, particularly the Atlantic and Pacific.
• Add a latitude and longitude grid to the regular map view? Kind of like the way how Ocean maps are depicted...
• Add graphics for the common sealanes or transoceanic cables to the map, like this: (to help with orientation)

Any one (or more) of those would be my suggestions to further improve this already very nice mod

You could use Danevang's colormap_water.dds yourself without a problem, I am not sure if I want to use it as I prefer a plain sea but I could add a grid of some short and perhaps make the coastline more interesting.

By the way you cant really add a grid directly to the colormap_water because even at one pixel thick the maps not large enough for it to look right.

[Leviathan07]

You could use Danevang's colormap_water.dds yourself without a problem, I am not sure if I want to use it as I prefer a plain sea but I could add a grid of some short and perhaps make the coastline more interesting.

Yeah I just tried that, and I like the combination best

By the way you cant really add a grid directly to the colormap_water because even at one pixel thick the maps not large enough for it to look right.

That's too bad. Some ornaments could vastly improve the map... maybe P'dox will consider it for add-ons... the ornaments could be vector-based so the map size and resolution can be kept. Oh well.

BTW what about the zoomed-out overlay? Is the resolution of that one large enough to allow some ornaments like longitude/latitude grids, names of geographical features, etc?

[Alexspeed]

BTW what about the zoomed-out overlay? Is the resolution of that one large enough to allow some ornaments like longitude/latitude grids, names of geographical features, etc?

The zoomed out overlay is just a 512x512 sized tile that is repeated, so there is no way to use that for anything like you would like to.

[Leviathan07]

The zoomed out overlay is just a 512x512 sized tile that is repeated, so there is no way to use that for anything like you would like to.

Aww that's too bad! I wish there was a way to pretty up the map with some vector based graphics. Simple stuff... a latitude/longitude grid, some labels on the grid, tropic of cancer, simple curved lines showing sea lanes...

Make the player feel like he's really looking at one of those huge world maps hanging at the wall of the colonial office! Twisting his moustache while thinking about ways to expand his empire...

[Modestus]

See end of OP for addition 14-09-10.

[ComradeOm]

Good stuff Modestus, I will definitely be trying this out when I return to the game

[Alexspeed]

See end of OP for addition 14-09-10.

Thanks for tweaking & releasing the second texture set, looks nice and clean, well done

[Modestus]

Experiment with new mountain and hill textures.

[Blublub]

Experiment with new mountain and hill textures.

Absolutely amazing - best ones so far, IMHO!

[Modestus]

Added a simplified but a more map like texture for the woods that works well with the mountains and hills.

I have Divine wind in the back of my mind.