[Tutorial] How to make the minimap

Regn · November 2012

This is for the Q&A located <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=123894" target="_blank">here</a>, to avoid cluttering it.

A minimap consist of three components:

1. The minimap_extents entity (Spark Editor)
2. The Overview (overview.exe)
3. The location entity (Spark Editor)

MINIMAP ENTITY

The minimap_extents entity tells overview.exe what to compile, and what to ignore. Select the minimap_extents entity from the Entity Browser, and click to place it. Then expand the entity to fill your map.

Tip: Click F7 and create a layer for it. That way you can toggle the entity on and off in Spark. Hide it, and continue to make your map as if it's not there.

LOCATION ENTITY

The location entity is what tells players where they are on your map as they play it. It works independently, so it does not need an overview to be seen in game. Let's say you've created a room that you want to call "Reactor Core". Select the location entity from the Entity Browser, and click to place it. Edit and name the location entity "Reactor Core" under name, then expand the location entity over the area you wish to call "Reactor Core".

Tip: Click F7 and create a layer for it. That way you can toggle the entity on and off in Spark. Hide it, and continue to make your map as if it's not there.

OVERVIEW

The overview.exe will create a graphical image of your level from above. There are three ways to make your overview.

Option #1: Use Mendasp's method, as can be read <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=119239" target="_blank">here</a>.

Option #2: By <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/wiki/index.php/Ns2_sample#Overview" target="_blank">creating a batch file</a>, and moving your .level over said batch file. You can create a batch file by right-clicking in the folder you want to make the batch file, and select "New->Text Document". Open the text document, and write your code. The following code should do (You might have to change the path if you have the Natural Selection 2 folder located someplace else):

<div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'>START "Overview Map Generator" /d "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\natural selection 2" Overview.exe %1 ns2
Pause</div>

Once that has been done, save and close the document. If you have file extensions on, you should be able to see that the text document ends with ".txt", if not you need to go to your Control Panel and locate your Folder Options. This is easier if you, in Windows 7, write "Control Panel\All Control Panel Items" in the address bar of any folder. Once you've found your Folder Options, select the View tab, then browse for and untoggle "Hide extensions for known file types". Now you can see and change the ".txt" extentions to ".bat". Ignore any warnings you may encounter in the process.

Then, simply move your .level over the batch file, and wait for "overview.exe" to do its job. If you get errors, ignore it, and just wait for overview.exe to complete.

Option #3: By using the "overview.exe" manually with cmd. Click on your Start Menu and write "cmd" in the Search window to open the Command Console. Once in the cmd, write the following and press enter (You might have to change the path if you have the Natural Selection 2 folder located someplace else):

<div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'>cd "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\natural selection 2"</div>

The following depends on where your .level is located, and your Natural Selection 2 folder is located, so you might have to change the paths, again.

<div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'>overview.exe "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\natural selection 2\ns2\maps\TheNameOfMyMap.level" "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\natural selection 2"</div>

The first string is used to call the program. The second string is the input (your level file). The third string is the output (where your minimap will be created). You don't have to add the following folders "\ns2\maps\overviews\" in the third string. If the program can't find these folders in "Natural Selection 2" it will create them inside the "overviews" folder.

Krozu · November 2012

My editor generates the map for me, i got Mendasp to thank for that.

"One click map testing within Spark" - Mendasp

I simply hit a hotkey, and it loads the map, minimap and everything included.
Just look at the "Important Topics". For the lazy people: <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=119239" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/in...howtopic=119239</a>

Magneto · November 2012

I think you can skip all of that as the builder now does it for you, i was doing it the same way as Krozu for a while but i found that running the editor and the game was a bit slow, also it was brought up recently that the minimap_extents should be a perfect square/cube, you can do that by using the scale tool and holding shift when you make it bigger or you can edit it's properties and do it that way.

Regn · November 2012

I wasn't aware that it existed. I read the topic once but didn't fully understand it. So far, even with the batch file method available, I do all of this with cmd once the map is almost finished.

[Tutorial] How to make the minimap

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