Hi guys, i have some really heavy bitmaps, like 12 mbs each 0ne, i don't wanna use tool pro, does anyone knows a trick or something like that to make them less heavy ???

Thanks
Edited by Kinnet on Sep 19, 2015 at 05:47 PM

don't compile with 32 bit color

Use my method, take a screenshot and compile with interpolated alpha data, its easy,

Don't use alpha when you don't need to.

^ bigger compiled bitmaps than the source you compile from the majority of the time.

Tool_pro can ruin your PC.


Actually, use tool_pro, it's good for you.

Maybe this will weed out noobs :)


Yeah, don't use 32 bit color, don't use alpha unless you need it, and maybe remove the mipmaps if you don't particularly need them, but I do not really recommend this.

As stated before by Masterz and mootjuh, don't compile in 32 bits, and avoid alpha channels when you don't need them. Also lower the pixels, keep bitmaps at 256 and 512.

For some reason tool allows for tiff's to be compiled using LZW compression from gimp so you could try that.

(photoshop lzw doesn't work though idk why)

It seems I'll have to resize a whole lot of 2048x2048

If you have the space for it it doesn't really matter.

use .yelo or -mod (loc-bitmaps-sounds.map)

Moses released a bitmap optimizer, give it a shot

Also make sure there is no layers in your tifs.


And don't listen to Jesse, Tool Pro has never done anything bad to me.
Edited by The_Purrminator on Sep 21, 2015 at 11:14 AM

Me neither.

Always hear this crap about tool_pro. I just released 26 exception free maps with it, have been using it for upwards of 3 years, and have had 0 issues from it. Either there was a purposefully edited version released for specific nefarious intent, or a bunch of people are falsely attributing other issues to this program.

To my knowledge all that it is is a version of tool.exe with the unnecessary 128MB MP map size limitation removed. The size limitation is not a hard engine limit, it's like training wheels on a bike or bumpers on a bowling lane.

It made sense when it was released, as any map back then hitting that upper limit probably was just copy-pasted tags with no care taken to optimize at all, and would likely therefore have many undetected or even blatant issues and bugs. These days with higher detail models and much higher resolution textures, that limitation is a HUGE glass ceiling, and is unnecessary if you know what you're doing.

I would say tool_pro is aptly named, because it will definitely allow you to shoot yourself in the foot by adding extraneous crap to the map, but it won't actually pull the trigger-it just turns the safety off.

If there was a nasty version of tool_pro circulated, I'd be happy to provide my completely clean version (that again, I've been using to compile >128MB maps for 3 years sans-OS). I know how Dennis feels about posting the links here, even with this use-at-your-own-risk warning, but I see no problem distributing it on a personal basis, especially since there's so much stigma around it.
Edited by NeX on Sep 21, 2015 at 04:16 PM
Edited by NeX on Sep 21, 2015 at 04:17 PM

I heard a lot of bad things about tool_pro on this site, thats why im so afraid of using it :p









Anyway ill use it :v, screw u map size optimization

Tool pro can simply silence errors that may cause an exception that a beginner wouldn't find. Better use it when you have a good mastery of stock tool

It is what it's name suggests: Tool_PRO
If you get pro at using regular tool you could probably pick up tool_pro.

Good point. I still don't understand this idea that it causes the errors itself though




Unfortunately most of these are patently incorrect....



Nope. It will randomly exception if you have issues other than the tag limit. The tag limit has been explicitly proven to be an arbitrary limit based on hardware requirements and limitations when it was created. It's like putting a 512MB RAM limitation in a program from then - probably a good idea to avoid taking up more than half of the day's average RAM amount. Not so hot nowadays.



No. It doesn't. The game can support and run a tag tree up to 800MB or so (OpenCarnage has a topic on this, with the explicit limits found for the engine. I don't remember the hard numbers of the top of my head). The assumption here is that the limit is protecting the game engine itself from overloading - but that's obviously not true. Look at any revolution map for all the proof you want. Upwards of 250+ MB for a MP map and not a single exception has not been tracked down to a tag problem.

People fear what they don't understand :P



This is actually why I originally grabbed tool_pro. This comment made me think "Oh, I can just reduce tag size once I figure out whats taking up so much space!".

But then nothing bad ever happened. After trimming down everything to below the 128MB limit, I accidentally kept using tool_pro rather than tool (dat cmd up arrow for last command amirite?). About 2-3 weeks later I realized that I'd been compiling things with it the whole time and never ran into an issue. So I split the project and kept adding stuff to a version growing in size with tool pro. Never had an issue, abandoned the tinier version over 2 years ago. 2. years. of development with tool_pro exclusively, even for data->tag compiles. 100% error-free, virus-free, armageddon-free, exception-free, and completely limit-free.



"required for the game engine to safely run the map cache file for the compiler" this is the definition of Wu-Wu, where someone slightly versed in tech-babble just spouts stuff that sounds correct to someone who isn't, based on purely anecdotal evidence or just because it seems correct to them at the time.

No evidence to support, and plenty of evidence against.

tool_pro is like the boogey man in this forum, surrounded by superstition, no backing facts, and I hear smart, talented modders and artists sound like country-bumpkins talking about a mystery in the woods.

"if'n yew step on a branch in teh woods a storm'll cuhm!"

Just silly.

Edited by NeX on Oct 12, 2015 at 11:34 AM