creating a minimap

[EaglePrince 230]

I am sorry if there is an article about this, or if someone asked this same question before. It's just I haven't found something like that, so I'm asking. :)

 

How can one create a minimap of Stronghold 2 map? I have created one Stronghold 2 map this evening, and I am having problems with this one...

 

I will try some stuff, such as starting a game, and making a screenshot at the very beginning, but I would like to have the minimap just the way it looks like in map editor - when one can see types of villages, and the layout of the map as well - mountains, rives, etc... Is that possible to do with stuff I already have, or I need to use some third party program?

 

Thanks!

 

PS: I will show you the map as well. :) I tried making it like I would create some magnificent new map, but it ended like "it's something". :D Mostly because I forgot that I get add maximum 16 estates - no more, and I imagined map with at least 18 estates, but I had 24 estates in my mind. :)

 

Addition:

So, this is the minimap, although I am not much satisfied how it looks... One cannot see which are castle estates here, and there is this rectangular. I know how I could remove rectangular, and I could mark those castles estates, but I am wondering if there is any faster way - other then using too much graphics manipulation programs, or some third party programs such as bandicam.

Edited April 12, 2015 by EaglePrince

[Lord_Chris 251]

The way I do it, is as soon as I open up Stronghold 2, I go into the editor and press ALT + TAB. This will put the game into a smaller window and you can now take screenshots.

 

It's not possible to alt & tab out of the game unless you're in the editor or playing a map. This is one of my minimaps, which I took from the Kingmaker screen. I think they look better there because you get the gold outline:

 

[EaglePrince 230]

I have tried it now, but it doesn't seem to work to me. It just minimizes the game, and when I alt-tab again it goes back into the game - full screen mode. I have 1.4.1 Stronghold 2 version, it I am running Windows 7 operating system.

[Lord_Chris 251]

You can't just print screen the page? I don't think I was clear on that part, after minimising the game, you need to print screen it and paste it into an image editing program.

[EaglePrince 230]

I did try that too. Only when I PRINT SCREEN, and paste it into PAINT, or any other image editing programs, it copies the white rectangular image - not the screenshot. So PRINT SCREEN doesn't work for me. On the other hand, ALT+Q does work in game and in the editor, but it doesn't work while I am in the menu - including the page where I choose kingmaker maps and the page with map overview from map editor. It works only when I am actually editing the map, or when I actually play the game.

 

ADDITION: Does PRINT SCREEN and PASTE into PAINT or another graphics editing programs for you?

 

 

SECOND ADDITION: I made to do it using Fraps! The thing was that I didn't want to install any third party program, as this PC is not much powerful. I was recording those Crusader 2 games using Bandicam, but it seems a little bit more demanding. Fraps seems to be pretty light weight application - only few MB, and it pretty basic, just what I needed.

 

Still, if there is a way to do this without help of some third party programs, I would be happy to know. :)

 

Edited April 13, 2015 by EaglePrince

[EaglePrince 230]

Just to drop it here... After some thinking - I would be grateful if someone new a way of making the minimap of a Stronghold 2 map without a third party program such as Fraps, but still - it is a small program, it's free, so there is a solution. To be more precise, it is free for those who don't want to make videos longer then 30 seconds, and I need it for screenshots.

 

Regarding the minimap, I have managed to make minimaps like this:

 

 

The second one is from map editor, while the other one was created out of two screenshots from kingmaker menu. To be more precise, I put myself to the west, and took the screenshot, and I put myself to east, and took again the screenshot. Then I copied left half of one minimap over the left part of the other, and that is how I got a minimap with no territory marked with red. This can easily be done with Gimp.