Map Overviews:

First of all, there aren't that many tutorials out there on this aspect of mapping. However, of those few, all of the ones I've read I haven't gotten to work and/or didn't explain that you need certain sizes for pictures, certain graphics options, etc. Well, it's all explained in this tutorial if you're in the same state or just wana know how to make them!

What is an overview? Well, when your playing in game, and you're dead, you can spectate the game from 'overview' mode. The picture laid in front of you is the overview picture. This is what we need to get, and the information from the console to make it work properly (more on this later). Note this is ONLY available from CS 1.3 onwards.

First of all, we need to load the map that we are going to make an overview for. You can do it through either single player or multiplayer, but single player is preferable since you won't get the crosshair in the middle of the picture and bars along the top and bottom of the screen!

IMPORTANT: You will need to be playing with certain graphics options. It will not work on the lowest resolutions. Some older computers (like mine) may have a problem with this, but this is the way it is unfortunately. I used the Video Mode setting of Direct 3D, resolution of 640x480. However, any higher resolution is fine. Since I normally play in Software mode on 400x300, it took me ages to realise that you need a higher resolution, and this wasn't explained in any tutorial that I'd read.

Ok here's how to go about making an overview:

Step1: Load counter-strike with the console enabled. If you don't know how to do this, then right click on the CS icon and click on properties. See the target box, well after the text, type in -console. Then, click Ok at the bottom and load CS. At the top of the main menu, you should have the option to go into the console. 

Note that I have also got -dev in the target box. This is because we need developer mode to make the overviews and setting it here means that we don't have to activate it in game.

Step 2: In the console, type map (mapname). I'm going to be doing an overview for the map de_taliban, as it doesn't come with an overview. So in this case I'll type "map de_taliban".

Step 3: When the map has loaded, bring down the console (usually the ~ key) and type these two commands: - developer 1 (if you didn't set it in the target box above) - dev_overview 1

The command dev_overview 1 will instantly load up the overview of the map. Like this:

This is the layout of the map! Now, we have a lot of information at the top that we need to note down for use later. We need a screenshot of this, so type in the console: - dev_overview 2

This will remove the text at the top of the screen and leave you with this:

Now we can take a screenshot. Press F5 (default key for screenshots), which will save the image as a bitmap in your half-life folder.

Step 4: Now we have the screenshot, but remember all the information at the top that we 'removed'? Well, we now need to note it down for the overview to work.

Here's a screenshot of the information for this map:

We need to take down all this information for a text file. I'd recommend writing it down on paper, in order, so that you don't get confused when putting it into the text file. If the information is wrong, then the players will be shown on the map in different places to what they actually are. So this is crucial.

The information is also displayed in the console if you find it hard to read from the screen, i.e. if some maps have the same colours around this area, making it harder to read.

Step 5: Now, exit CS and load up notepad or an existing overview text file. It should look something along the lines of this:

The values here vary for different maps and the overview picture. Now, edit this for our overview information. A reminder of our information:

Zoom 1.48, Map Origin (472, -330, -446), Z Min 353, Z Max -1245, Rotated 0

We need most of these values, but not all of them. Copy these: => Zoom value - Into the ZOOM field in notepad => Map Origin - Copy the first TWO values, the third value is not needed => Z Max - Copy this value into the HEIGHT field and the THIRD value for the Map Origin field => Rotated - Copy the value into the ROTATED field

We also need to change the top line of text so it should say this:

"// overview description file for de_taliban.bsp" instead of de_whitehouse_beta.bsp

Last thing for the text file is to change the IMAGE field, so that it states this:

IMAGE "overviews/de_taliban.tga"

From this step, the notepad document should look like this:

Now, save this as de_taliban.txt (or what your map name is called). Make sure its saved into your cstrike/overviews folder.

Great! One last thing to do, and that is to set the picture file up.

Step 6: Go to your half-life folder and you should find a .bmp file named similar to de_taliban0000.bmp (or whatever your map is named). Open up the file and copy the entire image. Then, close it and open a new document in Paint. Then copy the image into the new document and resize it so that it fits EXACTLY into the space provided. Then save it as de_taliban.bmp.

The reason we have to do this is the picture file has to be 1024x768 pixels. The saved image wasn't. By opening a new document, it'll reset to this setting, making life easier for you :) That's why the picture needs to be resized exactly too.

Now, you have two choices here. You can save your overview picture in .bmp form or in .tga form. If you're going to save as .bmp, then you'll have to save in 256 colours or else it won't work. This is not good, as your picture quality will be reduced by a LOT. Try it and you'll see what I mean. However, saving in .tga form, you can keep your quality. You just have to have Photoshop (or another program that opens .tga files). To make the .tga file, open Photoshop and open the overview image. Then, click on Save As and choose .tga format. Call the file the name given in our text file (de_taliban.tga). You will now be presented with a message box. You have to use 24 or 32 bits/pixel, 16 isn't allowed for overviews.

You now have an overview for your map! Next time you die, you should see in overview mode, the layout of the map, not a black or purple set of squares!

Just make sure that the overview picture and the notepad file are both in your cstrike/overviews folder and it'll work. Like this:

By The GOD