How to make maps

[Agh]

Making maps may take a lot of practice and time to perfect, but the actual process of creating one is much easier than mapping for other games such as TF2.


THE BASICS:
The game requires two .png images, one for the collision map, and one for the actual map art.

• The collision map, also called the wallmask, shows where players can collide with the environment. Solid areas should be colored black (RGB 0,0,0), and empty space in white (RGB 255,255,255). THE BOTTOM LEFT PIXEL OF THE WALLMASK NEEDS TO BE WHITE!
• The other image is what is shown ingame, and is called the background. The background should represent graphically what areas are solid or not; the wallmask is not actually displayed!

Garrison Builder lets you convert these two images into a working map. Whatever part of the map (WM or BG) you load second becomes the compiled map.

Other tips and trivia:
-Maps are zoomed in 600% size in game.
-Players are approximately 6 pixels high in game.
-Players can reliably jump up to a platform that is 9 pixels high, Scouts can double jump about 16, and the rocket jumpers can make about 30 pixels.
-Ramps are seamless to run up when they're 1 pixel rise/1 run slope. You can't run up a 2 pixel high block.
(original text by fishmatt, updated by Agh and Chu)


TUTORIALS:
basic:
Comprehensive guide to map making (also a Haxxy 2012 entry)
Garrison Builder Tutorial
Tater's GB tutorial (incomplete)

Video Tutorial for making CTF maps

Reference sheet for Garrison Builder by tiscooler

advanced:
How to make your map not suck - List of the most common mistakes, which make the map unbalanced.
Tips on drawing maps - A focus on the art side of mapping
Checklist for Map Makers - Very useful if you run into technical problems.
Agh's mapping lessons - I talk about everything here.
The next generation of mapping (Variations!) - Ozoh is showing us different creative ways to create new game modes.


OTHER STUFF, THAT SHOULD BE USEFUL TO YOU:
How to make a locator file locators are obsolete since update 2.3, ignore any reference to them in any guide.
How to host a game with custom maps

[ImAFirebug]

This tutorial kicks ass, but I got a problem.

I left the lower left pixel of the walkmask white, and everything's done perfectly, but when I to the final step to embed the data, the program seizes up and stays at 0%.

Any suggestions?

[Muddywater]

This tutorial kicks ass, but I got a problem.

I left the lower left pixel of the walkmask white, and everything's done perfectly, but when I to the final step to embed the data, the program seizes up and stays at 0%.

Any suggestions?

Try redownloading it

[ImAFirebug]

ooookay....

[ImAFirebug]

Nope, didn't work.

And this time, the shitty program crashed my computer...

Any more idears?

Edit: Double and triple checked the colors (black being 0,0,0 and white being 255,255,255,) and still nothing.

[Muddywater]

Nope, didn't work.

And this time, the shitty program crashed my computer...

Any more idears?

Dunno, can you elaborate on the problem and be more specific?

[ImAFirebug]

Nope, didn't work.

And this time, the shitty program crashed my computer...

Any more idears?

Dunno, can you elaborate on the problem and be more specific?

1. I open the program.

2. I F3 the data in.

3. I load the map, then the walkmask.

4. I put down all the stuff.

5. I press the Embed level data button.

6. The program freezes and stays at 0%.

I re-downloaded it probably 6 times now.

Edit: Oh,a nd + karma for actually helping me out XP

[Muddywater]

Nope, didn't work.

And this time, the shitty program crashed my computer...

Any more idears?

Dunno, can you elaborate on the problem and be more specific?

1. I open the program.

2. I F3 the data in.

3. I load the map, then the walkmask.

4. I put down all the stuff.

5. I press the Embed level data button.

6. The program freezes and stays at 0%.

I re-downloaded it probably 6 times now.

My only guess is that the map and wallmask are incompatible. Can you post them?

[ImAFirebug]

Certainly:









I'm probably guessing in the walkmask, the lines that go upwards on either sides of the map, are the problem?

[Muddywater]

Certainly:









I'm probably guessing in the walkmask, the lines that go upwards on either sides of the map, are the problem?

No, not the lines. I've never seen anything like that. Try it with this wallmask.



If not, then I'm clueless. Just make sure that you've got the appropriate amount of control points/ intels.

[ImAFirebug]

Nope, still does it.

Okay, I put the regular intels down, and the spawn things (grey with the respective collored handles.)

Spawn points, walls, and medi-cabinet.

[Muddywater]

Nope, still does it.

Okay, I put the regular intels down, and the spawn things (grey with the respective collored handles.)

Spawn points, walls, and medi-cabinet.

The spawn points don't do anything, as seen in vaati's ctf tutorial video, you may want to try again w/o those. Only the regular intels.

[ImAFirebug]

I'll try it and report after I'm done.

Maybe GB just hate's me and my computer XP

[ImAFirebug]

NOTHING F****** WORKS!?!?!?!


Here's what I have down, exactly the same for the blue's side:

[Muddywater]

You clicked Embed level data into PNG once you were done, correct?