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[TUTORIAL]New To The Maps Forum? Check This Out
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[TUTORIAL]New To The Maps Forum? Check This OutPosted:

JetBlue
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[TUTORIAL]NEW TO THE MAPS FORUM? CHECK THIS OUT


I've been fairly active here on the Maps forum over the past couple of days and I've noticed a trend of new posters who either make the same mistakes or lack the same knowledge.

So, instead of either replying individually to each and every post or copy+pasting the information and inflating my post count, why not have one thread that will cover all of this? Makes it easier to access for the general public and when I'm not able to post, people can still read my advice!


Let's begin, shall we?









Sharing your map. How to let others download your map.
Installing a map. How to install a map that you've downloaded.
Get noticed.Quick tips to help your map get noticed.
Flat Maps.User-created maps that have been flattened out and how to request one.
Where to go for help.If you need mapping-related help that I didn't cover here, check this out.



Pictures
How to take screenshots in Minecraf
How to upload pictures to the Internet


We have all heard the cliche' "A picture's worth a thousand words." This not only applies to photographs in real life, but also on the internet. Without pictures, most people simply will not download your map because they want a quick glimpse of something that sparks on interest of theirs before they dedicate the time/bandwidth/space to install and play your map.

Not only this, but a picture also lets the viewers and potential players have a good sense that you're not sharing malware, a virus, or whatever. If you're really amazing, though, you can head on over to [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] and upload your map (more about this at [goto=Share]sharing your map[/goto].) This website has a 20mb cap, but it scans a file across 41 different antivirus programs for free.

Sounds fair. But not everyone knows how to get a picture on the internet, let alone how to take one in Minecraft. I'm here to help. That's what this thread is for.


How to take screenshots in Minecraft

This is a very short, simple guide to let you take pictures in Minecraft.

1. Load up Minecraft and play on the map that you want to take pictures of.
2. Move to a location that you want to digitally capture.
3. Press F1 to hide the UI (Action bars, health, etc.)
4. Press F2 to take a picture.
5. If you want more than one picture, either press F1 to get your UI back and move or just move and press F2 again.

It really is that easy.









How to upload your screenshots to the Internet
You will need an image hosting website. I prefer [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] but if you don't want to sign up for an account (even though it is free) you can upload to my other favorite [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] . If neither of those suit your needs, turn to [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] .

Okay. So you're at an image hosting website. Now what? Hit the Upload button. Silly.
This should open up an explorer menu that allows you to search through your computer to find the screenshot(s) that you want to upload. But, I haven't told you where to find them... yet. So that's a problem. The location of your screenshots depends on what operating system that you're running.

If you're running Windows, your screenshots are located here:
Press the Windows Key and R at the same time. In this dialogue type (or copy and paste) the following
%appdata%\.minecraft\screenshots

If you're running on a Mac, your screenshots are located here:
/Users/*username*/Library/Application Support/minecraft/screenshots/

If you're running Linux, your screenshots are located here:
`/.minecraft/screenshots

After you've navigated to the folder and selected the screenshot(s), go ahead and hit "Open" on the explorer and it will start the upload. After the upload is complete, it should either ask you to add tags, a name, and description or re-direct you to the image that you've uploaded.

There should be a couple links that the image host provides. You will need either the "IMG code" (for basic pre-formatted link that you can just post on the forums) or the "Direct link" that requires you to add [IMG] BBCode** around the image in order to have it embedded on the forums.

Just throw either one of these bad boys onto the forum and BAM! You have a screenshot that everyone can see online with little-to-no hassle on your behalf!

**There is a button to do this. When replying to a topic or creating a new thread, it is the "Img" button above the text box.









Mods
Mods that I recommend
Mods that I would AVOID


There has been at least one thread, meaning there will be countless more, asking about using mods to create a map -- more specifically, using an inventory editor to get items handed to you.

My view on this is that I fully recommend and sometimes prefer that you use an inventory editor. It's like having an Easy button on Minecraft that allows you to worry less about gathering the materials to make your map and actually focus on the design of it.

Plus, if you're creating a map for other people to download to either play in single player or multiplayer, what happens if you've stripped all of the resources near the awesome castle that you've to build out of copious amounts of stone, iron, and diamond blocks? Less for the player(s) to get on their own, meaning a less enjoyable experience. The less that you impact the world around your structures, the better off your map will be for players.

