You don't need to replace what's in the parenthesis for the arguments, you need exactly what it says, when it gets launched it gets replaced by the appropriate things automatically.
this is how I currently have the tool configured. it works, but the overview portion takes about 10 seconds. I have been watching your utube videos and you load much more quickly. I have listed the output from the editor below.
Map Test
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Natural Selection 2>copy C:\Users\Guest\Desktop\MAPS\ns2_test.level ns2\maps /Y
1 file(s) copied.
believe i got it to work but when i load the map everything is black and im unable to use the escape key have to use console to exit. whats wrong? and yes map is lit
Did you read my post before? Your arguments are wrong, it has to look like my screenshot. You don't have to replace ANYTHING, it has to be EXACTLY like mine.
"$(ItemPath)" "$(ItemFileName)"
Your current setup will only work for that map name and location, not whatever map you load into spark, which is the whole point of this tool.
Also, the overview time you report seems normal, it does take about that on mine too, you might be thinking of the times I was using the Install Map option, which copies the map and does the minimap, but I usually don't wait for the minimap if I've done small changes to it and just reload the map while it generates. Also in those videos NS2 launches on my primary monitor which then I switch to my second one (where I have the editor open).
believe i got it to work but when i load the map everything is black and im unable to use the escape key have to use console to exit. whats wrong? and yes map is lit
"Overview.exe stopped working" (Or however that error is in english when the program quit responding) every time I try to use "Run map". I'm pretty sure it's since this build, and at the moment it's my number one guess why my occlusion geometry does not work the way I think it should.
SamusDroidColoradoJoin Date: 2013-05-13Member: 185219Members, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Gold, Subnautica Playtester, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
Builder auto generates overviews files next patch. Turns out all this time it was being overridden by a stripped down version that didn't create overviews, but I fixed it.
Builder auto generates overviews files next patch. Turns out all this time it was being overridden by a stripped down version that didn't create overviews, but I fixed it.
Is this by chance still broken?
Just tried to create minimap and height map and overview.exe crashed (both by using command line, and by creating a mod and have builder execute overview.exe.
That's cause the tools crash on exit. It still works though
Thanks for the answer, the tool does seem to work, the problem with the map was something else.
Is the crash still being worked on or is it a matter of "deal with it"/"not important"?
so when i click on start map it just loads the game up but i end up at the main menu screen, no load of the map?
This broke when the game added that loading screen for the main menu, I don't think I can do anything on my side to restore that until NS2 re-supports the feature.
so how can i test my map now? never shows up in my map list for start server?
open the console (you might need to add "-console" in the Steam starting options of NS2) and then write "map ns2_awesomemap" where you "ns2_awesomemap" is of course the file name of your map (sans the .level)
Apparently the zipmap doesn't attatch heightmaps correctly? On a map I made, using the .zipmap added the minimap and heightmap just fine. That is until the map went live on a server, the commander/spectator camera became extremely glitchy and game-breaking. Reverting to overview.bat fixed the issues with maps/overviews heightmap and minimap.
Apparently the zipmap doesn't attatch heightmaps correctly? On a map I made, using the .zipmap added the minimap and heightmap just fine. That is until the map went live on a server, the commander/spectator camera became extremely glitchy and game-breaking. Reverting to overview.bat fixed the issues with maps/overviews heightmap and minimap.
You really should be trying to use Builder as much as possible. You can configure Builder to generate overviews when it "builds" the map files (assuming that's not the default already). You won't get these sorts of problems with the Builder.
It seems to me that the purpose of this tool is to quickly test maps in a local server, not to prepare the files for final publish.
It depends on what is the defenition of prepare.
I do all with builder except one thing.
Builder is:
-rendering the overview based on the file it finds in the source directory of the opened project
-copy files from 'source' to 'output' wich is the directory that will be published.
-don't copy the model and model textures apparently.
It also has .psd file converting functionalities. Though i would have prefered standart image format to be directly converted as .dds format.
Comments
Map Test
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Natural Selection 2>copy "$C:\Users\Guest\Documents\" ns2\maps /Y
$C:\Users\Guest\Documents\*
0 file(s) copied.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Natural Selection 2>Overview.exe "$C:\Users\Guest\Documents\" ns2
Usage: overview.exe <path\map name.level> <output dir> <optional width> <optional height> <optional info>Outputs .tga and .hmp into (output dir)\maps\overviews
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Natural Selection 2>start NS2.exe map "$ns2_test.level"
Output completed - Normal Termination
Auto backed up to 'C:/Users/Guest/AppData/Roaming/Natural Selection 2/Editor/autobackup/ns2_test.autobackup3.level'
Title: Map Test
Command: C:\Users\Guest\Documents\LaunchMap.bat
Arguments: "$C:\Users\Guest\Documents\" "$ns2_test.level"
The software launches. The main menu opens and, I get a "file not found" error box.
Overview.exe %1 ns2
start NS2.exe map %2
You need to have that exactly like this:
"$(ItemPath)" "$(ItemFileName)"
It's in the screenshot.
this is how I currently have the tool configured. it works, but the overview portion takes about 10 seconds. I have been watching your utube videos and you load much more quickly. I have listed the output from the editor below.
Map Test
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Natural Selection 2>copy C:\Users\Guest\Desktop\MAPS\ns2_test.level ns2\maps /Y
1 file(s) copied.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Natural Selection 2>Overview.exe C:\Users\Guest\Desktop\MAPS\ns2_test.level ns2
Render Device: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti (9.18.13.1422)
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Natural Selection 2>start NS2.exe map ns2_test.level
Output completed - Normal Termination
oh yea thank you for the videos and help
"$(ItemPath)" "$(ItemFileName)"
Your current setup will only work for that map name and location, not whatever map you load into spark, which is the whole point of this tool.
Also, the overview time you report seems normal, it does take about that on mine too, you might be thinking of the times I was using the Install Map option, which copies the map and does the minimap, but I usually don't wait for the minimap if I've done small changes to it and just reload the map while it generates. Also in those videos NS2 launches on my primary monitor which then I switch to my second one (where I have the editor open).
This is probably because you're missing entities, check out my tutorial on the minimum required entities to get a map running.
And OcclusionGeometry has nothing to do with any of this anyways.
At least not the Overview part.
Oh, yeah, I missed that...
And the second part is a pity. I have to do some research, then...
?
Just tried to create minimap and height map and overview.exe crashed (both by using command line, and by creating a mod and have builder execute overview.exe.
Is the crash still being worked on or is it a matter of "deal with it"/"not important"?
This broke when the game added that loading screen for the main menu, I don't think I can do anything on my side to restore that until NS2 re-supports the feature.
You really should be trying to use Builder as much as possible. You can configure Builder to generate overviews when it "builds" the map files (assuming that's not the default already). You won't get these sorts of problems with the Builder.
It seems to me that the purpose of this tool is to quickly test maps in a local server, not to prepare the files for final publish.
I do all with builder except one thing.
Builder is:
-rendering the overview based on the file it finds in the source directory of the opened project
-copy files from 'source' to 'output' wich is the directory that will be published.
-don't copy the model and model textures apparently.
It also has .psd file converting functionalities. Though i would have prefered standart image format to be directly converted as .dds format.