Two questions

[BobTheBull]

I remember reading somewhere that graphics quality is degraded if a map is saved and resaved too many times. Can someone illuminate this subject? How many times and how much degradation? This does seem counter intuitive, as one would think the graphics is strictly a matter of the game engine, the graphics files and your computer's graphics capability. Though I have definitely observed that many things about the way RRT works are counterintuitive, which only makes me appreciate the work the community has done to improve and advance the game. If this is true it seriously constrains scenario development as well.

Unrelated: you can reorder the events by moving them up and down. I would assume that is to allow the developer to arrange the order in which they are processed. Some of my testing says this is not necessarily the case, but can anyone give us a definitive answer to this question?

[Blackhawk]

1. I'm not sure I've really looked to see how degraded the map can become so I'm unsure of how it works. I know I did work on a map that was previously painted and made a new scenario out of it, and the scenario ended up being a very large file size compared to other scenarios that were of the same size or larger. If you save the map over under different names I don't think the degradation is much of an issue.

2. You can move events up and down. (although after I hit about 150 events they didn't want to play nice anymore and would skip and jump around when I tried to move them rather than move up one by one, which created a mess of out of order events). The order of the events often matters for things like setting the victory conditions. Test for Gold first, then Silver, then Bronze, then the lose conditions. If Silver requires 50 loads shipped, and Gold requires 100, but you test for Silver first, you'll only win a Silver medal. So for some events, the order does matter.

[nedfumpkin]

The issue with saving maskes has to do with image compression. The image on the map is compressed each time it is saved an over time is will get blurry and colours will bleed, this is why you wait until the map is done before painting.

[Gwizz]

I tend to avoid a copy over when saving a map in the editor. Doing this seems to avoid compression problems.
But I normally detail a map after it is in working order, so I haven't experienced many compression problems.
I originally did this to avoid losing a map should it corrupt

I do this by adding 99 (MapName99) to the name on the first save. Saving a second time I change the name slightly by changing the name to "MapName98" and so on with each editor "changed map" save. I normally move all of the other maps to a created back up folder "maps2", so the normal map folder only has the saved maps I'm working on, with the newest map on top.

[nedfumpkin]

Gwizz, I don't think it is a case of having to save multiple copies of the map for the image compresstion. Doing it as a back up is a good idea. But it's the same image being compressed over and over again that degrades. And is is the patterns, like mottling, and the edges that get affected the most. Solid colours won't be affected usually.

[Gwizz]

I keep wondering why I don't have the problem. Since I save a map like a new map each time, I'm not copying-over the last saved map.
If it is true that the map grows larger when it is copied-over an older copy of the map. My thinking then, is the changes made with a copy-over, does not delete totally everything that was changed in the editor and pushes a bit into the empty space that allows compression.

It is like some new programs that required that an old version of a program be removed before installing a new version.
Of course a programmer could close up the space and reduce nearly all the compression, most don't, when they have deadlines to meet.

Of course this is just my theory and it may not be correct.

[brunom]

I now use the following strategy:

Give everything a somewhat smooth paint layer, to have the overall right aspect, before working on cities and territories. I know it will blur - at least, you peopriverle say it does, although I never noticed any significant effect. My point is that blurring is ok and indeed desirable at that level. Later, once everything works and the whole thing passed beta test, I plant trees and add color detail (such as river banks or rock faces).

Just my half-cent.
B

[BobTheBull]

OK, what you guys are talking is drawing maps. What I am talking about is modifying scenarios, involving changing things in the editor control panel and possibly moving a few cities, maybe adding a few industries to the map. How does it affect the graphics if you only change control panel items and frequently save so as not to lose your changes?

[Gwizz]

I don't notice a difference; But then I always save with a new name each time. The new name may only have a number or letter different in the title.
I modify more maps than I make from scratch. It saves a lot of time. There are some very good map makers with good maps to modify. I normally don't publish a modified map unless it is basically a very different map.