Most of the community know this, so they either use mods themselves or don't mind if you use them. Meaning that you will not be flamed for using an inventory editor, fly mods, or whatever. It's almost expected.



Mods that I recommend
For general purpose Map making, you might only need to use one or two of these; however, I feel like it's much easier to have all three going at the same time.

NOTE:All of the installation instructions are on the mod threads themselves. I implore you to read these before trying to install by yourself as some have unique installations.

[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
This is an in-game Inventory Editor. What does that mean? Well, you open up you inventory (default is E post 1.4) then press "O". A huge list of items appears showing you most, if not all, items available to you in-game. Flick through the list and left-click for a stack to be added to your inventory or right-click for just one. There are more features to this, but this alone should convince you.

[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
zombe's Modpack currently consists of 20 mods that all vary in purpose. It is mostly known for having a fly mod, though, which allows you to get places faster, build structures higher, and overall, get stuff done at a faster rate. It also comes with "Classic Build" mode. This Allows you to have infinite stacks of whatever you want, destroy blocks instantly, and other neat features.

[ Register or Signin to view external links. ] This is for more advanced map makers as it really makes you get your feet wet with commands and other nonsense, but it is also the most powerful. This mod allows you to do, make, and edit nearly every aspect of the game. Want to make a sphere? Easy. One easy command will make it instantly!










Mods that I would AVOID
I don't recommend any mods that force others to have the same mod in order to play your map. I understand that some things can't be done without some mods, but if you're releasing a map for general consumption you need to keep this in mind:

The easier something is to obtain, the more people will use it. People pay bigggg money for convenience.

If you simply cannot go without getting around this, fine. But I've warned you that generally people don't want to have to install a mod just to play on your map.









Tools
These are by no means essential, but I find them really helpful for different things.

First up is the very popular [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] . The About section from the thread:


Next up is another popular [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] . Basically what Cartograh G does is it gets a top-down view of your entire world. This is not only useful for seeing where a good mountaintop is, but when you're posting a map that is HUGE, it allows people to see how big it really is. Just check out some of the images that it has created and you'll understand what I mean.

As per [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] , INVedit is making an appearance. [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] allows you to modify your inventory without having to modify anything in your Minecraft client. However, this tool is best used on a Windows computer, as it requires much more effort on behalf of Mac and Linux users because it is a .exe and requires .NET framework. If you got past all of that tech babble, this is what the author says that it can accomplish:


Finally, I bring you [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] . Directly from their website:









Sharing your map

So you have a map and you want people to download and play it, how do you do that? It's pretty easy. Just follow my directions and you'll be ready to share your latest creation in no time!

Just like hosting images online, you will need to find a website to host files for you. There are dozens of popular file hosting websites. I prefer to use [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] because it allows you to upload with or without an account. There are bonuses to get the free account, however, like a file manager that allows you to access all of the files you've uploaded to delete them or whatever. If you don't want to use MegaUpload, you don't have to. It's just personal preference. [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] comes up with great alternatives.

Alright, so now you have a file host, but that still doesn't solve everything. You need to navigate to your saves folder and compress your folder to upload.

If you're running Windows, your saves are located here:
Press the Windows Key and R at the same time. In this dialogue type (or copy and paste) the following
%appdata%\.minecraft\saves

If you're running on a Mac, your saves are located here:
/Users/*username*/Library/Application Support/minecraft/saves/

If you're running Linux, your saves are located here:
`/.minecraft/saves

To compress the folder (of the map, don't do the whole saves folder please) just right click -> Send to... -> Compressed (Zipped) Folder

This will create a .zip file that's ready to upload. Just head back over to the file hosting website, hit the "Upload" button, and using the explorer menu navigate to the .zip folder you created and hit "Open." Your file should start to upload now and you'll be armed with a link to post on the site soon!










Installing a map
This should be another quick tutorial to get a map from the internet onto your hard drive and then into your saves.

1. Find a map that you want to download. If they require you to get a mod, make sure that you install that first.
2. Download the map to a place that you will remember (Downloads folder, Dekstop, wherever)
3. Unzip or Unrar the file using your archiver of choice (WinRAR, 7Zip, etc).
4. Copy the folder that was unzipped, unrared, etc., and navigate to your Minecraft saves folder:

If you're running Windows, your saves are located here:
Press the Windows Key and R at the same time. In this dialogue type (or copy and paste) the following
%appdata%\.minecraft\saves

If you're running on a Mac, your saves are located here:
/Users/*username*/Library/Application Support/minecraft/saves/

If you're running Linux, your saves are located here:
`/.minecraft/saves

5. Paste the folder and re-name it if you desire.
6. Play Minecraft with the new map!

Here's a user video that explains this. His first technique that he uses to locate the .minecraft folder should be universal (across any operating system).











