Ns_lost Overview Map
Wolv
Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 56Members
<div class="IPBDescription">So you won't get.. Nah, that's too cheap</div> Optimistically embarked on a mission to help my fellow NS players find their waypoints on the map, I've made a printer-friendly overview map for NS_LOST.
I realize that with the new in-game maps the need for such maps has decreased, but personally still find them very useful, especially for area names and vent locations.
Some of the names have been abbreviated, but should still be understandable.
It actually took me a bit longer to make this map then I originally thought, so it may take a while before I get round to doing the other maps, if ever.
Anyways, here it is, and I hope at least some people will still be interested in this map.
<img src='http://www.student.citg.tudelft.nl/c9375215/lost.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
I realize that with the new in-game maps the need for such maps has decreased, but personally still find them very useful, especially for area names and vent locations.
Some of the names have been abbreviated, but should still be understandable.
It actually took me a bit longer to make this map then I originally thought, so it may take a while before I get round to doing the other maps, if ever.
Anyways, here it is, and I hope at least some people will still be interested in this map.
<img src='http://www.student.citg.tudelft.nl/c9375215/lost.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
Comments
Took me a while, since I had no sprite making experience and each sprite program I could find had some bug or another, but by combining these programs I think I made a working minimap for NS_Lost.
Put the file <i>ns_lost.spr</i> into your <i>\NS\Sprites\minimaps\</i> folder (after backing up the original <i>ns_lost.spr</i> of course) and you're all done.
So-far it's the only one I made, but perhaps I'll do more later.
[edit]New <a href='http://www.student.citg.tudelft.nl/c9375215/ns_minimaps.zip' target='_blank'>all-in-one download file</a>, replacing the original download of this file.[/edit]
I realize it's sensory overload, but you probably won't be using it in the heat of a battle anyway. Making the background opaque might help make things more clear, but I don't think the improvement is so great that it justifies total blindness.
[edit]Updated with more recent color scheme, of Eclipse, though all minimaps are now in this scheme.[/edit]
Please, talk to Flay about this, I'd ove to see this in v2.01
And I'm glad you like them.
im gonna make a dithered semi transparent minimap of ns_origin, with the most confusing vent system.
Good job on making this! Hopefully you can do all the other new maps as well!
The most professional looking tool is <b>Sprite Explorer</b>. Downsides are:
- When exporting a multiple selection to .bmp it creates 24-bit files.
- When exporting as .qc (which also exports .bmp files) it creates 8-bit files, but with messed up colors in the palletes.
- The 8-bit files that you can export with the various other, single frame methods, have good colors, but mess up the order. You'll have to use your paint program to make red the last entry again (Wally is very good at that).
- When creating a file I could only load 24-bit files. Loading 8 bit files gave an error message.
* I can't think of a way to fix this, but maybe you won't get this error.
<b>SprView</b>, as the name suggests, only lets you view sprites. The exported files, however, <i>are</i> in 8-bit non-messed-up .bmp format. This is probably the easiest program for exporting the frames.
<b>SprMake</b> only creates sprites, but doesn't support the various sprite types. This can be added using <b>SpriteFixer</b>.
<b>SprWiz</b> is an automated variation of SprMake and <i>does</i> support sprite types. This is probably the easiest, non-buggy program when it comes to creating sprites.
<b>sprgen</b>, finally, from the SDK, has the same functionality as SprWiz, but is more work to use.
The only difference between the sprite I made and the original one is the origin, which is -128, 128 for the created file and 0,0 for the original file. This doesn't seem to affect the displaying of the sprite in-game though. Note that Sprite Explorer, as the only program, <i>does</i> output files with a proper origin.
NS_Lost really fits its name. It's so freaking confusing even with the original minimap that I HATE playing it.
I only made the minimap, no printer version.
[edit]New <a href='http://www.student.citg.tudelft.nl/c9375215/ns_minimaps.zip' target='_blank'>all-in-one download file</a>, replacing the original download of this file.[/edit]
Again, only a minimap. Once Ollj finishes the minimap for Origin that means all new maps have extended minimaps.
[edit]New <a href='http://www.student.citg.tudelft.nl/c9375215/ns_minimaps.zip' target='_blank'>all-in-one download file</a>, replacing the original download of this file.[/edit]
The minimap is colored, half transparend and the location names are as short and small as possible.
-> you can look at the minimap while walking around seeing half of each.
(ive done colored transparent minimaps of all maps bit veil and mineshaft because that HLTV minimaps have bad smoothed borders.)
Im still thinking about what to add and what not.
edid: updated version has a colored outline:
One question, do the little icons that show the other players position on the map still function even though the sprite has been modified?
Woot. That map looks so uber. Pls make the others too. (the names are bit hard to read at 1280x960 res)
Dude... make these for all the maps! That really adds a lot to the game - ie, the ability for total noobs to find their way around the map. Just makes the learning curve a little less steep, and is great convenience for the rest of us.
Might be nice for exploiting the 360 wallhack as an alien, but for getting from A to B I prefer to actually see a non-translucent minimap.
Anyways, I've got ns_caged ready (the only map from 1.04 where I kept getting lost).
[edit]New <a href='http://www.student.citg.tudelft.nl/c9375215/ns_minimaps.zip' target='_blank'>all-in-one download file</a>, replacing the original download of this file.[/edit]
Anyways its impossible to aim with this map or to see an alien incoming on 3d view.
It dioesnt help to know that there is one alien when this knowledge makes you 1 second longer to aim at it while it runs at you.
All this makes possible is walking around SLOWLY while watching at the map, perfect while you build something.
You build and see what your team does.
making +use and showminimap one button is a nice lazy script i did not try jet.
Any faster movement, like normal walking, makes you run against a wall sooner or later in a really stupid way.
The jpg just screws up ALL the quality if transluscent opengl blending.
Ingame you can see the map almost perfectly, and when not, just move a bit.
The 360° minimap exploit needs a fix, but it doesnt work better with transparent map-sprites, it works better with NO map-sprite.
I think that transparency is a useful eye candy.
Anyway, here's Bast. Especially the cleanup part on this one was a lot of work, with all the level-over-level and water sections.
[edit]Slightly improved download available further on.[/edit]
*Note to other forum goers*
When I dare make even 1 more minimap, please all yell at me for not studying for my exams.
[edit]New <a href='http://www.student.citg.tudelft.nl/c9375215/ns_minimaps.zip' target='_blank'>all-in-one download file</a>, replacing the original download of this file.[/edit]
To all those that don't like it: Have you even tried it ingame? I think it's much more usefull than the original. Pls create more of them. (I would do it myself but my drawing abilitys are those of a 5 year old <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'><!--endemo--> )
Now go study exams <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
Then make more <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
-JohnnySmash