Get noticed
While there is no end-all solution to guarantee that you will get your map noticed, here's a couple tips:

Presentation
Know your audience
Submit to the Official Map List

Presentation
This is something that takes a while to do, but it's worth it. People are more likely to download your map if it has pretty pictures and your thread doesn't look like an illiterate five-year-old wrote it.

The first place that I suggest that you look is the [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] thread. This thread goes over the basics of BBCode, advanced BBCode, shortcuts in the editor, and a ton of other forum goodness. However, just knowing the BBCode to do some of this cool stuff doesn't solve your problem. You need to take your time when posting your map and don't forget about the Preview button. This button allows you to see how your thread will be posted without actually posting it. I use this button frequently before I throw an update to this thread or else I have to slap the Edit button more times than I want.

Something that goes along with Presentation is what you name your map and thread. If you haven't read over the [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] thread, you really should before you post your thread. This thread goes over adding subject prefixes to your map thread to make sure that everyone gets a general idea about what to expect before they open your thread. Likewise, if you name your map in relation to some , movie, or whatever, people will expect to see how that media influenced your map.

If you have a giant wall of text meaning no paragraphs you will undoubtedly be skipped over by most of the forumgoers. We don't want to have to read 20+ lines of text that are bunched together. It's pretty difficult to keep our attention. That being said, don't feel bad if you are taking up more of their screen space by hitting the Return key (but don't overdo it!). If you feel like there are definite sections, look into adding some [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] . I use them here to provide quick navigation between sections or get you back to where you were.

One last tip that I have for this Presentation section (at this time), is to look into getting a [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] . Everyone likes some variety and it is an easy way to make your map pictures stand out. Plus, they make Minecraft look better. Just remember that if you use a texture pack, let everyone know in your first post what it is and where you got it. You will have people ask you and it will save you the hassle later on.



Know your audience
This is something that you cannot expect to do overnight. Getting a good feeling for your audience is the best way to get more downloads. If you are creating a map that's labeled as [Surv] (survival), your audience will expect a more hardcore experience than a map that's labeled as [Creation]. So, your audience will generally be more older players who are looking for a challenge and don't mind the honor rules that you will throw in to make sure that the players have the experience that you want them to.

Something that you can do to get a good, quick view of your audience is to check out the successful map threads. Those few people who have over 5,000 downloads had to do something right, and you can learn from them.









Last edited by JetBlue ; edited 2 times in total

The following 5 users thanked JetBlue for this useful post:

Flaze (09-05-2011), Return_of_The_Jamal (09-01-2011), seedot_ (08-27-2011), xxmackersxx (08-27-2011), FlamesUK (08-27-2011)
#2. Posted:
xxmackersxx
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ill read all of this later but by just looking at it thanks for posting!
#3. Posted:
Hacktivist
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Thank You For Posting This It Really Helped Me out , Well Appreciated
#4. Posted:
JetBlue
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xxmackersxx wrote ill read all of this later but by just looking at it thanks for posting!



you welcome dude 8)
#5. Posted:
FlamesUK
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Just wow if this is not a copy and paste good post it must of taken a long time to do.


So you get my thumbs up well done pal.
#6. Posted:
Kong
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This is a Very Helpfull topic.

And will help alot of people out.

Presentation Looks very good,nice and set out.

keep it up.
#7. Posted:
Redstone
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Sticky this please?????

And ive bookmarked this
#8. Posted:
Zoid
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Aquazion wrote Thank You For Posting This It Really Helped Me out , Well Appreciated


You have to be the fastest reader in the world if you read
it all 2 minutes after he posted the topic.
#9. Posted:
JetBlue
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Joined: Jun 24, 201113Year Member
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Was wrote
Aquazion wrote Thank You For Posting This It Really Helped Me out , Well Appreciated


You have to be the fastest reader in the world if you read
it all 2 minutes after he posted the topic.


Thank you guys for your Feed have question feel free to Pm me
#10. Posted:
JetBlue
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Bump + Come check out how to make a Map and Info about them
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